H.H. Pujya
Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj
President, Parmarth Niketan
Ashram
SPIRITUAL AND ACADEMIC EDUCATION: Touched by the hand of
God at eight years old, Pujya Swamiji's youth was spent in silence,
meditation and austerities high in the Himalayas. At the age of seventeen,
after nine years of unbroken, intense sadhana, he returned from the forest
-- under the orders of his guru -- and he obtained an academic education to
parallel his spiritual one. Pujya Swamiji has master's degrees in Sanskrit
and Philosophy as well as fluency in many languages.
THE TEACHING OF UNITY: Unity, harmony, and the belief in
infinite paths to God are the foundation of Pujya Swamiji's "religion." His
goal is to bring everyone closer to God, regardless of what name one uses.
"If you are a Hindu, be a better Hindu. If you are a Christian, be a better
Christian. If you are a Muslim, be a better Muslim. If you are a Jew, be a
better Jew," he says.
In this line, he has been a leader in numerous international, inter-faith
conferences and parliaments, including the Parliament of World Religions in
Chicago in 1993, the Parliament of World Religions in Capetown, South Africa
in 1999, the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual
Leaders at the United Nations in 2000, the World Economic Forum in New York
in 2002, the World Council of Religious Leaders at the United Nations in
Bangkok in 2002, the World Conference of Religions for Peace in Kyoto, Japan
in 2006 and the Global Youth Peace Summit at the United Nations in New York
in October 2006.
SPIRITUAL LEADER AND INSPIRATION: Pujya Swamiji is the
president and spiritual head of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, one of
India's largest and most renowned spiritual institutions. Under his divine
inspiration and leadership, Parmarth Niketan has become a sanctuary known
across the globe as one filled with grace, beauty, serenity and true divine
bliss. Pujya Swamiji has also increased several-fold the humanitarian
activities undertaken by Parmarth Niketan. Now, the ashram is not only a
spiritual haven for those who visit, but it also provides education,
training, health care etc. to those in need.
Pujya Swamiji travels the world, speaking to audiences large and small,
formal and informal, spreading inspiration, upliftment and divine messages
to people of all cultures, all walks of life and all ages.
He is also the founder and the spiritual head of the first Hindu Jain Temple
in America. This beautiful 3-domed, masterpiece is located on the outskirts
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has paved the way for unity between Hindus
and Jains across America. Pujya Swamiji is also the founder and inspiration
behind many other temples in USA, Canada, Europe and Australia
GUIDE TO YOUTH: Pujya Swamiji knows the youth are our future;
he is forever changing the course of that future through his profound effect
on every youngster with whom he comes in contact. Children and adolescents
seem to bloom like flowers under the rays of his light. Additionally, he
gives pragmatic tools to help them unite in the spirit of peace, harmony and
global change. Pujya Swamiji runs youth sessions and camps in USA, Europe
and throughout Asia.
CEASELESS SERVICE: "Giving is Living," is Pujya Swamiji's
motto; he is always in the midst of dozens of projects, each one a noble and
tenaciously dedicated effort to make the world a better place for all of
humanity. He is the Founder/Chairman of India Heritage Research Foundation (IHRF),
an international, non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to
providing education, health care, youth welfare, vocational training to the
needy population. Schools, hospitals, an ambulance and an orphanage/gurukul
are only a few of IHRF's innumerable projects.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS:
Pujya Swamiji has received dozens of awards for both his role as spiritual
leader and also for his unparalleled humanitarian work. Some of the more
noteworthy are as follows:
1) Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian award, given by the Mayor of New Jersey, USA
for outstanding charitable and interfaith work,
2) Hindu of the Year by the international magazine Hinduism Today
3) Devarishi Award, by Sandipani Vidya Niketan, under the guidance of Pujya
Sant Rameshbhai Oza for promoting Indian culture and heritage across the
world
4) Bhaskar Award, by Mystic India and Bharat Nirman for Outstanding
Humanitarian Service
5) Prominent Personality Award, by Lions' Club
6) Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Charitable Trust Award for Progress in Religion
7) Best Citizens of India Award
8) National Integration Award,
Further, he has been given the title of Patron of the Russian Indian
Heritage Research Foundation, Moscow, and he is also a Patron of the Centre
for Religious Experience in Oxford, UK, the International Naturopathy
Organisation, and the Bapu Nature Cure Hospital in Delhi.
He is also on the Advisory Board for Guru Dakshina Samiti, a Samiti aimed at
educational programmes for empowerment of women and disabled youth.
THE TRUE SANYASI: Pujya Swamiji seems unaffected by this incredible list of accomplishments and remains a pious child of God, owning nothing, draped in saffron robes, living a life of true renunciation. His days in Rishikesh are spent offering service to those around him. Thousands travel from America, Europe and Australia as well as from all over India, simply to sit in his presence, to receive his "darshan." To them, the journey is an inconsequential price to pay for the priceless gift of his satsang.
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