Dashanami Sampradaya

Dashanami Sanyasi (IAST Daśanāmi Saṃpradāya "Tradition of Ten Names") is a Hindu monastic tradition of "single-staff
renunciation" (ēka daṇḍi sannyāsi)[1][2][3] generally associated with the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The disciples of Adi
Shankaracharya are also called "Dash Nam Sanyasi" as the Title is further divided into ten groups viz. Giri, Puri, Bharati, Ban,
Aranya, Sagar, Aashram, Saraswati, Tirtha, and Parwat. Dashnam Sanyasins are associated mainly with the four Maths in four
corners of India, established by Adi Shankaracharya. Initially all the disciples were Sanyasins who embraced sanyas either after
marriage or without getting married.

Single-staff renunciates are distinct in their practices from Shaiva trishuldhari or "trident-wielding renunciates" and Vaishnava
traditions of Tridandi sannyāsis.[4][note 1][note 2]

In the 8th century a section of the (Ēkadaṇḍisannyāsins) were organized by Adi Shankara into four maṭhas. However, the
association of the Dasanāmis with the Shankara maṭhas remained nominal.[web 1] Any Hindu, irrespective of class, caste, age or
gender can seek sannyāsa as an Ēkadaṇḍi renunciate in the Dasanāmi tradition.

Contents
History
Ēkadaṇḍis
Golden Age of Hinduism
Wandering Ēkadaṇḍi ascetics
Establishment of the Dasanami Sampradaya
Late-Classical Hinduism
Establishment
Expansion of the Dasanami Sampradaya
Naga Sadhus akharas
Characteristics
Parampara
Ten Names
Standardised List of Notable Dasanāmīs
A
B
C
D
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
 S
T
V
Y
Notes
References
Written references
Web-references
Sources
External links

History

Ēkadaṇḍis
Ēkadandis were already known during what is sometimes referred to as "Golden
Age of Hinduism" (ca. 320-650 CE[5])

Golden Age of Hinduism

See also Gupta rule and Gupta and Pallava period

The "Golden Age of Hinduism"[5] (ca. 320-650 CE[5]) flourished during the
Gupta Empire[6] (320 to 550 CE) until the fall of the Harsha[6] (606 to 647 CE).
During this period, power was centralized, along with a growth of long distance
trade, standardization of legal procedures, and a general spread of literacy.[6]
Mahayana Buddhism flourished, but orthodox Shrauta Hinduism was
rejuvenated by the patronage of the Gupta dynasty.[7] The position of the
Brahmans was reinforced[6] and the first Hindu temples emerged during the late Sannyasi, a Saiva mendicant -
Gupta age.[6] The Mahābhārata, which probably reached its final form by the Tashrih al-aqvam'" (1825)
early Gupta period (c. 4th century),[8] already mentions "ēkadaṇḍi" and
"tridaṇḍi".[9]

Wandering Ēkadaṇḍi ascetics

The Ēkadaṇḍis existed in the Tamil country during the south-Indian Pandyan dynasty (3rd century BCE - 16th century CE) and
the South-Indian Pallava dynasty (2nd - 9th centuries CE). Being wandering monastics, they were not settled in the brahmadeyas
or settlement areas for Brahmins. There existed tax free bhiksha-bogams for feeding the Ēkadaṇḍi ascetics in the ancient Tamil
country.[10]

Ēkadaṇḍis and Tridandis were also active in Eastern India, and appear to have existed there during the North-Indian Gupta
Empire (320 to 550 CE ).[11]

According to R. Tirumalai, "There appears to have been no sectarian segregation of the Shaiva (Ēkadaṇḍi) and Srivaishnava
(Tridandi Sannyāsins)".[12]

Establishment of the Dasanami Sampradaya

 At the beginning of what is
referred to as "Late classical
Hinduism",[13] which lasted
from 650 till 1100 CE,[13]
Shankara established the
Dasanami Sampradaya.

Late-Classical Hinduism
(Vidyashankara temple) at Sringeri
See also Late-Classical Sharada Peetham, Shringeri
Age and Hinduism
Middle Ages

After the end of the Gupta Empire and the collapse of the Harsha Empire, power
became decentralized in India. Several larger kingdoms emerged, with
Dandi Sanyasi, a Hindu ascetic, in
Eastern Bengal in the 1860s "countless vassal states":[14] in the east the Pala Empire[14] (770-1125 CE[14]),
in the west and north the Gurjara-Pratihara[14] (7th-10th century[14]), in the
southwest the Rashtrakuta dynasty[14] (752-973[14]), in the Dekkhan the
Chalukya dynasty[14] (7th-8th century[14]), and in the south the Pallava dynasty[14] (7th-9th century[14]) and the Chola
dynasty[14] (9th century[14]).

