Our Acharya
"I am waiting for the trained Brahmacharis to come up to give this message. Give them also 30-35 years, so that when I am gone, there will be not one but many more Chinmayanandas coming up, so that work will not stop but continue."
-Swami Chinmayananda
Our Guru Parampara
Adi Shankaracharya established the Dashanami Sannyasa Order, a monastic order with ten lineage names. Of these, Chinmaya
Mission belongs to the lineage and traditions of the ‘Sringeri Matha’ in Karnataka, India. The first acharya of this noble institution was none other than Shri Sureshvaracharya.
In the Sringeri Matha tradition, the Lord is worshipped as Deva in the form of Lord Adi Varaha, and as Devi in the forms of Puri Devi, Bharati Devi, and Kamakshi Devi. The main pilgrimage centre, or dhama, is Rameshvaram and the worshipped holy river, or tirtha, is Tungabhadra.
In this Bhurivara lineage, or sampradaya, the primary Veda is Yajur Veda, which reveals the Mahavakya: “Aham Brahmasmi”. Sannyasis initiated into this lineage are bestowed with the title, or padavi, of “Saraswati” after their name (e.g., Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati).
Chief Acharyas
Swami Tejomayananda
Swami Tejomayananda is the former Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, a position he held since 1993 after Swami Chinmayananda attained Mahasamadhi. If Swami Chinmayananda served the cause of Vedanta with his service, knowledge and pioneering qualities, Swami Tejomayananda - fondly addressed as Guruji – completed that with his natural attitude of devotion. This is richly and abundantly evident in his talks, his singing, and his demeanour. But the gentleness of devotion arrived riding on the back of a degree in physics. Born, Sudhakar Kaitwade to a Maharashtrian family in Madhya Pradesh, this physicist had a close encounter that changed the velocity, direction and path of his life. Read More..
Swami Swaroopananda
Swami Swaroopananda is the Global Head of Chinmaya Mission. The mantle of this important responsibility draped his shoulders from 19 January 2017, when Swami Tejomayananda passed on the baton to him. He chairs Central Chinmaya Mission Trust (CCMT), the apex governing body of Chinmaya Mission Centres and Trusts the world over. He is the Chancellor of Chinmaya University (Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth) and Chairman of Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore, one of the most well-respected and well-performing residential schools of India. An able administrator and a dynamic leader, his watchful eye and acumen keeps him abreast with developments of any consequence in the over 300 Centres under his guard. Devotion to his Guru, Swami Chinmayananda, and obeisance to his philosophy, guides his decision making and governance. Read More..
Our Acharya
Swami Ishwarananda is the resident senior Acharya of Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles. An accomplished master of Vedanta philosophy, Swamiji explains the universality of spiritual teachings in a simplified manner for audiences to grasp and for seekers to implement teachings in day-to-day living. Several companies, universities, and inter-faith consortiums routinely reach out to Swamiji for delivering talks to their employees, students, and congregations. Swamiji is presently one of the Directors of Chinmaya Mission West (CMW) which oversees the activities in North America. Previously, Swamiji was part of Chinmaya Mission Bangalore where he served as the secretary.
Inspired by Param Pujya Swami Chinmayananda and with the guidance of Swami Brahmananda, Swaimiji left his field of software consultancy and joined Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Mumbai in 1991. Upon completing his Brahmachari training in 1993, as Brahmachari Someshwar Chaitanya, he served Chinmaya Mission Centers in Bangalore and Calcutta and eventually became resident Acharya of Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles. In March of 2000, he was given sanyas deeksha by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda and was named Swami Ishwarananda. Swamiji served the mission in Los Angeles until 2001. Swamiji was then made the Acharya in charge of Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Mumbai for the 12th Brahmachari batch from 2002 through 2004, thereafter returning to Los Angeles.
Swamiji is a dynamic speaker; has given talks on Vedanta, stress management, management techniques, and other such related fields; and has also authored many books.
