Swami Narayanananda (12 April 1902 – 26 February 1988) was a teacher of

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...

philosophy.

Life and work

He was born in Kongana, B. Shettigeri, a village in Coorg, Karnataka state, South India. From an early age, he practised regular

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

. After finishing his studies, he renounced the world in 1929 and joined the

Ramakrishna Mission Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a Hindu religious and spiritual organisation which forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the ''Ramakrishna Movement'' or the ''Vedanta Movement''. The mission is named after and inspired by th ...

. After a few years, he left for the Himalayas and practised intense meditation. In 1933, he attained the supreme state called

nirvikalpa ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

samadhi (superconscious state or

nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

). After that, he remained in seclusion for many years, studying the mind-functions and writing books. Especially after the partition of India in 1947, and seeing the atrocities there, his "heart melted, as it were", and he wrote some more books. The books were published slowly, and spread also to the Western countries. He began to accept disciples. In Denmark, in particular, he had many disciples. In 1971, he went for the first time to Denmark, and continued to visit this country every year for 5–7 months until 1987. An ashrama (monastery) was established in Gylling, Denmark (Jutland, near Aarhus) which is the main centre today. Ashramas were also established in India, Sweden, Germany, Norway and the USA. The books were printed and published first in Rishikesh, India, and later printed and published at Narayana Press, Gylling, Denmark. Swami Narayanananda's works (or part of them) have been translated into many languages, particularly Danish and German. Some of them were translated into Tamil through his disciples Swami Nityananda and the late Swami Sadananda. Swami Narayanananda died in Mysore, India, at the age of 85.

Teachings

Swami Narayanananda called his teachings ''"The Universal Religion,"'' implying that they are dealing with Truth, irrespective of caste, creed, sex, nationality, race, etc. He gives guidance to spiritual seekers. He emphasizes the moral code of conduct as a basis for spiritual development, and puts particular stress on

sexual sublimation In psychology, sublimation is a mature type of defense mechanism, in which socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations are transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, possibly resulting in a long-term conversion of the initial ...

implying

brahmacharya ''Brahmacharya'' (; sa, ब्रह्मचर्य ) is a concept within Indian religions that literally means to stay in conduct within one's own Self. In Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism it generally refers to a lifestyle charac ...

–

celibacy Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the ...

or (for married people and couples) moderation in sexual life, as a means to maintain and improve physical, mental and spiritual health. His works include among others the following subjects: philosophy, psychology, religion, spirituality,

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

and

kundalini In Hinduism, Kundalini ( sa, कुण्डलिनी, translit=kuṇḍalinī, translit-std=IAST, lit=coiled snake, ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or ''Shakti'') believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the ''muladhara'' ...

shakti (the primal power in man).

Bibliography

(with years of 1st editions) # The Secrets of Mind-Control (1954) # The Way to Peace, Power and Long Life (1945) # The Primal Power in Man or The Kundalini Shakti (1950) # The Ideal Life and Moksha (Freedom) (1951) # Revelation (1951) # The Mysteries of Man, Mind and Mind-Functions (1951) # The Gist of Religions (1955) # A Practical Guide to Samadhi (1957) # Mind, Its Source and Culture (1958) # The Secrets of Prana, Pranayama and Yoga-Asanas (1959) # Brahmacharya, Its Necessity and Practice for Boys and Girls (1960) # The End of Philosophy (1962) # The Basis of Universal Religion (1963) # Caste, Its Origin, Growth and Decay (1955) # God and Man (1965) # Sex-Sublimation (1955) # A Word to Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) (1955) # Wisdom (1971) # Your Birth-Right (1973) # The Aim of Life (1974) # The Universal Religion (1975) # Your Hidden Treasures (1977) # Brahman and the Universe (1978) # Birthday Messages 1955-79 (1979) # Questions and Answers (1979) # The Essence of Life (1980) # Religion and Philosophy (1980) # Life Behind Death (1980) # Within you (1981) # India and the Rishis (1981) # Brain, Mind and Consciousness (1982) # Consciousness under Different States (1982) # Reality Behind Life (1983) # God or the Ocean of Consciousness by Itself or in Itself (1983) # God, Kundalini Shakti and Mind (1984) # Truth Eternal (1984) The above volume numbers refer to the first edition of ''The Complete Works of Swami Narayanananda'' (1979–1984). The first 12 volumes are the "major works" whereas volume 13-36 are the "minor works" (small books). A ''second'' edition of the ''Complete Works'' was published in 2001–2002 in 18 volumes. The minor works (volumes 13–36 above) have here been collected into three volumes (Minor Works I–III, vol. 13–15), and the following works are ''added:'' * Vol. 16: Birthday Messages, Poems and Consolations (Birthday Messages 1980–87 are here added, compared to the 1st ed. of ''Complete Works'') * Vol. 17: Selected Articles 1933–1986 * Vol. 18: Autobiography of Swami Narayanananda (here in one volume – previously published separately in two illustrated and annotated volumes)

References

Notes

* Swami Narayanananda: ''Autobiography of Swami Narayanananda. Part One (Childhood, Youth and Renunciation).'' 2nd revised and enlarged edition, 1990. N. U. Yoga Trust, Denmark * Swami Narayanananda: ''Autobiography of Swami Narayanananda. Part Two (Journeys in India 1936-41).'' 1st edition 1990. N. U. Yoga Trust, Denmark * Swami Narayanananda: ''The Complete Works of Swami Narayanananda'', vol. 1-36, 1979-84. N. U. Yoga Trust, Denmark * Swami Narayanananda: ''The Complete Works of Swami Narayanananda. Being the authorized, unedited scripture as given by the author'', vol. 1-18, 2001-2002. N. U. Yoga Trust, Denmark * Swami Balakrishnananda: ''Yogic Depth Psychology. Introduction to Swami Narayanananda's Psychology.'' 1980. N. U. Yoga Trust & Ashrama, Denmark * Swami Sagunananda: 'Swami Narayanananda's Authorship' (1-16). Articles published in ''Yoga. Magazine for the Universal Religion'', issues 1993-2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Narayanananda, Swami 1902 births 1988 deaths Monks of the Ramakrishna Mission Indian Hindu spiritual teachers 20th-century Hindu religious leaders People from Kodagu district Indian religious writers 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians Kodava people