The kingdoms were ruled via a feudal system. Smaller kingdoms were dependent on the protection of the larger kingdoms. "The
great king was remote, was exalted and deified",[15] as reflected in the Tantric Mandala, which could also depict the king as the
centre of the mandala.[16]

The disintegration of central power also lead to regionalization of religiosity, and religious rivalry.[17][note 3] Local cults and
languages were enhanced, and the influence of "Brahmanic ritualistic Hinduism"[17] was diminished.[17] Rural and devotional
movements arose, along with Shaivism, Vaisnavism, Bhakti and Tantra,[17] though "sectarian groupings were only at the
beginning of their development".[17] Religious movements had to compete for recognition by the local lords.[17] Buddhism lost
its position, and began to disappear in India.[17]

Establishment
Shankara, himself considered to be an incarnation of Shiva,[web 1] established
the Dashanami Sampradaya, organizing a section of the Ēkadaṇḍi monastics
under an umbrella grouping of ten names.[web 1] Several other Hindu monastic
and Ēkadaṇḍi traditions remained outside the organization of the
Dasanāmis.[19][20][21]

Adi Shankara organized the Hindu monastics of these ten sects or names under
four maṭhas or monasteries, with headquarters at Dvārakā in the west,
Jagannatha Puri in the east, Sringeri in the south and Badrikashrama in the
north.[web 1] Each maṭha was headed by one of his four main disciples, who
each continued the Vedanta Sampradaya.

Monastics of these ten orders differ in part in their beliefs and practices, and a H.H Jagadguru Swami
section of them is not considered to be restricted to specific changes made by Nischalananda Saraswati, The
Shankara. While the Dasanāmis associated with the Shankara maṭhas follow the Shankaracharya of Puri
procedures enumerated by Adi Śankara, some of these orders remained partly or fully independent in their belief and practices;
and outside the official control of the Shankara maṭhas.

The association of the Dasanāmis with the Smartha tradition or Advaita Vedānta is not all-embracing. One example is the Kriyā
Yoga tradition that considers itself eclectic (see: Eclecticism), with ancient[web 2] unchangeable beliefs, and outside the ambit of
differences in the understanding of Vedanta. Other examples are the Tantric Avadhūta Sampradāyas and Ekadaṇḍi sannyāsa
traditions outside the control of the Shankara maṭhas[21] The Dasanāmis or Ēkadaṇḍis also founded, and continue to found or
affiliate themselves with, maṭhas, ashrams and temples outside the control of the Shankara maṭhas.[web 2][web 3]

The Advaita Sampradaya is not a Shaiva sect,[web 1][22] despite the historical links with Shaivism:

Advaitins are non-sectarian, and they advocate worship of Siva and Visnu equally with that of the other deities of
Hinduism, like Sakti, Ganapati and others.[web 1]

Nevertheless, contemporary Shankaracaryas have more influence among Saiva communities than among Vaisnava
communities.[web 1] The greatest influence of the gurus of the Advaita tradition has been among followers of the Smartha
tradition, who integrate the domestic Vedic ritual with devotional aspects of Hinduism.[web 1]

According to Nakamura, these maṭhas contributed to the influence of Shankara, which was "due to institutional factors".[23] The
maṭhas which he built exist until today, and preserve the teachings and influence of Shankara, "while the writings of other
scholars before him came to be forgotten with the passage of time".[24]

The table below gives an overview of the four Amnaya maṭhas founded by Adi Shankara, and their details.[web 4]

Shishya
Direction Maṭha Mahāvākya Veda Sampradaya
(lineage)
Govardhana Prajñānam brahma
Padmapāda East Rig Veda Bhogavala
Pīṭhaṃ (Consciousness is Brahman)
Sringeri Śārada Aham brahmāsmi (I am Yajur
Sureśvara South Bhūrivala
Pīṭhaṃ Brahman) Veda
Dvāraka Sama
Hastāmalakācārya West Tattvamasi (That thou art) Kitavala
Pīṭhaṃ Veda
Jyotirmaṭha Ayamātmā brahma (This Atman Atharva
Toṭakācārya North Nandavala
Pīṭhaṃ is Brahman) Veda

Expansion of the Dasanami Sampradaya

According to the tradition in Kerala, after Shankara's samadhi at Vadakkunnathan Temple, his disciples founded four maṭhas in
Thrissur, namely Naduvil Madhom, Thekke Madhom, Idayil Madhom and Vadakke Madhom.

