Dayananda Saraswati (Arsha Vidya)

Swami Dayananda Saraswati (15 August 1930 – 23 September

2015) was a renunciate of the Hindu order of sannyasa and a
Swami Dayananda
renowned traditional teacher of Advaita Vedanta, and founder of the Saraswati
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam. He was the spiritual Guru of prime minister Personal
Narendra Modi.[1][2] Born Natarajan Gopala Iyer
15 August 1930
Manjakkudi, Tamil
Contents Nadu, India

Biography Died 23 September 2015

Early life (aged 85)
Involvement with Chinmaya Mission Rishikesh,
Uttarakhand, India
Sannyasa
Public talks Religion Hinduism
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Nationality Indian
Arsha Vidya Centers Founder of Arsha Vidya
Teaching Gurukulam
Institutions Philosophy Veda
Shishyas (students)
Other organisations
All India Movement for Seva
Inter-religious dialogue
Restoration of temple practices and worship
Publications: books, CDs and DVDs
Bhagavad Gita Home Study Program
List of books authored by Swami Dayananda
See also
Notes
References
External links

Biography

Early life

Swamiji was born as Natarajan in Manjakudi – Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu on 15 August 1930 [3] to
Shri. Gopala Iyer and Smt. Valambal. He was the eldest of four sons. His early schooling was done in the
District Board School at Kodavasal.[4] His father's death when he was eight, meant Natarajan had to shoulder
a significant portion of family responsibility along with his education. After the completion of his education,
Natarajan came to Chennai (erstwhile Madras) for earning a livelihood. Natarajan worked as a journalist for
the weekly magazine Dharmika Hindu (run by T. K. Jagannathacharya) and also for erstwhile Volkart
Brothers (now Voltas Limited) for sometime. He also decided to be a fighter pilot at one point and joined the
Indian Air Force, but left after six months as he felt suffocated by the regimentation there.[4][5] In his absence
his younger brother MG. Srinivasan took charge of the agricultural fields of the family household and made
sure that the family had the income to survive and live peacefully off the income.

Involvement with Chinmaya Mission

Natarajan became interested in Vedanta (Vedanta known also as Upanishad, is a positional name for the
wisdom contained in the end portion of the Vedas, the most ancient body of scriptural and religious knowledge
known to humankind) after listening to the public talks of Swami Chinmayananda in the year 1953. He
became actively involved with the then newly formed Chinmaya Mission in various roles and he was made its
Secretary within the first year of its inception. He attended the Sanskrit classes of P.S. Subramania Iyer, a
retired Professor of English. He introduced the mode of chanting the Gita verses that is still followed .[6][7][8]

Swami Chinmayananda instructed Natarajan to set up Chinmaya Mission's Madurai branch which he was able
to fulfill. In 1955 Natarajan accompanied Swami Chinmayananda to Uttarakashi and helped him in the
preparation of a Gita manuscript for publication. In Uttarakashi, he met Swami Chinmayananda's Guru,
Tapovan Maharaj, who advised him, 'You have a duty to yourself which is also important. Stay here. Do japa,
meditate and study.' Natarajan could not take up that offer at that point in time. However, he promised Swami
Tapovan Maharaj that he would be able to come after one year and he did. Natarajan returned to Madras and
took up the editorship of 'Tyagi,' a fortnightly magazine of Chinmaya Mission. Upon the advice of Swami
Chinmayananda, Natarajan shifted to Bengaluru (erstwhile Bangalore) in 1956 and continued to edit Tyagi
which was also moved to Bengaluru (erstwhile Bangalore). During his stay there, Natarajan joined the
Sanskrit College in Chamrajpet and had the privilege of studying one on one with Prof.
Veeraraghavachariar.[4]

Sannyasa

In 1961, with the permission of Swami Chinmayananda, Natarajan went to study under Swami Pranavananda
at Gudivada (near Vijayawada) to clarify many of his doubts on Vedanta and self-enquiry. The stay with
Swami Pranavananda helped Natarajan learn one thing clearly – that Vedanta is a pramana (means of
knowledge) to know the truth of the Self. In Natarajan's own words,

I saw the Swami giving direct knowledge to the people he was teaching. This resolved all my
conflicts. My problems with Vedanta had been my mistaken notion that it was a system.[4]

This critical shift in his vision about Vedanta impelled Natarajan to once again study the sastra with Sankara's
commentaries. In 1962 he was given Sanyasa by Swami Chinmayananda and was given the name Swami
Dayananda Saraswati.[5] In 1963 he went to Mumbai, (erstwhile Bombay) to the newly inaugurated
Sandeepany Sadhanalaya of Chinmaya Mission, where he undertook the responsibility of editing the magazine
of the mission Tapovan Prasad. In addition, Swami Dayananda taught chanting of the Bhagavad Gita and the
Upanishads to the students of Sandeepany.

