Global Festival of Oneness | GFO2023

Sri Vidhushekara Bharati Swamigal is the 37th Shankaracharya of Dakshinamnaya Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham. He was was born as Sri Kuppa Venkateshwara Prasada Sharma on July 24 1993 in Tirupati to parents, Sri Kuppa Shivasubrahmanya Avadhani and Smt.Seetha Nagalakshmi.

Sri Prasada Sharma studied Vedas and other spiritual scriptures from his grandfather Sri Kuppa Ramagopala Vajapeya-Yaaji who is an eminent Vedic scholar. When Sri Prasada Sharma was 13 years old, he visited Sringeri along with his parents. It is said that his first visit to Sringeri and the Jagadguru Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, had a great impact on him and he yearned to study advanced Shastras. In 2009 Sri Prasada Sharma requested Swamiji to accept him as a disciple to study the Shastras at Sringeri and Swamiji was touched by the boy's sincerity and devotion and accepted him as a disciple at Sringeri.

Sri Prasada Sharma took the vows of Sanyasa in a grand ceremony in January 2015 during the Shishya Sweekara Ceremony where he was given the Yoga Patta (monastic name) as Sri Vidhushekara Bharati Swamiji by the 36th Shankaracharya of Sringeri Peetham, Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahasannidhanam.

Nithin Sridhar is a practicing Hindu, author, and a public speaker. He has authored six books on a variety of subjects including much acclaimed books such as Menstruation Across Cultures: A Historical Perspective, Isopanishad: An English Commentary, and Samanya Dharma. His upcoming book is a commentary on Manusmriti. He regularly contributes articles and essays on subjects such as religion, spirituality, social issues, development, politics, and ecology. He is the Chief Curator of Indica Moksha dedicated to the dissemination of Advaita Vedanta. Earlier, he served as the Editor of IndiaFacts- a portal on Indian history and culture. He is based in Mysuru, Karnataka.

Dr Nagaraj Paturi trained in Sanskrit and Advaita Vedanta by his hyper-polyglot, polymath and spiritually accomplished sakala-shaastra-paarangata father, late Sri Paturi Sitaramanjaneyulu garu, he is seriously committed to the transmission of Vedic sciences to the present generation. He designed a very big number of courses of contemporary applications of Vedic Sciences and has been successfully teaching them and getting them taught. Presently he is Presently he is Director, Indic Academy And Distinguished Professor, Curriculum Designer, Executive Committee Member and Member, Board of Studies, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune. Member, Board of Studies for Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Kavikulaguru Kalidasa Sanskrit University, Veda Vijnana Gurukula. Formerly Senior Professor of Cultural Studies FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of Liberal Education Former Visiting Professor, University of Chicago, US) In his PhD (1998, UoH) Developed Indic Model of Myth Criticism of Literature. MPhil (1987, UoH) Brought out Vakyapadiyam as theoretical foundation of Ashtaadhyaayee Around 50 publications, around 60 conference /seminar/ workshop papers. Consultancy to numerous culture research and theater and dance innovation projects. Scores of creative writing works for Classical Dance, Modern Theater and magazines. Several series of talks and other programs on Radio and Television channels.

Prof. B. Mahadevan is a professor of Operations Management at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, where he has been teaching since 1992. He was formerly the Vice-Chancellor of Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Kochi. Prof. Mahadevan has more than 23 years of wide-ranging experience in teaching, research, consulting, and academic administration at IIM Bangalore and other reputed institutions such as IIT Delhi and XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Prof. Mahadevan’s research interests include researching the possibility of using ancient Indian wisdom to address contemporary concerns, spirituality in the work place, and management paradigms from Bhagavad Gita. He was a member of the Central Sanskrit Board, an advisory body to the Ministry of HRD, Department of Education on all Sanskrit policy issues in the country.

Prof. Mahadevan has initiated the Practical Vedanta Samvada, through which he has taught several texts like Dakshinamurthy stotram, Bhagavadgita and Taittiriya Upanishad.

Prof. Mahadevan plays a crucial role in guiding the activities of Vyoma Linguistic Labs Foundation as a member of its advisory board.

Swamini Paraprajnananda Saraswati is an erudite Sannyasini well versed with the knowledge of the Scriptures-Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahmasutra and other Vedantic texts.

Swamini Paraprajnananda Saraswati is the student of revered Swami Viditatmananda Saraswatiji, President of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, P.A. (U.S.A.).

Swami Viditatmananda Saraswatiji is also the Founder Acharya of Adhyatma Vidya Mandir, Ahmedadabad , Gujarat , India. Adhyatma Vidya Mandir is an institute of learning and disseminating the knowledge of Vedanta. Swamini Parprajnananda is the resident Sannyasini of Adhyatma Vidya Mandir.

Swamini Paraprajnananda Saraswati has been teaching Vedanta for the past 20 years in Ahmedabad and different cities of Gujarat. In 2016, Swaminiji conducted talks on Vedanta in different cities of USA – Saylorsburg, New Jersey & Dallas. Swaminiji abides in the knowledge of the self and is also expert in imparting this knowledge to others. The depth of Swaminiji’s wisdom and her art of teaching which is at once profound and lucid make her an expert teacher from whom learning is a joy.

Swamini Paraprajnananda Saraswati’s experience as a professor of English in the past facilitates her to adeptly handle the subject at hand and communicate it to the audience.

Besides being a gifted teacher, Swaminiji is also very simple, loving and compassionate as a person.

Swami Paramananda Saraswati ji was inspired by various Masters and studied under the guidance of Swami Anubhavananda, who himself is a disciple of Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda.   Swamiji has studied the ancient scriptures and is able to share them with straight-forward clarity.  Based in melbourne he travels in Australia and abroad sharing his knowledge on Bhagwad Geeta, Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Pancadasi, Vedas, Upanishads and various texts written by ancient and modern masters. 

Over the last 27 years Swamiji has dedicated himself to the pursuit and sharing of the vast bounty of Vedanta.  His take on spirituality is put across simply and clearly.  His wisdom is beyond the texts and his one goal is to inspire the pursuit of truth. Swamiji’s sense of humour and joyful disposition makes the treasure trove of vendanta easier & fun to navigate. 

Swami Swatmananda is one of the most dynamic leaders of Chinmaya Mission.

Currently posted at Chinmaya Mission-South Mumbai, he completed the Vedanta Course from Powai from 1998-2000 after his graduation in Commerce and software engineering.

He has been serving in Chinmaya Mission Mumbai since 2000.

He expounds the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta through talks on the Bhagavad Geeta, Upanishads and other texts of Vedanta & bhakti through camps, meditation retreats, interactive sessions and discussions for youth & adults.

