Sivaya Subramuniyaswami | |
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.jpg) Sivaya Subramuniyaswami | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Robert Hansen 5 January 1927 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Died | 12 November 2001 (aged 74) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Sect | Shaivism Shaiva Siddhanta Nath (Nandinatha Sampradaya) |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Jnanaguru Yogaswami |
| Predecessor | Jnanaguru Yogaswami |
| Successor | Bodhinatha Veylanswami |
| Initiated | Sannyasa |
| Initiation | 1949 Jaffna, Ceylon by Jnanaguru Yogaswami |
| Part of a series on | |
| Hindu philosophy | |
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Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (born Robert Hansen; January 5, 1927 – November 12, 2001) was an American Hindu religious leader known as Gurudeva by his followers. Subramuniyaswami was born in Oakland, California and adopted Hinduism as a young man. He was the 162nd head of the self claimed Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara and Guru at Kauai's Hindu Monastery which is a 382-acre (155 ha) temple-monastery complex on Hawaii's Garden Island.[1]
In 1947, at the age of 20, he journeyed to India and Sri Lanka and in 1949, was initiated into sannyasa[2] by the renowned siddha yogi and worshiper of Lord Shiva, Jnanaguru Yogaswami of Jaffna, Sri Lanka who was regarded as one of the 20th century's remarkable mystics. In the 1970s he established a Hindu monastery in Kauai, Hawaii and founded the magazine Hinduism Today.[3] In 1985, he created the festival of Pancha Ganapati as a Hindu alternative to December holidays like Christmas.[4][5] He was one of Shaivism's Gurus, the founder and leader of the Saiva Siddhanta Church.
He is part of the guru lineage of the Sri Lankan Alaveddy Hindus. His various institutions form a Jaffna-Tamil-based organization which has branched out from his Sri Subramuniya Ashram in Alaveddy to meet the needs of the growing Hindu diaspora of this century. He also established a seven-acre (2.8 ha) monastery in Mauritius, which includes a public Spiritual Park called "Spiritual Park- Pointe de Lascars". He oversaw more than 50 independent temples worldwide.[6]
His influence reflected the reach of his publications, including the approximately 30 books he wrote. Subramuniyaswami was described by Klaus Klostermaier as "the single-most advocate of Hinduism outside India".[7] The book Religious Leaders of America explained Subramuniyaswami's role as "a pillar of orthodox Hinduism."[8]
- ^ "Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami". Himalayanacademy. (Source closely affiliated with the subject)
- ^ The Swamis of Kauai's Hindu Monastery (2011). "Chapter Twenty: Finding God in a Cave". The Guru Chronicles: The Making of the First American Satguru. Kapaʻa, Kauai, Hawaii: Himalayan Academy. ISBN 978-1-934145-39-5. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. (Source closely affiliated with the subject)
- ^ Dr. Vimala Krishnapillai (April 1, 2004). "Siva Yogaswami, the Sage and mystic of Sri Lanka". Daily News (Sri Lanka). Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ Rudolph, Ephraim (December 7, 2015). "3 International December Holidays You May Not Know About". Indianapolis, Indiana: The International Center (INTLCTR). Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
- ^ "Pancha Ganapati:The Family Festival of Giving". Hinduism Today. Himalayan Academy. 2010. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. (Source closely affiliated with the subject)
- ^ "Lineage". Himalayanacademy. (Source closely affiliated with the subject)
- ^ Klostermaier, Klaus K. (2007). A Survey of Hinduism (3rd ed.). SUNY Press. p. 231. ISBN 9780791470824.
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ... did much to propagate a kind of reformed Saivism through his books. As founder-editor of Hinduism Today, an illustrated monthly, he became the single-most advocate of Hinduism outside India.
- ^ Douglas Martin (November 19, 2001). "Satguru Subramuniyaswami, Hindu Spiritual Leader, 74". The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2013.