In November 1963 Swami Dayananda undertook a study-pilgrimage to Rishikesh and stayed in a grass hut in
Purani Jhadi now known as Dayananda Nagar. He spent three years there, studying Brahma Sutras under
Swami Tarananda Giri at the Kailash Ashram.[9]
Public talks

Around 1967, due to the ill health of Swami Chinmayananda, the Mission approached Swami Dayananda to
give public talks and lectures. Accordingly, between 1967 and 1970, Swami Dayananda travelled to different
towns and cities in India spreading the knowledge of Gita and the Upanishads.

In 1971, Swami Dayananda agreed to conduct a long-term study program at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai,
Mumbai and formulated a curriculum that would systematically unfold the vision of Vedanta. Between 1972
and 1979, Swami Dayananda conducted two 2 1/2 - year residential Vedanta courses in Mumbai. In his words,
'At Sandeepany the teaching is traditional and rigorous. What would take a Sadhu in the Himalayas nine years
to learn, the students at Sandeepany learned in two-and-half years.'[4][5]

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam

At the request of students in the United States, in 1979 Swami Dayananda established a three-year study
program at Sandeepany West in Piercy, California. In 1982, he returned to India and continued to spread the
message of the Upanishads through public talks and lectures. Responding to the request of students, devotees
and disciples, Swami Dayananda established the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania in
1986 wherein a three-year residential course was completed in 1990.[10][11]

Arsha Vidya Centers

Teaching

Swami Dayananda along with his students has taught ten long term Vedanta Courses (eight in India and two in
the United States) and many of his students from these programs are now teaching all over India and abroad.
More than two-hundred of his Sanyasi-disciples are teaching Vedanta and Paninian grammar around the
world.[10][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

Institutions

As a teacher of Vedanta, Swami Dayananda has established four traditional teaching centres and many more
across the globe through his students with a primary focus on teaching Vedanta, Sanskrit and related
disciplines. These traditional teaching centres carry the banner 'Arsha Vidya' or 'Arsha Vijnana', i.e.
Knowledge of the Rishis. The word 'Arsha' has also been used by many of Swami Dayananda's students in
naming their facilities to mark their lineage.

The four Arsha Vidya teaching centres that Swami Dayananda has established are:

Arsha Vidya Pitham, Swami Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh 249201, Uttarakhand, India[19]
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, P.O. Box 1059, Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania 18353, USA[20]
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Anaikatti, Coimbatore – 641108, Tamil Nadu, India[21]
Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam, Amravati Road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, 410 033, India[22]

These residential centres conduct long-term courses, 1–2-week camps, weekend study programs and family
camps throughout the year and the subjects taught include the major Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, several
secondary texts of Vedanta and the Brahma Sutras. The study includes also the Sanskrit commentary of
Sankara on these texts. Along with these studies, the Sanskrit language is also taught with Paninian grammar.
The Gurukulas also conduct sessions of daily meditation and satsangas.[23] Additionally camps are conducted
for teaching Yoga, Indian Classical Music, Ayurveda, Jyotisha and allied disciplines.

There is one more centre that has been initiated by Swami Dayananda during his lifetime in his birthplace,
Manjakkudi, Thiruvarur Dist, Tamil Nadu, under the aegis of Swami Dayananda Educational Trust. It
manages a liberal arts college, 2 Higher Secondary schools and a Veda pathasala. Recently, Swami Dayananda
Memorial has been inaugurated. The Memorial has state-of-the art lecture hall with good audio-video facilities,
good acoustics and ambience. The Memorial houses the Swami Dayananda Archives, a great collection of
Swamiji's teachings in print and digital formats. Students of Vedanta can use the facility for serious study. The
Memorial has come to full scale operation where regular residential study programmes are conducted by the
disciples of Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

The teaching centres founded by Swami Dayananda offer Indians and non-Indians, Hindus and non-Hindus,
men and women alike, an opportunity to study the profound knowledge of Vedanta. The teaching centres
conduct outreach programs to reach out to the public at large. At present there are at least sixty
centres[24][25][26] in India and abroad that carry on the tradition of Vedantic teaching under the banner of
Arsha Vidya.