He has also taken the Youth Empowerment Programme(YEP) which is a value-based leadership programme for youth who want to serve the Nation & Culture, where the youth were trained for 3 months and the youth served the country for 9 months.

He is also a playwrite and has written and directed two theatrical performances.  “Adrshya – Quest for the Unseen” based on Saraswati Civilization & Developed India was written and directed by him in 2009. 9 shows of Adrshya have been performed by Chinmaya Yuva Kendra Mumbai in Mumbai, Pune, Allahabad and Chennai.  “Just Like That”- A play based on the Bhagavad Geeta in the life of Anand-Family and how they discover harmony by applying the principles of Geeta was written and directed by him in 2015. 4 shows of the play have been performed in Mumbai, Chennai.

Srinivas Jammalamadaka studied Nyaya/Tarka Shastra under Sri. Ambadipudi Radhe Shyama Shastri, Advaita Vedanta under Sri. R. Mani David's Sastrigal, and Vyakarana under Sri. Ganti Dattatreya Murthy. He has completed the Tenali exams in Tarka Shastra and appeared for the Tenali exams in Advaita Vedanta. He has completed MPhil & PhD in Nyaya shastra. He is presently the Assistant Professor at the School of Shastric Learning, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek. He has been conferred awards such as - Tarka-Ratnam & Vidwan Mani by Sri Kanchi Shankaracharya, Shastrakalanidhi by Madhya Pradesh State Governor. Currently He is working as Assistant Professor, School of Shastric Learning at Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek

Dr. Karanam Aravinda Rao is a retired Director General of Police (Andhra Pradesh), who studied Sanskrit under Maha Mahopadhyaya Padmasri Dr. Sri Pullela Sriramachandrudu and studied Vedanta under Maha Mahopadhyaya Swami Tattvavidananda Saraswati. He has authored many books on Hindu philosophy.

Sri Vijay Kapoor has an MS in computer science from UC, Berkeley and MBA from University of Santa Clara. After an engineering career with IBM in San Jose, he had a 28 year career as Marketing Manager with Hewlett Packard. In 1976, he was so impressed by Swami Dayananda Saraswati that he took a 2 ½ year sabbatical from HP and he along with his family moved to an ashram in Piercy, California to study with Swamiji. During the course, Sri Kapoor studied the principal Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutra, along with Paniniya Sanskrit. After graduation, Swami Dayananda asked Sri Kapoor to be the Secretary for the newly formed Arsha Vidya Pitham, and to be a co-founder of the ashram in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, whose board he still serves today.

He took early retirement in the year 2000 to devote his time to the study and teaching of Vedanta and Sanskrit, and in 2003 established Arsha Vidya Center. Sri Kapoor currently teaches three Vedanta classes per week to about 150 students; in addition he started 6 Gita Home Study groups in this area.

Swami Shantivratananda is a young Hindu monk (Sannyasin) belonging to the Ramakrishna Order. He is presently serving as the Minister in Charge of Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, Dublin, (nee Eire Vedanta Society) Ireland. Prior to that he was serving at Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Mysuru in various capacities, mainly attending to the youth programs and other activities. He is initiated by Revered Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj (the 13th President of the Order) and joined the order in 2004 soon after his graduation. He took his final monastic vows in 2014 following extensive training in spiritual pursuits from the 15th President of the Order, Revered Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj.

Swamiji is an erudite scholar and a philosopher, who was awarded a doctorate for his thesis entitled, “Swami Vivekananda’s Concept of Man – An Analytical Study”, from University of Mysore. He has also authored quite a number of books on Philosophy, Philosophers and Education at this young age. He can communicate in several languages, such as, Kannada, English, Sanskrit, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Bengali. He has contributed more than 50 research articles to reputed journals and contributes articles as a columnist to Karnataka newspapers.

Swamiji was invited from several reputed universities of India for presenting papers and talks. He has participated in several media panel discussions conducted by Kannada TV Channels on religion and spirituality. He has also traveled to different places of Karnataka to address youths, spiritual aspirants, teacher-educators, research scholars, academic professionals, and trainee administrators of State Government of Karnataka and conducted regularly classes for Professors in University Grants Commission Human Resource Development Program. He has addressed more than one hundred thousand people on Personality Development, Indian Culture, Stress Management, Indian Philosophy, Scriptures, Ethics, Morality, Educational Philosophy, law of Karma

etc. This has made him very popular among youths and he has been invited by several institutions as a motivational speaker to speak on how to develop concentration, how to face difficulties, being self-motivated and acquire self-confidence. He has been engaged extensively in student and youth counseling service. Versatile in Ramakrishna- Vivekananda literature and Sanskrit Scriptures, Swamiji has regularly conducted classes on Bhagavad Gita, Advaita Philosophy, Mind Management and Meditation etc.

Presently Swamiji, after arriving in Ireland, is conducting scripture classes on Tattvabodha, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Sri Ramakrishna, which are all live streamed, and can be viewed from Eire Vedanta Society.

Dr. V. Krishnamurthy (Prof. VK) is ex-Director of K.K. Birla Academy, New Delhi, was formerly Dy. Director and Prof. of Mathematics at BITS, Pilani for more than two decades. His mathematical career for half a century includes several books on Mathematics at all levels

His spiritual journey started since boyhood through training and mentoring by his father Sri R. Visvanatha Sastrigal, a scholarly exponent and an example of the ideal Hindu way of life. Prof. VK has given several lectures to Indian and American audiences on Hindu scriptures, known for precision, clarity and an irresistible appeal to the modern mind. Even at an advanced age of mid-nineties, he has been writing and publishing books mostly in the areas of Sanatana Dharma.  His recent books include THUS SPAKE KRISHNA, THOUGHTS OF SPIRITUAL WISDOM,` MEET THE ANCIENT SCRIPTURES OF HINDUISM, WISER– SANSKRIT MAXIMS EXPLAINED, and PRIMER OF SPIRITUALITY.  RAMAYANA TRIO; PARAMACHARYA ON SOUNDARYALAHARI ana 250 TIDBITS FOR SANATANA DHARMAIndic Academy awarded him Grateful -2-Guru award in 2019.

