|
|
Gurus of Vedanta Mission
1. Poojya Guruji Swami Atmananda Saraswati
2. Poojya Swamini Amitananda Saraswati
Poojya Guruji Swami Atmananda Saraswati :
H.H.
Swami Atmananda Saraswati is the
founder of Vedanta Mission. He is a well known scholar of Vedanta
whose lectures on Gita, Upanishads and other Vedantic texts are organized
regularly all over India and abroad.
Poojya
Swamiji was born in a pious Brahmin family of UP. His father was a doctor in
the Indian Army. He is a science graduate and took to the studies of scriptures
early in his life. He was given the Mantra Deeksha while he was in his
college by Jagadguru Sankaracharya of Dwarka Math Sri Swami Swaroopanandaji
Maharaj. In 1980 he joined Sandeepany Sadhanalaya at Mumbai - a Gurukula
run by Chinmaya Mission. His Acharya there was Sri Swami Viditatmanandaji.
After completing his studies there he was given the Naishthik Brahmacharya
Deeksha in 1983, and was appointed the Acharya of Sandeepany
Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh. There he conducted two similar courses on
Vedanta. In 1987 he was given the final initiation, the Sanyas deeksha by H.H.Swami
Chinmayananda, and thereafter he came to be known as Swami Atmananda
Saraswati.
In
1989, after completing the assignment given to him at Sandeepany Himalayas, he
left his Guru Ashram and toured the country as an ascetic, visiting various
Ashrams, Mahatmas and scholars. Most noteworthy was his stay on the banks of
River Narmada at Omkareshwar, where he continued with his further studies &
sadhana at the feet of Sri Swami Ramanandaji Maharaj of the Markandeya
Sanyas Ashram. In 1992 as per his inspiration he established the Vedanta
Mission to share the wisdom of Vedanta with the world.
Vedanta
Mission has been since then organizing a
variety of his programs to fulfill the great vacuum which exists in the field
of Spiritual awareness. Noteworthy of them are his Discourses, Gyana Yagna's,
Sadhana Camp's, Open-house inter-active Discussion sessions, Stress Management
Workshops, Work on Internet and many such activities aimed at spreading the
message of Vedanta to one and all. Geeta lectures of Poojya Swamiji have been
aired by Zee TV - one of the most popular Satellite channels in India. His
first foreign tour was organized in 1996. More than 100 Audio and Video tapes
of his discourses have been released by the Mission. Swamiji prefers to give
lectures in Hindi, but is equally at home with English.
Poojya
Swamiji has his Ashram appropriately called Vedanta Ashram in Indore - the
commercial capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. Here he also runs a
Gurukula to teach Vedanta to full time students. The Gurukula is run by a
registered Trust established by him. The Acharya in charge of the Gurukula is
his disciple H.H. Swamini Amitananda. With his bubbling enthusiasm to
take the message of Vedanta to those who really need it, Swamiji designed a
special Workshop
on Stress Management wherein he
has inculcated the wisdom of Gita to help eliminate the fast spreading epidemic
of Stress. He has used a Holistic approach to handle this problem inculcating
the best all available wisdom. These Workshops have been organized by various
industrial groups, banks etc. for their executives and other personnel's.
Poojya
Swamiji has used Internet in a big way. He has started Home Pages of Vedanta
Mission, Vedanta Ashram, Stress Management Workshops, started Mailing Lists for
both serious seekers and young aspirants, started e-mail lessons on the Net,
provides free guidance & counselling to various seekers all over the world
by e-mail, has released various Net-publications like 'Tattva Bodha Lessons',
'Letters of Guruji', 'Snippits from Lists', 'Photo Albums' etc. A monthly
Newsletter called Vedanta Sandesh is also being regularly published on
the Net from Guru Poornima 1998. Poojya Swamiji indeed loves to tread an
unbeaten path and is creatively discovering new ways & means to take the
message of Vedanta to one & all. He walks alone, loves to take challenges
and devotes thoroughly to whatever he has undertaken, an ideal recipe for
success and satisfaction.
Poojya Swamini Amitananda Saraswati :
H.H.
Swami Amitananda Saraswati is a
disciple of Poojya Swami Atmanandaji and is at present the Acharya of Vedanta Ashram at
Indore. She is the founder of the Gujarat unit of Vedanta Mission,
and is a permanent Trustee of Vedanta Parmarthic Sewa Trust at Indore
and the Indian Cultural Foundation, at Mumbai, which manages the works
of Vedanta Mission-Indore and Vedanta Mission-Mumbai respectively.
She
is a well known for her clear & simple style to reveal the tenets of
Vedanta, relating the day to day activities as per the vision propounded in
Gita. Poojya Swaminiji comes from a pious Brahmin family of Gujarat. Her father
is a well known astrologer of Ahmedabad and both her parents are very proud to
see their daughter in the present Ashram of her life. She is a graduate in
Microbiology, and did her Post-graduate Diploma in Pathology before taking up a
permanent job with the Govt of Gujarat. She resigned from the job in 1987
before she dedicated her life for the study and propagation of the vision of
Vedanta. Her scriptural studies started even while she was a student. In 1987
she joined the Sandeepany Himalaya Ashram at Sidhbari in Himachal
Pradesh - is a well known Gurukula run by Chinmaya Mission. It was here that
she started her detailed studies at the feet of her Guru Swami Atmanandaji.
After completing her studies there she was given the Naishthik Brahmacharya
Deeksha in 1989. In 1995 she was given the final initiation, the Sanyas Deeksha
by Poojya Swami Atmanandaji on the banks of River Narmada at a place near
Omkareshwar and thereafter came to be known as Swamini Amitananda Saraswati.
Poojya
Swaminiji, as she is generally called, is highly inspired by the works &
personality of Sri Adi Sankaracharya, and it was at her initiative that a
beautiful statue of Bhagwan Sankaracharya was established at the Vedanta Ashram at Indore. Her Gyana Yagnas and other programs are
constantly organized all over Gujarat, Indore & Mumbai. She gives her
lectures both in Hindi and Gujarati language.