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Swami Tapovan Maharaj Swami Tapovan Maharaj of Uttarkashi was the "Source" wherefrom Swami Chinmayananda (The Founder of the Chinmaya Movement) acquired the Knowledge of Vedanta (Science of Religion). Swami Tapovan was himself the ideal who had personally understood (through deep study, dispassion and contemplation) the relationship between the biological processes of the body and the human psyche. In a spirit of deep renunciation, the infinitely gentle poet in him, saw Humanity and Nature as one vast "plant", needing only "Love" for its highest fulfillment. Intimate communion with Nature (while he walked peaks and valleys of the Himalayas for countless years), gave Swami Tapovan the boundless spiritual reverence. He revealed Nature's secrets in his "travelogue" in two Sanskrit masterpieces, "Himagiri Viharam" and "Kailasa Yatra". The masterpiece, without a doubt, is "Ishwara Darshan", which is his autobiographical "sketch" - it is an absorbing account of a search for the Truth .. Its scientific clarity is subtle, because the treatise gives insight into how the saints of the East attain self mastery. Swami Chinmayananda is the founding father of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. He was one of the world's foremost Vedantic scholars and one of India's most respected spiritual leaders. A gifted speaker, Swami Chinmayananda built an intense rapport with his audiences and communicated the teachings with vibrancy and wit. He taught Hindu philosophy in its most ancient and purest form, Vedanta, as it has been passed on from teacher to student since time immemorial. Swami Tejomayananda stands out as a teacher who is eloquent yet humble, putting into practice what he teaches as the right way of living. The spiritual call came to him in 1970 when he heard a Gita discourse given by Swami Chinmayananda. He was inspired to join the Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Bombay. On graduating as Brahmachari Vivek Chaitanya, he served the cause in the field for a few years. Then he was posted at Sandeepany Himalayas as Acharya and conducted a Brahmachari Training Course in Hindi. In 1983, he was initiated into Sannyasa by Pujya Gurudev and came to be known as Swami Tejomayananda. Brahmachari Prabodh Chaitanya is the resident Acharya of Chinmaya Mission San Jose. A precocious student of spirituality, Prabodhji combines his already impressive knowledge of the scriptures with the insatiable thirst to further enhance it and the ability to articulate it well. An MIS and software consultant with training in financial planning from UCF, Prabodhji's spiritual call came when he read Param Pujya Gurudev's commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. His spiritual curiosity aroused, he learnt about the Chinmaya Mission, its charter and activities and was eventually introduced to Pujya Swami Tejomayananda, Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. Not long thereafter, Prabodhji decided to dedicate his life to the study of scriptures and the service of humanity. He served for six years at Chinmaya Mission Orlando in various capacities and subsequently played a very active role in the planning and execution of Vishva Sammelan, celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Mission. He studied Vedanta for the next two years under the grace and guidance of Pujya Swami Tejomayananda and tutelage of Swami Ishwarananda. Prabodhji is fluent in English, Hindi and Gujarati and proficient in Sanskrit. He enjoys teaching Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita and devotional texts like the Ramayana and Srimad Bhagavatam.