Neema Majmudar has a unique combination of personal background, international exposure, education and depth of spiritual knowledge which makes her an inspiring writer and teacher of Indian Philosophy. She has studied Indian Philosophy with Swami Dayananda Saraswati, a well-known contemporary teacher of Advaita Vedanta (Non Duality) in the tradition of Adi Sankaracarya and a scholar in Sanskrit. In addition to the traditional Vedic studies, Neema Majmudar has number of years of experience as a professional with the United Nations in field of economic and social development in New York, Thailand and Fiji. She also has Masters Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, New York. Since 1999, Neema has been giving conferences, conducting seminars and retreats across the world in the domain of Personal Development and Philosophy. The seminars and retreats she conducts with her husband Surya Tahora incorporate concepts of Indian Philosophy with Western Psychology, Ethics, Physics, Neurobiology and Management. These activities are aimed at guiding individuals and leaders of various organizations to be more objective, dynamic and compassionate in an increasingly interconnected and complex world. They have created a bilingual website in French and English https://wisdomofrishis.com/ which explains in a modern style the vision of the traditional teaching of Advaita Vedanta with numerous links to articles and videos of their talks. She and her husband have co-authored the book ‘Living the Vision of Oneness’, which expounds the ways in which the vision of Bhagavad Gita and Veda can be utilized in daily life. Recently, Neema and her students Nandini & Saloni have published a beautifully illustrated book titled ‘Finding meaning in life with the Bhagavad Gita’. This book gives profound insights into the teachings of Lord Krishna by explaining, analyzing and elaborating on forty-five key verses of the Gita especially chosen for their logic, wisdom, and practicality.

Ramesh Venkatraman presently works as Director, Vivekananda Institute for Leadership Development and Faculty at the Vivekananda Institute of Indian Studies. After a two-decade stint in the corporate world, where he held strategic and leadership positions across the domains of sales & marketing, product management, capacity building, and consulting, Ramesh has now been engaged in the development sector for the last five years. Ramesh is also deeply invested in understanding, practicing, and disseminating the dharmic and cultural heritage of Bharat. Writing is a passion and he writes regularly on a range of topics spanning culture, Dharma, and management. He is in the process of authoring and publishing two books: (1) The story of the Vishnu Sahasranama - Bishma's reflections and (2) Sankara Charitham - a modern re-telling.

Dr. C. S. R. Prabhu has held prestigious positions with Government of India and various institutions. He retired as Director General of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, New Delhi, and has worked with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), CMC, TES and TELCO (now Tata Motors). He was also faculty for the Programs of the APO (Asian Productivity Organization). He has taught and researched at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA, and also had a brief stint as a Consultant to NASA. He was Chairman of the Computer Society of India (CSI), Hyderabad Chapter. He worked as an Advisor (Honorary) at KL University, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, and as a Director of Research and Innovation at Keshav Memorial Institute of Technology (KMIT), Hyderabad.

He received his Master's degree in Electrical Engineering with specialization in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He has guided many Master's and doctoral students in research areas such as Big Data.

He has authored 16 books on wide range of topics from Computer Science to Yoga including the wiely acclaimed book “Dharma Yoga as a Common Framework for all Religions”. He was conferred Doctorate of Divinity by Henry Martyn Institute, Hyderabad for the above research on Dharma Yoga.

He is also the Founder Chairman of Vishwa Yoga Vidyapeeth.

Ācārya Dr. Sthaneshwar Timalsina from Nepal, was traditionally trained, consecrated with sarvādhikāra-sarvasāmrājya dīkṣā and authorized as Śaivācārya within Nepali Sarvāmnāya Order by his dīkṣā gurus: Prem Chetan, from Baglung (Nepal), and Śaṁkara Caitanya Bhāratī, from Kashmir. Khaptad Baba, also from Kashmir, was his Yoga guru. He was taught the Vedas, Nyāya, Mīmāṁsā, Vedānta, Śaiva Siddhānta, Trika, Mahārtha and other śāstras in Nepal and Varanasi, by the aforementioned teachers as well as others such as Tanka Prasad Timalsina, Vidyānath Upādhyāya, Rāmānanda Giri, Maheśānanda Giri, Ramji Malviya, Vraja Vallabha Dvivedi and Hemendra Nath Chakravarty.

He has also received academic and philological training in Mahendra Sanskrit University in Kathmandu and Sampurnananda Sanskrit University in Varanasi, as well as in Martin Luther University in Germany, where he acquired his PhD in Classical Indian Philosophy. He's currently Professor of Religious Studies in San Diego State University, USA.

He has long dedicated himself to the goal of preserving the traditions he inherited in a modern, institutionalized way. First by founding the Tantric department of Nepal Sanskrit University in Kathmandu, then by then by allowing the śāstric traditions to speak as subject in the global scenario through his academic works, and finally through founding Vimarsha Foundation with the goal of preserving classical śāstric and sādhanā training.

The Chairman of the Research and Development Foundation for Integral Humanism, which has taken upon the cudgels of publishing Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay’s various works afresh, is a passionate researcher and a prolific writer. He has been actively and incessantly/continuously working on the different aspects and dimensions of the IH.

He was awarded PhD on the ‘Deeds/Actions and Thoughts of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay’ by the Rajasthan University. Presently, he is engaged in the compilation and editing of the Complete Works of Deendayal Upadhyay.

He has been the Chief Whip of the BJP in Rajya Sabha and the party’s President in Rajasthan.  He has also being the vice Chairman of Nehru Yuva Kendra and Chairman of Rajasthan Foreign Investment Promotion Board in the past. He has authored many books some of them are Batwara Nahin, Vibhajan Aswikar, Pt. Deendayal Ji Ka Kartritva avam Vichar, Akhand Bharat, Sanskritik Rashtravad, Sampoorn Vangmay Deendayal Upadhyay etc.

Swami Brahmavidananda Saraswati  is a traditional and contemporary teacher of Vedanta. Having lived his life as a sadhu for many than 30 years, he has facilitated the growth of many students in different parts of India.

Formerly a marine engineer, Swamiji as a youth was inspired by H. H. Swami Chinmayananda. Swamiji studied Vedanta under H. H. Swami Dayananda Saraswati in Sandeepany, Mumbai 1976-78.  Later, he spent seven years at Rishikesh in the Himalayas, doing advanced studies in Vedanta under various traditional teachers like Swami Tarananda Giri and Swami Hari Hara Teertha.

Since 1985, he has been based in Mumbai, unfolding the vision of Vedanta in his regular classes. Swamiji conducts programs for private and public sector companies, including some multinational and Fortune 500 companies. His corporate programs include personal spiritual coaching and workshops  on the Indian Ethos in Management, personal empowerment and other human resource development issues based on a contemporary and pragmatic understanding of universal spiritual principles. Many companies are testimony to the powerful personal transformation that takes place in people who attend these programs. Unassuming and pragmatic, Swamiji effortlessly facilitates participants to maximize their potential in all areas of their lives.

Maitri is a Vaishnavite by faith and a learner of Vedanta, Bharatiya culture and Sanskrit scriptures. She has pursued MA from Sampoornanand Vishvavidyalay, Varanasi with Vedant as the main subject. As the 17th descendent of Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhachary, she has been studying all the Sampradayik scriptures of Pushti-Bhakti-Margiya sect from her father Shri Sharad Goswami and her revered Guru Goswami Shri Shyammanoharji for the last 14 years. 

