Swami Vimalananda

Sri Nagaraj was born in 1932 in Chamarajanagar(near mysore), Karnataka, and was a great patriot, having taken part in the quit India Movement in his early student life. He was at the same time a great admirer of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, whose teachings had a profound influence on his life. He used to regularly attend the Ramakrishna Mission Satsanga. Finally his love for seclusion on the banks of the Ganga for doing intense Sadhana brought him to Sivananda Ashram in 1953.

Sri Nagaraj is an exemplary Nishkama Karma Yogi, and Swami Sivananda at once recognized this spirit in him. Because of his sincerity and trustworthy nature, he was entrusted with the job of receiving Sri Guredev's mail and attending to his correspondence which he did to the great satisfaction of Sri Gurudev. He was at the same time doing personal service to Swami Chidananda, towards whom he slowly developed an exceptional type of devotion and implicit obedience, so much so that his words were gospel to Sri Nagraj. It is indeed rare to see such type of devotion and obedience these days. Even so his love for Sri Gurudev, the Ganga and the Himalayas is something unique. Often he would go into the Himalayan jungles for solitude and seclusion, for hours together.

Since Sri Gurudev's Mahasamadhi in 1963, Sri Nagaraj is serving Swami Chidananda as his personal secretary. On 26th of July, 1972, the sacred Guru Purnima, he embraced the Order of Sannyasa and got the monastic name Swami Vimalananda. Being Secretary to Swami Chidananda, he has traveled widely, both in India and abroad. He is an embodiment of patience and self-sacrifice.