Shishyas (students)

The most well-known student of Swami Dayananda Saraswati is Narendra Modi, prime minister of India.[2]
Other students include Anantanand Rambachan, a professor of religion at St. Olaf College, Minnesota (USA),
and Vasudevacharya, previously Dr. Michael Comans, former faculty member in the Department of Indian
Studies at the University of Sydney and also Ira Schepetin. The sannyasi disciples of Swami Dayananda are
many in number. Swami Suddhananda Saraswati heads the Dayananda Asram at Rishikesh. Swami
Viditatmananda Saraswati heads the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg. Swami Nijananda, Swami
Tadrupananda, Swami Paramarthananda, Swami Tattvavidananda, Swami Suddhabodhananda, Swami
Pratyagbodhananda, Swami Brahmatmananda, Swami Paramatmananda, Swami Sakshatkrtananda, Swamini
Brahmapraksananda, Swamiini Brahmalinananda, Swamini Svatmavidyananda, Swami Sadatmanada, Swami
Shankarananda and Swami Santatmananda are some of the senior disciples of Swami Dayananda.[27][note 1]

Other organisations
Arsha Vidya Research and Publication Trust - The single-source Centre for Swami Dayananda's writings. The
Arsha Vidya Research and Publication Trust (AVRandPT) is a registered non - profit charitable organisation
since 21 February 2005. All contributions are exempt from tax under sec 80g of Indian Income Tax Act, 1961.
The Trust office is located at Srinidhi Apartments, 32 / 4 Desika Road, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. The Trust
publishes all his teachings in printed book form, audios, videos and ebook formats and in convenient USB
card drives. The Trust is also providing access to Swami Dayananda's teaching through the mobile app
"Teachings of Swami Dayananda", which can be downloaded for Android devices from Google Play Store
and for iOS devices from Apple App Store (iTunes). The author, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, has granted in
writing that AVRandPT shall be the single-source Centre for editing and publishing his teachings. The Trust
details can be accessed at the website www.avrpt.com

All India Movement for Seva

In addition to teaching, Swami Dayananda has initiated and supported various philanthropic efforts. He
founded the All India Movement for Seva (AIM for Seva) in 2000 as an initiative of the Hindu Dharma
Acharya Sabha, an apex body of Hindu religious heads of the various sampradayas which itself was
convened by Swami Dayananda's co-ordinating efforts.[28]

Inter-religious dialogue

Swami Dayananda has promoted several inter-religious dialogues.[11] He has participated in Hindu-Jewish
conferences facilitated by the World Council of Religious Leaders under that organisations “Religion One on
One” initiative. He has also participated in two Hindu-Buddhist summits. The first one organised by the
Global Peace Initiative of Women, was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2009 and the second one was
organised in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2010.

Restoration of temple practices and worship

Swami Dayananda has promoted the preservation of ancient cultures and religious and spiritual practices of
India that have survived several millennia, yet struggle in modern times due to lack of support. He has started
several Veda Pathashalas (Centers of learning of Vedas) for the preservation of Vedas and Agamas to prevent
their rapid extinction due to a lack of infrastructure for learning.[29]

Swami Dayananda also founded the Dharma Rakshana Samiti,[30] a body to protect the Vedic heritage, to
preserve the native spiritual culture of India inherited from the rishis and to raise the awareness among Hindus
of their Vedic heritage.[29]

Swami Dayananda had appointed 35 oduvars in ancient Siva temples and paid them monthly allowance to
sing the Panniru Tirumurai, songs explaining Saiva Siddhanta philosophy.

Swami Dayananda was instrumental in building five chariots for Sri Mahalingaswamy Temple at
Tiruvidaimarudur near Kumbakonam in 2010.

Sri Dayananda Saraswati brought various monks and matathipatis across India under one umbrella called
Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha. The Sabha was a conclave of various sanyasins belonging to various
samprathayas i.e. traditions. It was the first time ever that such a large number of Sanyasis were brought under
one organisation.

Sri Dayananda Saraswati filed a Writ Petition (W.P. 476/2012) before the Supreme Court of India challenging
the Constitutional validity of various provisions of the Hindu Religious Endowments and Institutions Acts of
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry. This matter is now pending before the Supreme Court. He was
instrumental in getting Dr. Subramanian Swamy defend and protect Ram Sethu when the Union Government
wanted to create a channel breaking it. He was also instrumental in getting Dr. Subramanian Swamy implead
in the Chidambaram Temple Case in the year 2009. Though the Podu Dikshitars and Dr. Subramanian Swamy
lost their case in the Chidambaram Temple matter before the Madras High Court in 2009, their appeals were
allowed by the Supreme Court which by its judgment dated 06-Jan-2014 threw the Government out of the
Chidambaram Sri Natarajar Temple by setting aside the judgments passed by the Madras High Court in the
year 2009. The Supreme Court's Judgment in the Chidambaram Temple Case came as a big boost for
retrieving Hindu temples from Government control.

