Swami Tejomayananda is a living portrait of simplicity
with depth, humility with courage, and wisdom with devotion. Always jovial,
smiling, and welcoming, he is readily accessible and approachable to all who
seek the knowledge of Vedanta from him.
Born into a Maharashtrian
family on June 30, 1950, in Madhya Pradesh, India, Sudhakar Kaitwade was not
spiritually inclined as such. At the age of 20, a year away from getting his
Master's degree in Physics, Sudhakar intended to pursue a teaching career.
Sudhakar's revolutionary
change came about the day he was attracted to a large banner announcing Swami
Chinmayananda's talks on Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3. A couple of talks
later, he was so thoroughly inspired that he sought the permission of his
mother to join the Chinmaya Mission's residential Vedanta course at Sandeepany
Sadhanalaya in Mumbai.
Upon completion of the Vedanta
course in 1975, Sudhakar was initiated into the Chinmaya Mission's monastic
order of acharyas (teachers) as Brahmachari Vivek Chaitanya. Over the years, he
served as acharya at the Mission Centres in Bhopal, Kanpur, and Sidhabari. He
conducted the first residential Vedanta course in Hindi at 'Sandeepany
Himalayas' in Sidhabari.
On October 21, 1983, Swami
Chinmayananda initiated him into sannyasa, bestowing upon him the name, Swami
Tejomayananda. He was then appointed as acharya of the Sandeepany Sadhanalaya
ashram in Mumbai, where he taught two consecutive residential Vedanta courses
in English.
In 1989, Swami Tejomayananda
was posted to Chinmaya Mission's U.S. Centre in San Jose, California, where he
remained as acharya until 1993. After Pujya Gurudev attained Mahasamadhi he
became the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide.
As the Head of Chinmaya
Mission Worldwide, Swami Tejomayananda-now known in the Mission as Pujya
Guruji-has continuously and dynamically pursued his guru's grand spiritual and
organizational vision. Progressive in thinking and precise in decision-making,
he has inspired and executed many notable, innovative projects, including the
Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore, the Chinmaya Centre of
World Understanding in New Delhi, the Chinmaya International Foundation near Cochin,
the Chinmaya Heritage Centre in Chennai, the expansion of the Chinmaya Mission
Hospital in Bangalore and the Chinmaya Vibhooti Vision Centre near Pune which
is at present and still in progress.
In overseeing the Mission's
global activities and projects, Swami Tejomayananda's tours around the world
are extensive and continuous. Throughout his travels, he conducts jnana yajnas
(3-7 day Vedanta lecture series) in different cities and various countries
every week. His gentle manner, devotional heart, intellectual clarity, joyful
wit, and open availability have earned him intergenerational appeal and
endeared him to millions across the globe.
Fluent in Hindi, Marathi,
English, and Sanskrit, Swami Tejomayananda's talks, written commentaries, and
original music, poetry, and text compositions exude lofty spiritual insights,
incisive Vedantic scholarship, and universal harmony.
His original Vedantic texts
include Bhakti Sudha, Jnana Sarah, Manah Shodhanam, Dhyanasvarupam and
Jivanasutrani. His acclaimed commentaries include Adi Sankara's Drg-Drshya
Viveka, Ramana Maharshi's Upadesha Saram, Kapila Gita, and Yoga Vasistha. He
has also translated into Hindi Swami Chinmayananda's English commentaries on
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. His book 'Hindu Culture: An
Introduction' has been adopted as an academic text by some American schools. As
a laudable devotional singer, he has recorded several albums with original
music and lyrics. His profound, poignant, and pictorial talks on Sant
Tulsidasa's Ramacharitamanasa and Veda Vyasa's Shrimad Bhagavatam are
world-renowned, highlighting his spiritual wisdom and masterful storytelling.
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