In addition to Sampradayik scriptures, she has studied Sanskrit Vyakaran, Nyay, Sankhyashastra and philosophies of Shankaracharya, Ramanujachary, Madhvachary as a part of comparative studies. In accordance with her duties towards her sampraday, she currently preaches the scriptures written by Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhachary and Vedic philosophy. She is working with her father at Shri Vallabhachary Vidyapeeth established in Gujarat for publishing, preserving and teaching the Vedic scriptures and Granthas written by the respected Acharyas of Vallabh Sampraday. She also teaches Vallabh Vedant in a Diploma course run by the department of Philosophy, University of Mumbai and is working as faculty in an online course regarding life and works of vallabhachary run by indica courses.

Dr. Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati has taught at several universities nationally, including UC Berkeley. She is widely recognized as a scholar of Advaita Vedanta, and is a disciple of Pujya Sri Swami Dayanandaji Saraswati, an internationally known Acharya of the Advaita Vedanta tradition, interfaith leader, and scholastic author of Vedanta, responsible for the inception of the All India Movement for Seva (AIM for Seva), a non-profit enabling rural Indian children to receive a proper education. She is widely in demand for lectures and seminars, in the USA and internationally, for her expertise in interreligious engagement, and in-depth training and scholarship on Advaita Vedanta. Dr. Saraswati is the Acharya of Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam, which was founded in 2004 and has centers in Atlanta, GA, Eugene, OR, Washington DC, Detroit, MI, Milwaukee, WI, and Fort Meyers, FL.

Prasad Kaipa was a thought leader and a top Management Thinker of Indian origin till 2019. Prasad’s unique approach was in integrating business approaches with brain research and spirituality / wisdom models. In addition to having advised and coached 130+ C-level executives at Fortune 500 companies, he used Bhagavad Gita framework and several interviews with CEOs to co-author a bestselling book “From Smart to Wise” in 2013. He founded the Center of Leadership, Innovation, and Change (CLIC) at the Indian School of Business (ISB) as well as co-founded TiE Silicon Valley's Entrepreneur Institute, with 13,000+ participants over 10 years.

Since his retirement, he is working with several non-profits (focused on education and youth) and enjoying reflecting on his learnings from Indian spiritual wisdom and focusing on inner transformation.

Swami Ishwarananda is the resident senior monk at 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. 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. Among many books that he had published on the topic of Vedanta and practical spirituality, he had also written commentaries on Mukundama Mala, Guru Stotram, and Kasi Vishwanatha Stotram. He regularly gives lectures on various Vedanta topics through in-person and online classes.

Subramanian Chidambaran (commonly referred to as Subbu) hails from a family of Samavedic scholars in the Puthucode village of Palakkad district (Kerala). He is an electrical engineer by qualification and a postgraduate in management from IIM Lucknow. He has 15+ years of experience in management consulting & industry and is currently working as Director of Strategy for a leading MNC in India. He has published operations & strategy case studies/ articles in leading national and international management journals and delivered lectures at IIM Lucknow (Noida), IIM Indore and VJTI (Mumbai).

He is an M.A. in Sanskrit (Specialization in Vedanta) and Diploma in Manuscriptology, both from the University of Mumbai where he has also been a visiting faculty of Vedanta, Itihasa, Puranas and Bhakti. He has formally studied Veda chanting for 8 years. He is currently pursuing his doctoral studies on ‘Indic perspectives for modern leadership’ from Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth. He has several papers and articles to his credit published in various national and international journals as well as presentations in various conferences & seminars.

Subbu hails from a family of music connoisseurs on his maternal side. He was initiated into Carnatic music by his mother Mrs. Bhagyam (a trained Carnatic singer herself and direct cousin of Vidwan M.A. Kalyanakrishna Bhagavathar). He started his formal training at the age of 13 under Vidushi Smt. Vijaya Vishwanath until her demise in 2006. He then came under the tutelage of ‘Sangita Kala Acharya’ Vidushi Smt. Alamelu Mani under whom he has been learning for the past 15+ years

Subbu has been giving many lecture demonstrations and ‘Sangeeta Upanyasam’ (i.e. musical storytelling) combining his interests and skills of music and Indic knowledge. Subbu has also been hosting a channel on Youtube called ‘Subbu’s corner’ that comprises various kinds of sessions aimed at increasing awareness of our great Indic tradition and knowledge

Suryanarayana Jammalamadaka (जम्मलमडक) Studied Nyaya/tarka Shastra under Br. Sri. Ambadipudi Radhe Shyama Shastri Studied Advaita Vedanta under Br. Sri. R. Mani David's Sastrigal Studied Vyakarana (till siddhanta koumidi) under Br. Sri. Ganti Dattatreya Murthy Completed Tenali exams in Tarka Shastra Conferred awards - tarka-Ratnam & vidwan Mani by Sri Kanchi shankaracharya Shastrakalanidhi by Madhya pradesh state governer Two PGs, one in samskritam & another in Nyaya shastra Completed MPhil. Persuing PhD in Nyaya shastra Currently working as Assistant professor in School of Vedic Sciences, MIT-ADT University, Pune, Maharashtra

Swami Ramesvarananda Saraswati took sannyasa dhiiksha from Swami Sakshatkrtananda Saraswati, chief acarya at Swami Dayananda ashram Rishikesh.He is a resident at Manjakkudi, Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati's birth place where he oversees a Vedanta Study Centre - Jnana Pravaha wherein all Pujyasri's teachings have been archived and are available for free access for students of Vedanta.

Swamiji is associated with Arsha Vidya Research and Publication Trust founded by Pujya Swamiji which publishes Pujya Swamiji's teachings. He arranges to produce transcripts, edits of Pujyasri's teachings, get them printed and published and make them available for students of Vedanta.

Dr. C S Yogananda got his B.Sc., M.Sc.(Mathematics) degrees from Bangalore Univ. He obtained his Ph.D. (Mathematics ) in 1990 from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, (University of Madras), working under the guidance of the renowned number theorist, Prof. R. Balasubramanian. After his Ph.D, he spent two years in the Panjab Univ., Chandigarh. Dr. Yogananda's research interests are in the areas of number theory, especially, algebraic number theory, modular forms and elliptic curves. He is interested in mathematics teaching at all levels - scool to advanced level. He was active in the Mathematical Olympiad programme in India from 1989 - 2003 and was involved in the training and selection of the Indian team to International Math Olympiads. In 2005 he moved to Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysore to pursue his passion for teaching in the Undergraduate programme. He is very interested in the interface of Mathematics and Technology and has contributed to many IT tools for Indian languages. He is involved in the creation and maintenance of the portals: Advaitasharada.sringeri.net and kymyogavaisharadi.in, among many such archives.

