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 an intense education in physics, going up to a Master’s degree. 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 Avyayananda -
The sage of the modern age - His Holiness Swami Chinmayananda was a global spiritual giant of the 19th Century, who tirelessly worked for over 4 decades spreading the ageless knowledge of Vedanta. Anyone, especially the youth who came in contact with him would be inspired and enthralled. Swami Avyayananda was one such blessed youth.
Since his young age, Swami Avyayananda was associated with the Chinmaya Mission through its programmes for children - Bala Vihar, and later through the youth forum called the Chinmaya Yuva Kendra. As a Bala Vihar kid he has won Geeta, Stotram and Vedic chanting competitions many times. Having always had the longing for in-depth study of Indian scriptures, he came under the tutelage of Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda, an apostle of Vedanta and a direct disciple of Swami Chinmayananda, and studied the two-year residential Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadanalaya - the Gurukul of Chinmaya Mission in Mumbai. In 2018, Swami Ji received Sannyasa Deeksha (initiation into renunciation) from Pujya Swami Swaroopananda - the current global head of Chinmaya Mission.
Swami Avyayananda has served as the Spiritual Guide at the Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore from 2002 to 2005 as well as at Chinmaya Mission centres in Ahmedabad and Gurugram.
From 2021 to 2023 Swami Ji taught the two-year residential Vedanta Course in Hindi medium to young aspirants at Sandeepany Himalaya - the Gurukul in Sidhbari, Himachal Pradesh. The residential course involved a disciplined schedule of classes and activities focusing on deep study of the primary triad of Hindu Scriptures (called the Prasthaana Trayi which includes Upanishads , Bhagavad Gita and Brahmasutra) as well as many devotional and preliminary texts on Vedanta.
Swami Ji is a profound thinker, a knower of Sanskrit - the language of the Gods, and a masterful orator who delivers captivating and enlightening discourses in English, Hindi, Gujarati and Tamil, catering to audiences of all age groups. He has also taught a basic Purohit course in 3 languages (Tamil, Hindi and English) simultaneously.
He conducts many workshops, camps and seminars in colleges, universities and corporate houses. His spontaneity, wit and flair enable him to establish an instant rapport and connect with audiences of all strata and ages. He is highly regarded for his talks that address challenges faced by youth, professionals and young parents. Swami Ji’s lectures featured on the YouTube channels of various Chinmaya Mission Centres have garnered substantial popularity. Visiting Acharyas