According to Pandey, the ēkadaṇḍis or Dasanāmis had established monasteries in India and Nepal in the 13th and 14th
century.[web 5]

Naga Sadhus akharas

In the 16th century, Madhusudana Saraswati of Bengal organised a section of the Naga (naked) tradition of armed sannyasis in
order to protect Hindus from the tyranny of the Mughal rulers. These are also called Gusain, Gussain, Gosain, Gossain, Gosine,
Gosavi, Sannyāsi.
Warrior-ascetics could be found in Hinduism from at least the 1500s and as
late as the 1700s,[25] although tradition attributes their creation to
Sankaracharya[web 6]

Some examples of akhara currently are the Shri Panchadashanam Juna

Akhara of the Dashanami Naga, Shri Panchayati Mahanirwani Akhara, Shri
Taponidhi Niranjani Akhara, Shri Taponidhi Anand Akhara, Shri Panchayati
Atal Akhara, Shri Panchadashnam Awahan Akhara, Shri Pancha Agni
Akhara and Shri Panchayati Akhara at Allahabad.[web 7] Each akhara is
divided into sub-branches and traditions. An example is the Dattatreya
Naga Sadhu performing ritual bath at
Akhara (Ujjain) of the naked sadhus of Juna Naga establishment.[web 8]
Sangam during Prayagraj Ardh
Kumbhmela 2007
The naga sadhus generally remain in the ambit of non-violence presently,
though some sections are also known to practice the sport of wrestling. The
Dasanāmi sannyāsins practice the Vedic and yogic Yama principles of
ahimsā (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-covetousness) and brahmacārya (celibacy /
moderation). The Dasanāmis are generally believed to be celibate, and grihastas or householder sannyāsis such as Lahiri
Mahasaya and Bhupendranath Sanyal (Sanyal Mahāsaya) were a rarity.

The naga sadhus are prominent at Kumbh mela, where the order in which they enter the water is fixed by tradition. After the juna
akhara, the Niranjani and Mahanirvani Akhara proceed to their bath. Ramakrishna Math Sevashram are almost the last in the
procession.[26]

Characteristics

Parampara
In the Indian religious and philosophical traditions, all knowledge is traced back to the Gods and to the Rishis who primarily
envisioned the Vedas.

The current Acaryas, the heads of the maṭhas, trace their authority back to the four main disciples of Shankara,[web 9] and each of
the heads of these four maṭhas takes the title of Shankaracharya ("the learned Shankara") after Adi Shankara.

The Advaita guru-paramparā (Lineage of Gurus in Non-dualism) begins with the mythological time of the Daiva-paramparā,
followed by the vedic seers of the Ṛṣi-paramparā, and the Mānava-paramparā of historical times and
personalities:[web 9][note 4]

Daiva-paramparā
Nārāyaṇa
Sada Shiva
Padmabhuva (Brahmā)
Ṛṣi-paramparā
Vaśiṣṭha
Śakti
Parāśara
Vyāsa[note 5]
Śuka
Mānava-paramparā
Gauḍapāda
 Govinda bhagavatpāda
Śankara bhagavatpāda, and then Shankara's four disciples

Padmapāda
Hastāmalaka
Toṭaka
Vārtikakāra (Sureśvara) and others

Ten Names
Hindus who enter sannyāsa in the ēkadaṇḍi tradition take up one of the ten names associated with this sampradaya.[web 11][web 1]

Saṃskrit Hindī Associated Well-known

Info
name name pītha members
Govardhana
Āraṇya Aranya Hariharānanda
matha
Āśrama Aashram Dvaraka Pitha
Sringeri
Bhāratī Bharti Sharada Kṛṣṇacaitanya
Peetham
Jyotirmath,
Yogānanda,
Sringeri
Giri Giri Srījukteśvara,
Sharada
Pranavānanda
Peetham
Parvata Parwat Jyotirmath defunct
Rāmakṛṣṇa,
Puri Puri
Vivekānanda
Sagara Sagar Jyotirmath defunct
Sivānanda,
Vishnudevānanda,
Sarasvatī Saraswati
Satchidānanda,
Satyānanda
Dvaraka
Monks of Madhvacharya's lineage belong to
Pitha, Sringeri
Tīrtha Teerth Bhāratīkṛṣṇa the Tīrtha sub-order – although this sub-order
Sharada
is not exclusive to Madhva's followers.
Peetham
Govardhana
Vana Ban defunct
matha

Standardised List of Notable Dasanāmīs

This section enumerates, in standardised manner, members of the Dasanāmī Order with articles in Wikipedia, listing each under
his formal title and name, without the use of the honorifics[note 6] so cherished by fawning devotees and disciples. The word
"swāmī" here is not an honorific. It is the title of an initiated member of the Dasanāmī Order. Entries are listed in standard form:
TITLE (SWĀMĪ) + PERSONAL NAME + SUB-ORDER NAME. A few entries have the additional title (not honorific) of
"Jagadguru Śankarācārya" which designates either one of the four supreme leaders of the order (somewhat similar to the position
of Pope in Catholic Christianity). "Mahanta" is an administrative title designating an organizational position or office assigned to
certain persons.