He was a founder editor of Samasya, a triannual journal for school students and was a member of the Editorial Board of Resonance, a journal for Science education published from the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore. He is the author of several research and survey articles in various journals. Besides Mathematics, he is interested in classical music and mountaineering.

Swami Shivaprakashananda Saraswati is a sannyasi and a traditional teacher of Vedanta. He received Vedanta Upadesha and Sannyasa Diksha from Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

He was interested in spiritual pursuit since his childhood days. He performed sadhana for many years in various parts of India and received the vision of adhyatma vidya from accomplished spiritual masters. He studied Vedanta, Paninian Vyakarana and Darshanas with great dedication.

Besides leading a simple and contemplative life, he teaches Vedanta related texts for the benefit of sincere seekers of spiritual wisdom.

Sri Rammohan Subramaniam completed the Vedanta Course (2011-2013) at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai. Presently, he conducts and coordinates various activities at Chinmaya International Foundation such as Vedanta Courses and evaluation of Home Study courses answers, responding to queries raised by students related to Vedanta study and he also conducts Webinar classes on Upanishads and Prakarana Granthas.

Vidwan P R Vasudevan has completed his Masters and PhD in Vedanta. He is traditionally learning Vedanta under Mahamopadhyaya Dr. Mani Dravid Sastrigal and Dr. K S Maheshwaran. He is also completing his Rig Veda Adhyayana under Sri. K. Shyama Sundara. He also studied basic Mimamsa Shastra under Dr. K S Maheshwaran and is currently studying Tarka Shastra under Vachaspathi Sastri Joshi. He has attended main Vakyartha Sadas and have received many awards including Sadachara Cash Prize with Gold coin endowed by His Holiness Sri Jagadguru Sankaracharya Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 2014-15 and Dharmatma Sri Dr. Vaidya Subramania Iyer Award for excellence in Vedanta Studies in 2013.

Dr. Nori Sivasenani is an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad who is presently working as a Data Science Manager in Microsoft at Hyderabad. Hailing from a traditional, observant family, he studied Sanskrit formally by taking a sabbatical from his work. He completed MA in Sanskrit (Gold Medalist) from Osmania University and then did an M. Phil in Translation Studies from University of Hyderabad, studying Sanskrit to English translations in Vedanta. His Ph. D. in the area of Philosophy of Grammar and Advaita Vedanta was completed under the guidance of Mahamahopadhyaya Prof. Korada Subrahmanyam in 2016, under whom he studied Vyakarana and Mimamsa extensively along with Vedanta. Following the footsteps of MM Korada, and the traditional framework, he uses a holistic approach to a given issue applying concepts from all the Vidyasthanas and not restricting oneself to the field subject at hand. This can be seen in all his works ranging from an estimate of Swatii Tirunal to the Philosophy of Kalidasa or the interaction amongst Vyakarana and Mimamsa, with ultimate effect on Vedanta in examination of a simple sandhi (Dadhyatra is not dadhi atra). His areas of interest are Vedic studies, Vedanta, Vyakarana, Mimamsa, and  Dharmsastra He also discovered that Sabarasvamin's understanding of sound propagation matches perfectly with the modern scientific description.

He served for many years on the Executive Committee of Sura Bharati Samiti, Hyderabad which is involved in the propagation and promotion of Sanskrit, apart from publishing many books in Sanskrit and translations from Sanskrit. He is the Vice President of Nori Charitable Trust, which amongst other things, has been conducting an annual Bhagyanagara Veda Sabha for the last eighteen years in Hyderabad, where Vedic scholars from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh participate. He taught courses in Linguistics, Translation Studies and Sanskrit at under-graduate and post-graduate level in Osmania University (Nizam College and Arts College), University of Hyderabad and Telugu University as guest-faculty and part-time lecturer, apart from teaching Sanskrit to many students at Sura Bharati Samiti and elsewhere and delivering lectures for the ePGPathasala on a wide range of topics.

He recently translated the Sarva Vedanta Siddhanta Sara Sangraha from Sanskrit to English, which is available at https://stage.srirangadigital.com/sss_advaita/display/prakarana/sarvavedantasiddhantasarasangraha. His other works are available at https://uohyd.academia.edu/SivasenaniNori

Dr. K. S. Maheswaran, born on 8th January 1981 in Peringode, Kerala, is an Assistant Professor in Vedanta at Madras Sanskrit College, Chennai. He specializes in Sastras, particularly Poorvamimamsa and Vedanta. Dr. Maheswaran completed his traditional studies under the guidance of renowned scholars and passed the Tenali exam in mimamsa. He holds several academic qualifications, including SSLC, PreDegree, BA Sahitya, MA Vedanta, Net JRF, and a PhD in Vedanta. Dr. Maheswaran is actively involved in training disciples in various Sastras using the Gurukula traditional system, preparing them for exams such as Tenali Sastra pareeksha. He has written several books in Sanskrit and Malayalam and has presented papers in various seminars conducted by universities. Dr. Maheswaran has won several awards and recognitions, including Maharshi Badarayan Vyas Samman from the Honorable President of India in 2015, Suvarnanguleeyakam from Sringeri Mutt in 2015, and Bharathi Theertha Puraskar from Sringeri Mutt in 2021. He is also proficient in Carnatic music, kathakali music, Mridangam playing, and oil painting.

PV Rajaraman is a highly qualified individual with extensive academic and spiritual accomplishments. He holds a Diploma, B.E., and M.E. in Computer Science and has completed research in the field of Natural Language Processing from Anna University, Chennai. Currently, he serves as the Head of the Department of Artificial Intelligence at Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology in Kalady.

In addition to his academic achievements, Rajaraman has also pursued spiritual studies. He has studied Nyaya and Vedanta Sastras under the guidance of BrahmaSri Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal from 2009 to 2013. He has been doing Upanysams since he was 18 years old. His spiritual pursuits have also earned him the prestigious Bhagavatha Bhaswan Brahmasri Anjam Krishnan Naboodiri Memorial Award in 2018 from Sree Ayyappa Bhaktha Sabha in Mahalingapuram, Chennai.

A monk of the holy Ramakrishna Order headquartered at Belur Math. Currently serving as the Head of the Department, in the capacity of Assistant Professor, in the Department of Sanskrit and Philosophy under the School of Indian Heritage at Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (Formerly known as Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University).

N Venkataraman was born on 26th August 1965, completed law in the year 1989 at the Madurai Kamaraj University and Commenced practice the same year under Late Mr. C. Natrajan, Senior Advocate and worked under him for 14 years before commencing independent practice in June 2003. He was designated Senior in the year 2006 by the Madras High Court.

