Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda 
His
Holiness Swami Chinmayananda (Pujya Gurudev), founder of Chinmaya Mission
® , taught spirituality as the art of living. Through the path of
jnana yoga , or path of knowledge, he emphasized the balance of head
and heart, pointing out selfless work, study, and meditation as the
cornerstones of spiritual practice.
Not
satisfied with his literature and law degrees or other worldly aspirations,
Balakrishnan Menon pursued the spiritual path for nine years in the
Himalayas , under the guidance of Swami Sivananda and the tutelage of
Swami Tapovanam. He eventually chose to share his direct experience
of Vedantic knowledge with the masses, and roared forth like Mother
Ganga in the form of the dynamic spiritual master known as Swami Chinmayananda.
Gurudev
is renowned worldwide as one of the foremost teachers of Shrimad Bhagavad
Gita. He is credited with the renaissance of cultural values in India
and with the spreading of the ageless wisdom of Advaita Vedanta, as
expounded by Adi Shankaracharya, throughout the world.
Gurudev
attained mahasamadhi on August 3, 1993 . His legacy remains in the form
of written, audio, and video publications; social service projects (schools,
hospitals, rural development programs, and more); and the missionaries
who carry on his vision to this day.
Pujya
Guruji Swami Tejomayananda His
Holiness Swami Tejomayananda (Pujya Guruji), as the present spiritual
head of Chinmaya Mission ® worldwide, is fulfilling the vision that
Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda charted. As he puts it, “I am
not in Swamiji's shoes; I am at His feet.”
Pujya
Guruji has served as acharya , or dean of the Sandeepany Institutes of Vedanta ( gurukulas of Chinmaya Mission)
in India and as acharya in Mission centers in India and the
US . He has written commentaries on scriptural texts, translated Pujya
Gurudev's commentaries into Hindi, and authored a number of books. A
key contribution is Hindu Culture: An Introduction , a text
acclaimed for its clear description of the basics of Hinduism and adopted
as a reference text in some high schools.
Pujya
Guruji excels in expounding a wide spectrum of Hindu scriptures, from Ramayana to Shrimad Bhagavad Gita to the Upanishads.
He conducts discourses around the world and his easy manner and devotional
rendering of Vedantic texts has drawn many newcomers into the spiritual
fold.
H. H. Swami Ishwarananda
Swami
Ishwarananda's association with Chinmaya Mission began when he served
as the secretary of Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, Bangalore , where he worked
with Pujya Swami Brahmananda.
The
former software professional joined Chinmaya Mission's two-year Vedanta brahamchari course in Mumbai in 1991. Thereafter, the newly
initiated Brahmachari Someshwar Chaitanya went on to serve at Chinmaya
Mission Kolkata and Bangalore .
In
November 1995, Someshwarji was appointed as the resident acharya of Chinmaya Mission Southern California in Los Angeles . On the
holy day of Mahashivaratri , in the year 2000, Pujya Guruji
Swami Tejomayananda initiated Brahmachari Someshwar into sannyasa and gave him the name ‘Swami Ishwarananda.'
Swamiji is fluent in English, Tamil, and Sanskrit. His sharp, lucid
style commands his listeners' complete attention as he blends humor
and warmth in driving his ideas home. Swamiji's technological know-how
and contemporary approach have endeared him to youth of all ages.
Contact
Information
Email: swishwarananda[at]hotmail[dot]com
H.
H. Swami Prakashananda
Swami Prakashananda, formerly Brahmachari
Prem Chaitanya, was born at Dow Village in Trinidad and studied at Couva
Private Grammar School . He then migrated to Canada to pursue higher
studies. While attending University of Toronto , he met Pujya Gurudev
Swami Chinmayananda.
After completing his B.A., with Puja
Gurudev's blessings, he joined Chinmaya Mission's two-year Vedanta brahmachari course at Mumbai's ‘ Sandeepany Sadhanalaya ' ashram.
Thus, Brahmachari Prem Chaitanya was born. In the process, he spent
six years in India and learned directly from various acharya s,
including Pujya Gurudev and Pujya Guruji. Premji was initiated into sannyasa as ‘Swami Prakashananda' in 2005 on Mahashivaratri , in the Mumbai ashram.
Swamiji is a dynamic, inspiring teacher
who has been able to motivate and touch many lives. At present,
he is the resident acharya of Chinmaya Mission Trinidad and
Tobago .
Contact Information
Email: prakashananda[a]chinmayamission[dot]org
Brahmachari Uddhav Chaitanya 
Highly inspired by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda's
talks in a college sports complex, a once-disinterested youth became
one of the most dynamic Hyderabad CHYKs and went on to found and become
vice-president of CHYK Serilingampally. Before and after becoming Brahmachari
Uddhav Chaitanya, he initiated and led numerous and innovative Chinmaya
Mission service projects.
Uddhavji served as the resident acharya of Chinmaya Mission Vijayawada, 1996-2002. He was then posted to ‘ Chinmaya Saaket ,' in Dallas , Texas , where he currently resides.
Uddhavji is multi-talented in glass-painting, cooking, Ayurveda treatments,
acupressure, gardening, volleyball, and cricket.
Contact Information
Email: uddhav[a]chinmayamission[dot]org
