Smukti reference table
Spiritual gurus
Remember the teachers whose lives shaped modern Hindu thought. Birth anniversaries and mahasamadhi remembrances are also surfaced in each year and month of the calendar.
Nineteen figures, many paths
Teachers and dates
These figures taught through devotion, self-enquiry, meditation, service, or synthesis. “Unknown” and “Living” are retained where a date is not established or the teacher is alive.
| Spiritual figure | Primary path | Birth date | Mahasamadhi date | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa | Bhakti | February 18, 1836 | August 16, 1886 | A 19th-century mystic from Bengal who taught that all religions are valid paths to the same ultimate reality, through his own ecstatic devotion to the Divine Mother. |
 Swami Vivekananda | Jnana | January 12, 1863 | July 4, 1902 | Ramakrishna’s chief disciple who introduced Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world at the 1893 Parliament of Religions and founded the Ramakrishna Mission. |
 Ramana Maharshi | Jnana | December 30, 1879 | April 14, 1950 | The revered sage of Arunachala who taught self-enquiry — asking “Who am I?” — as a direct, silent path to liberation. |
 Paramahansa Yogananda | Kriya / Raja | January 5, 1893 | March 7, 1952 | Author of Autobiography of a Yogi who established the Self-Realization Fellowship and brought Kriya Yoga to an international audience. |
 Lahiri Mahasaya | Kriya / Raja | September 30, 1828 | September 26, 1895 | A householder yogi who revived the esoteric breathing science of Kriya Yoga and passed it through the lineage that eventually included Yogananda. |
 Anandamayi Ma | Bhakti | April 30, 1896 | August 27, 1982 | A widely venerated Bengali mystic known for her joyful spiritual state, spontaneous wisdom, and devotional love. |
 Narayana Guru | Karma | August 20, 1856 | September 20, 1928 | A Kerala reformer and spiritual leader who challenged caste hierarchy and advocated “One Caste, One Religion, One God for All.” |
 Osho (Rajneesh) | Kriya / Raja | December 11, 1931 | January 19, 1990 | A controversial and influential mystic who created Dynamic Meditation and combined Eastern mysticism with Western psychology. |
 Neem Karoli Baba | Bhakti | Unknown (c. 1900) | September 11, 1973 | Known as Maharaj-ji, he taught devotion through feeding people, loving everyone, chanting the name of Ram, and serving others. |
 A.C.B. Swami Prabhupada (ISKCON) | Bhakti | September 1, 1896 | November 14, 1977 | The founder of ISKCON who brought Gaudiya Vaishnava devotion and the practice of chanting the Maha Mantra to a global audience. |
 Shirdi Sai Baba | Karma | Unknown (c. 1838) | October 15, 1918 | A mendicant master revered by Hindus and Muslims who taught love, forgiveness, charity, and that everyone’s Master is One. |
 Sathya Sai Baba | Karma | November 23, 1926 | April 24, 2011 | A major spiritual figure based in Puttaparthi whose movement centred on truth, right conduct, peace, love, and large philanthropic projects. |
 Sri Aurobindo | Integral / Synthesis | August 15, 1872 | December 5, 1950 | A former nationalist who developed Integral Yoga, a path aimed at the evolution of human consciousness and the transformation of life. |
 Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) | Bhakti | September 27, 1953 | Living | Known as the “Hugging Saint,” she leads a global humanitarian network grounded in divine love and selfless service. |
 Jiddu Krishnamurti | Jnana | May 11, 1895 | February 17, 1986 | A teacher of radical psychological observation who dissolved the organisation built around him and called truth a pathless land. |
 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi | Kriya / Raja | January 12, 1918 | February 5, 2008 | The founder of Transcendental Meditation, who helped bring mantra meditation into the mainstream Western world. |
 Swami Sivananda | Integral / Synthesis | September 8, 1887 | July 14, 1963 | A doctor turned renunciate who founded the Divine Life Society, authored extensively, and taught a synthesis of service, love, meditation, and knowledge. |
 Swami Chinmayananda | Jnana | May 8, 1916 | August 3, 1993 | A teacher of Advaita Vedanta who founded the Chinmaya Mission and brought the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita to public study. |
 Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev) | Kriya / Raja | September 3, 1957 | Living | The founder of the Isha Foundation, blending structured yogic practices with modern public teaching and environmental campaigns. |
Return to the calendar to see these annual anniversaries alongside Hindu festivals and observances.