Fondly known as NV among the legal fraternity, Shri N Venkataraman has completed 31 years of professional practice in the fields of Indirect taxes, Direct taxes, International Taxation and in the last ten years has been doing extensive work in Constitutional law, various Regulatory matters (TRAI, Competition law, Gas and Electricity matters), negotiations and finalization of commercial disputes, framing and settling contracts and arbitration besides intellectual property laws and has involved in matters of substantial public importance such as Sabarimalai, Article 370, CAA, Child Sex Abuse and similar such issues.

Besides the Hon’ble Supreme Court, NV is appearing before 23 High Courts spread over various States, various Tribunals (State and Center), Advance Ruling Authorities and Securities Exchange Board of India, Securities Appellate Tribunals and other forums.

NV is currently serving as Addl Solicitor General of India.

Swami Chidananda has been a Vedanta teacher and speaker on human values for more than three decades. After he served for 5 years as the resident Vedanta teacher in San Jose, California, in the mid-1990s, his work has been mostly in India and the USA. Since 2006, he heads FOWAI FORUM, a non-profit that disseminates philosophical and spiritual knowledge with special coverage of Indian ethos. Numerous talks by him are on YouTube at the FOWAI channel. The author of seven books, he is specially known for his presentations on Bhagavad Geeta and the Upanishads. Hailing from Udupi district in Karnataka, he has been living in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, since 2013. He had begun with a career in electronics engineering, with a BE from Mysore University and an MTech from IIT Madras. Then he served Chinmaya Mission, the organization of Swami Chinmayanandaji, for 18 years and the Foundation of Jiddu Krishnamurti for 10 years.

Swamini Brahmaprajnananda Saraswati has dedicated her life to sharing the timeless teachings of Advaita Vedanta and Dharma. She conducts Vedanta courses, podcasts and retreats for groups in Mumbai and for people across the world, online. Her teachings seamlessly flow from areas of self growth to self discovery. A disciple of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, she has studied Vedanta and Sanskrit in a full time residential three year and was a part time student of Swami Brahmavidananda. Swamini is a former psychologist and in her last leadership position as the Country Head of an international organisation impacted the lives of more than fifteen thousand street children annually. For more www.discoveratma.com

Swamini Sadvidyananda Sarswati is a disciple of Pujya Swami Dayananda Sarswati, a great exponent of Vedanta and Hindu scriptures. She is teaching Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads in Gujarati in different towns of Gujarat like, Navasari, Bardoli, Valsad, Bilimora, Vyara and Bhavnagar for the last 25 years.

Under the banner of her Trust – Arsha Vidya Tirhta, Navsari she has translated and published more than 37 books of her Revered Guru Swami Dayananda Saraswatiji into Gujarati. And from 1998 to 2003 she also translated voluminous book of 2000 on Bhagavad Gita “Gita Home Study” into Gujarati for the benefit of those who can understand it better in one’s own mother-language. She has also attended and presented papers in various conferences such as National Education conferences in Pune and Gwalior, Sri Vidya International Conference, Mysore, Namami Shankar, (Bhashya-parayanam) Kanyakumari, Vedanta Conference, Rishikesh, etc.

Karthik Sharma is currently working as an Assistant Professor in Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth situated in Kochi,Kerala. He completed his graduation and Post graduation in Advaita Vedanta from The Madras Sanskrit College, Mylapore.  Karthik Sharma completed his traditional studies in Advaita Vedanta under Dr. K. S. Maheswaran Namboothiri’s guidance, completing all the 15 levels of exams followed by the Mahapareeksha in Advaita Vedanta at Kanchee Veda Vedanta Sastra Sabha, Tenali. He also learned Tarka-Sastra in traditional style under  Dr K. E. Devanathan. He also learned advanced Vedanta texts under Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Mani Dravid Sastrigal. Karthik Sharma has participated as resource person  in several  Vakyartha sadas, Seminars,debates and Workshops across India.

Karthik Sharma was honoured with the Golden Ring (Suvarnanguleeyakam) by Mahasannidhanam, Sringeri Mutt in the year 2019. He was also awarded with the title ‘Advaitavedantaratnam’ by Kanchi mutt in 2019 and advaita-vedāntavidvanmaṇiḥ’ by Indic Academy in the year of 2021. He was also honoured with the vidyānidhipuraskāra by sringeri mutt in the year of 2022.

Swami Bodhananda Saraswati (born 27 March 1948) is an Indian spiritual leader and teacher of meditation, Yoga and Vedanta. He is the Spiritual Founder and Chairman of the Sambodh Foundation in India, The Sambodh Society Inc. USA, Sambodh Center for Human Excellence (Michigan), and the Bodhananda Research Foundation for Management and Leadership Studies.

He is a native of Kochi. He traveled to the Himalayas after his studies to learn Advaita. He then setup his own research institution in Delhi. He teaches about Advaita, meditation and management.

His publications in the area of Indian management are based on Indian philosophical theories on personality, self unfoldment, as explained in the Bhagavad Gita and other Indian wisdom texts. He develops a theory of transcendental leadership that emphasizes the human possibilities.

On the impact of yoga on the emotional intelligence of managers, Swami Bodhananda believes that "it is very important to live in constant awareness of oneself so that one has power over one’s thoughts, and can choose responses to the world as per one’s values

Presently he is Professor at IIT Bombay in the Cell for Indian Science and Technology in Sanskrit, Department of Humanitites and Social Sciences.
Prof. Ramasubramanian holds a doctorate in Theoretical Physics, a Bachelors in Engineering, and a Masters in Sanskrit.

For completing a rigorous course in Advaita Vedanta (a 14 semester program) he was honored with the coveted title “Vidvat Pravara” by the Shankaracharya of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham in the year 2003.

He is one of the authors who prepared detailed Explanatory Notes of the celebrated works Ganita-yuktibhasha (Rationales in Mathematical Astronomy) and Tantrasangraha which brings out the seminal contributions of the Kerala School of astronomers and mathematicians in the field of Mathematics and Astronomy.
Besides this, he has edited other works in Indian Astronomy and Mathematics, as well as authored several research papers, both individually and jointly with others.

In 2008, he was conferred the prestigious award of Maharshi Badarayan Vyas Samman by the President of India in recognition of his scholarship as well as the outstanding research work done by him to the process of synergy between modernity and tradition.

In 2010, the National Academy of Sciences India, honored him by conferring upon him the R. C. Gupta Endowment Lecture Award. He got elected as a Council member of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology in the year 2013.

He was a Member of the Second Sanskrit Commission formed by the MHRD, Government of India, in the year 2014, and is a Member of the Central Sanskrit Board formed in 2015.

