Swami sukhabodhananda
Encyclopedia
Swami Sukhabodhananda is a well known guru
from the Bangalore
area of India
who is nicknamed "the Corporate Guru." His talks and workshops combine Vedic tradition with Western management and psychological development perspectives. He is known internationally for representing Hinduism at the 2005 World Economic Forum
in Davos, Switzerland. His books, which have sold over a million copies, have appeared in many Indian languages, and recordings of his mantra singing and talks have appeared on the Sa Re Ga Ma
label.
. He studied in Baldwin Boys High School
and St. Joseph's College, Bangalore
.
At the age of 20, he was attracted to spirituality and became a student of Swami Chinmayananda
and Dayanada Saraswati
at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya of Mumbai. His name during Sandeepany days was Brahmachari Nithya Chaitanya. Brahmachari Nithya Chaitanya embrased Sanyas
on Shivarathri Day
in 1984 from when on he is known as Swami Sukhabodhananda.
He is founder and chairman of the charitable organization Prasanna Trust in India, and involved with Bangalore's Prasanna Foundation, "which focusses on the scientific aspects of meditation". The trust also runs "Prasanna Jyothi, a home for destitute children and Nirguna Mandir, a centre for meditation and learning"
At age 50, in 2006, Sukhabodhananda took up a martial art and was quoted in The Hindu
suggesting that Aiki Ju-jutsu would have helped a young woman from a call centre
who had been raped and killed defend herself.
, Godrej
, HCPL
, ICICI
and Hoechst
. In 2005, he was described as being popular among young people of Generation X
in Bangalore, and "one of the savviest spiritual leaders in the city," where "smart gurus with snappy one-liners, sense of humour, and people management skills" and modern, interactive workshops are replacing the traditional spiritual teachers of an earlier day, such as Osho
, Paramahamsa Yogananda and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
.
Sukhabodhananda also conducts workshops based on his book, "Oh, Mind Relax Please." These workshops cover subjects such as relationships, parenting, and "mind management, using Hitopadesha
or the Panchatantra
pattern of giving simple examples that people can identify with,"
In addition to teaching workshops and giving talks at holistic health
and New Age
events, he gives spiritual talks at business-related events., which has resulted in his nicknames, the "Corporate Guru" and "the unusual swami from Bangalore." In 2006, he was featured at a human resources development seminar organized by the Department of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Commerce, Mangalore University
, and Mangalore University Commerce Teachers Association.
Pragya M. Kumar and his co-authors cite Swami Sukhabodhananda in their analysis of the influence of Indian philosophy on the teaching of management. Writing in 2010, they state that about 10% of the professors at top US business schools are of Indian descent, noting the vision of C. K. Prahalad
, in which corporations "simultaneosuly create value and social justice." The authors cite an article characterizing the "spirituality in the workplace movement
" as having become a "mini-industry." With regards to the Indian component of this industry, they state "A large number of Vedant scholars are on a whistle stop tour
of the U.S. counseling executives on the central message of Bhagawat Gita
to put purpose before self." A quote from Swami Sukhabodhananda is used as the illustration for this message, beginning: "There are four important aspects in us ... the body, mind, emotions and spiritual being. Focusing on their growth involves an enlightened vision."
and in other Indian publications in various languages, including The Economic Times
, The Indian Express
, Kannada Prabha
, and others.
Swamiji’s English books “Oh, Mind Relax Please!” and “Oh, Life Relax Please!” are the top best sellers in the country and have set a new benchmark in the lives of many, from the Kargil hero Gen. V. P. Malik
, who swears by the inspiring content of the book to the New York Mayor who acknowledges its usefulness to diminish work pressure and dealing with New York City press!
Swamiji’s book “Manase Relax Please” has set an all time sales record in the history of Tamil, Kannada & Telugu books and has been included as a part of curriculum in schools & colleges. Leading personalities have termed that he has revolutionized Tamil literature through his books. The cassette version, narrated by noted Tamil-speaking actor Nizhalgal Ravi
, received a positive review in The Hindu in 2005.