A
 Name
Swāmī Abhedānanda Puri
Swāmī Abhinavavidyā Tīrtha
Swāmī Achalānanda Puri
Swāmī Adbhutānanda Puri
Swāmī Adidevānanda Puri
Swāmī Advaitānanda Puri
Swāmī Agehānanda Bhāratī
Swāmī Agnivesha Sarasvatī
Swāmī Akhandānanda Puri
Swāmī Akhandānanda
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Akhilānanda Puri
Swāmī Akshobhya Tīrtha
Swāmī Ānanda Tīrtha
Swāmī Ashokānanda Puri
Swāmī Atmabodhendra
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Ātmajñānānanda Puri
Swāmī Ātmasthānanda Puri
Notability
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Śrngeri.
Disciple of Vivekānanda.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Ramakrishna monk.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Austrian American intellectual and expert on Indian languages and phonology.
Activist; reformer; interfaith dialog advocate.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Preacher of Bhagavata Purana.
Founder of Vedanta Society of Providence and Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of
Boston.
Dvaitavādin.
Preceptor of Dvaita.
Ramakrishna monk.
Pīthādhipati of Kamakoti Math, Kanchipuram.
American Ramakrishna monk.
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Name Notability
Swāmī Bhāratī Tīrtha Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Śrngeri.
Swāmī Bhāratīkrsna Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Puri and scholar of Indian mathematics. First Śankarācārya
Tīrtha to visit the West. Authored Vedic Mathematics.
Swāmī
Bhaskarānanda Scholar and anchorite of Benāres.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Bhūmānanda
Social reformer. Teacher of Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana.
Tīrtha
Swāmī
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Bhuteshānanda Puri
Swāmī Bodhānanda
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Bodhendra
Pīthādhipati of Kamakoti Math, Kanchipuram.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Senior disciple of Rāmakrsna; President of Ramakrishna Mission; one of the six
Brahmānanda Puri iśvarakoti.
Swāmī
Brahmānanda Highly-respected Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Jyotirmāyā Pītha, Badrināth.
Sarasvatī
C

Name Notability
Swāmī
Chandrachudhendra Pīthādhipati of Kamakoti Math, Kanchipuram.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Candrasekhara
Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Śrngeri.
Bhāratī
Swāmī
Pīthādhipati of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Kanchipuram. Featured in Paul Brunton's
Chandrasekharendra
A Search in Secret India.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Chidānanda Disciple of Svāmī Śivānanda Sarasvatī; President of Divine Life Society; interfaith
Sarasvatī advocate.
Swāmī Chidānanda
Founder of temples in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the USA.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Chidbhavānanda
Ramakrishna monk; prolific author.
Puri
Swāmī Chidvilasānanda
Disciple and designated successor of Muktānanda; sister of Nityānanda.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Chinmāyānanda Hindu missionary. Disciple of Swāmī Śivānanda Sarasvatī and Swāmī Tapovanam
Sarasvatī Giri. Founder of Chinmaya Mission.

Name Notability
Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī Socio-religious reformer. Founder of the Arya Samaj.
Swāmī Dayānanda Sarasvatī Vedānt ācārya; founder of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam.
Swāmī Dhanarāja Giri Founder of Kailash Ashram, Rishikesh.

G
 Name
Swāmī Gahanānanda Puri
Swāmī Gambhirānanda
Puri
Swāmī Ganapati Sarasvatī
Swāmī Ganeshānanda
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Gangadharendra
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Ghanānanda Puri
Swāmī Ghanānanda
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Gītānanda Giri
Swāmī Gñānānanda Giri
Notability
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Long-lived yogī of Benāres.
Yoga teacher. Pupil and sannyās initiate of Swāmī Śivānanda Sarasvatī. Pupil of
Swāmī Suraj Giri.
Advaitin.
Ramakrishna monk who was active in Europe.
Ghanaian disciple of Svāmī Krishnānanda Sarasvatī; possibly first Black African
convert to Hinduism.
Indian Canadian physician; yoga teacher; Mahanta of the Brighu Order; "Lion of
Pondicherry".
Long-lived yogī; guru of French Catholic monastic Abhishiktānanda.

Name Notability
Swāmī Haridāsa Giri Disciple of Svāmī Gñānānanda Giri.
Swāmī Hariharānanda
Noted Samkhya Yogī.
Āranya
Swāmī Hariharānanda Kriyā Yoga teacher. Pupil of Śrījukteśvara, Bhupendranāth Sanyal, Yogānanda,
Giri Satyānanda, and Bijoy Krishna.
Swāmī Hariharānanda Respected Vedānt ācārya; disciple of Svāmī Brahmānanda Sarasvatī; met Yogānanda
Sarasvatī at Kumbh Mela.

