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476 pages.

LIVES OF SAINTS
by Swami Sivananda

Table of Contents
Publishers’ Note iii
Prayer v
Introduction vii
Saints of Ancient Times
Maharshi Vyasa 3
Sage Yajnavalkya 6
Yogi Bhusanda 10
Dattatreya 11
Yogi Jaigisavya 19
Thirumula Nayanar 20

The Prophets
Zoroaster 23
Parsvanatha 29
Buddha 31
Mahavira 44
Confucius 47
Jesus 58
Guru Nanak 63

The Acharyas
Sankara 77
Ramanuja 89
Madhva 95
Vallabha 97
Nimbarka 99
Ramananda 102
Gauranga 104
Saint Arunagiri 117

The Saivite Acharyas of Tamil Nadu

Appar or Thirunavukkarasar 121
Sundaramurti 126
Thiru Jnana Sambandhar 131
Manickavasagar 136

The Alwars or Vaishnava Mystics of South

India 141
Introduction 143
The Three Ancient Alwars 145
Periyalwar 149
Nammalwar 153
Kulasekhara Alwar 157
Thondaradippodi Alwar 161
Thiruppan Alwar 163
Thirumangai Alwar 166
Thirumazhisai Alwar 170
Andal 174
Saint Alavandar

Saints of Maharashtra 181

Samartha Ramdas 186
Namdev 195
Ekanath 199
Tukaram 208
Damaji 210
Chokamela 213
Akalkot Swami 214
Gorakumbar 217
Jnanadev

Saints of North India

225
Goswami Tulsidas
228
Kabir
237
The Saintly King Pipa
240
Narsi Mehta
243
Dadu
245
Akha
246
Milarepa of Tibet
248
Gorakhnath
Saint Haridas 250

Saints of South India

Thiruvalluvar 259
Kanak Das 262
Nilakantha Dikshitar 264
Purandara Das 266
Thayumanavar 270
Yogi Mukund Rai 272
Paramahamsa Tailang Swami 273
Pattinathu Pillayar 275
Tyagaraja 279
Nandanar 282
Bhadrachalam Ramdas 284
Vilwamangal 289
Yogi Vemana 293
Jaya Deva 301
Vidyaranya 313
Appayya Dikshitar 318
Sadasiva Brahman 329
Appayyacharya 333
Potana 335

Women Saints
Madalasa 339
Mira Bai 340
Sakubai 346
Muktabai 351
Rabia 353
Avadayakkal 357
Sufi Saints
Jalal-ud-din Rumi 363
Mansoor 365
Shams Tabriez 367
Bulla Shah 368
Christian Mystics
Saint Augustine
373
Saint Francis of Assisi
377
Saint Francis Xavier
379
The Sikh Gurus
Guru Nanak
Guru Angad 385
Guru Amardas 387
Guru Ramdas 392
 Guru Arjun Singh 397
Guru Har Govind 399
Guru Har Rai 406
Guru Har Kishan 411
Guru Tej Bahadur 414
Guru Govind Singh 415
419
Saints of Recent Times
Raghavendra Swami
Ramalinga Swami 429
Swami Dayananda Saraswati 433
Sundaresa Swami 440
Narayana Guru 445
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 448
Sri Aurobindo Ghosh 450
Swami Swayamprakasa Brahmendra Saraswati 453
Swami Rama Tirtha 459
Sri Ramana Maharshi 462
Saint Gudidi Baba  467
472

Publishers’ Note
Swami Sivananda’s "Lives of Saints" was first published in 1941 and reprinted in 1943 and
1944. A companion second volume, under the same title, followed in 1947, the year of the
Master’s Diamond Jubilee. It contained life-sketches of many more saints not covered in the
original publication.

In the current edition, we have endeavoured to consolidate, not only the stories included in the
above two volumes, but also those written by Swami Sivananda in other miscellaneous books.
As such, the present publication has verily turned out to be a treasure-trove of inspiring spiritual
biography, instructive anecdotes and lofty admonitions of men and women of the highest
realisation. For sheer variety and range, this book perhaps has no equal.