, WatchIndia TV's Disha (religious) channel, Sanskar TV
and on Moksha, (the "24-hour spirituality and wellness station on the WorldSpace Satellite Radio network."
Sukhabodhananda won Karnataka's Best Social Service Award, given by Essel Group & Zee Network, in 2007.
The Week
magazine calls him one of the top five best exponents of spiritual knowledge.
He was selected at "best speaker" in a Times of India poll on "who talks best."
Sukhabodhananda was the only spiritual leader representing Hinduism at the 2005 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He was a special invitee to the The World Council of Religious Leaders Millennium World Peace Summit, held at the United Nations
in New York. He was a speaker at the 2010 World Sustainable Development Forum, DSDS 2010, in Delhi.
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
from the Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
area of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
who is nicknamed "the Corporate Guru." His talks and workshops combine Vedic tradition with Western management and psychological development perspectives. He is known internationally for representing Hinduism at the 2005 World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in Davos, Switzerland. His books, which have sold over a million copies, have appeared in many Indian languages, and recordings of his mantra singing and talks have appeared on the Sa Re Ga Ma
Sa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...
label.
Biography
Swami Sukhabodhananda is the second of the three sons of Late Sri C.M.S. Murthy and Rukmani Murthy. His parents gave birth to him on 25.04.1955 and named him Dwaraknath. His siblings are Preetham (married to Shanta and proud parents of Shruti) and Prathap (aka Kalyan Mitra). He was born and brought up in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. He studied in Baldwin Boys High School
Baldwin Boys High School
Baldwin Boys' High School founded in 1800's, is one of the oldest and prestigious schools in Bangalore, India."Integretas et Veritas", meaning Righteousness and Truth, are the watchwords of the institution...
and St. Joseph's College, Bangalore
St. Joseph's College, Bangalore
St. Joseph's College , Bangalore is one of the oldest colleges in the State of Karnataka with a history of more than 125 years behind it. It imparts graduate, post-graduate and research education while searching, renewing and expanding itself, attempting to be ever relevant to the changing...
.
At the age of 20, he was attracted to spirituality and became a student of Swami Chinmayananda
Chinmayananda
Swami Chinmayananda , born Balakrishna Menon , was a Hindu Indian spiritual leader, and teacher, who inspired the formation of Chinmaya Mission in 1953 to spread the message of Vedanta...
and Dayanada Saraswati
Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer, and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. He was the first to give the call for Swarajya – "India for Indians" – in 1876, later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak...
at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya of Mumbai. His name during Sandeepany days was Brahmachari Nithya Chaitanya. Brahmachari Nithya Chaitanya embrased Sanyas
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
on Shivarathri Day
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri or Shivaratri or Sivarathri is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Maagha or Phalguna...
in 1984 from when on he is known as Swami Sukhabodhananda.
He is founder and chairman of the charitable organization Prasanna Trust in India, and involved with Bangalore's Prasanna Foundation, "which focusses on the scientific aspects of meditation". The trust also runs "Prasanna Jyothi, a home for destitute children and Nirguna Mandir, a centre for meditation and learning"
At age 50, in 2006, Sukhabodhananda took up a martial art and was quoted in The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
suggesting that Aiki Ju-jutsu would have helped a young woman from a call centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
who had been raped and killed defend herself.
Workshops and speaking engagements
In 1986, after conducting classes on Bhagavad Gita and other texts for few years, he began his first workshop, called "LIFE - Living in Freedom and Enquiry". This workshop, drawing from "the Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, the Bible, the Koran, Tibetan Buddhism and Zen" has been given at the Sri Venkateshwara Temple, located near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of the first (and largest) Hindu temples in the United States. The "LIFE" workshop has been presented as recently as 2010 in Hyderabad. He has given workshops for a variety of corporate clients, including Asian PaintsAsian Paints
Asian Paints is an Indian paint company headquartered in Mumbai, India. Asian Paints is India’s largest paint company and Asia’s third largest paint company, with a turnover of Rs 77.06 billion.It is one of the largest paint corporation that operates in 17 countries and has 23 paint manufacturing...