Name Notability
Swāmī Indravesha Sarasvatī Sociopolitical activist.
Swāmī Isvara Puri Dvaitavādin.

Name
Swāmī Janakānanda
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Jaya Tīrtha
Swāmī Jaya Tīrtha
Swāmī Jayendra Sarasvatī
Swāmī Jyotirmāyānanda
Sarasvatī
Notability
Danish disciple of Svāmī Satyānanda Sarasvatī; founder of Skandinavisk Yoga och
Meditationsskola.
Dvaitavādin.
Dvaitavādin.
Disciple of Svāmī Chandrasekharendra Sarasvatī. Pīthādhipati of Kamakoti Math,
Kanchipuram.
Disciple of Svāmī Śivānanda Sarasvatī; founder of Yoga Research Foundation,
Miami, Florida.
K

Name Notability
Swāmī
Disciple of Vivekānanda.
Kalyanānanda Puri
Swāmī
Kesavānanda Mahānta/Pīthādhipati of Edneer Math, Kasaragod district, Kerala.
Bhāratī
Swāmī
Yogī of Vrindaban.
Kesavānanda Tīrtha
Swāmī Kirtidānanda
Ramakrishna monastic.
Puri
Swāmī
Krishnānanda Disciple of Śivānanda; General Secretary of Divine Life Society.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Kriyānanda
American disciple of Yogānanda; founder of Ananda World Brotherhood Colonies.
Giri
Swāmī
Vaisnava teacher and scholar of Bengal; regarded as an avatār in Bangla Vaisnavism.
Kṛṣṇacaitanya
Called "Caitanya Mahaprabhu" by devotees.
Bhāratī

Name Notability
Swāmī Laksmanānanda Humanitarian social relief worker of Orissa; assassinated by suspected Christian
Sarasvatī Maoists.
Swāmī Laksmīnārāyana
Dvaita Vaisnava teacher.
Tīrtha

Name Notability
Swāmī Madhavānanda
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Puri
Swāmī Madhavendra
Dvaitavadin. Disciple of Lakshmipati Tirtha.
Puri
Swāmī Madhusūdana
Advaita Vedānt ācārya.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Mahādevendra
Pīthādhipati of Kamakoti Math, Kanchipuram.
Sarasvatī
Swāminī Māyātitānanda
Ayurveda teacher.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Muktānanda Meditation teacher. Founded the SYDA (Siddha Yoga Dham) organization, with
Sarasvatī several ashrams and centers. Author.

N
 Name
Swāmī Nāmānanda Giri
Swāmī Narahari Tīrtha
Swāmī Nārāyanānanda Puri
Swāmī Nigamānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Nikhilānanda Puri
Swāmī Nirañjanānanda Puri
Swāmī Nirañjanānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Nirmalānanda Puri
Swāmī Nischayānanda Puri
Swāmī Nrsimha Sarasvatī
Notability
Disciple of Haridasa Giri.
Dvaitavādin. Disciple of Swāmī Ānanda Tīrtha.
Ramakrishna monk; rāja yoga teacher in Denmark.
Bhakta, gyānī, yogī, tantrika of Eastern India.
Ramakrishna monastic; Vedānta teacher in the USA.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna; one of the six iśvarakoti.
Disciple of Satyānanda; head of Bihar School of Yoga.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Disciple of Vivekānanda.
Sage of Maharashtra. Regarded as incarnation of Dattatreya.

Name Notability
Swāmī Omānanda Sarasvatī Educator.

Name Notability
Swāmī Padmanabha
Dvaitavādin. Disciple of Swāmī Ānanda Tīrtha.
Tīrtha
Swāmī Paramānanda Puri Ramakrishna monk; Vedānta teacher in the USA.
Swāmī Prabhavānanda
Ramakrishna monk; Vedānta teacher in the USA.
Puri
Swāmī Prakāshānanda
Ramakrishna monk; Vedānta teacher in the USA.
Puri
Swāmī Prakāshānanda Rādhā-Krsna devotee, convict and fugitive in the USA; disciple of Rādhā-Krsna
Sarasvatī bhakta Kripalu Maharaj.
Swāmī Prakāshānanda
Hindu teacher in Trinidad.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Prameyānanda
Ramakrishna monk.
Puri
Swami Pranavānanda Giri Founder of Bharat Sevashram Sangha.
Swāmī Pranavānanda
Disciple of Śivānanda; Yoga-Vedānta teacher, Divine Life Society, Malaysia.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Premānanda Puri Disciple of Rāmakrsna; one of the six iśvarakoti.
Swāmī Purnānanda Tīrtha Advaita Vedantin.
Swāmī Purnaprajñā Tīrtha Preceptor of Dvaitavāda.
Swāmī
Ramakrishna monk.
Purushottamānanda Puri
R

