Swami Swaroopananda
In an era ripe with scepticism and confusion about matters spiritual, Swami Swaroopananda is a rare voice that blends authenticity with accessibility; theory with self- practice; logic with heart.
Formerly the Regional Head of Chinmaya Mission Australia, United Kingdom, Middle East, Africa and Far East, and presently Chairman of the Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth Trust (University for Sanskrit and Indic Traditions) and Director of the Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore, South India, Swami Swaroopananda has now been bestowed by Swami Tejomayananda the privilege to also serve as the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide.
Childhood
Born and brought up in the bustling commercial capital of India, Swamiji had always been convinced that beyond life’s superficial, everyday joys and sorrows, there was something more enduring and satisfying. As a child he heard from his grandmother many religious stories based on the great Indian epics and the history of saints. These stories suddenly came to life, acquiring new meaning and depth, when as an adolescent he encountered the preeminent Master of Vedanta, Swami Chinmayananda.
His heart completely moved and inspired, in 1984 Swami Swaroopananda gave up his family’s thriving business in Hong Kong to undergo intensive training under Swami Chinmayananda and Swami Tejomayananda at Sandeepany, Mumbai. He was initiated into the monastic order in 1992. Since then, he has touched thousands of lives across the world, and his tremendous work in bringing out the essential wisdom and underlying unity of all religions has garnered him a place among the vanguards of self-development philosophy.
Published Works
Swamiji has authored several commentaries on such important spiritual classics as Ik Onkar, Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra and Sankat Mochan, besides numerous books on contemporary lifestyle subjects such as Simplicity and Meditation, Storm to Perform, Avatar, Managing the Manager and Journey into Health.
Swamiji is equally adept at conducting ‘wholistic management’ seminars for senior corporate executives. Among the well-known institutes he has been invited to speak at are The Ford, London Business School and Harvard University, to name a few. In fact, a proprietary self-development course he conceived and initially conducted, Make It Happen™, has been adapted and integrated into the human resource training programmes of various corporate organisations in India and beyond.
White, Yellow, Orange?
Globally, there are hundreds of Chinmaya Mission Acharyas (spiritual teachers) spreading and sharing the wisdom of Vedanta at centres around the world. They are typically Brahmacharis and Swamis trained in gurukulas to spread the message of the scriptures in a spirit of service. The Chinmaya Mission's monastic order, its customs and traditions were established by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, based on scriptural Vedantic thinking.
Sandeepany Acharyas
Swami Chinmayananda referred to his Sandeepany students as rishi-putras, or “sons of the rishis.” Self realisation is the constant, immediate and ultimate goal. To attain this, each seeker sets his or her personal spiritual practices (sadhana) and serves the world dedicatedly and tirelessly, always keeping in line with Pujya Gurudev’s Vision and Mission.
The White Cloth: Purity
During their two-year Vedanta course, these rishi-putras wear white clothes only and live an austere life of purity in thought, word, and deed. The white colour symbolizes purity, and therefore the white cloth acts as a reminder as well as facilitates their studies. Upon completion of the course, each student is given the option to dedicate his or her life to the Chinmaya Mission-the vision and work of their Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda-or to choose their own lifestyles, regardless of whether it includes serving the Mission periodically or not. Those students who are unsure after the course, or have familial obligations or limitations, often choose to stay in white for one or two years before deciding whether they would like to accept the yellow cloth.
The Yellow Cloth: The Effulgent Flame Of Knowledge
Those students who choose to formally dedicate their life in service of the Chinmaya Mission are initiated into the yellow cloth of brahmacharya (one who practises self-control or one who revels in Brahman). These new brahmacharins are celibate acharyas (teachers) of Chinmaya Mission’s monastic order, and are posted to serve at any one of the Mission centres. The living expenses of all the brahmacharins are borne by the Mission. For the brahmacharis (male only), their head is clean-shaven except for a tuft, symbolising renunciation of worldly attachments and single-pointed spiritual living. All brahmacharins are initiated into the Gayatri Mantra and the sacred thread (janeyu). To formalise their first step into a new walk of life, the initiated acharyas are given a new first name and their last name is Chaitanya.
The Ochre Cloth: Renunciation
The ochre robe is bestowed upon the initiates of sannyasa, who are either brahmacharins in yellow cloth or senior devotees who have served the Mission throughout their lives. Initiates into the holy order of sannyasa are selected by the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, whose decision is based on numerous factors. To enter this last stage of human life according to the Vedas, the initiates perform vraja homa, and therein renounce their tuft (brahmacharis only) and sacred thread. This ceremonial and symbolic end of all worldly attachments and duties, is a far-reaching inner transformation. Upon receiving their personal sannyasa mantra, the spiritual seekers are blessed with the ochre robe, the title of Swami or Swamini, a new first name (ending in “ananda”), and the last name of “Saraswati.”