Samata, 1985); Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Sarada Devi:
The Holy Mother (Mylapore: Sri Ramakrishna Math,
1958).
Sarasvati
The Sarasvati was one of the great rivers of RIG
VEDIC times and was worshipped as a divine god-
dess in the VEDAS. A handful of verses in the Vedas
also associate her with the stream of the dead,
which is crossed by all who die.
The river Sarasvati dried up in ancient times.
However, it is said still to be flowing invisibly,
joining the GANGES and YAMUNA at Prayag (ALLA-
HABAD), one of the sites of the KUMBHA MELA
festival.
In a stray verse or two of RIG VEDA, Sarasvati
is seen as the goddess of knowledge—all the
arts and sciences; this later becomes the primary
identification of the name. She is iconographically
represented as holding a vina or lute in her hands.
She is the wife of BRAHMA. Her vehicle is the swan
or peacock.
Further reading: Kanailal Bhattacharyya, Sarasvati: A
Study in Her Concept and Iconography (Calcutta: Saras-
wat Library, 1983); N. N. Godbole, Rig Vedic Sarasvati
(Jaipur: Government of Rajasthan, 1963); Jan Gonda,
Pushan and Sarasvati (Amsterdam: North-Holland,
1985); David R. Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1988).
sat See SAT-CIT-ANANDA.
Satchidananda, Swami (1914–2002) founder
of Integral Yoga Institutes and Yogaville
Swami Satchidanada was a great popularizer of
yoga both within India and around the world.
His interfaith emphasis and his organizational
efforts, especially in the United States, continue
to bear fruit.
Ramaswamy was born on December 22, 1914,
to a devout family in Chettipalam, near Coim-
batore in Tamil Nadu state. His father, Sri Kalya-
nasunderam, was the village’s unofficial headman
and his mother, Sri Velammai, entertained the vis-
iting poets, musicians, philosophers, and astrolo-
gers who frequented the family home. As a youth,
Ramaswamy met SADHUS and SANNYASIS (holy men
and penitents) in his own home, as he pursued
skills in agriculture, mechanics, electronics, and
cinematography.
At age 28, he began a full-time spiritual quest
that included meeting RAMANA Maharshi and
Sri AUROBINDO. He became a disciple of Swami
SIVANANDA of RISHIKESH and took SANNYAS initia-
tion from him in 1949. He taught as a professor
of HATHA and raja YOGA at Sivananda’s Vedanta
Forest Academy in Rishikesh and made extensive
lecture tours throughout the world. He spread
the teachings and the organization of Sivananda’s
Divine Life Society in many parts of Asia, particu-
larly Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Japan, and the Philippines. In 1958 he completed
a pilgrimage to Mount KAILASH in Tibet.
In 1966, Satchidananda made his first global
tour, sponsored by an American devotee. The
intended two-day visit to New York extended to
five months as he was surrounded by hundreds
of students, eager for his teachings and guidance.
The Integral Yoga Institutes were founded under
his direction, and today there are Integral Yoga
Institutes and Centers throughout the world. In
1976, he became a U.S. citizen.
Satchidananda has been named patron and
adviser to various organizations around the world,
including the European Union of National Yoga
Federations, the International Association of Yoga
Teachers, Unity in Yoga, and the Temple of
Understanding. He received many honors for his
service, including: the Martin Buber Award for
Outstanding Service to Humanity, the Juliet Hol-
lister Interfaith Award, the B’nai Brith Anti-Defa-
mation League’s Humanitarian Award, the Albert
Schweitzer Humanitarian Award, and the U ThantSatchidananda, Swami 387 J