ness and piety, Subbaraya learned to maintain his
family’s religious tradition with earnestness. He
became versed in SANSKRIT as a young boy and
was a passionate learner of scripture. Subbaraya
attended school in Puttur, where he excelled in
all subjects, rising to the top of his class. Aside
from his usual studies, he spent time reading and
memorizing Sanskrit scriptural texts. At age 16
he memorized the entire BHAGAVAD GITA by heart,
reciting it each day.
Subbaraya’s self-study of major Hindu scrip-
tures led him to an acceptance of ADVAITA (non-
dual) philosophy. His growing interest pushed
him toward a renunciation of the material world,
even as he was pressured by his father and uncle
to seek employment and earn money. Subbaraya
accepted a government post at the Hospet Govern-
ment Training School in Bellary District in 1943
but soon fell ill and returned home. Succumbing
to his desire for the religious life, he traveled to
Rishikesh in 1944 to join the Sivananda ashram.
In 1946 Swami SIVANANDA initiated Subbaraya
into SANNYAS (renunciation), giving him the name
Swami Krishnananda.
Swami Krishnananda was employed at the
ashram as a letter writer and editor of books.
Sivananda later gave him the job of handwriting
and typing manuscripts. In 1948, at Sivananda’s
request, Krishnananda began to write books on
philosophy and religion. He accepted the task
with great zeal and wrote his first book, The Real-
ization of the Absolute, in a mere two weeks. He
spent the remainder of his life writing commen-
taries on Hindu scriptures and delivering lectures
on Eastern and Western philosophy and religion.
In 1957, Krishnananda became secretary of
the ashram and focused his attention on managing
finances. In 1961, he was nominated by Sivananda
to the position of general secretary of the Divine
Life Society. Krishnananda retained this position
for the next 30 years until his death on November
23, 2001.
Swami Krishnananda is recognized for his
knowledge of scriptures, his balance of KARMA
(action) and JNANA (learning) YOGA, and his ability
to communicate complicated concepts to students.
He was a regular lecturer, teaching three-month-
long courses at the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy
of the Divine Life Society. His literary skill was
used in varying degrees throughout Sivananda’s
organizations. He was made president of the Siva-
nanda Literature Research Institute because of his
understanding of all 300 of his guru’s works. He
was later made president of the Sivananda Lit-
erature Dissemination Committee, which worked
on translating Sivananda’s books into the major
Indian languages.
Swami Krishnananda wrote over 40 books of
his own, including works of poetry. His topics
included yoga, MEDITATION, traditional scriptures,
mysticism, and philosophy. Many of these books
convey an essential message of peace, wisdom,
and SELF-REALIZATION, which the Divine Life Soci-
ety continues to spread.Further reading: Swami Krishnananda, An Introduc-
tion to the Philosophy of Yoga (Shivanandanagar: Divine
Life Society, 1982); ———, Meditation, Its Theory
and Practice (Shivanandanagar: Divine Life Society,
1974); ———, The Philosophy of the Bhagavad-GitaSwami Krishnananda (1922–2001), scholar, teacher,
and secretary of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh (Courtesy
Divine Life Society, Rishikesh)Krishnananda, Swami 245 J