, Godrej
Godrej Group
The Godrej Group is an Indian conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by Ardeshir Godrej and Pirojsha Godrej in 1897, Lalbaug, Mumbai...
, HCPL
Hindustan Petroleum
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited , is an Indian state-owned oil company headquartered at Mumbai, India and is a Fortune 500 company of India listed at number 336....
, ICICI
ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank Ltd. is India's second largest financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and through its specialised subsidiaries in the areas of...
and Hoechst
Hoechst
Hoechst or Höchst may refer to:* Hoechst AG, a former German life-sciences company* Hoechst stain, one of a family of fluorescent DNA-binding compounds* Höchst , Germany* Höchst im Odenwald, Germany* Höchst, Austria...
. In 2005, he was described as being popular among young people of Generation X
Generation X
Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western post–World War II baby boom ended. While there is no universally agreed upon time frame, the term generally includes people born from the early 1960's through the early 1980's, usually no later than 1981 or...
in Bangalore, and "one of the savviest spiritual leaders in the city," where "smart gurus with snappy one-liners, sense of humour, and people management skills" and modern, interactive workshops are replacing the traditional spiritual teachers of an earlier day, such as Osho
Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Osho , born Chandra Mohan Jain , and also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh during the 1970s and 1980s and as Osho from 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher who garnered an international following.A professor of philosophy, he travelled...
, Paramahamsa Yogananda and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
.
Sukhabodhananda also conducts workshops based on his book, "Oh, Mind Relax Please." These workshops cover subjects such as relationships, parenting, and "mind management, using Hitopadesha
Hitopadesha
Hitopadesha is a collection of Sanskrit fables in prose and verse written in the 12 century C.E. It is an independent treatment of the Panchatantra...
or the Panchatantra
Panchatantra
The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian inter-related collection of animal fables in verse and prose, in a frame story format. The original Sanskrit work, which some scholars believe was composed in the 3rd century BCE, is attributed to Vishnu Sharma...
pattern of giving simple examples that people can identify with,"
In addition to teaching workshops and giving talks at holistic health
Holistic health
Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as a whole. As defined above, the holistic view on treatment is widely accepted in medicine...
and New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
events, he gives spiritual talks at business-related events., which has resulted in his nicknames, the "Corporate Guru" and "the unusual swami from Bangalore." In 2006, he was featured at a human resources development seminar organized by the Department of Postgraduate Studies and Research in Commerce, Mangalore University
Mangalore University
Mangalore University is a public university located in Konaje, Karnataka State of India. Ranked with a four star by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in June 2000, this young university offers higher education and conducts research in various fields...
, and Mangalore University Commerce Teachers Association.
Philosophy
His philosophy has been called a ""synergy between the rich and profound Indian philosophy and the complex and dynamic western management thought." and "a corporate management guru who has infused management science with the much needed dose of ethics and spirituality."Pragya M. Kumar and his co-authors cite Swami Sukhabodhananda in their analysis of the influence of Indian philosophy on the teaching of management. Writing in 2010, they state that about 10% of the professors at top US business schools are of Indian descent, noting the vision of C. K. Prahalad
C. K. Prahalad
Coimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad was the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at the Stephen M...
, in which corporations "simultaneosuly create value and social justice." The authors cite an article characterizing the "spirituality in the workplace movement
Workplace spirituality
Workplace Spirituality or Spirituality in the Workplace is a movement that began in the early 1920s. It emerged as a grassroots movement with individuals seeking to live their faith and/or spiritual values in the workplace. One of the first publications to mention spirituality in the workplace...