Name Notability
Swāmī Raghavendra
Dvaitavādin Vaisnava saint.
Tīrtha
Swāmī
Advaita Vedāntin. 36th Pīthādhipati of Ramachandrapura Math, Hosanagara, Shimoga,
Raghaveshwara
Karnataka.
Bhāratī
Swāmī Raghuttama
Dvaitavādin.
Tīrtha
Yogī; founder of Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy,
Swāmī Rāma Bhāratī
Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
Swāmī Rāma Tīrtha Teacher of "Practical Vedanta".
Swāmī
Rāmakrishnānanda Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Puri
Swāmī Rāmakrsna Temple priest, ascetic, mystic of Bengal. Regarded as an avatar (a "descent" or physical
Puri incarnation of God) by devotees.
Swāmī Rāmānanda
Activist in Hyderābād.
Tīrtha
Swāmī
Ranganāthānanda President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Puri
Swāmī Rudrānanda
Ramakrishna monk in Fiji.
Puri
Swāmī Rudrānanda
American spiritual teacher.
Sarasvatī

S
 Name
Swāmī Saccidānanda Bhāratī
Swāmī Saccidānanda Bhāratī
Swāmī
Saccidānandaśivābhinavanrsiṃha
Bhāratī
Swāmī Sadānanda Puri
Swāmī Sadaśivendra Sarasvatī
Swāmī Sahajānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Sahajānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Samyamindra Tīrtha
Swāmī Śaradānanda Puri
Swāmī Satchidānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Satcidānandendra Sarasvatī
Swāmī Sathyānanda Saraswathī
Swāmī Satyānanda Giri
Swāmī Satyānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Satyapramoda Tīrtha
Swāmī Satyātmā Tīrtha
Swāmī Shambhavānanda Puri
Swāmī Shankarānanda Puri
Swāmī Shankarānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Shantānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Shivānanda Puri
Swāmī Shivom Tīrtha
Swāmī Shraddhānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Shuddhānanda Puri
Swāmī Śivānanda Sarasvatī
Swāmī Śivānanda Rādhā Sarasvatī
Swāmī Smaranānanda Puri
Swāmī Śrījukteśvara Giri
Swāmī Subodhānanda Puri
Swāmī Sudhindra Tīrtha
Swāmī Sukrathindra Tīrtha
Swāmī Swahānanda Puri
Swāmī Swarūpānanda Puri
Swāmī Swarūpānanda Sarasvatī
Notability
Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Śrngeri.
Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Śrngeri.
Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Śrngeri.
Disciple of Vivekānanda.
Scholar, yogī-siddha, poet, avadhūta; mentioned in Yogānanda's
Autobiography.
Indian nationalist.
South African spiritual teacher; disciple of Śivānanda.
Mathadhipati of Kashi Math.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna; author of the Śrī Śrī Rāmakrsna Līlaprasanga.
Disciple of Śivānanda; founder of Satchidananda Ashrams, USA.
Vedānt ācārya.
Yoga teacher.
Kriyā Yoga teacher; disciple of Śrījukteśvara.
Disciple of Śivānanda; founder of Bihar School of Yoga.
Dvaitavadin.
42nd pontiff of Uttaradi Matha.
Ramakrishna monk.
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
American disciple of Muktānanda.
Disciple of Śivānanda; spiritual guide in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Siddhayoga teacher.
Hindu social activist; assassinated by a Muslim.
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Founded Divine Life Society and Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy,
Rishikesh; authored 200 books.
Canadian yoga teacher; disciple of Sivānanda.
Ramakrishna monk. President of the Ramakrishna Order.
Kriyā Yoga adept; disciple of Shyāmacharan Lahirī; guru of Yogānanda.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Mathadhipati of Kashi Math.
Mathadhipati of Kashi Math.
Ramakrishna monastic.
Disciple of Vivekānanda.
Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Jyotirmāyā and Dwarka Pītha.
T
Name
Swāmī Tapasyānanda Puri
Swāmī Tapovanam Giri
Swami Tejomayananda Saraswati
Swāmī Trigunatitānanda Puri
Swāmī Turiyānanda Puri
Swāmī Tyagānanda Puri
V
Notability
Ramakrishna monastic.
Reclusive yogī of Uttar Kashi.
Current Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Ramakrishna monk; Hindu chaplain of MIT.
 Name Notability
Swāmī Vadirāja Tīrtha Dvaita Vaisnava teacher.
Swāmī Vasudevānanda
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Veda Bhāratī Disciple of Svāmī Rāma.
Swāmī Venkateśānanda
Disciple of Śivānanda; founder of Sivananda Ashrams in South Africa and Mauritius.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Vidyanāthānanda
Ramakrishna monk and mathematician.
Puri
Swāmī
Telugu Hindu teacher.
Vidyāprakāśānanda Giri
Swāmī Vidyāranya Tīrtha Jagadguru Śankarācārya of Śrngeri.
Swāmī Vidyātmānanda
Ramakrishna monk.
Puri
Swāmī Vijayendra
Disciple and designated successor of Jayendra Sarasvatī.
Sarasvatī
Swāmī Vijayendra Tīrtha Dvaita Vaisnava teacher.
Swāmī Vijñānānanda Puri Disciple of Rāmakrsna.
Swāmī Vimalānanda Puri Disciple of Vivekānanda.
Swāmī Vipulānanda Puri Srī Lankān Ramakrishna monastic and Hindu revivalist.
Swāmī Virajānanda Puri President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Swāmī Vireshwarānanda
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Puri
Swāmī Vishnu Tīrtha Siddhayoga teacher.
Yogī; most famous disciple of Svāmī Śivānanda Sarasvatī (the two of them are the
Swāmī Vishnudevānanda
most well-known members of the Sarasvati sub-order); founder of worldwide
Sarasvatī
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres; authored The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga.
Swāmī Vishuddhānanda
President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Puri
Most famous of disciples of Ramakrishna (the two of them are the most well-known
members of the Puri sub-order); most famous figure at first Parliament of the World's
Swāmī Vivekānanda Puri
Religions (Chicago, 1893); organizer of the Ramakrishna Mission; one of the six
iśvarakoti.
Swāmī Vyāsa Tīrtha Dvaita Vaisnava teacher.
Swāmī
Vyāsachalamahādevendra Pīthādhipati of Kamakoti Math, Kanchipuram.
Sarasvatī

