Sivananda Saraswati

Introduction

Swami Sivananda, born as Kuppuswami, was a Hindu spiritual teacher, yoga guru and a proponent of Vedanta. He was the founder of the Divine Life Society, Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy and the author of over 200 books on various subjects related to yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda Yoga, propagated by his disciple Vishnudevananda, is now spread globally through Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres.

Early Life

Swami Sivananda was born in a brahmin family in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, India. His father was a revenue officer and a devout Shiva devotee while his mother was religious. He was the third and last child of his parents. He showed promise in academics and gymnastics during his childhood and excelled in medical school. He worked as a doctor in British Malaya for ten years and provided free treatment to poor patients. However, he felt that medicine only provided superficial healing and thus left for India to pursue his spiritual quest in 1923.

Initiation and Spiritual Practices

Sivananda returned to India in 1924 and went to Rishikesh, where he met his guru, Vishvananda Saraswati. He was initiated into the Sannyasa order and given the monastic name of Swami Sivananda. He settled in Rishikesh and performed intense spiritual practices while nursing the sick. He ran a charitable dispensary at Lakshman Jhula in 1927 using money from an insurance policy.

Founding the Divine Life Society

Swami Sivananda founded the Divine Life Society in 1936, with the headquarters, Sivananda Ashram, established on the bank of the Ganges at Muni Ki Reti, near Rishikesh. He lived most of his life at the ashram and dedicated himself to spreading the teachings of yoga and Vedanta.