Background

One regular course of Post Graduate degree in Yoga in Odisha was the dream of Dr. Prasanta Kumar Pradhan, IAS (Retd.), founder President of Viswa Seva Sangha Trust, (Viswast) Nuapada, Deogarh District, Odisha. Accordingly, the founder President of the Trust discussed with the then Registrar, Utkal University of Culture, Sri Balakrishna Behera, IAS. Accordingly, a new syllabus of M.A. in Yoga was approved by the Utkal University of Culture for the first time in the year 2003. A proposal was submitted to Commissioner-cum- Secretary, Culture Department, Government of Odisha to issue No Objection Certificate to establish a M.A. in Yoga College in Bhubaneswar. The Government of Odisha in Culture Department was kind enough to issue NOC in favour of the Educational Agency, Viswa Seva Sangha Trust, Nuapada, Deogarh. Accordingly, the Viswa Seva Sangha Trust submitted its application to the Utkal University of Culture to establish its M.A. in Yoga College in the honour of H.H. Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, Founder President, International Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, Himalayas, Uttarkhand, India and named as “Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Academy (SYVA)”. In course of time various authorities changed but ultimately the institution got its affiliation vide order No. 636 dated 25.03.2015 due to positive support of the then Registrar Dr. S.K. Das, the then Controller of Examinations Dr. M.K. Panigrahi, the then Vice Chancellor of Utkal University of Culture, Prof. Debendra Nath Jena and Dr. Arabinda Padhi, the then Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Culture Department, Government of Odisha. The institution got permission to start admission from the academic session 2015-16 with an intake capacity of 60 students.

In its long process of effort we acknowledge the contribution and blessing of H.H. Swami Nirliptananda Saraswati Ji Maharaj, Vice President, International Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, Himalayas, India, H.H. Swami Padmanavananda Saraswati Ji Maharaj, General Secretary, International Divine Life Society, H.H. Swami Sivachidananda Saraswati ji Maharaj, H.H. Swami Dharma Prakashananda Saraswati Ji Maharaj, Swami Santananda Saraswati Ji Maharaj, International Divine Life Society, Rishikesh and Sri Udaya Nath Mohanty, OES (I) Retd., Reader in Sanskrit, Dr. Dinesh Prasad Swain, Ms. Bishnupriya Acharya, Yoga Expert, Late Kali Charan Samantary, Secretary Biju Patnaik Computer Academy, Sri Pabitra Routray, CMD, Sri Krishna Group of Companies, Nayapalli. We express our deep gratitude to all of them.

Swami Sivananda Saraswati

The institution is dedicated in the honour of “Param Gurudev” and the great propagator of Yoga in Modern age. The book of ‘Yoga Asanas” was first printed by H.H. Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj in the year 1931 and recently 14th edition of the book is reprinted. A small biography as published in the cover page of the above book by International Divine Life Society is extracted below:

“Born on the 8th September 1887, in the illustrious family of Sage Appayya Dikshitar and several other renowned saints and savants, Sri Swami Sivananda had a natural flair for a life devoted to the study and practice of Vedanta. Added to this was an inborn eagerness to serve all and an innate feeling of unity with all mankind.

His passion for service drew him to the medical career; and soon he gravitated to where he thought that his service was most needed. Malaya claimed him. He had earlier been editing a Health Journal and wrote extensively on health problems. He discovered that people needed right knowledge most of all; dissemination of that knowledge, he espoused as his own mission. It was divine dispensation and the blessing of God upon mankind that the doctor of body and mind renounced his career and took a life of renunciation to qualify himself for ministering to the soul of man. He settled down at Rishikesh in 1924, practiced intense austerities and shone as a great Yogi, Saint, Sage and Jivanmukta. In 1932 Swami Sivanandaji started the Sivanandashram. In 1936, was born ‘The Divine Live Society’. In 1948 the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy was organized. Dissemination of spiritual knowledge and training of people in Yoga and Vedanta were their aim and object. In 1950 Swamiji undertook a lightning tour of India and Ceylon. In 1953 Swamiji convened a “World Parliament of Religions”. Swamiji is the author of over 300 volumes and has disciples all over the world, belonging to all nationalities, religions and creeds. To read Swamiji’s works is to drink at the fountain of wisdom Supreme. On 14th July, 1963 Swamiji entered Mahasamadhi”.