Chinna Jeeyar (born 3 November 1956), more formally known as Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar Swami, is an Indian religious guru and yogi ascetic known for his spiritual discourses on

Sri Vaishnavism Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who ...

. He subscribes to

Thenkalai Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, wh ...

tradition of Sri Vaishnavism. He operates spiritual centers in the US. He is the designer and planner of the Statue of Equality, a statue dedicated to Ramanujacharya, in

Hyderabad, India Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the '' de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Ind ...

. He is also guiding Telangana State Government in the renovation of Yadadri Temple. He is one of the few Jiyars who accept non-brahmin disciples. Jeeyar was trained in the Vaishnava tradition. At the age of 23 he took the oath to become an ascetic. He has been visiting the United States since 1994, where he taught a large number of people. He has also visited London, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Canada, where he performed Yagnas. In December 2013, Jeeyar endorsed the

Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) () is a right-wing all India student organisation affiliated to the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). History The ABVP, founded in 1948 with the initiative of the RSS ...

(ABVP) student organisation for instilling patriotism in students and encouraging them to learn about Indian culture. He claimed Indian culture would remain unchanged if students are acquainted with a comprehensive understanding of the country's history. He expressed the view that students play a critical role in a country's development. Jeeyar was invited by the

Government of Andhra Pradesh Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as, GOAP, or, Andhra Government, is the subnational government for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is an elected government with 175 MLAs elected to the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh fo ...

to assist in organising the

Godavari Maha Pushkaram Godavari Maha Pushkaram () was a Hindu festival held from 14 July to 25 July 2015. This festival occurs once every 144 years, corresponding to the 12th recurrence of the 12-year Godavari Pushkaram cycle. The festival starts from the Ashadha (J ...

(river festivals) in July 2015. He has spoken at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

about

Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

Early life

Chinna Jeeyar Swami was born in Andhra Pradesh, Arthmur near Rajamundry, in a traditional vedic family. His grandfather, Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Jeeyar, also known as Peeda Jeeyar Swami, mentored him and he was educated by several scholars in Sri Vaishnava system. He mastered many Sanskrit and Tamil works, Vedas, Puranas, Ithihasas, Prabandhas etc., scriptures. After taking sannyasa when was only 23, he assumed leadership when H. H. Pedda Jeeyar Swamiji died in 1981, becoming the head of Srimad Ubhaya Vedantha Acharya Peetam, Nadigaddapalem.

Later life

Chinna Jeeyar Swami founded the Jeeyar Educational Trust (JET), with branches in places such as Hyderabad, Chennai, and the United States, to help educate students in Vedic tradition. His schools are open to everyone. In addition, he is known for his performance of Vedic rituals of peace and harmony. He speaks multiple languages and provides religious discourses in simple words. He has performed thousands of samasrayanams. His understanding of kainkarya includes modern social services such as schools for tribals and homes for the elderly, orphans, handicapped and destitute. Further, he supports rural development, science and technology schools as well as the introduction of computers for the study of Vedas.

Awards

* 2023 –

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeeyar, Chinna Indian Hindu monks 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians Hindu revivalists Living people Telugu people People from East Godavari district People from Andhra Pradesh 1956 births Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in other fields