List of teachers of Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta has had many teachers over the centuries in India and other countries. This article lists some of the major teachers. Adi Shankaracharya was the most prominent in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta to formulate its doctrine in his many works. There are many contemporary "living" teachers of advaita or non duality. Just google "advaita" and browse the results. Many are people with a clear understanding of and perhaps direct experience of non duality, few are uncompromisingly clear. Discretion is required in weeding out those that will re-inforce the illusion of the separate self and those who speak uncompromisingly and spontaneously from presence.

Sages and saints

• Marichi
• Angiras
• Atri
• Yajnavalkya
• Pulastya
• Vashishta
• Kashyapa
• Vishwamitra
• Jamadagni
• Bharadwaja
• Bhrigu
• Agastya
• Shri Dattatreya
• Shri Ashtawakra
• Vyasa

Recent Jagadgurus of Peethams

• Sringeri Sharada Peetham
  • Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharathi Mahaswamiji, Jagadguru of Sringeri Sharada Peetham [1] (1865–1912); a realised Yogi; initiated many into Adi Shankaracharya's philosophy including Sacchidanandendra Saraswati- founder of Adhyatma Prakashana Karyalaya ;known as "Abhinava Shankara" because of his many tours around Bharatvarsha spreading the Advaita Vedanta philosophy and Hindu Dharma
  • Sri Chandrashekhara Bharathi Mahaswamiji, Jagadguru of Sringeri Sharada Peetham (1912–1954); A well known Jivanmukta; said to be one of the greatest saints ever to take birth in India
  • Sri Abhinavavidya Tirtha Mahaswamiji, Jagadguru of Sringeri Sharada Peetham (1954–1989); A great Yogi and master of scriptures; blessed with realisation early in life; In His many tours of Bharatvarsha and also Nepal He established many maths, shrines and temples.
  • Sri Bharathi Tirtha Mahaswamiji, Jagadguru of Sringeri Sharada Peetham (1989- );A distuinguished sage and present Jagadguru of Shringeri Peetha, Sringeri, Karnataka.

• Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham
  • Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswathi Mahaswamiji Jagadguru of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam (1894–1994), also called as Nadamadum Deivam(Walking God) by devotees and followers all over the world
  • Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swami, Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam
  • Jagadguru Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Swami, Kanchi Kamakoti peetam
  • Sapta Na Sannyasin Ruchira Buddha Adi Da Samraj Jagadguru of Naitauba Peetham the main Hermitage Ashram called "Samrajashram" in the Fijian Islands. Other Satguru Peethams: Mountain Of Attention Sanctuary, Love's Point Hermitage and Tat Sundaram Hermitage and Tat Sundaram Hermitage, all in Northern California; and Da Love-Ananda Mahal in Kauai, Hawaii

Other teachers

• Mannargudi Raju Sastri (1815–1903), Formed ‘The Adwaita Sabha’ for propagating the tenets of the Adwaita faith.

• Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi (1838-1918), a great philosopher of Maharashtra who propagated the oneness of God and urged harmony amongst the various religions.

• Sri Narayana Guru (1856–1928)- Vedic scholar, mystic philosopher, prolific poet and social reformer, from the present-day Kerala.

• Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, wrote books on four Hindu Yogas: Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga and Raja Yoga. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda contains a complete collection of transcribed lectures. He spoke at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.

• Tibbetibaba (-d.1930) - Hindu Bengali Saint whose life was based on both Advaita Vedanta and Mahayana principles.

• Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950) Bengali philosopher-sage who synthesized Advaita thought with Western philosophical theories of evolution.

• Shri Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950) the silent sage of Tamil Nadu who had a profound realization of nonduality.

• Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981) - A twentieth-century master of Advaita from Mumbai

• Sacchidanandendra Saraswati (1880-1975) - a profound Advaitin and the founder of the Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya in Holenarasipura

• Swami Atmananda (1883–1959) lived in Kerala.

• Swami Sivananda (1887–1963) – Hindu saint who founded the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India. Author of more than 300 works of theology and philosophy. Bestowed sanyasa upon Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993), Swami Chidananda (1916-2008), and Swami Krishnananda (1922-2001), among others. According to his disciples, achieved Moksha upon death.

• Swami Tapovan Maharaj (1889-1957) - A virakta mahatma

• Swami Prajnanapada (1891–1974) disciple of Niralamba Swami and a great exponent of Advaita philosophy. He was in charge of Channa Ashram in West Bengal, India.

• Bhagawan Nityananda (1897?[1]–1961) was an Indian guru. His teachings are published in the "Chidakash Gita". Nityananda was born in Quilandy (Pandalayini), Kerala, South India. His teachings are simple and on the nonduality.

• Swami Karpatri (1905–1980), a well-known sannyasi of Varanasi

• Sri H.W.L. Poonja (1910–1997) - or Papaji. Disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi, he denied being part of any formal tradition, and remained always available, welcoming newcomers to his home and satsangs.

• Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993) - Sannyas diksha bestowed by Sri Swami Tapovan Maharaj in Uttarkashi. Disciples founded the Chinmaya Mission. 'Chinmaya' = "pure consciousness".

• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1917-2008) - founder of the Transcendental Meditation programme and movement, which have practices and philosophy firmly routed in the Advaita tradition. The TM initiation puja references Adi Shankara and the monastery set up by his devotee Trotakacharya at Jyotir Math. This was the same monastery re-established by Sri Brahmananda Saraswati, Maharishi's master, often referred to as "Guru Dev."

• Ramesh Balsekar (1917-2009) - a disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a renowned Advaita Master.

• Swami Krishnananda (1922–2001) – Hindu saint who was the General Secretary of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India from 1958 to 2001. Foremost disciple of Swami Sivananda. Author of more than 200 works of theology and philosophy. According to disciples, achieved Moksha upon death.

• American Yogi, Richard Hittleman (1927-1991)- who was the first person to bring Hatha and Raja Yoga to English-speaking audiences via the medium of a television series (in the 1950s and 1960s). His teachings were essentially those of Advaita Vedanta and Ramana Maharshi(Richard Hittleman, Guide for the Seeker, Bantam Books, 1978, p. 92)

• Swami Dayananda Saraswati, (b.1930-) Founder of 'Arsha Vidya' tradition. He has set up Gurukulams in Rishikesh, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Saylorsburg (USA), has taught ten long-term courses in Advaita Vedanta, and has initiated more than 200 disciples into Sannyasa.

• Shivarudra Balayogi (1954-) - Sage and Yogi, performed intense meditation and other spiritual practices from a young age. Teaches that Advaita is an experience, and the highest path to this experience is meditation.

• Adi Da (1939–2008) American-born teacher of enlightenment whose followers state he is the promised Hindu Avatar and first seventh stage realizer, who wrote over 70 books on "Advaitayana Buddhism", the unique philosophy that transcends both Advaita thought and the philosophical theories of Buddhism.[2]

• American Yogini, Gangaji (Toni Roberson) (b.1942-); disciple of Papaji (see above) and author of several books.