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, 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. In this regard, it will also be useful to remember something he said in his final days with us:

             "All this is description, and no description is ever the same is that which
              is described. Truth is indescribable. It is so indescribably simple
              that every description complicates it." 
               
                    - from The Kingfly Secret, the last talks of Swami Venkatesananda  

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

Note:   Although a new version of this website has been delayed, we hope to have it functional before the end of 2026.  Thank you for your patience.
 


Daily Readings

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

October 19, 2026
Bhagavad Gita - Song of God - Chapter 15: Sloka 8

The individual soul is, in biblical language, ‘the image of God’. Now we should change the metaphor. It is the light of God reflected in buddhi, which is an extremely subtle form of ...

October 19, 2026
Venkatesa Daily Readings Volume II — When the Heart Becomes Heaven

When the very fact that we regard something as 'mine' begins to hurt, then that heart becomes heaven, the abode of God. There is something good in our lives, however wicked we may be. In fact, it is the existence of that goodness that leads to ...

October 19, 2026
Venkatesa Daily Readings Volume I

 It will not do to ignore violence, to turn our face from it and pretend that we have eradicated it. It is there in each one of us, inasmuch as ...