Swami Ambikananda Saraswati
| His Holiness Swami Ambikananda Saraswati | |
|---|---|
 File:Ambikananda Saraswati.jpg | |
| Born | Christopher Tod Schwenk, 19 March 1972, USA |
| 🏡 Residence | Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram, Laguna Beach, California, USA |
| 🏫 Education | BA (English Literature) UC Berkeley |
| 💼 Occupation | Hindu clergy, theologian, writer, translator |
| 🏢 Organisation | Kali Mandir |
| Known for | Dedicated to the worship of the Divine Mother in the tradition of Sri Ramakrishna |
| Notable work | "Sri Ramakrishna, Words of Nectar", translation of "Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita" (in progress) |
| Title | Pujari, Secretary |
| 🌐 Website | https://www.kalimandir.org/ https://cyberdhuni.org/ambikananda |
HH Pujya Swami Ambikananda Saraswati is a Hindu ascetic, priest, writer, and translator, serving at Kali Mandir in Laguna Beach, California.
Spiritual Initiations and Training (Dīkṣā)[edit]
Born and raised in Southern California, Pujya (Revered) Swami Ambikananda Saraswati became connected to Kali Mandir after finishing collage. He received spiritual initiation from Sri Haradhan Chakraborti, the late main pujari of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata, in 1996, and from Pujya Swami Aparananda Puri Maharaj, senior monk of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission and head of the Vedanta Society of Berkeley, in 1998.
Monastic Ordination (Saṃnyāsa)[edit]
He was ordained as a brahmachari (novice monk) and Kali Mandir pujari (servant priest) in 2000 by Mahant Pujya Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati and given the name Brahmachari Parameshwara Chaitanya.
On 9 February 2011, the auspicious Vashant Panchami day, Swami Ambikananda was ordained as a sannyasin (renunciate) in the Bhurivar Sampradaya of the Dasnami order of monks via the rite of Purna Sannyasa Diksha by His Holiness Sri Mahant Parampujya Swami Omananda Saraswati, the beloved disciple and spiritual successor of His Holiness Swami Vishnudevananda Saraswati (1904-1997), at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the sacred Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers. The solemnizing rituals where performed by Brahmin pundits on the holy grounds of the Yoga Vedanta Kutir, Triveni Bandh, Daraganj, Prayagraj, U.P. India. As a sannyasi, Swami Ambikananda has taken lifelong vows, never to be relinquished or rescinded, to properly follow, uphold and represent the sannyasa tradition and his guru-lineage; strictly observe the ascetic disciplines of celibacy, non-violence, and non-possession; and to dedicate his life to renunciation, meditation, and service. He was given the monastic name Swami Ambikamamda Saraswati and authorized to wear the kavi (orange robes) and other insignia of a sannyasin.[1]
Education and Service[edit]
Swami Ambikananda earned his Bachelor degree in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley and is currently completing his ThD doctoral capstone project at Ramakrishna Seminary. When not traveling in India, Pujya Swami Ambikananda resides at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram in Laguna Beach, serving Ma and Her devotees as pujari, Secretary of the Board of Directors, and as a Research Fellow for the Ramakrishna Seminary[2].
Kathamrita Project[edit]
Swami Ambikananda is currently working on a new English translation of one of modern spirituality’s most unique and influential texts, the Bengali Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, Mahendranath Gupta’s five-volume account of his meetings and conversations with Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. This translation aims to follow as close as possible the content, structure, styles and moods of the original text, and will eventually include a numbered sentence system, making it possible to cross-reference between the English translation and the original Bengali text, as well as a transliteration scheme in Roman text, for those unable read Bengali. Work on the first volume is nearing completion.[3]
External Links[edit]
- Personal website: https://cyberdhuni.org/ambikananda
- Kali Mandir website: https://KaliMandir.org/
- Ramakrishna Seminary website: https://www.RamakrishnaSeminary.org/
- WIKI page: Kali Mandir
- WIKI page: Ramakrishna Seminary
References[edit]
- ↑ Certificate of Monastic Ordination. https://cyberdhuni.org/baba-ambikananda-bio
- ↑ https://www.ramakrishnaseminary.org/faculty
- ↑ https://cyberdhuni.org/kathamrita-project
