Fundamentals of Spirituality (Pack of 2)

Born as Balakrishna Menon on May 8, 1916 in Ernakulam, Kerala, Swami Chinmayananda was a dynamic youth with a sharp mind. After earning a degree in English Literature, he embarked on a promising career in journalism and became involved in India’s freedom struggle.

Imprisoned and struck by serious illness in 1942, Balakrishna emerged changed and began to question the deeper purpose of life. A turning point came in Rishikesh where he met Swami Sivananda in 1947; this meeting set him on an inward journey. Soon after, he adopted renunciation and was initiated as Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati, becoming a disciple of Swami Tapovan Maharaj, with whom he studied the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and Vedanta in austere conditions high in the Himalayas.

After completing his spiritual training, he felt compelled to share the wisdom he had received. In December 1951, he conducted his first Jnana Yajna, a series of spiritual discourses in Pune. This humble start blossomed into the global movement known today as Chinmaya Mission, as he founded many Ashrams, Centres, schools, hospitals and clinics over the decades. He worked to make Vedanta accessible to all regardless of age, nationality or faith.

For over four decades, Swami Chinmayananda traveled and taught tirelessly writing books, giving lectures, training disciples, and meeting seekers wherever they were. He saw the timeless values of India’s spiritual heritage not as relics of the past, but as living tools for modern life.

He attained Mahasamadhi in August 1993. His legacy continues through the many institutions he founded, the teachings he left behind in books and audio-video recordings and the ongoing work of those trained under him at Chinmaya Mission Centres worldwide.

Born on June 30, 1950 in Madhya Pradesh (then known as Sudhakar Kaitwade), Swami Tejomayananda was drawn to a spiritual life from early on. Raised with a deep love for higher ideals, he found his calling when he attended a discourse on the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Chinmayananda. Despite being just one year away from completing his Master’s degree in Physics, he chose a different path. In 1970 he left home to join the Residential Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai and in 1975 graduated from that course as a Brahmachari under the name Vivek Chaitanya.

In 1983, he embraced renunciation and was given the name Swami Tejomayananda, reflecting light (tejas), knowledge (jnana), and compassion. Over the next years he served in various teaching roles both in Bharat and abroad (including at San Jose, USA) and came to be cherished for his ability to make Vedanta both accessible and inspiring.

After Swami Chinmayananda’s Mahasamadhi in 1993, Swami Tejomayananda was appointed the Global Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. He led the Mission for 23 years, expanding its reach across the globe with new Centres, educational initiatives, devotional music, arts institutions and multimedia outreach.

A Padma Bhushan awardee (2016), Swami Tejomayananda is praised for his simple yet profound way of teaching Vedanta, fluent in several languages: English, Hindi, Marathi & Sanskrit and gifted both as a poet and composer. Affectionately revered as “Pujya Guruji,” he is known for his humility, wisdom, approachability and the way his teachings feel alive in everyday life.

His writings on texts like the Ramayana, Bhagavatam and Vedantic classics as well as, his discourses, songs and compositions continue to inspire spiritual seekers. Swami Tejomayananda’s legacy is one of bringing ancient wisdom into modern hearts, with love, clarity and devotion.