Publications: books, CDs and DVDs

Many of Swami Dayananda Saraswati's lectures, talks and discourses have been published in the form of
books. These books deal with Vedantic teachings and their applicability to various situations in life. Many of
his teachings are also available in audio and video formats. A non-exhaustive list of his books follows.[31]
Bhagavad Gita Home Study Program

The Bhagavad Gita Home Study (BGHS) Course designed by Swami Dayananda presents the teaching of
Bhagavad Gita.[32] and in many other countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil India, Japan, Malaysia,
Singapore and the United Kingdom. The Home Study Programme is also available in Kannada, Marathi and
Tamil.

List of books authored by Swami Dayananda

(in alphabetical order)

Action and Reaction

Bhagavada Geeta Home Study (considered his magnum opus, running into 3,000 pages, now
in its 4th edition)
Biography - Contributions and Writings by Smt. Sheela Balaji
Biography - Teacher of Teachers by Smt. Padma Narasimhan
Can We? (Essays: 6)
Compositions
Conversion Is Violence
Crisis Management
Danam (Essays: 4)
Dialogues With Swami Dayananda
Discourses on Important Topics
Discovering Love
Do all Religions have the same goal? (Essays: 1)
Eight Significant Verses of Bhagavad Gita
Exploring Vedanta (Shraddha- Bhakti-dhyana-yogad avaihi & Atmanam ced vidnyaniyat)
Freedom
Freedom from Fear
Freedom from Helplessness
Freedom from Sadness
Freedom from Stress
Freedom in Relationship
Friendship (The Essence of Vedic Marriage)
The Fundamental Problem
Gurupurnima (Essays: 3)
In the Vision of Vedanta
Insights
Introduction to Vedanta – Understanding The Fundamental Problem
Japa
Kenopanishad
Knowledge and Action – The Two Fold Commitment
Living Intelligently
Living Versus Getting On
Mahavakya Vichara
Mandukya Upanishad
Moments with Krishna (Essays: 7)
Morning Meditation Prayers
Mundakopanishad – Bhasya and Tika unfolded (2 Vol. Set)
Need for Cognitive Change
Need for Personal Reorganisation
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya
Personal Re-engineering in Management
Personnel Management
Prayer Guide
The Problem Is You, The Solution Is You
Public Talks-2: Discovering Love & Successful Living
Purnamadah Purnamidam
The Purpose of Prayer
Ramayana
The Sadhana and the Sadhya
Sadhana Pancakam
Satyam and Mithya
Self-Knowledge
Shri Rudra
Stressfree Living
Successful Living
Surrender and Freedom
Talks and Essays (Vol.I)
Talks and Essays (Vol.II)
Talks and Essays ( Vol. III)
Talks on "Who Am I ?"
Talks on Meditation
Talks on Shri Rudra
Tattvabodha
The Teaching of the Bhagavad Gita
Teaching Tradition of Advaita Vedanta
Ten Essential Verses of Bhagavad Gita
Understanding Between Parents and Children
The Value of Values
Vedanta 24 x 7
Vedic View and Way of Life
Vishnusahasranama (with translation and commentary)
Vision of Gita
Vivekachudamani (Talks on 108 Selected Verses)
Wedding Ceremony Based on Hindu Concepts
What is Meditation? Meditation Series: 2
What You Love Is The Pleased Self
Yoga of Objectivity
You Are the Whole
See also
Swami Sivananda

Notes
1. See also Advaitapratibodhah (https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095540/http://www.srivasu
devacharya.org/wp-content/uploads/Advaitapratibodhah_web.pdf), "Awakening to nonduality,"
a short treatise in classical style by Vasudevacharya prev. Dr Michael Comans.

