CHENNAI, INDIA, September 24, 2015 (New Indian Express): Swami Dayananda Saraswati, a seer born in the laps of Cauvery who went on to give rise to a legion of Vedantis over the years, attained Mahasamadhi late on Wednesday night. He was 85 and died of age-related ailments, Ashram officials told the Express over the phone from Rishikesh. Born as Natarajan on August 15, 1930, at Manjakkudi village in Thanjavur, Swami was a disciple of Swami Chinmayananda, one of the most-respected spiritual gurus of the time. Over the years, Swami Dayananda Saraswati established himself as one of the best scholars of Vedanta — his disciples include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had called on the guru only 10 days ago.
Keen to preserve the Vedic vision and traditions, Swami established a string of centres where Vedanta was taught in the tradition of instruction passed on from Adi Sankara. Among these, the most prominent centres in India are Arsha Vidya Ashram in Rishikesh and Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Coimbatore. The Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, is an internationally renowned center of spirituality. In the 1960s and 1970s, as the world worried about existentialist questions, Swami gave them ideas from Vedanta, the insights passed on by the seers, but in a contemporary approach. He was informal but erudite, a treasure trove of wisdom who wore it lightly.