" as having become a "mini-industry." With regards to the Indian component of this industry, they state "A large number of Vedant scholars are on a whistle stop tour
Whistle stop train tour
A whistle stop or whistle-stop tour is a style of political campaigning where the politician makes a series of brief appearances or speeches at a number of small towns over a short period of time...
of the U.S. counseling executives on the central message of Bhagawat Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
to put purpose before self." A quote from Swami Sukhabodhananda is used as the illustration for this message, beginning: "There are four important aspects in us ... the body, mind, emotions and spiritual being. Focusing on their growth involves an enlightened vision."
Books and columns
Sukhabodhananda's columns are featured in The Times of IndiaThe Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
and in other Indian publications in various languages, including The Economic Times
The Economic Times
The Economic Times is an English-language Indian daily newspaper published by the Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. The Economic Times was started in 1961. It is the most popular and widely read financial daily in India, read by more than 8 lakh people...
, The Indian Express
The Indian Express
The Indian Express is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. It is published in Mumbai by Indian Express Group. After Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split in 1999 among his family members into two with the southern editions taking the name The New Indian Express, while the old...
, Kannada Prabha
Kannada Prabha
Kannada Prabha a morning daily from the house of The New Indian Express Group, is a major Kannada newspaper in Karnataka. The tag line on its masthead is The Most Powerful Kannada Newspaper...
, and others.
Swamiji’s English books “Oh, Mind Relax Please!” and “Oh, Life Relax Please!” are the top best sellers in the country and have set a new benchmark in the lives of many, from the Kargil hero Gen. V. P. Malik
Ved Prakash Malik
General Ved Prakash Malik or General V.P. Malik served as 19th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 30-September-1997 till 30-September-2000....
, who swears by the inspiring content of the book to the New York Mayor who acknowledges its usefulness to diminish work pressure and dealing with New York City press!
Swamiji’s book “Manase Relax Please” has set an all time sales record in the history of Tamil, Kannada & Telugu books and has been included as a part of curriculum in schools & colleges. Leading personalities have termed that he has revolutionized Tamil literature through his books. The cassette version, narrated by noted Tamil-speaking actor Nizhalgal Ravi
Nizhalgal Ravi
Nizhalgal Ravi is an Indian actor who has performed in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He started his career in 1980 with the film Nizhalgal.-Career:...
, received a positive review in The Hindu in 2005.
Awards, recognition, and reception
Swami Sukhabodhananda is listed in Jnana Jyoti as one of the inspiring Spiritual Saints. He has also been featured in the magazine, Life Positive, "a holistic magazine originating in India and distributed to an international audience." His television appearances include Aastha TVAastha TV
Aastha TV is India’s No. 1 spiritual TV network, Established in 2000 it is owned by 'Aastha Broadcasting Network Ltd.', which is listed at Bombay Stock Exchange and has Santosh Kumar Jain and Prabhat Kumar Jain as its Directors...
, WatchIndia TV's Disha (religious) channel, Sanskar TV
Sanskar TV
Sanskar TV is an Indian television channel that is primarily dedicated to broadcasting Hindu spiritual programmes....
and on Moksha, (the "24-hour spirituality and wellness station on the WorldSpace Satellite Radio network."
Sukhabodhananda won Karnataka's Best Social Service Award, given by Essel Group & Zee Network, in 2007.
The Week
The Week
The Week, styled as THE WEEK, is a weekly news magazine.-History:It was founded in the United Kingdom by Jolyon Connell in 1995. In April 2001, the magazine began publishing an American edition; an Australian edition followed in October 2008. Dennis Publishing publishes the U.K. and Australian...
magazine calls him one of the top five best exponents of spiritual knowledge.
He was selected at "best speaker" in a Times of India poll on "who talks best."
Sukhabodhananda was the only spiritual leader representing Hinduism at the 2005 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He was a special invitee to the The World Council of Religious Leaders Millennium World Peace Summit, held at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in New York. He was a speaker at the 2010 World Sustainable Development Forum, DSDS 2010, in Delhi.
Works
- WorldCat link to further books in Indian languages.
- Link to articles and columns by year, in various languages
Discography
- Swami Sukabodhananda .mp3 collection at Dada.net