Chidananda
Saraswati (b. September 24, 1916 – d. August 28, 2008) was President of the
Divine Life Society, Rishikesh. Chidananda's birth name was Sridhar Rao. He
received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola College, Chennai. He took to a
life of renunciation in 1936, and joined the Sivananda Ashram run by Sivananda
Saraswati in Rishikesh in 1943. He was appointed General Secretary of the
Divine Life Society in 1948. Swami Chidananda took over as the President of the
society after Swami Sivanand’s death in 1963. Swami Chidananda is well known in
India as a yogi, jnani and spiritual leader. He was also a great patriot and
would always express his blessedness to be born in Bharatavarsha. Swami
Chidananda served as the President of the society for 45 years and accompanied
Swami Sivananda (in 1950) in his all India tour and proclaimed the glory of
sublime culture of India and Vedic Sanatana Dharma through his soul-stirring
lectures. In 1959, Sivananda sent him to the West as his spiritual
representative. Swami Chidananda was chosen President of the delegation for the
Parliament of the World’s Religions convened at Chicago in 1993 to commemorate
the centenary of the epochal event of The Parliament of the World’s Religions
organized at Chicago in 1893.
Commemorative
Stamp on Swami Chidananda was released on the occasion of his birth centenary
year at Divine Life Society (Sivanand Ashram), Rishikesh on 21st May 2016 by
The Governor of Uttarakhand Dr. K K Paul in presence of Shri Udai Krishna, Chief
Postmaster General, Uttarakhand, President of Divine Life Society and other
dignitaries. So far three Special Covers has been released on Swami Chidananda
on 24th September
2014 from Bangalore, 13th January 2015 from
Chennai, 25th March
2015 from Ahmedabad respectively.
