vidyadharaSwami Santatmananda is a monk of the Hindu monastic order and a renowned teacher of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. He has been a Trustee and Acharya with the Arsha Vidya Pitham, Rishikesh since 2007, after completing a rigorous training program with Swami Paramarthananda and Swami Dayananda Saraswati from 2003 – 2006 in Sanskrit and Vedanta.
A chemical and software engineer by profession Swamiji was prompted to become a seeker as he accompanied his mother to lectures by Swami Paramarthananda, a popular and highly respected teacher in Advaita philosophy. Thereafter he completed a PhD in Philosophy, winning the best PhD award for his dissertation comparing Visishtadvaita and Advaita philosophies.
A many-splendoured sage, Swamiji has travelled and taught in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, Romania, among many others. A recipient of various awards and recognitions including being appointed as the Ambassador for Munikereti – Rishikesh for Swach Bharat Mission and receiving the Prestigious State Award for Acharya from the Chief Minister Of Uttarakhand, India, 2015, Consultant to International Yoga Festival, GMVN Uttarkhand Government Festival Content Advisor to World Yoga Festival, London, Swamiji’s heart lies in the upliftment of the downtrodden in society by means of securing their education and health.
Swamiji is the prime mover of Vidyadhara Educational and Charitable Trust and inspires the other Trustees to create and maintain momentum in the pursuit of the Trust’s mission.