Here, two points deserve special mention. Firstly, this book is totally non-sectarian and free from
prejudice of any kind. It thus manages with marvellous success to draw out the very best from
each subject it touches. Secondly, as these sketches come from the pen of a spiritual personality,
they present all the lives in a distinctive spiritual perspective, which a layman writing the same
biographies would hardly be able to do. This fact, in itself, enhances the worth and utility of the
book a great deal.

We feel privileged to be able to offer this book to the reading public. May the light of these
saints guide and illumine the path of the readers. May their blessings shower upon the readers
and the whole mankind!
Shivanandanagar,
February 19, 1993.

—THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

Prayer
O All-Merciful Lord! Time is fleeting. The senses are revolting. The mind is jumping. Maya is
deluding. The three fires are burning. The five afflictions are tormenting. Friends are disturbing.
Diseases are troubling. The heat of the summer is scorching. Flies, mosquitoes, bugs and
scorpions are teasing. The charms of the world are tempting. I can neither concentrate nor
meditate. I cannot do anything in the spiritual path without Thy benign grace. O Lord! Thou art
an ocean of mercy. Bless me. If I get a drop from that ocean, will it dry up?

O Adorable Lord! People proclaim that Thou art Deenabandhu, Deenanath, Kripa Nidhan,
Karuna Sagar, Anatha Rakshaka. Thou hast saved Ahalya, Draupadi, Prahlad, Dhruva, Gajendra,
but in my case, Thou hast not done anything. I am still in pain, agony and darkness. I am crying
for Thy grace and help. O absentee landlord of this world! Where hast Thou gone?

O Self-Effulgent Lord! The fish cannot live without water. The sunflower cannot live without the
sun. The Pativrata cannot live without her husband. The mind cannot live without Prana. The
flame of the lamp cannot burn without oil. So also, I cannot live without Thee. O Lord, come,
come, enthrone Thyself in my heart. Thou art the Prana of my Pranas. Thou art the Soul of my
soul.

Thou art Light Divine. Thou art Light of Knowledge. Thou art the Dispeller of darkness. Thou
art the Supreme Guru. Thou art beyond the reach of mind and speech. Thou art beyond any kind
of limitation. Thou art the Over-soul. Thou art the Self of this universe.

Thou art self-luminous. Thou art without parts, without actions, without limbs, without any taint
or fault, without birth and death. Thou art our Father, Mother, Brother, Friend, Guru, Relative
and sole Refuge. Thou art the embodiment of Peace, Bliss, Knowledge, Power, Strength and
Beauty.

O All-Merciful Lord! Through Thy grace, may I realise Truth! May I always entertain sublime
thoughts! May I realise myself as the Light Divine! May I serve humanity with Atma Bhav! May
I be free from greed, lust, egoism, jealousy and hatred! May I behold the one sweet Immortal
Self in all beings! May I realise Brahman with pure understanding!

May that Light of lights ever guide me! May He cleanse my mind of all impurities! May He
inspire me! May He bestow on me power, courage and strength! May He remove the veil of the
mind! May He remove all obstacles in the spiritual path! May He make my life happy and
fruitful! I bow to Thee, O Lord of lords, O God of gods, O Deva of Devas, O Brahman of the
Upanishads, the Support for Maya and Isvara!
 Introduction
Who is a saint? He who lives in God or the Eternal, who is free from egoism, likes and dislikes,
selfishness, vanity, mine-ness, lust, greed and anger, who is endowed with equal vision, balanced
mind, mercy, tolerance, righteousness and cosmic love, and who has divine knowledge, is a
saint.

Saints and sages are a blessing to the world at large. They are the custodians of superior divine
wisdom, spiritual powers and inexhaustible spiritual wealth. Even kings bow their heads at their
lotus feet. King Janaka said to Yajnavalkya, "O venerable sage! I am grateful to your exalted
holiness for obtaining the ancient wisdom of the Upanishads through your lofty and sublime
instructions. I offer my whole kingdom at thy feet. Further, I am thy servant. I will wait on thee
like a servant".