Gokulmuthu Narayanaswamy is a devotee and volunteer of Ramakrishna Math. He conducts classes on Bhagavad Gita, Swami Vivekananda, Spiritual Life, Leadership Development and Life Skills to students and professionals. He is a founder of Vivekananda Study Circle in IIT Madras. He is a mentor of Vivekananda Study Circle at IISc Bangalore. He is a regular contributor of articles and book reviews to Vedanta Kesari, a monthly magazine published by Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. His blog at www.practicalphilosophy.in has several of his articles. He is working as Director of Product Development at Itron India, Bangalore. He holds B.Tech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from IIT Madras, M.Sc (Engg) in Computer Science from IISc Bangalore and M.A in Philosophy, Religion and Culture from Annamalai University. He is currently pursuing Ph.D in Biopsychology and Yoga at IIT Kharagpur. He took mantra diksha from Swami Gahananandaji of Ramakrishna Math. He learnt Vedanta from Swami Paramarthanandaji of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam. He learnt Yoga from Swami Swayambodhanandaji, disciple of Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

Babaji Bob Kindler began his formal spiritual training in Yoga and Vedanta in 1970 at the age of twenty. After more than a decade of spiritual austerities and extensive study of the scriptures in Eastern Traditions, he received initiation into the Ramakrishna lineage by Swami Aseshananda, a direct disciple of Sri Sarada Devi, wife and spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He also received guidance and instruction from Swami Nityasvarupananda, another direct disciple of Holy Mother, and training in ritualistic worship from Swami Damodarananda, both of the Ramakrishna Order as well.

Babaji's emergence as a teacher of Sanatana Dharma occurred naturally with the creation of Jai Ma Music, an acclaimed sacred arts ensemble which he founded in 1980 as a vehicle for the exalted teachings of India through wisdom-oriented devotional music. He also received encouragement from his friend, Lex Hixon, the instigating force and co-founder of the national SRV Association of the West, based in New York state.

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Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy, is the Director of Indica Yoga, a platform that offers authentic, immersive and transformative yoga experiences across the world. He holds a PhD on psychological insights in the Vedas from Pondicherry University, besides Masters’ in Sanskrit, English, Yogic Science and Applied Psychology.

Vinayachandra is a dedicated teacher who travels across the world conducting courses, lectures and workshops on a unique blend of Yoga, Psychology and Sanskrit. He is a guest faculty/resource person at various Universities and Yoga Associations including Ghent University, Belgium; Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland; Vedanta Academy, Belgium; Irish Yoga Association, Ireland; Yoga Pramiti, Italy; School of Philosophy and Economic Science, Ireland; VYASA Singapore, etc. He has had the privilege of being a tutor at the European Union of Yoga Congress, Zinal, Switzerland for the years 2013, 2014 and was the Guest of Honour at the same event in the year 2017 along with Dr. Anuradha Choudry.

His publications include a report on Standardization of Yoga Terminologies for WHO; a book co-edited with Dr. Anuradha Choudry titled ‘Perspectives on Indian Psychology’, published by Jain University Press, another book co-authored titled ‘Happiness: Indic Perspectives’, published by Development Foundation,  besides a few­­­ articles, papers, booklets on Yoga, Indian Psychology, Culture and Spirituality. In addition to his academic interests, he is deeply passionate to work with children and youth and is involved with several cultural and service organizations in varied capacities.

Dr. Tulasi Kumar Joshi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Sanskrit in the Vasanta College for Women, Rajghat, Varanasi.
He has had the rare opportunity to study Vyakarana, Nyaya and Vedanta from imminent Acharyas such as Shri. Purushottam Tripathi, Prof. Rajaram Shukla, Shri Mani Dravid Shastrigal & Shrihari Dhaygude.
He has completed Ph.D from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, guided by Prof. Dhananjay Kumar Pandey, MA (Sanskrit), from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi & Ācārya in Śāṅkara Advaita in the Sampurnananda Sanskrit University.
Following the completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Tulasi Kumar Joshi joined Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan as Guest Faculty in Advaita Vedanta at their Guruvayoor Campus.
He has delivered lectures on Vyākaraṇa, Nyāya and Advaita Vedānta at several Vakyārtha Sabhas.
He has been invited to several Workshops, Seminars and Conferences, and has published research papers in national and international journals.
He has keen interest in Yogic Philosophy too. He is also an expert in the epistemological and metaphysical aspects of Indian philosophy.
He devotes significant effort in conducting and participating in traditional discourses on the Śāstras. He has also prepared students for such discourses.
He has been conferred with the prestigious award of Suvarṇa-angulīyakam from the Mahasannidhānam at Sringeri Sharada Peetham.

Dr. Ravi Gundlapalli deeply values his roots in Sanatana Dharma, and considers Jagadguru Adi Sankara as his mentor, and works closely with Brahmasri Samavedam Shanmukha Sarma garu. Ravi is a technology entrepreneur (Founder of MentorCloud), Author and Global Keynote Speaker on the topics of Mentoring, Entrepreneurship & Bhagavad Gita.

Ravi helped create the Global Festival of Oneness as a month-long conference starting on Sankara Jayanthi to spread the life and works of Adi Sankara. Ravi also founded ‘KnowYourRoots’ Foundation with his wife Vani to rejuvenate and spread the essence of Sanatana Dharma among the modern generation.

Ravi is an IITM alumni with a PhD from U Michigan. He is from Vijayawada and currently resides in Silicon Valley.

Natraj Maneshinde is a 28 year old Engineer from Dharwad, Karnataka.

He comes from a Kshatriya-Maratha family and has completed his Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, USA.

He currently works at Apple as a Circuit design engineer.

Natraj was introduced to Advaita Vedanta in his teenage days. Ever since, under the guidance of the elders of the tradition, he has been making attempts to understand more on the tenets of Advaita Sampradaya.

Deepa Bhaskaran Salem is a student of Advaita Vedanta and storyteller on Itihasa/Puranas. She speaks and writes on Hindu parenting and heritage, applying the lessons she has learnt from her gurus to the modern context. She is a technology marketer by profession.

Swami Vedatattvananda Puri has completed BE Mechanical from College of Engineering, Pune. He took to monastic life at the age of 23 in 1998 and has stayed in Ramakrishna Mission for 22 years. He was at Belur Math for 16 years and then he worked as the Principal of Vivekananda Veda Vidyalaya for 6 years. He was the Coordinator of Dept of Sanskrit Studies at Vivekananda University, Belur Math for 4 years.

Swamiji's fields of study and interest include: Sanskrit language and it's grammar, Indian Philosophy in general and Nyaya and Vedanta Philosophy in perticular.

At present, Swamiji is a Member of ERIC - Educational Research and Innovations Committee, NCERT and is the resident acharya at Acharya Shankar Sanskritik Ekta Nyasa, Bhopal for Omkareshwar Project.