Y
 Name Notability
Swāmī
Yatīśwarānanda Ramakrishna monk; spiritual teacher.
Puri
Kriyā Yoga adept. Granted the honorific Paramahamsa by his guru Śrījukteśvara. Most well-
Swāmī known Dasanami Swami in the West. Founder of Self-Realization Fellowship Church and the
Yogānanda Giri Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. Authored Autobiography of a Yogi. Most well-known
member of the Giri sub-order.
Swāmī
Leading Hindu of Italy. Disciple of Gītānanda.
Yogānanda Giri
Swāmī
Disciple of Rāmakrsna; one of the six īśvarakoti.
Yogānanda Puri

Notes
1. The Tridandi sannyāsins continue to wear the sacred thread after renunciation, while Ekadandi sannyāsins do
not.
2. Ek means "one", ekadandi means "of single staff", tridandi means "of three staffs".
3. This resembles the development of Chinese Chán during the An Lu-shan rebellion and the Five Dynasties and
Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960/979), during which power became decentralized and new Chán-schools
emerged.[18]
4. The following Sanskrit Verse among Smarthas provides the list of the early teachers of the Vedanta in their
order:[web 10][27] "नारायणं प भुवं विश ठं शि तं च त पु ं पराशरं च यासं शुकं गौडपादं महा तं गोिव दयोगी ं अथा य
िश यम ्
ी शंकराचाय अथा य प पादं च ह तामलकं च िश यम ् तं तोटकं वाि ककारम यान् अ मद ् गु न् स ततमानतोऽि म
अ ै त गु परंपरा तो म"्
"nārāyanam padmabhuvam vasishtam saktim ca tat-putram parāśaram ca
vyāsam śukam gauḍapāda mahāntam govinda yogīndram athāsya śiṣyam
śri śankarācāryam athāsya padmapādam ca hastāmalakam ca śiṣyam
tam trotakam vārtikakāram-anyān asmad gurūn santatamānato’smi
Advaita-Guru-Paramparā-Stotram",
The above advaita guru paramparā verse salute the prominent gurus of advaita, starting from Nārāyaṇa through
Adi Sankara and his disciples, up to the Acharyas of today.
5. the famous redactor of the vedas, he is also traditionally identified with Bādarāyaṇa, the composer of the
Brahmasūtras
6. e.g.: śrī, shri, shrii, shree, śrī śrī, śrī śrī śrī, śrīla, śrīman, jī, jiew, joo, jiu, swāmījī, mahātma, mahārsi, mahāyogī,
mahāsaya, mahārāj, mahārājjī, prabhu, prabhujī, mahāprabhu, gurudev, gurujī, guru mahārāj jī, sāheb, sāhebjī,
bābā, bābājī, mā, māta, mātajī, bhagvan, prabhupāda, bhaktipāda. Aside from these, "Paramahamsa" is also
one of the most abused honorifics. Lots of unfit characters want to claim it; lots of adoring disciples apply it to
their guru. It was used by the ISKCON rtvik/guru-ācāryas. However, the case of Swāmī Yogānanda Giri is a
unique one, since his appellation "Paramahansa" was not given to him by adoring disciples.

