Chinna Jeeyar (born 3 November 1956), more formally known as Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar Swami, is a

Thenkalai Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vi ...

Sri Vaishnava Sri Vaishnavism () is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, predominantly practiced in South India. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god V ...

Indian religious guru and yogi ascetic known for his spiritual discourses and the propagation of Ramanuja

Vishishtadvaita Vishishtadvaita (IAST '; ) is a school of Hindu philosophy belonging to the Vedanta tradition. Vedanta refers to the profound interpretation of the Vedas based on Prasthanatrayi. Vishishta Advaita, meaning "non-duality with distinctions", is a ...

darshana In Indian religions, a ''darshan'' (Sanskrit: दर्शन, ; 'showing, appearance, view, sight') or ''darshanam'' is the auspicious sight of a deity or a holy person. The term also refers to any one of the six traditional schools of Hind ...

. He operates spiritual centers in India and the US. He is the designer and planner of the Statue of Equality, a statue dedicated to

Ramanuja Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

charya, in

Hyderabad, India Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. Recently, he has also unveiled the Statue of Union, a 90ft statue of Hanuman, located in Sugar Land,TX. He is also guiding Telangana State Government in the renovation of Yadadri Temple. He is one of the few Jiyars who accepts disciples irrespective of their castes.

Early life

Chinna Jeeyar Swami was born in Arthmuru near

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry ( ), officially Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and district headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the fifth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the district of Rajahmu ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

, in a traditional vedic family. His grandfather, Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Jeeyar, also known as Pedda Jeeyar Swami, mentored him and he was educated and trained by several scholars in Sri Vaishnava

Sampradaya ''Sampradaya'' (/ səmpɾəd̪ɑjə/,; ), in Indian-origin religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, can be translated as 'tradition', 'spiritual lineage', 'sect', or 'religious system'. To ensure continuity and transmissi ...

. He mastered many

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

works and other

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

scriptures, including

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

Itihasa In Hinduism, Itihasa-Purana, also called the fifth Veda, refers to the traditional accounts of cosmogeny, myths, royal genealogies of the lunar dynasty and solar dynasty, and legendary past events, as narrated in the ''Itihasa'' (Mahabhara ...

and

Naalayira Divya Prabandham The Naalayira Divya Prabandham () is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by the 12 Alvars. It was compiled in its present form by Nāthamuni during the 9th–10th centuries. The work, an important liturgical compilation of the Tamil ...

. At the age of 23, he took the oath to become a

Sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), '' grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprastha ...

. In 1981, after the death of H. H. Pedda Jeeyar Swamiji, he assumed leadership and became the head of Srimad Ubhaya Vedantha Acharya Peetam, Nadigaddapalem. 12BCM11

Later life

Chinna Jeeyar Swami founded the Jeeyar Educational Trust (JET), with branches in places such as Hyderabad, Chennai, and the United States, to help educate students in Vedic tradition. His schools are open to everyone. In addition, he is known for his performance of Vedic rituals of peace and harmony. He speaks multiple languages and provides religious discourses in simple words. He has performed thousands of

Samashrayana The samashrayana () or the panchasamskara () is a Hindu sacrament generally associated with the Sri Vaishnava tradition. It consists of five rites of initiation performed by a shishya (disciple) to be formally initiated into the tradition by an ac ...

. His understanding of kainkarya includes modern social services such as schools for tribals and homes for the elderly, orphans, handicapped and destitute. Further, he supports rural development, science and technology schools as well as the introduction of computers for the study of Vedas. He has been visiting the United States since 1994, where he taught a large number of people and spread the teachings of Sri Vaishnavism. He has also performed

Yajnas In Hinduism, ''Yajna'' or ''Yagna'' (, ɐd͡ʒɲə ) also known as Hawan, is a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature called Brahmanas, as well a ...

in United States, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Canada. In December 2013, Jeeyar endorsed the

Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is a student organization in India, registered as a Non-governmental organization (NGO) in 1949. It's a significant student union with over 5 million members, making it one of the largest student or ...

(ABVP) student organization for instilling patriotism in students and encouraging them to learn about Indian culture. He claimed Indian culture would remain unchanged if students are acquainted with a comprehensive understanding of the country's history. He expressed the view that students play a critical role in a country's development. Jeeyar was invited by the

Government of Andhra Pradesh The Government of Andhra Pradesh, abbreviated as GoAP, is the Administrative division, state government and the administrative body responsible for the governance of the States of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati is the capital ...

to assist in organizing the

Godavari Maha Pushkaram Godavari Maha Pushkaram () was a Hindu festival held from 14 July to 25 July 2015. This festival occurs once every 144 years, corresponding to the 12th recurrence of the 12-year Godavari Pushkaram cycle. The festival starts from the Ashadha ( ...

(river festivals) in July 2015. He has spoken at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

about

Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

Awards

* 2023 –

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeeyar, Chinna Indian Hindu monks 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians Hindu revivalists Living people Telugu people People from East Godavari district People from Andhra Pradesh 1956 births Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in other fields