Biography of Sri Swami Krishnanda Saraswati

(April 25, 1922)

Sri Swami Krishnanda Saraswati Maharaj was born on April 25, 1922, in an orthodox Brahmin family. He was as named as Subbaraya.

He was a brilliant student in his childhood. He received his high school education at Puttur and stood first in the class in all the subjects. But the formal education did not quench his desire of learning scriptural texts. The study of Sanskrit texts like the 'Gita', the 'Upanishads'ultimately took him towards the Advaita philosophy of Shankaracharya.

In 1943, Swamiji joined a government job but his intense inner longing for Advaitic experience and renunciation forced him to leave the job. After that he left for Varanasi to study Vedas and other scriptures. Later he moved to Rishikesh where he met Swami Sivananda Sivanana who initiated him into his holy order of Sanyasa'. The first book he wrote was 'The Realisation of the Absolute'. He is the author of nearly twenty works, each one a masterpiece in itself. He is a rare blend of Karma and Inana Yogas, a living example of the Gita teaching.