Venkatesananda Saraswati

Swami Venkatesananda (Parthsarathy as he was known then) was born in Tanjore on December 29th, 1921, to a South Indian Brahmin family.(EARLY YEARS) He learned Sanskrit at an early age from his uncle and grandfather, and used to love to take part in religious observances. He was not only scholarly but full of fun (a trait which endeared him in later life when, as a Swami, he travelled in the West, illustrating the everyday concepts we live by with his humorous stories).

At the age of fourteen he discovered a book by Swami Sivananda in a bookshop. He was so impressed that he wrote to Swami Sivananda asking if he could join him in his ashram. Swami Sivananda told him to finish his education and then come to Rishikesh. (RISHIKESH) On leaving school, he studied shorthand and typing, coming first in the examination. After working for the Madras Corporation, he obtained the position of Private Secretary to the Minister of War in Calcutta; most suitably, as a member of the diplomatic core. In this capacity one day he was asked to escort some V.I.P.s to Haridwar and Rishikesh. He visited Sivananda Ashram and was told that Swami Sivananda was resting and he wouldn't be able to meet him. Shortly after, Sivananda unexpectedly came out. He looked at Parthasarathy and said, "So. You have come!"

Sivananda put him to work immediately: kitchen, temple, office, and printing press.  After that he became the "right hand" of Swami Sivananda, working on the Master's books, answering many of the Master's letters, and generally helping in the Master's day to day activities. In 1963, Swamiji was sent to South Africa. During his years there, his fame as a riveting speaker grew and speaking invitations begain to pour in. Soon these engagements began propelling him around the world.  By the early 1970s, he rarely stayed in one place more than several weeks. While his passport disclosed that Rishikesh was his home,  his constant travelling freed him from the trials and tribulations of becoming a leader of spiritual organization. As some of us noted, moving from place to place all the time certainly made it extraodinarily difficult for anyone to "follow him."  And so, it could be said that his constant traveling  afforded him the distinct benefit of being able to focus upon various projects (chief among them, his translation of The Yoga Vasistha and other scriptures).  It might also be noted that this constant traveling allowed him to successfully avoid, as he called it, "the guru business" entirely!

Source : http://swamivenkatesananda.org/introduction

Swami Venkatesananda (Parthsarathy as he was known then) was born in Tanjore on December 29th, 1921, to a South Indian Brahmin family.(EARLY YEARS) He learned Sanskrit at an early age from his uncle and grandfather, and used to love to take part in religious observances. He was not only scholarly but full of fun (a trait which endeared him in later life when, as a Swami, he travelled in the West, illustrating the everyday concepts we live by with his humorous stories).

At the age of fourteen he discovered a book by Swami Sivananda in a bookshop. He was so impressed that he wrote to Swami Sivananda asking if he could join him in his ashram. Swami Sivananda told him to finish his education and then come to Rishikesh. (RISHIKESH) On leaving school, he studied shorthand and typing, coming first in the examination. After working for the Madras Corporation, he obtained the position of Private Secretary to the Minister of War in Calcutta; most suitably, as a member of the diplomatic core. In this capacity one day he was asked to escort some V.I.P.s to Haridwar and Rishikesh. He visited Sivananda Ashram and was told that Swami Sivananda was resting and he wouldn't be able to meet him. Shortly after, Sivananda unexpectedly came out. He looked at Parthasarathy and said, "So. You have come!"

Sivananda put him to work immediately: kitchen, temple, office, and printing press.  After that he became the "right hand" of Swami Sivananda, working on the Master's books, answering many of the Master's letters, and generally helping in the Master's day to day activities. In 1963, Swamiji was sent to South Africa. During his years there, his fame as a riveting speaker grew and speaking invitations begain to pour in. Soon these engagements began propelling him around the world.  By the early 1970s, he rarely stayed in one place more than several weeks. While his passport disclosed that Rishikesh was his home,  his constant travelling freed him from the trials and tribulations of becoming a leader of spiritual organization. As some of us noted, moving from place to place all the time certainly made it extraodinarily difficult for anyone to "follow him."  And so, it could be said that his constant traveling  afforded him the distinct benefit of being able to focus upon various projects (chief among them, his translation of The Yoga Vasistha and other scriptures).  It might also be noted that this constant traveling allowed him to successfully avoid, as he called it, "the guru business" entirely!

Source : http://swamivenkatesananda.org/introduction