Decades of Service

Sri Gurudev's contribution to our world in the name of Yoga and global peace is monumental. This is only an overview of his vast travels and service.

1940s

Makes pilgrimage to Badrinath and Kedarnath, India.

Receives initiation into Holy Order of Sannyas (monkhood) from His Holiness Sri Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society, India.

1950s

Title of "Yogiraj" (King of Yogis) bestowed upon Sri Gurudev by H. H. Sri Swami Sivananda.

All-India Tour: Gave talks throughout India on behalf of the Divine Life Society and assisted in opening new Divine Life Society branches.

Travels to Sri Lanka to beginning 13 years of service in Sri Lanka to Divine Life Society and founded Satchidananda Thapovanam (Kandy).

In Sri Lanka: Begins interfaith work with Christians, Hindus and Buddhists. His motto, “Truth is One, Paths are Many” became guiding light of his interfaith service.

Makes pilgrimage to Mt. Kailash in Tibet on foot.

First lecture tour of Hong Kong and Malaysia.

1960s

Lecture tour of Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Japan.

First lecture tour of Europe, Canada and America.

Private audiences with His Holiness Pope Paul VI.

Founded first Integral Yoga Institute in New York City.

First world tour with American students.

First meeting and beginning of collaboration with H. H. the Dalai Lama.

Receives Martin Buber Award, for outstanding service to humanity.

First annual "Swami and the Rabbi" dialogue with Rabbi Gelberman.

Interviewed by LIFE Magazine.

Co-founded the Center for Spiritual Studies along with Brother David Steindl-Rast, Rabbi Joseph Gelberman, and Eido Tai Shimano.

Received United States resident's visa as "Minister of Divine Words."

Standing room only Carnegie Hall lecture.

Opened the Woodstock Music and Peace Festival.

Interviewed on the Mike Douglas Show.

1970s

2 World tour, including lecture in the Hague, The Netherlands.

Tour of Europe and Israel.

Tour of Hong Kong, Manila, and the Far East.

Speaks at Whole Earth Festival, University of California, Davis, California.

KRON-TV hour-long television show in San Francisco, California.

Begins Yoga programs at Horizon House Drug Rehabilitation Center, Phoenix House, New York and other cities.

Begins Yoga programs at Lorton, Soledad and other prisons.

Speaks at Earth Day in New York City with Mayor Lindsay.

Forms The Yoga Ecumenical Seminary (Y.E.S.).

Conducts first annual Yoga Ecumenical Retreat.

Meets with Secretary General U Thant at United Nations in New York City.

Dedication of new Integral Yoga Institute building at 227 West 13th Street, New York City.

Given honorary citizenship of the Rayol Canadel district of southern France by the mayor.

Private audience with His Holiness Pope Paul VI.

First of several 2-hour interviews on WBAI radio in New York City.

Founds Yogaville West, Siegler Springs, California.

Founds Yogaville East, Pomfret Center, Connecticut.

Speaker at "Meeting of the Ways" conference, San Francisco, California.

Speaks at Gethsemane Trappist Monastery, Kentucky.

Participates in Earth Day at the United Nations.

Speaks at "Word Out of Silence" Symposium, Mt. Saviour Monastery (New York) organized by Center For Spiritual Studies with Alan Watts, Brother David Steindl-Rast, Baba Ram Dass, Pir Vilayat Khan, and others.

Speaks at "Doing Prayer" conference, University of Notre Dame with 200 Catholic monks and nuns.

Featured in "Yoga for the City," PBS documentary.

Becomes patron of (and speaks at conferences of) International Yoga Teachers Association, Australia

Lectures at the Gestalt Therapy Institute, Los Angeles, California.

Founds Integral Health Services, holistic health service, Connecticut.

Guest speaker at International Yoga Teachers Conference, Nassau.

Initiates first American students into Holy Order of Sannyas (monkhood).

Conducts first month-long intensive Teacher Training Program, Yogaville East.

Becomes patron of (and speaks during) World Vegetarian Congresses.

Participates with Mother Teresa in Spiritual Summit Conference at United Nations sponsored by Temple of Understanding.

Receives US citizenship.

Subject of film, "Living Yoga."

Lectures to the American Medical Students' Association, Chicago.

Lectures at the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Speaks at the Conference of East-West Monastics, Petersham, Massachusetts.

Founds the Integral Yoga School (later called: Yogaville Vidyalayam).

Speaks at conference of the European Union of National Yoga Federations, Zinal Switzerland (and annually for 15 years).

Lectures at the Baylor School of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

Guest speaker at the International Religious Convocation for Human Survival, United Nations.

Appears on "Midday Live" (New York) along with Jack La Lanne and the Smothers Brothers.

Meets with Dr. Lewis Thomas, President of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Begins collaboration with Dr. Dean Ornish.

LOTUS fundraising begins with benefit by Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Alla Rakha.

Opens the Nambassa Music Festival, New Zealand.

Speaks on panel with Werner Erhard and the Dalai Lama in Boston.

1980s

Several world tours; numerous international and U.S. tours.

Guest speaker at the 6th International Yoga Teachers Association Convention, Kyoto, Japan.

Appointed Advisory Board Member for the World Monastic Council, New York.

Dedicates the LOTUS Lake, a constructed pond that would encircle the LOTUS.

LOTUS built and dedicated.

