SwamiSukhabodhananda ji

A precious gift from the unknown sent by the Lord Almighty, Swami Sukhabodhananda was born to the noble souls of Smt Rukmani and Sri Srinivasamurthy on 25th April 1955 in Bangalore. He was named as Dwaraknath, after one of the several names of Lord Krishna, who became the main foundation and guide to his life.

Born in a prestigious business family in Bangalore, his father, a philanthropist with a service attitude and passion for life, was the one who taught him noble and empowering values of life. Seeing his mother serve her in-laws and the old people at home with a smile on her face at all times, established the value in him for service with a smile and to contribute to humanity as a whole.

As a student of the prestigious St. Joseph's College in Bangalore, Swami Sukhabodhananda had to encounter peers who were into drugs. It was the story of Dharmaraja in Mahabharata which he heard from his grandmother that helped him to desist himself from the lure of these bad habits. Thus, the scriptures laid the foundation for his life during his formative years.

The mysteries of life lured him to ask the fundamental question to his near and dear ones who were lost in the pursuit of pleasures, name and fame: "ARE YOU HAPPY?" None of them could answer in the affirmative.

It was at this time that he came in touch with Swami Chinmayananda and one of his discourses that said, "Happiness is not outside but within". This statement had a deep impact on his mind which led him to explore into this dimension, and he eventually joined Sandeepany Sadhanalaya under Swami Chinmayananda at the age of 20.

It was a great learning experience for Swami Sukhabodhananda Ji, being the youngest in a group of students. His response to the teachings always garnered praise and appreciation from the master himself, who once told him: "You have God's grace, do not turn back, you are young and committed – go forward." This appreciation both boosted his confidence and cautioned him to not be arrogant.

The Gita sloka – 'vidya vinaya sampanne barhamane' – became his guiding light. The more a person acquires knowledge, the more humble he should become. His exposure to the lofty and mystical teachings of Vedanta, Brahma Sutra, and the Gita attuned him to the fundamentals of a wise being and the sadhana to attain the ultimate goal of life – Moksha.

Like Brahmachari Nitya Chaitanya, he chose to stay back in the Chinmaya Ashram. On Swami Chinmayananda's great words to spread this message of the Upanishads to the world, citing his skill and the gift of teaching and following the footsteps of the master himself, this was a great encouragement for him.

Swamiji was initiated into Sanyas at the age of 28 by Poojya Swami Dayananda, who was his other guru. It was in 1982 that Swamiji established the organization called PRASANNA TRUST and continued the work of spreading the message of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads.