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.

July 21, 2026
Song of God (Bhagavad Gita) — Chapter10: 10-11

We cannot demand (except in the sense of yearning) God-Realization. Who demands? The ego! We do not deserve God-Realization so long as the ego is active. When the ego is not there, who is there to demand? This is the greatest of all puzzles, which only God can solve. Therefore the wise seeker lea

July 21, 2026
Venkatesa Daily Readings Volume 1 — July 21

It is often the inner tyrant (the self) that demands freedom from external authority, and determines what that freedom means. True freedom is freedom from self, which is realized ...

July 21, 2026
The Yoga Vāsiṣṭha Volume II (On Liberation) Chapter 84, Verse 40

Whatever there is here which exists and functions here is real to the self and not to another who does not perceive it and is unaware of it.