Venkatesananda, Swami
(Sk. Svamin Venkatesnanda; 1920-1982). He was born on December 29, 1920. At the age of 13, he came into contact with Swami Sivananda, founder of the Divine Life Society. Two years later, in 1945, he renounced the world to live with the Swami in Rishikesh, near the source of the Ganges River. Here he lived and served for 17 years, growing rapidly in wisdom and holiness. In 1961, he began his tours in the West. Over 60 books have been compiled of his lectures, including commentaries on the Bhagavad-Gita, Narada’s Bhakti Sutras, and Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras. He also translated the Bhagavata Purana, Ramayana, and Buddha’s teachings. Well-known as a brilliant lecturer and a sage with a sense of humor, compassion, and great insight, he was the inspiration for establishing ashrams (Sk. asramas) in Mauritius and Western Australia as well as a yoga center in Cape Town, South Africa. Venkatesananda is featured in The Awakening of Intelligence by J. KRISHNAMURTI (pp. 123-168). The two held a discussion in July 1969 in Saanan, Switzerland, about the various yogas, VEDšNTA, and the UPANI±ADS, which is reported verbatim in that book. He died December 2, 1982.
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