Swami Sarvapriyananda - Defining God, based on Taittiriya Upanishad - Vivekananda Samiti, IIT Kanpur

Vivekananda Samiti, IIT Kanpur was privileged to organize a 3-day Lecture Series on Vedanta by Swami Sarvapriyanandaji Maharaj, an eminent speaker and monk from the Ramakrishna Order. This talk was given on 3/15/2015. Swami Sarvapriyananda (Pre-Monastic name Viswaroop) is a Hindu monk (sannyasi) belonging to the Ramakrishna Order. He is the current resident Swami and head of the Vedanta Society of New York, a position he has been serving since January 2017. Early life and education Swami Sarvapriyananda grew up in Bhubhaneshwar in the Indian state of Odisha. From childhood onwards, he was inclined towards spirituality and was inspired by the lives of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. His family was also devoutly religious. His parents and grandparents were initiated devotees in the Ramakrishna Order tradition. He has stated that his first goal in life was to become a pilot and the second was to find God, with the second goal later becoming his only goal. Sarvapriyandanda joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1994 and took his monastic vows in 2004. His family, at first, objected to his decision to become a monk but later accepted his decision. After passing school, he completed his Business Management degree from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. Life after Sannyasa He served as an acharya or teacher at Monastic probationer training center, Belur Math. He also served the Ramakrishna Order by becoming the vice principal of Deoghar Vidyapith Higher Secondary School and becoming Principal of Shikshanamandira Education College, Belur Math Swami Sarvapriyananda served as assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California in 2015. He was later appointed head of the Vedanta Society of New York, a position he has been serving since 6th January 2017. Swami Tathagathananda was his predecessor. He was a Nagral Fellow for the year 2019-20 at Harvard Divinity School. ABOUT VEDANTA Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions. All Rights Reserved by the Original Copyright Owners. For More Videos of Monastics of the Ramakrishna Order, please Visit www.VedantaVideo.com