Former name – Dr P.V. Kuppuswamy Iyer. Born on 8 September 1887 in Pattamadai, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu. Student years were exemplary. After qualifying as a medical doctor, he served the sick and needy in Malaya. In 1924 he received initiation into the tradition of Dashnami Sannyasa in Rishikesh.
From 1924 to 1930, he was immersed in service, spiritual sadhanas and severe austerities. Though he was deeply involved in sadhana, he did not disregard the cry of distress and served ailing mahatmas, brought bhiksha for those in need, washed other sadhus clothes and pressed the feet of yet another. Though he was dedicated to the quest of transcendence, he was also well known for his care, concern and helpful nature towards all. His whole life was a sadhana and not something he practised separately. In 1935, he attained enlightenment, and as a parivrajaka he undertook a journey from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari with the mission of spreading the light of divine life.
On 16 April 1936, he established the Divine Life Society with the aim of disseminating spiritual wisdom far and wide as well as for the rebirth of vedic culture. He made provision for the charitable health care and education for the sick and illiterate hill dwellers. On 23 April 1938, he established the Sivananda Publication organization to spread the wisdom of spirituality and initiated the printing of holy texts as well as inspired the establishment of Yoga-Vedanta teaching centres in the West. On 8 September 1938, he brought out the first issue of Divine Life, a monthly magazine in English, which is also published in all the major Indian languages. On 3 December 1943, he consecrated the Sri Vishwanath Mandir and revived the holy Atirudri yajnas. In 1945, the Sivananda Ayurvedic Pharmacy Unit was inaugurated for the preparation of pure Indian medicines to aid the treatment of diseases. In 1945, he held the Convention of World Religions and in 1947 he established the All-World Sadhu Federation and convened its first gathering. On 1 January 1949, he started the publication of Jnana Jyoti, a monthly magazine in Hindi to take the message of Yoga Vidya to one and all. On 3 July 1948, the Yoga Vedanta Forest University was inaugurated, dedicated to the study and teachings of Vedanta.
From 9 September to 8 November 1950, he embarked on his second Digvijayi Tour from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka. He spread the teachings of spiritual wisdom and took the message of spiritual life and living an ideal life to all parts of India.
He has written over 200 books on culture, traditional principles and ideals, yoga, philosophy, health and many other subjects.
He has written illuminative commentaries of the Gita, Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, Raja Yoga Sutras which are a gift to all mankind. Not only that, his innumerable books written in a unique style of clarity and simplicity impart practical guidelines on living a divine life which cannot be found in any philosophical scriptures or literature.
Apart from India, there are branches of the Divine Life Society in America, England, Germany, Latvia, Africa, China, Burma, Denmark, France, Iran, Australia and Sweden which inspire thousands to experience the principles of the great unity of God, man and spirituality. In India, there are over 300 branches of the Divine Life Society. The western world has been presented with the ideal form of Indian culture which is the appropriate solution and answer for conditions prevailing today.
Earlier it was believed that India had no worthy traditions and only followed blind superstitions, however today, the whole world is looking towards India for the ideal life and wishes to learn the principles of this kind of life as a solution to their self-created problems, caught between the twin traps of attraction and repulsion. Through his books, Sri Swami Sivanandaji proved to the world that India is not a country of mere idol worshippers and superstitious, narrow-minded people without any tradition or culture; on the contrary it is the place where ideal civilization and practical philosophy took birth. Swamiji’s philosophy is a perfect confluence of all the different streams of thought, it is a complete yoga.