Guru Haridasji is a philosopher and guide whose depth and
breadth of spiritual knowledge is like the ocean. He has been teaching Vedanta for over 35 years to various seekers in and around Bangalore.
Haridasji was born in
the temple town of Trichur in Kerala. From an early age, he was heavily
influenced by the Bhagavad Gita and Aithiya Mala, a collection of stories of
sages and saints, which were introduced to him by his mother. His mother’s
sublime and deeply spiritual nature helped mould his personality and this
catapulted Haridasji’s life from that of an ordinary youth to one predominated by
introspection and contemplation. In childhood, Haridasji was drawn to Pambu
Govindan, who was known as an Avadhoota and a Siddha.
The turning point in
Haridasji’s life came about in 1956 when he attended a Gita Gyana Yagna, conducted by
Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati in Bangalore. The talks had a deep and lasting
effect on his young mind. In his second encounter with Swami Chinmayananda, in
1957, Haridasji found his Guru.
Chinmayanandaji quickly spotted Haridasji and
this marked the beginning of a journey of love and learning.
In January 1960 while
still a student in New Delhi, Haridasji gave his maiden speech on 'Swami Vivekananda - the personification of
India’s genius for Synthesis,' in the august presence of Swami
Ranganathananda, the then-President of Ramakrishna Mission.
Haridasji became
intensely committed to his pursuit and wrote to his Guru seeking permission to
join the Chinmaya Mission as a Brahmachari. Swami Chinmayananda asked him to
continue his studies and wait. Haridasji then joined the Saha Institute of
Nuclear Physics & got his fellowship.
Just then he got the much anticipated call from his master and Haridasji joined Sandeepany Sadhanalaya and learnt Vedanta under Swami Chinmayananda himself. On completion of his course at Sandeepany he travelled with the Master to Kolkata where he was appointed as the Guru’s own representative in the Chinmaya Mission. With his Guru’s permission Haridasji enrolled to study Comparative Philosophy (Western philosophy) at the IIT, Kanpur.
In 1974 he went to New
York to lecture at the Chinmaya Mission as well as to take classes outside the
Mission. Back in Bangalore, in 1975, he set up the Chinmaya Yuva Kendra and the
Chinmaya Vigyana Mandir two years later. The ‘Vedanta Vani’ was another
initiative of Haridasji which continues to flourish to this day. He has also published a book of essays, 'Message of Vedanta in the Age of Modern Science.' Finally,
in 1979, he took over as Acharya at Sandeepany.
In 1981, with his
Guru’s blessings, he left for a totally different life. Bhagwan Krishna has said
in the Gita that the way Karma works is beyond the comprehension of ordinary
mortals. Swami Chinmayananda advised Haridasji to continue teaching Vedanta
whatever his circumstances might be.
Guru Haridasji is the only one from among the first batch of disciples of Swami
Chinmayananda who still teaches Vedanta. From mastery of texts such as
Bhaja Govindam and Bhagavad Gita to the advanced and abstract Upanishads, he
quotes extensively from several scriptures. Guru Haridasji has opened to us the
doors to this amazing, precious, secret world.
He has revealed the road map and now it is for us to follow the path lit by great Masters.