References
1. "PM Narendra Modi's Spiritual Guru Swami Dayanand Dies at 87" (http://www.ndtv.com/india-n
ews/pm-narendra-modis-spiritual-guru-swami-dayanand-dies-at-87-1221043). NDTV. 24
September 2015.
2. Hebbar, Prajakta (24 September 2015). "PM Narendra Modi Says His Spiritual Guru Swami
Dayanand Saraswati's Death Is A 'Personal Loss' " (https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2015/09/24/s
wami-dayanand-giri-dies_n_8186990.html). HuffPost.
3. Dialogues with Swami Dayananda, Sri Gangadhareswar Trust, 1988
4. Swami Dayananda Saraswati: His Life and Work. Arsha Vidya Newsletter, pp. 13–16, Arsha
Vidya Gurukulam, Anaikatti, Coimbatore. August 2009 [1] (http://www.arshavidya.in/Newsletter/
Aug09/swamiji-his-life-and-work.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20110721042825/h
ttp://www.arshavidya.in/Newsletter/Aug09/swamiji-his-life-and-work.pdf) 21 July 2011 at the
Wayback Machine.
5. Glimpses of Swami Dayananda Saraswati's life. Arsha Adhyayan Kendra, Bhuj, Gujarat,
INDIA. Video commemorating Swami Dayananda's 7 December 2008 visit to Bhuj (https://ww
w.youtube.com/watch?v=dU201y28Zh8) on YouTube
6. "Gita Chanting by Swami Brahmananda" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv9nx3pJCMQ).
Youtube.com. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
7. "Gita Chanting by Swami Paramarthananda" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8cxQ4vzzX
w&p=60C837B94014CEEF&playnext=1&index=3). Youtube.com. 23 December 2009.
Retrieved 17 February 2013.
8. "Swami Sandeep Chaitanya's Gita Yagnam" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN3U-V0q8X
Y). Youtube.com. 20 December 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
9. kailasaahram.com (http://kailasaahram.com)
10. Dayananda Saraswati; Mala Mukherjee; Padma Narasimhan (1990). Swami Dayananda
Saraswati: The traditional teacher of Brahma vidya. Chennai, India: T.T. Maps & Publications.
ISBN 81-7053-103-9.
11. Sheela Balaji (2011). Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Contributions & Writings). Chennai, India:
Arsha Vidya Research and Publication Trust. ISBN 978-93-80049-46-5.
12. Saraswati, Swami Dayananda (2010). Handbook of Arsha Vidya Sanyasi Disciples. Anaikatti,
Coimbatore, India: Sruti Seva Trust.
13. "Arsha Vidya Teachers" (http://www.arshavidya.org/Teachers.html).
14. "Adhyatma Vidya Mandir" (http://tattvatirtha.org).
15. "Vedanta Vidyarthi Sangha" (http://vedantavidyarthisangha.org/).
16. "Arsha Bodha Center" (http://www.arshabodha.org/).
17. "Arsha Vidya Center" (http://arshavidyacenter.org/).
18. "Vidyamandir-Brazil" (http://vidyamandir.org.br/).
19. "dayananda.org" (http://www.dayananda.org). dayananda.org. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
20. "arshavidya.org" (http://www.arshavidya.org). arshavidya.org. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
21. "arshavidya.in" (http://www.arshavidya.in). arshavidya.in. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
22. "arshavidya-nagpur.org" (http://www.arshavidya-nagpur.org). arshavidya-nagpur.org. Retrieved
17 February 2013.
23. "Friends of AVG at Saylorsburg" (http://www.avgsatsang.org).
24. "Disciples Website" (https://web.archive.org/web/20121016233805/http://www.arshavidya.in/rel
atedLinks.html). Archived from the original (http://www.arshavidya.in/relatedLinks.html) on 16
October 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
25. "Swamini Vilasananda, Argentina" (http://www.arshavidya.es).
26. "Br.Chetana, Tokyo, Japan" (http://vedanta.exblog.jp).
27. Sri Vasudevacharya (previously Dr Michael Comans) (http://www.srivasudevacharya.org/)
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20150628172721/http://www.srivasudevacharya.org/) 28
June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
28. "All India Movement for Seva" (http://www.aimforseva.org).
29. Swaminathan, V (15 August 2010). "An interview with Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati".
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, 24th Anniversary Souvenir: 23–48.
30. "dharmarakshanasamiti.org" (http://www.dharmarakshanasamiti.org).
dharmarakshanasamiti.org. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
31. "Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Bookstore" (https://web.archive.org/web/20121115231906/http://book
s.arshavidya.org/cgi-bin/process/shop/display/main?type=display&subtype=category&arg=cate
gory&value=Arsha%20Vidya%20Books%2C%20Audio%20%26%20Video). Archived from the
original (http://books.arshavidya.org/cgi-bin/process/shop/display/main?type=display&subtype
=category&arg=category&value=Arsha%20Vidya%20Books%2C%20Audio%20%26%20Vide
o) on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
32. "Bhagavad Gita Home Study Groups" (http://www.arshavidya.org/Gita-Home-Study-Program.ht
ml).

External links
Official website (http://www.dayananda.org)
Advaita Vision, Traditional Teachers - Dayananda (http://www.advaita.org.uk/teachers/dayanan
da.htm)
www.arshaavinash.in - Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati - a brief biography by N.
Avinashilingam
Swami Paramarthananda's classes: Vedanta vidyarthi sangha [2] (http://www.vedantavidyarthis
angha.org/web/)

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