Swami Ramakrsnananda, or as his disciples call him with love and affection, Gurudev, is a sannyasi, or an orthodox monk. He has accepted the renounced order of life within Hinduism, one of the most ancient religions and traditions known to humanity, becoming with time one of its most loyal representatives in the western world.  

Swami Ramakrsnananda is a yogi, a mystic, a philosopher, a spiritual master and for us, his disciples and followers, undoubtedly a completely enlightened being that has dedicated his life to service to humanity. He is an American Citizen, originally born in Santiago, the capital of The Republic of Chile, on March 21st in 1958.

A spontaneous and profound transcendental experience that occurred to him at the age of 8 led him to a life of passionate search for God and the Truth. His efforts to experience "that" again made him travel and reside in the most remote and diverse places, countries, cultures and nations. Far away from the culture in which he was educated. This search will bring him to associate with great devotees, mystics, guides and spiritual masters of different lineages, paths, faiths and spiritual schools.

His first encounter with an established religion was in 1977, with the Vaisnava religious current, which follows the Bengali Gaudiya tradition of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the Puente Alto temple, Chile. It was there where he started his studies of bhakti-yoga directly with His Holiness Sri Srimad Atulananda Acarya,  studies that would later continue with His Holiness Sri Srimad Bhakti Aloka Paramadwaiti Swami Maharaja,  who personally granted him the title Bhakti Sastri and Tridandi Bhiksu.. These two outstanding masters of bhakti-yoga, founders of the organization Vrnda, are direct disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Gradually, in his heart, an incredible and inexplicable love for India and all things related to the Vedic culture developed. Later Srila Gurudev stated that this attraction came from previous lifetimes.

His Holiness Sri Srimad Swami Visnu Devananda,  a direct disciple of Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati, granted him first initiation or diksa in the maha-mantra with the name Ramakrsna. From that first initiation, the Maha Mantra has never left Swami Ramakrsnananda. This Swami would be a guide and a source of inspiration in the first years of integral yoga studies, in all its varied aspects.

In 1988 Swami Visnu Devananda, in recognition of his erudition, love and devotion for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, and of his wisdom and authority in the field of bhakti-yoga, honored him with the special title - Krsna Bhakta.  This was the first and only time that Swami Visnu Devananda had ever given this extremely rare title to anyone in the wisdom of Bhakti Yoga, by the spiritual authority granted to him by his own spiritual master, Sri Sri Swami Sivananda.

Swami Ramakrsnananda continued to deepen his studies of Hinduism, the Vedic philosophy and yoga directly from some of the most famous yogis and masters of his time; receiving their instruction, guidance and benediction. Masters such as His Holiness Sri Sri Swami Satcidananda, His Holiness Sri Sri Swami Jyotirmayananda, His Holiness Sri Sri Swami Brahmananda, His Holiness Swami Krsnananda,  His Holiness Brahmananda Saraswati and others, receiving diplomas and certificates of instructor, guide and teacher.

He received the certificate of Yoga Teacher from Brahmananda Saraswati of Ananda Asram,. Finally he reached the highest degree of Yoga Acarya or Master Acarya of Yoga, a title he received personally in 1989 from Swami Visnu Devananda, the founder of Sivananda centers of Yoga Vedanta in the Sivananda ASram of Canada.

Years later the title Yoga Acarya was granted to him by the prestigious Sri Sankarananda Yoga Asram of Mysoree, India, as well as the title Yoga Praveena, which he received from Sri Vivekananda Yoga Pratishan.

In the year 1990 Swami Jyotirmayananda, founder of The Yoga Research Foundation, granted him the title Yoga Ratna or The Jewel of Yoga.

In August of 1991, he was honored by being officially initiated into the sacred thread and ordained as a brahmana  within the sanatana-dharma by Kirtanananda Swami.

He met His Holiness Swami Krsnananda  of the Divine Life Society in India, a disciple of Swami Sivananda, with whom he had the great opportunity to delve deeper into the knowledge of haöha-yoga.

In 1995 His Holiness Sri Sri Swami Jyotirmayananda Saraswati requested from him to initiate disciples in the sacred Vedic mantras and granted him the order of renounced life or sannyasi, within the Saraswati order, under the name of Ramakrsnananda Swami. Swami Jyotirmayananda himself recommended to some sincere seekers, that they see Swami Ramakrsnananda as their Spiritual Master.

During that same year he personally met His Divine Grace Sri Baba Brahmananda Maharaja, born in Isanagar, India, 1931, who is a disciple of the great siddha saint His Divine Grace Mastaram Babaji Maharaja, and personally received formal initiation.

In one of his journeys to India, in the sacred city of Vrndavan, he met the one who would later on become one of his most important instructing masters or SikSa gurus, His Divine Grace Srila Narahari dasa Babaji Maharaja, a vaisnava saint of the Gaudiya tradition, a pure devotee of Krsna, and disciple of His Divine Grace Srila Nityananda das Babaji. This saintly Babaji gave instructions of great value and very important guidance in the path of bhakti-yoga to the restless seeker.

The love of Swami Ramakrsnananda for bhakti, and his devotion for Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha and Krsna, pushed him to ask for confirmation of his sannyasi or renounced monk vows from a vaisnava sannyasi in the line of Krsna-bhakti, and in a traditional Vedic ceremony in the Ashram of Vrnda the very famous bhakti-yogi, His Divine Grace B.A. Paramadwaiti Swami Maharaja, confirmed his vows of sannyasi and granted him the title Bhaktivedanta.

In 2001 he was initiated in the mantra of Durga Devi Mata personally by Her Holiness Ma Yoga Shakti.

In 2007, he met another one of his instructional spiritual masters or Siksa gurus, His Holiness Swami Swahananda, of the Ramakrsna order, disciple of Swami Vijnananda. The respected swami officially initiated him, granting him very valuable guidance in meditation.

In the year 2000, Swami Ramakrsnananda arrived in the United States, where he decided to give himself up completely to sharing what actually happens within his heart. It was only in the United States, in 2003, that he decided, for the first time, at the request of his guru maharaja and many of his friends, and with the intention of spreading his message, to officially create a formal institution, the " RamakrsnanandaYoga Vedanta Mission", a religious Hindu organization, and to start officially accepting disciples, for the first time, within the ancient Vedic tradition.

His vision and realization of Hinduism, sakshi yoga is expressed in his message which is particularly suitable for the modern society.

The message of Srila Gurudev is an invitation for all mankind to live each moment in its fullness and totality with complete observation. For him, the timeless message of yoga, Hinduism and the ancient spiritual masters is to realize the unconditional freedom as the true and authentic nature of every being.

The life of Swamiji is an example of perseverance in the search for the Truth, surrender, respect and service toward his guru and his masters; a life of incomparable passion for God. His devotion or bhakti and his constant experience of the Self or Vedanta, makes him a faithful representative of his title, Bhaktivedanta and Hinduism. 

His works, lectures, workshops and activities, his seriousness, wisdom and devotion contributed that Swamiji is the recipient of much affection, appreciation and respect and support both from the respectable Hindu community, as from his disciples, friends, and the public at large. 

Swami Ramakrsnananda is a real fountain of inspiration for those who know him.

Om Namo Bhagavate Ramakrishnanandaya