~~OM~~
Swamiji comes from the Dashnami lineage of Adi Shankaracharya, and belongs to the tribe of Swamis called for the order of "Saraswati," sannyasis who are scholars living the life of a Brahmin, a knower of wisdom, and worshipping with both knowledge and devotion.
Swamiji was initiated into the worship of Chandi and the sacred fire ceremony, the yajna, as his primary system of sadhana, by his Guru in 1971. He practiced worship and meditation and undertook many forms of Tapasya and great austerities. He practiced to recite Chandi in the snows of the Himalayas and in the hot springs of Bakreswar, and actually attained to asana siddhi beyond heat and cold.
Swami Satyananda Saraswati spent fifteen years walking across the length and breadth of the Himalayas of India. On his journeys he became proficient in numerous languages including Bengali and Hindi, and he developed a deep passion for Sanskrit. Wherever he went he would learn the local systems of worship. As a result his knowledge of the mountain pathways, along with his understanding of Sanskrit roots, makes the verses of his translations come alive with experience.
Swamiji's teachings combine to make intellectual understanding a firm foundation upon which to erect our devotional practices. He has the gift of weaving jnana, wisdom, with bhakti, devotion. He teaches an aspirant how to move from the intellectual contemplation of the whys and hows of creating a discipline, to the practical applications of actually sitting for recitation of the Sanskrit texts. He clearly explains how to sit, how to breathe, how to attain oneness with the Guru and oneness with the Goddess.
Swamiji has dedicated his entire life to worship. His selfless love is visible in all his actions. He is generous beyond measure and has a truly divine sense of humor. He inspires by example, and to see Swamiji perform puja creates a desire in the blessed observer to also worship the Divine. To hear him chant filled with the bhava of inspired enthusiasm, creates a desire in us to learn the mantras; to watch him, sparks a desire to experience that same depth of absorption.
Like a master craftsman, he utilizes all the tools of chanting: mantra, pranayama and asana; with focused attention and profound respect, he transforms every ritual into an offering of love and surrender. Every breath, every shloka, every offering, brings him closer into the Presence of the Divine Mother.
What is even more extraordinary is that he is able to maintain the same bhava in all actions. Whether he is performing a puja, chanting at the altar, tirelessly working at the computer translating scriptures, chopping wood for the homa or helping in construction or maintenance of the ashram, he maintains that same loving Bhava, because they are all offerings for the Beloved Mother. Swamiji says being spiritual means giving more than we take. Living the life of a brahmin means conforming one's behavior to those who have lived the ideal. It is only then that we can genuinely transform ourselves into really pure and silent divine beings.
His deep love, his intuitive understanding and his spiritual experience is evident in every scripture he has translated. He not only translates, but he is a living testament to its ideal and philosophy. He brings to life every character within the scriptures with such intensity, that we begin to realize that these very same characters exist within us. We then are able to learn how we can purify ourselves until we, too, realize our own Divinity!
Swamiji's translations from Sanskrit have been translated into Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, French, German, Romanian and Portuguese, in addition to English. For a complete list of his many books, please go to the book section of our web site.