References

Written references
1. Journal of the Oriental Institute (pp 301), by Oriental Institute (Vadodara, India).
2. Govind Sadashiv Ghurye, Indian Sadhus
3. Lalit Kishore Lal Srivastava, Advaitic Concept of Jīvanmukti
4. A. C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmi, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
 5. Michaels 2004, p. 40-41.
6. Michaels 2004, p. 40.
7. Nakamura 2004, p. 687.
8. Van Buitenen; The Mahabharata – 1; The Book of the Beginning. Introduction (Authorship and Date)
9. Swāmi Parmeshwarānand, Encyclopaedia of Śaivism, p.82
10. Shanmuga Velayutham Subramanian, Heritage of the Tamils: temple arts, p.154
11. Bhagwati Charan Verma, Socio-religious, Economic, Literary Condition of Bihar
12. R. Tirumalai, The Pandyan Townships : The Pandyan townships, their organisation and functioning
13. Michaels 2004, p. 41-43.
14. Michaels 2004, p. 41.
15. michaels 2004, p. 41.
16. White 2000, p. 25-28.
17. Michaels 2004, p. 42.
18. McRae 2003.
19. Karigoudar Ishwaran, Ascetic Culture
20. Wendy Sinclair-Brull, Female Ascetics
21. H.A. Rose, Ibbetson, Denzil Ibbetson Sir, and Maclagan, Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and
North West Frontier Province, page 857
22. Nakamura 2004, p. 782-783.
23. Nakamura 2004, p. 680.
24. Nakamura 2004, p. 680-681.
25. A history of Dasnami Naga Sanyasis, Sir Jadunath Sarkar, Sri Panchayati Akhara Mahanirvani, Allahabad,
http://dspace.wbpublibnet.gov.in:8080/jspui/bitstream/10689/9526/5/Chapter%201_1%20-%20108p.pdf
26. Naga sadhus steal the show at Kumbh, Nandita Sengupta, TNN Feb 13,
2010://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-02-13/india/28140014_1_naga-sadhus-juna-akhara-holy-dip
27. Book: Shri Gowdapadacharya & Shri Kavale Math (A Commemoration volume). P. 38.

Web-references
1. Devasthananam, Sankara Acarya Biography: Monastic Tradition (http://sanskrit.org/monastic-tradition/)
2. Kalyanagiri (http://www.kataragama.org/docs/kalyanagiri.htm)
3. Prajnana Mission (http://www.prajnanamission.org/AboutUs.shtml)
4. "Adi Shankara's four Amnaya Peethams" (https://web.archive.org/web/20060626233820/http://www.sringerishara
dapeetham.org/html/History/amnaya.html). Archived from the original (http://www.sringerisharadapeetham.org/ht
ml/History/amnaya.html) on 26 June 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2006.
5. The maṭhas of Dasanami Sanyasis of Lalitpur, Kathmandu Valley (http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Pandey,+Ram+
Niwas+2059+VS.+The+Mathas+of+Dasanami+Sanyasis+of...-a0183984498)
6. Nagas: Once were warriors. Gautam Siddharth, TNN Jan 15, 2013 (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/20
13-01-15/allahabad/36352194_1_naga-sadhu-akharas-hindus)
7. Prem Panicker, Where did the Akharas come from? (http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/jan/25spec1.htm)
8. divinerevelation.org, Kumbh Melas in Haridwar and Ujjain (http://www.divinerevelation.org/KumbhMelaUjjain.htm
l)
9. "The Advaita Vedânta Home Page — Advaita Parampara" (http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/advaita-paramp
ara.html). Advaita-vedanta.org. 5 May 1999. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
10. Under Page: BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES ABOUT SANKARA AND GAUDAPAD (http://www.vidya-ashramvidyaorde
r.org/index.V.html)
11. The Dashanami Sampradaya- the Monastic Tradition (http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-today.html)
Sources
McRae, John (2003), Seeing Through Zen. Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese Chan
Buddhism, The University Press Group Ltd, ISBN 9780520237988
Michaels, Axel (2004), Hinduism. Past and present, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press
Nakamura, Hajime (2004), A History of Early Vedanta Philosophy. Part Two, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass
Publishers Private Limited

External links
Sringeri Math (http://www.sringeri.net/)
advaita-vedanta.org, Danasami Sampradya- The monastic tradition (http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-tod
ay.html)
Devasthanam, The Monastic Tradition (https://web.archive.org/web/20120508091224/http://www.sanskrit.org/ww
w/Shankara/shankar4.html)

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