Welcome

 Swami Venkatesananda has often been described as a modern Yogi, a Sanskrit scholar, the author of numerous books and the translator of some of India's most renowned scriptures. 

While his writings and public talks offer boundless knowledge to scholars and students of Yoga, he made it clear to all who spent time with him, that wisdom can best be appreciated and assimilated by its presence in action. He was tempered in the kiln of his Master, Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, himself an exemplar of wisdom in action. Thus, his life offered a vibrant textbook in practical wisdom, as every word, every action demonstrated a life free from conflict and rooted in harmony. This equanimity diffused into the very atmosphere surrounding him much as a tuning fork transmits its perfect pitch into surrounding space. 

As you explore this website, contemplating his stirring words, be alert to the living energy embedded in them. It can be likened to a benevolent virus (his words) ready to be caught by those who are primed and vigilant.

                                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note:  We are reworking the biographical material that has previously been linked to here and plan to add an updated version on our new and forthcoming website, hopefully before the end of this year.  We appreciate your patience.     

Although our new version of this website has been delayed, we are happy to announce that progress is being made, and while we work on that effort, we'll continue to add some features to this current site.  By way of example, we will occasionally be posting readings from Swami Venkatesananda's translation of The Yoga Vasistha in our daily readngs section. For these postings, we will be using portions of Swami Venkatesananda's 1971 two-volume edition, entitled The Supreme Yoga.  Look for these occasional postings during the months of August and September of 2025. 
 


Daily Readings

The next three daily readings are shown below. You may also view a complete listing on our Calendar of Daily Readings.

April 20, 2026
Song of God (Bhagavad Gita) - Chapter V: 6-7

This renunciation of egoism, private desires and hopes is impossible without the practice of yoga (which is described in the next two verses). It will be seen there-from that ...

April 20, 2026
Venkatesa Daily Readings Volume 1 — April 20

God created the world and he saw it was good. If I look around and it doesn't seem to be so good, something has gone wrong. Either my vision is ...

April 20, 2026
Venkatesa Daily Readings Volume II — Is The Body Mine?

When the attention is turned within, the mind does not wander. You need a key to enable you to become aware of the mind, of its restlessness. Look at your own ...