Manjushree Hegde is currently a research scholar at IIT Madras. Her primary area of interest is Advaita-Vedānta which she studied traditionally under Brahmaśrī Aśvatthanārāyaṇā Avadhāni.

Krishnaphani KESIRAJU is a mechanical engineering graduate, with professional qualifications in Management and Law. He has more than forty-three years of experience in industry and academia. Currently he runs his own consulting and trading businesses. Study of and research in Ancient Indian philosophical and spiritual literature is his passion. He is engaged in synthesizing the ancient and modern thought on deeper aspects of life and its purpose. He is a keen student of Theosophy and Jiddu Krishnamurti’s teachings. Krishnaphani is an invited speaker at various business, management and spiritual forums.

Dr Ganesh Ishwar Bhat is the Associate Professor in Advaita Vedanta, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan(Deemed University) Rajiv Gandhi Campus, SRINGERI. Born in Sirsi, North Kanara Dist. Karnataka. He had his Krishna Yajurveda adhyayana at Swarnavalli Mutt. After studying Advaita Vedanta under HH Sri Gangadharendra Saraswati Swamiji, he has qualified in the title examination Vidwan (M.A) from Karnataka Sanskrit University and M.A. in Sanskrit from Karnataka State Open University, Mysore. He received vidyāvāridhi (Ph.D.) degree from the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha Tirupati, for the thesis namely A Critical Study of Advaita Philosophy in Vishnupurana on the basis of Sridhariya Commentary. He completed his Shikshashastri ( B Ed) in Rajiv Gandhi Campus Sringeri. He has edited 7 books and has written several research articles in Sanskrit and Kannada language. He has delivered lectures in several religious programs & participated in many Vakyarthasabhas and Kavigoshthis in different parts of the country.

Swami Tyagananda joined the Ramakrishna Order at the monastery in Mumbai in 1976 after graduating from the University of Mumbai in India. He received spiritual instruction (mantra-dīkṣā) from Holy Mother’s disciple Swami Vireswarananda and his monastic vows (sannyāsa) from Swami Gambhirananda. Besides Mumbai (1976–80), Tyagananda served in the monasteries at Belur Math (1980–82), New Delhi (1982–83) and Chennai (1983–1997) and was sent to Boston in 1998 to assist Swami Sarvagatananda. He is the Hindu chaplain at Harvard and MIT since 1999 and, after Sarvagatananda’s retirement in 2002, he was appointed head of the Vedanta Society in Boston. Tyagananda was editor of the English journal Vedanta Kesari for 11 years (1986–97) and has written, translated and edited fourteen books. He writes a fortnightly blog and his talks are available as audio podcasts. He has presented papers at academic conferences and he gives lectures and classes at the Vedanta Society as well as at MIT, Harvard and, on invitation, other colleges and religious groups in North America.

Born in a pious Tamil family, K Giridhara Sarma is an electronic engineer by education and profession, with over 30 years of experience that field. In parallel, he was blessed by the great scholar Br.Sri. Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal who took Giridhara Sarma under his tutelage. Learnt basics of Tarka and Mimamsa and specialized in Mimamsa and Vedanta including Prasthana traya Bhashya and other important texts in both mimamsa shastras. From 2018, Giridhara Sarma had been continuing learning Mimamsa under Dr. K E Devanathacharya, Vedanta under Mahamahopadyaya Br.Sri. Dr. Mani Dravid Sastri, Vyakaranam under Br Sri. Dattatreya Murti. Regularly takes part in vidwat sadas and workshops. Giridhara Sarma also takes private classes in Mimamsa and Vedanta for few students and organizes study groups and discussions.

Swamiji was born in 1962 in Gujarat state. His spiritual pursuit started at a young age which finally led him to Vedanta. After completing his education in engineering, he joined a three year course at Baroda in 1986 under Swami Brahmatmananda, a student of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati. He got his brahmacarya-diksha in 1989 and later continued his studies with Swami Visharadanandaji at Swami Dayananda Ashram at Rishikesh. During this period, he was privileged to study under Pujya Swamiji.

He was initiated into sannyasa in 1997 by Pujya Swami and given the name Swami Sadatmananda.

Swamiji was the acarya at Arsha Vidya Kendra, Bangalore from 1994 to April 2014. The center was later registered as Arsha Vidya Kendra Trust with Pujya Swamiji as the paramount trustee and Swamiji as the chairman. He conducted classes at the Kendra on Upanishads, Brahmasutra, BhagavadgIta, Puranas, Sanskrit and other vedantic texts. He also conducted weekly classes for children and young adults.

He initiated and motivated various social activities by the Kendra. The Kendra grew considerably during his tenure of 20 years and a lot of people were benefited from his teaching. His love for studying the sastra and understanding it in-depth, is a quality that all his students value and strive to imbibe.

During 2011 to 2013, under invitation from the Mahamandaleswar of Kailash Ashram, Rishikesh, he annually visited Rishikesh and taught Upanishad and other vedantic texts there, in Hindi with Bhashyam and Tika.

In 2013, Pujya Swamiji suggested that he conduct the next course at Coimbatore. Accordingly, in May 2014, under the guidance of Pujya Swamiji, a three month and a three year residential course in Vedanta and Sanskrit was started at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Anaikatti, Coimbatore with Swamiji as the Chief Acarya. Swamiji conducted daily classes in Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and other Vedantic texts during the course which was concluded in September 2017.

In 2020, Swamiji commenced a two year Residential Vedanta Course which was preceded by a preliminary course for 108 days. The long term course was successfully completed in Mar 2022, despite challenges posed by the pandemic.

Since then, Swamiji has been conducting short term residential retreats, and also daily classes on Vedanta texts at the Gurukulam. In addition, Swamiji is presently conducting an informal course in the traditional gurukulam-style, involving an in-depth study of Vedanta and related texts, for a few brahmacharis selected from the previous course.

Swamiji has been teaching for over 3 decades. He is a very versatile teacher who can reach out to a wide variety of audience both young and old. He is well-versed in Sanskrit and applies it in the study of Bhashyam. He is committed to convey the message of the sastra to his students with depth and clarity and also has the ability to summarize the main ideas, never letting his students lose sight of the connections. His teaching style is simple and clear, with a lot of examples. He can teach with ease in English, Sanskrit, Hindi or his native Gujarati. He is a caring teacher, always ready to help. His discipline, commitment to the teaching and spirit of sannyasa is a great inspiration to his students.

After the Mahasamadhi of Pujya Swamiji in 2015, Swamiji (fondly known as Acaryaji) was appointed the Paramount Trustee of Sruti Seva Trust, Anaikatti. He has continued the sampradaya and kept the Gurukulam vibrant with the teaching of Vedanta while overseeing its daily administration.