Appointed Honorary Fellow of World Thanksgiving by the Center for World Thanksgiving, Dallas, Texas.

Guest speaker at the Unity in Diversity Interfaith Symposium, Seattle, Washington.

Special guest speaker for a conference on Nuclear Disarmament at Stanford University.

Appointed as Advisor of the Hartley Film Foundation, Connecticut.

Appointed to the Honorary Council of Patron Members of the Universal Temple, France.

Guest speaker at the International Religious Assembly for the United Nations Special Session on Disarmament.

Speaks at the International Religious Convocation at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City.

Named Patron of the United States Center of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

Joins Sri C. Subramaniam, (former finance minister of India) and Professor John Kenneth Galbraith of Harvard University for panel discussion, Columbia University, New York City.

Speaks at annual "Earth Mass" at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

Governor of Tamil Nadu, Sri S.L. Kahurana, confers honorary title "Perarul Perumunivar" (Grace-filled Great Sage).

Interview on All India Radio.

Dedicates the Blue Mountain Natural Foods Store (later renamed the Integral Yoga Natural Foods Store), Charlottesville, Virginia.

Public Lecture at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, sponsored by the Society for Human Potential.

Keynote speaker at the World Conference of Religions for Peace, Montreal, Canada.

Meets with San Francisco Mayor Diane Feinstein as part of a Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan delegation.

Guest speaker at a Harvard School of Divinity, Massachusetts.

Signs "Declaration of World Thanksgiving" presented to the United Nations by the Thanksgiving Square Foundation.

Guest speaker at 10th Italian Yoga Federation Conference, Tuscany, Italy.

Audience with His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

Appointed to the Advisory Board for the United Nations Committee of the Lumbini Project.

Celebrant at the second annual Pentecost Ecumenical Service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

Receives honorary doctorate from the New Seminary, New York City.

Guest speaker at Vishwa Hindu Parishad conference at Madison Square Garden (New York) and numerous other VHP conferences.

Joins H. H. the Dalai Lama at the Spiritual Summit VI, sponsored by Temple of Understanding and United Nations.

Invited as "citizen diplomat" on 2 peace missions to Russia.

Appointed to Advisory Board for the Center for International Dialogue.

Joins Cardinal Arinze for Thanksgiving Square Foundation program commemorating the 20th anniversary of Nostra Aetate.

Guest speaker at World Academy of Yoga, London, England, sponsored by the British Wheel of Yoga.

Named International Patron of the Global Cooperation for a Better World.

Guest speaker at Yoga Research Society conferences.

Serves as chaplain for Soviet-American Citizens' Summit, Washington, D.C.

Guest speaker, Global Conference of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival, organized by the Global Forum, Oxford, England.

Founds Fine Arts Society, Yogaville. Begins annual summer Indian dance camp taught by Padmarani Rasiah-Cantu and the V. P. Dhananjayans.

Guest speaker at several Unity in Yoga Conferences. Appointed to Board of Advisors.

1990s

World tour; numerous international and U.S. tours.

Dedicates Nataraja Shrine, Yogaville with Dr. Karan Singh, Sri Sivaya Subramuniya, Mrs. Juliet Hollister, and Ambassador of Nepal.

Presides over the Second Annual South American Yoga Teacher's Congress, Argentina.

Guest speaker at A.R.E Conference, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Joins interfaith delegation during "Thanksgiving Day Proclamation" with President Bush, Washington, DC.

Attends dedication of "Swami Satchidananda Gastroentology Division," Kovai Hospital, India.

Guest Speaker at Dr. Dean Ornish's Preventive Medical Research Institute, San Francisco.

Interview by National Geographic Education Films.

Guest Speaker at Pentagon Meditation Club, Washington, D.C.

Guest speaker at "World Vision 2000," Maryland.

Guest speaker at the 1993 "Parliament of the Worlds Religions," Chicago.

Guest Speaker at Medical Center Hours, University Of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Receives highest honor “Honorary Patron” from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan International.

Guest Speaker with Mrs. Coretta Scott King, at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Symposium, New York.

Honored during "Feel the Spirit, Heal the World," Sri Gurudev's 80th birthday celebrations.

Named 1994 "Hindu of the Year" by Hinduism Today.

Receives Rotary Club's Paul Harris Award.

Receives "Juliet Hollister Award" at United Nations.

Inspires founding of "Lotus Vision Research Trust," India (charitable eye care services).

Founds Satchidananda Jothi Nikethan, India (residential school).

Attends 1999 Golden Jubilee celebrations in India and USA (50th anniversary of monkhood).

Attends "Interreligious Friendship Group" meetings with the Dalai Lama and with President Carter at the Carter Center.

Guest speaker at Whole Life Expo, Atlanta.

Participates in interfaith service prior to opening of the 54th Session of the General Assembly organized by the Interfaith Center of New York with Secretary General and Mrs. Kofi Annan.

Guest speaker at "Masters of Meditation" conference, New York.

2000–2002

India tours.

Lecture tours of Caribbean Islands.

Inspires founding of Integral Ear Insititute, India (charitable ear care services).

Guest speaker at International Jain Conference, New Jersey.

Receives U Thant Peace Award from Sri Chinmoy for the Peace Meditation at the UN.

Gives keynote address for "World Congress on Global Vision and Strategies for Peace, Nonviolence and Harmony," India.

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