Our Spiritual Guide
"I am waiting for the trained Brahmacharis to come up to give this message. Give them also 30-35 years, so that when I am gone, there will be not one but many more Chinmayanandas coming up, so that work will not stop but continue."
-Swami Chinmayananda
Our Guru Parampara
Adi Shankaracharya established the Dashanami Sannyasa Order, a monastic order with ten lineage names. Of these, Chinmaya
Mission belongs to the lineage and traditions of the ‘Sringeri Matha’ in Karnataka, India. The first acharya of this noble institution was none other than Shri Sureshvaracharya.
In the Sringeri Matha tradition, the Lord is worshipped as Deva in the form of Lord Adi Varaha, and as Devi in the forms of Puri Devi, Bharati Devi, and Kamakshi Devi. The main pilgrimage centre, or dhama, is Rameshvaram and the worshipped holy river, or tirtha, is Tungabhadra.
In this Bhurivara lineage, or sampradaya, the primary Veda is Yajur Veda, which reveals the Mahavakya: “Aham Brahmasmi”. Sannyasis initiated into this lineage are bestowed with the title, or padavi, of “Saraswati” after their name (e.g., Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati).
Chief Acharyas
Swami Tejomayananda
Swami Tejomayananda is the former Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, a position he held since 1993 after Swami Chinmayananda attained Mahasamadhi. If Swami Chinmayananda served the cause of Vedanta with his service, knowledge and pioneering qualities, Swami Tejomayananda - fondly addressed as Guruji – completed that with his natural attitude of devotion. This is richly and abundantly evident in his talks, his singing, and his demeanour. But the gentleness of devotion arrived riding on the back of an intense education in physics, going up to a Master’s degree. Born, Sudhakar Kaitwade to a Maharashtrian family in Madhya Pradesh, this physicist had a close encounter that changed the velocity, direction and path of his life. Read More..
Swami Swaroopananda
Swami Swaroopananda is the Global Head of Chinmaya Mission. The mantle of this important responsibility draped his shoulders from 19 January 2017, when Swami Tejomayananda passed on the baton to him. He chairs Central Chinmaya Mission Trust (CCMT), the apex governing body of Chinmaya Mission Centres and Trusts the world over. He is the Chancellor of Chinmaya University (Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth) and Chairman of Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore, one of the most well-respected and well-performing residential schools of India. An able administrator and a dynamic leader, his watchful eye and acumen keeps him abreast with developments of any consequence in the over 300 Centres under his guard. Devotion to his Guru, Swami Chinmayananda, and obeisance to his philosophy, guides his decision making and governance. Read More..
Our Acharya
Swami Shivatmananda, is the resident spiritual guide for Chinmaya Mission San Antonio, Texas. Swamiji graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in Electrical Engineering and worked as an engineer for over 10 years in Northern California. He embarked on his monastic journey in 2002, under the guidance of Swami Tejoymanandaji and the tutelage of Swami Ishwaranandaji, as a member of the 12th brahmachari batch at the Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Mumbai, India. Upon completion of the intense two year Vedanta course as Brahmachari Girish Chaitanya he served for four years in Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles. In 2008, Guruji, Swami Tejoymanandaji asked him to become the resident Acharya for Chinmaya Mission Austin. On Shivaratri Day of 2015, he was conferred sanyas diksha and became known as Swami Shivatmananda. After establishing a new home for Chinmaya Mission Austin, Swamiji undertook the formation of Chinmaya Mission San Antonio, starting in the year 2017. He structures and guides all of the programs in San Antonio including BalaVihar, Satsang for its adult members, as well as various poojas, discourses and workshops held to help the general San Antonio community. In addition to his responsibilities to the greater San Antonio area Swamiji provides guidance to Chinmaya Mission centers in Beaumont, Portland, Calgary and Austin. Swami Shivatmananda enjoys giving Vedanta talks in English, Gujarati and Hindi. 
