Swami Satchidananda

Swami Satchidananda (December 22, 1914 – August 19, 2002), born as C. K. Ramaswamy Gounder, was an Indian religious teacher, spiritual master and yoga adept, who gained fame and following in the West during his time in New York. He was the author of many philosophical and spiritual books, including a popular illustrative book on Hatha Yoga. He is widely known in India as the spiritual guru of the Indian cinema superstar Rajinikanth. He also founded the school Satchidananda Jothi Niketan located in Mettupalyam, Tamil Nadu.

Early years

Swami Satchidananda was born in 1914 into a pious and devoted South Indian Hindu family at Chettipalayam, a small village in Coimbatore, near Podanur in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and was named C. K. Ramaswamy Gounder. His parents affectionately called him Ramu. Swami remained a vegetarian all his life and abstained from eating meat at all times.Sri Swami Satchidananda, The Healthy Vegetarian, Integral Yoga Publications, third edition, 1994, p. 115. After graduating from an agricultural college, he took a position with his uncle's firm, which imported motorcycles. By the age of 23 he became a manager at India's National Electric Works. During this period he got married and had two children. His wife died five years later. Ramaswamy then left his two young sons with their paternal grandmother and decided to go on a spiritual journey.Swami Satchidananda: His Biography,...
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