Such is the magnanimous nature of saints and sages. Their very existence inspires others and
goads them to become like them and attain the same state of bliss achieved by them. Had it not
been for their existence, there would not have been spiritual uplift and salvation for you all. Their
glory is indescribable. Their wisdom is unfathomable. They are deep like the ocean, steady like
the Himalayas, pure like the Himalayan snow, effulgent like the sun. One crosses this terrible
ocean of Samsara or births and deaths through their grace and Satsang. To be in their company is
the highest education. To love them is the highest happiness. To be near them is real education.

The saints wander from village to village and disseminate divine knowledge. They move from
door to door and impart wisdom. They take a little for their bare maintenance and give the
highest education, culture and enlightenment to the people. Their very life is exemplary. Whether
they deliver lectures or not, whether they hold discourses or not, it matters little.

Saints and sages only can become real advisers to the kings, because they are selfless and
possess the highest wisdom. They only can improve the morality of the masses. They only can
show the way to attain eternal bliss and immortality. Shivaji had Swami Ramdas as his adviser.
King Dasaratha had Maharshi Vasishtha as his adviser.

Study the lives of saints; you are inspired at once. Remember their sayings; you are elevated
immediately. Walk in their footsteps; you are freed from pain and sorrow. Therefore, the book
"Lives of Saints" must be your constant companion. It must be in your pocket always. It must be
underneath your pillow.

Do not superimpose defects on the saints on account of your Dosha-drishti or evil eye. You
cannot judge their merits. Be humble and sit at their feet. Serve them with your heart and soul,
keep them in your garden, clear your doubts. Get instructions and practise them in right earnest.
You will certainly be blessed.

Every school, every college, every boarding-house, every jail, every institution, every house,
should have a saint for guidance. Saints are in abundance. You do not want them. You do not
wish to approach them. You do not wish to serve them. You do not aspire for higher things. You
are perfectly satisfied with some broken shells and glass-pieces. There is no thirst or spiritual
hunger in you for achieving higher divine knowledge and inner peace.

There is no caste among saints and sages. Do not look to their caste. You will not be benefited.
You cannot imbibe their virtues. In higher religion, there is neither caste nor creed. Cobblers,
weavers and untouchables had become the best saints. Wisdom and Self-realisation are not the
monopoly of Brahmins alone. South Indian Brahmins pay respects and give food only to the
Brahmin Dandi-Sannyasins. This is a serious mistake and a grave blunder. What a sad state! That
is the reason why saints do not wish to visit South India. Punjab and Gujarat have devotion to all
saints. Hence the saints move in those parts and people there derive much spiritual benefit from
them.

In placing this book before the public in general, and the aspirants in the spiritual path in
particular, it seems proper to write a few lines on the glory of saints. Saints, to whatever clime
they may belong, have left their footprints on the sands of time, so that others, who are true and
faithful, may follow their track in search of the Eternal Truth. Their lives have ever remained an
inspiration to us. Their glory has ever been green in our memory. Their teachings have ever
flowed with the tide of life. May they inspire us and guide us for ever!

The present work has been divided into thirteen sections. Saints do not strictly belong to any
clime or country and no geographical limits can stop their influence from overflowing the
boundaries. They belong to the whole world. Hence, to attach to them any provincial basis is to
facilitate the easy understanding of the spiritual current started by each separately and by all
conjointly for the spiritual regeneration of the land.

Man feels that he is weak and helpless. He has to counteract such evil tendencies through right
exertion and through proper lead. To such persons the lives of saints serve as a guide. They
mould their life, their character and their future. They change their mental outlook and convert
them to the faith and teachings of their guide. Such true and reliable guides are the saints who
have come and gone.

May this world be filled with good saints and sages! May you all attain the supreme goal through
their Satsang and advice!! May the blessings of saints and sages be upon you all!!!

Ananda Kutir,
8th January, 1947.

Sivananda

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