Sri Sri Swami Chidananda Giri, president and spiritual head of YSS/SRF, arrived in India and reached Bengaluru on January 28, 2025 to begin his visit to India and Nepal. He was accompanied by Swami Saralananda from SRF.
Swamiji toured four major cities in India (Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Noida) and Kathmandu in Nepal where special one-day programmes were organized, as given below:
- Sunday, February 2: Bengaluru
- Sunday, February 9: Chennai
- Sunday, February 23: Ahmedabad
- Thursday, February 27: Noida
- Saturday, March 1: Kathmandu
We are happy to share that the events from Ahmedabad and Noida tours of Swamiji were live-streamed and are still available for viewing. Please click the button below to learn more and watch.
We also invite you to view the media coverage of Swami Chidanandaji’s visit which was covered by several leading print and electronic media.
Please click on the images below to enjoy photos from Swamiji’s tour.
Bengaluru
We are pleased to share that Swami Chidanandaji arrived in Bengaluru on January 28 to start his India tour. Shared below are a few glimpses of Swamiji’s arrival at the airport and his welcome at Bengaluru.
On January 31, our beloved President and Spiritual Head, Swami Chidanandaji, visited the Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra in Bengaluru, where he received a warm welcome from YSS devotees.
After offering a floral tribute and his pranams at the altar in the main meditation hall, Swamiji addressed the gathering of devotees. Longtime volunteers shared a presentation on the activities and programmes of the Bengaluru Kendra with Swamiji and others present at the venue.
Later, Swamiji met with small groups of devotees, distributing prasad and blessing each one of them.
On February 2, Swami Chidanandaji met with more than 1,500 devotees and friends in a spirit of divine fellowship (satsanga) to share wisdom from the Kriya Yoga teachings of Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. He spoke inspiringly on how meditation serves as a pathway to inner transformation and spiritual growth, empowering us to live a life of purpose, peace, and joy.
The satsanga by Swami Chidanandaji was the concluding event of a day-long programme which included a three-hour group meditation and a kirtan session.
Chennai
Swami Chidanandaji arrived in Chennai on February 6. On February 7, Swamiji visited the newly dedicated Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Ashram, where he met with the monastics and volunteers who serve there and toured the facilities.
Swami Chidanandaji graced the Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra in Chennai on Saturday, February 8th where he was received by joyous devotees. He gave an inspiring talk that was followed by prasad distribution.
Swamiji also met with the renowned Indian actor and Padma Vibhushan awardee Sri Rajinikanth who has been a devoted YSS devotee and Kriya Yoga practitioner for decades. Sri Rajinikanth was deeply inspired to meet Swami Chidanandaji. They had a very friendly exchange, based on their mutual devotion to their Guru and his liberating path of Kriya Yoga.
As part of his visit to India and Nepal, Swamiji met with over 1000 devotees and friends on Sunday, February 9, at Chennai to share wisdom from Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings. This day-long event included a three-hour meditation led by Swami Chidanandaji, followed by a kirtan session and a discourse.
The event concluded with a satsanga by the revered Swamiji in which he spoke on how meditation serves as a pathway to inner transformation and spiritual growth, empowering us to live a life of purpose, peace, and joy.
Ranchi
Swami Chidananda Giri, president and spiritual head of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India/Self-Realization Fellowship (YSS/SRF), arrived at the Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Math, Ranchi, on the evening of February 10. YSS monastics and devotees greeted him with rose petals and reverent pranams. Swamiji proceeded to the shrines associated with Paramahansa Yogananda’s life — including the Litchi Vedi, the Smriti Mandir, and the room where Yoganandaji lived.
Swami Chidanandaji addressed an audience of over 800 devotees and friends at the YSS Ranchi ashram on Sunday, February 16. He spoke inspiringly on how the Yogoda Satsanga teachings are uniquely suited to help us lead a balanced and successful life in today’s world.
During his stay at Ranchi, Swamiji conducted a satsanga on February 16 which was attended by more than 800 devotees and friends. He also met monastics and sevaks, children and volunteers of YSS Youth Services, and also many visiting YSS and SRF devotees.
Ahmedabad
Following his ten-day stay at the Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Math, Ranchi, Swami Chidanandaji arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday, February 21 to conduct one-day programme. On February 22, he visited the Ahmedabad Dhyana Kendra and interacted with the volunteers and devotees.
We share a few photos below from his visit to the kendra.
On February 23, Swami Chidanandaji gave a satsanga in Ahmedabad wherein he spoke inspiringly about the Kriya Yoga teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, revered guru of all YSS/SRF devotees. Around 1000 people attended the event, which concluded a day-long programme that featured a three-hour meditation and kirtan session.
In his satsanga on the topic, Meditation: The Path to Divine Bliss and Abundance, Swamiji explained how meditation connects us to the infinite source of divine grace and power — leading to inner harmony, strength, and security. This divine connection not only transforms our inner life but also brings balance, clarity, and abundance into our outer life.
The three-hour meditation and the satsanga were live-streamed and will continue to remain available. Please click here to view.
Following a day-long event at the Karnavati Club in Ahmedabad, on February 24, Swami Chidanandaji visited the ashram of Mahatma Gandhi, at Sabarmati in Ahmedabad.
Upon his return to India in 1935, Paramahansa Yogananda met Gandhiji at his Wardha Ashram and initiated him into Kriya yoga. A detailed account of this meeting is recorded in Paramahansaji’s Autobiography of a Yogi.
Presented below are a few photos of Swamiji’s visit to the ashram.
Noida
Visit to Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Ashram, Noida
On February 27, Swami Chidanandaji gave a satsanga on the Kriya Yoga teachings of Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda at the Noida Ashram of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India. He spoke inspiringly to an audience of more than 1,500 YSS devotees and friends on the topic “Awakening Our Divine Potential through Meditation.”
In his discourse, Swamiji described how practising meditation with faith, dedication and regularity can help us unlock a reservoir of infinite potential hidden within us, guiding us towards the highest expression of our true selves.
The satsanga was live-streamed and will continue to remain available for viewing. Please click here to view.
Nepal
March 1 was a very special day as Swami Chidananda Giri conducted an inspirational programme in Kathmandu, Nepal. This occasion marked the first visit in more than 50 years that the president and spiritual head of Yogoda Satsanga Society/Self-Realization Fellowship (YSS/SRF) has made to the Himalayan nation, which is home to many YSS devotees and friends.
The programme began with a group meditation followed by an inspiring talk by Swami Chidanandaji on the Kriya Yoga teachings of the beloved founder and guru of YSS/SRF, Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. Among the hundreds who participated were a number of SRF devotees visiting from other parts of the world.
YSS/SRF President Swami Chidananda Giri Concludes Visit to India and Nepal
On March 6, Swami Chidanandaji concluded his recent visit to Paramahansa Yogananda’s beloved homeland. He departed from the Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Ashram at Noida, where he was showered with rose petals during a heartfelt farewell from YSS monastics and devotees.
During his last six weeks of travels throughout India and an additional visit to Kathmandu, Nepal, Swami Chidanandaji met with thousands of YSS devotees and friends at YSS ashrams and kendras, and conducted public programmes on Yoganandaji’s Kriya Yoga teachings in several cities. In addition to inspirational talks, the programmes included guided meditations in which Swamiji led thousands of YSS and SRF devotees (who joined in-person and also via live-stream) in a deep experience of divine peace and joy.
