05 August 2011

Swami Brahmananda




Born to a devout family in Pavanje Village in South Karnataka, the making of this spiritual luminary was visible from childhood. Inspired by Pujya Gurudev, the young seeker of knowledge underwent rigourous training at Chinmaya Mission's Sandeepany Sadhanalaya ashram in Mumbai. After the completion of the intensive three-year Vedanta course, Pujya Gurudev, recognising the brahmachari's mastery of the scriptures and missionary zeal, asked him to begin conducting spiritual discourses immediately.
Serving as the Resident Acharya of Chinmaya Mission Bangalore and Chinmaya Mission's Regional Head of Karnataka, Swamiji is not only a contemporary sage, he is also an administrator par excellence. Chinmaya Mission centres in Bangalore, Mysore, Shimoga, Tiptur, Mandya, Mangalore, Hubli, Kolar have all been groomed and guided by his loving and enthusiastic involvement. In addition, Swamiji's presence and direction in Chinmaya Vidyalayas, the Chinmaya Mission Hospital, and child welfare centres have inspired and touched all.
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 DISCOURSES
Bhagavan Ramana Chintana - SB
Bhagavan Ramana Chintana - SB
Gita Chanting - SB
Meditaion from Upanishads - SB
Mundaka Upanishad - SB
Purusha Sukhtham - SB
Ramana Maharishi - SB
Short Talks - SB
Siva Sahasranama - SB
Sivananda Lahiri - SB
Stothras - SB
Svarupanusandhana Ashtakam - SB
Upadesa Sara - SB
Upanishads - SB
Vishnu Puja - SB

 

Swami Dayananda Saraswathi


Swami Dayananda Saraswati (born in 1930), disciple of Swami Chinmayananda, was born in Tamil Nadu, South India and is a distinguished, traditional teacher of Vedanta. His depth of understanding and nuanced appreciation of Western culture makes him that rare teacher who can communicate the vision of non-duality to modern listeners. He is able to make one see, with immediacy, the truth of oneself as the whole.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati has been teaching Vedanta in India for more than four decades, and around the world since 1976. In his public talks abroad, he has spoken at many prestigious American universities, and has addressed international conventions, UNESCO and the United Nations, where he participated in the Millennium Peace Summit. Students at JJK gurukulam A teacher of teachers, Swami Dayananda Saraswati designed and taught six resident in-depth Vedanta courses, each spanning 30 to 36 months. Four were conducted in India, and two in the United States. Each course graduated about 60 qualified acharyas and teachers, who are now teaching around the world. More than one hundred are now swamis and are highly respected as scholars and teachers throughout India and abroad.

Under Swami Dayananda’s guidance, numerous centers for Vedic teaching have been founded around the world. The two main centers in India are the Arsha Vidya Ashram in Rishikesh and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Coimbatore. In the U.S., the main center is the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. At present there are at least sixty centers in India and abroad that carry on the same tradition of Vedantic teaching.

Swami Dayananda is a prolific writer who has written a number of books on various aspects of Vedanta. He is also a brilliant orator in English who takes his audience with ease to the unhorizoned realms of the Spirit. He is a voice of sanity, compassion and timeless wisdom in our troubled times.

(Source: http://my.yoga-vidya.org/profiles/blogs/swami-dayananda-saraswati

Sri T.S. Balakrishna Sastrigal




A retired Senior Executive of State Bank of India, Brahmasri T S Balakrishna Sastrigal started learning the wide spectrum of fundamentals required for performing Harikatha at the very tender age of 8 under the guidance of his father, himself a doyen in Puranic Upanyasakams called Brahmasri Sambamoorthi Ganapaadigal. The training included Vedas, Puranas, Sastras, Karnatic Music, and Multiple Languages like Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Kanada and English.
Being a bank employee his virtual induction to performing Harikatha was initiated at the age of 16 by his father in law, himself an exponent in 18 Puranaas called Srivatsa Somadeva Sarama. Spanning over almost 7 decades, the service Brahmashri Sastrigal rendered to the society through his sole stirring Musical Discourses was immense.
His repertoire was spontaneous yet comprehensive, down to earth yet profound, innovative yet authentic, creative thusfresh. His audience felt as though they were literally transported to Ayodhya or Ashoka Vana or Asthinapura or to the battle field of Kurukshetra through his extremely sensitive and dramatic discription of the sequences of Ramayana and Mahabaratha with a reverberating voice and lilting music. While his imaginative unfurling of each of the characters in any epic provided the audience an easy access to truth and reality, his uncanny humorous interludes not only made them laugh their heart out but also think after they laughed.
His portrayals ranged from Valimiki and Kamba Ramayanam, Mahabharatham, Srimad Bhagawatham, Devi Bhagawatham, Skaandham, Naaraayaaneeyam, Naayanmargal charitham and above all his master piece – Thyagaja Charitham. He was a legend in the comprehension of Thyagaraja Krithis and therefore an easy reference point for all the Sangeetha Vidwans who wished to handle any aboorva krithi of Thyagaraja Swamigal. Infact, Brahmashri Sastrigal went on to conceive, design and perform his own version of Ramakatha choreographed with appropriate Thyagaraja krithis popularly known as Thyagaraja Ramayanam. While the great saint Thyagaraja did not himself wrote Ramayana, this Thyagara Ramayana was out and out the brain child of Brahmashri Sastrigal - his method of saluting the first among the Musical Trinities.

DISCOURSES