Our Guides
Shri Vivek Gupta
Recognized as a singular voice among contemporary spiritual teachers, Shri Vivek Gupta invites people of all ages to pursue lives of purpose and independent joy. Over the last fifteen years, Vivekji’s unique blend of formal monastic training with the hard-earned wisdom of life experience has made philosophy relevant and reachable across cultures and generations.
He is relatable and engaging precisely because he understands where we come from. Despite following society’s rubric for success like many of us — first attending a prestigious business school and later managing a multimillion-dollar business — Vivekji found himself profoundly dissatisfied. Driven to seek more from life, he joined Chinmaya Mission’s residential monastery in India, where he lived and studied as a monk for more than two years under the spiritual master, Swami Tejomayananda.
Having discovered that the only purpose of life is to be independently joyous, Vivekji continues to share his insights on this unifying and universal vision through weekly courses, interactive workshops, and international retreats. Also trained as a Hindu chaplain, he has spoken at events at the Pentagon, Amazon, Intel, and numerous universities across the U.S. and Canada, including Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Case Western University.
His dynamic talks reach audiences through a multiplicity of mediums. Live Vedanta, his podcast of over 250 episodes, has reached seekers in 157 countries with over 210,000 downloads since its introduction in 2018. Similarly, his talks on the Chinmaya Mission Niagara YouTube channel, with over 157,000 views, deliver insights on practical self-development for all demographics. Under Shri Vivek’s inclusive leadership, Chinmaya Mission Niagara have contributed more than $850,000 to diverse local, regional, and global philanthropy efforts since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020.
Shri Vivek is the author of two books, most recently The Seeker’s Wordbook (2021), which is considered an indispensable introduction to 100 core concepts of meaningful living. Individuals around the world tune in for his daily Meaningful Mornings sessions on Facebook and Instagram, which explore timeless insights in unforgettable 15-minute doses. Vivekji currently serves as the spiritual guide of Chinmaya Mission Niagara Falls; he has also started centres in London and Cleveland and supported centres in Albany and Pittsburgh.
Vivekji lives in Niagara Falls, Canada, with his wife, Sheela, and their two children.
Shri Vijay Gupta
Born and raised in India, Shri Vijay completed a degree in Science from Kanpur University. Moving to Canada in 1974 he slowly established himself as a successful entrepreneur. His life changed after attending a Chinmaya Mission Camp in 1995, particularly listening to Pujya Swami Tejomayananda. Soon after Shri Vijay began attending Dharma Sevaka Courses and inspired to share his inspiration, initiated Study Groups and Bala Vihar® in his home.
In 2010 Shri Vijay partially attended the Residential Vedanta Course in Piercy. And in 2014 joined the Residential Vedanta Course in Sidhabari. Studying in Hindi for 2 1/2 years under Pujya Swami Tejomayananda, Pujya Swami Subodhananda and Pujya Swami Gangeshananda, Shri Vijay is now posted at CM in London.
With over 6 weekly study classes for adults including Bhagavad Gita, Meditation and Upanishad classes and Jnana Yajnas, Shri Vijay has dedicated his life to sharing the knowledge of Vedanta. Through compassion and love for his students, Shri Vijay has transformed numerous lives by making Vedanta relatable and practical. Shri Vijay currently leads the Vanaprastha segment of our CommUnity.
Shri Shashikala Dwarkanath
Shri Shashikala Dwarkanath, the person behind Chinmaya Mission Boston, one of New England’s largest spiritual centers, has played a vital role in the lives of thousands of people in the area. She was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 by INDIA New England News, one of the nation’s largest print, online and video magazines covering the Indian and South Asian community.
She is an accomplished doctor, an excellent mother, a very supporting spouse, a community leader and more intensely seeking the very purpose of life. She is one of the most complete human beings in our community, inspiring hundreds and thousands of young and grown up adults with her calming presence. She currently leads our Devis in our CommUnity.
Shri Suman Rajupet
Having grown up always hearing from his parents, “we want you to be happy, we want you to be independent,” Suman strove to do just that in all the ways society and the world had to offer. Leaving medical school in hopes of achieving more fulfillment through a career in IT, Suman found himself still wanting, wondering what it meant to be truly happy, truly independent. It was clear happiness was what everyone desired for themselves and each other, but it remained ever elusive.
It was then that Suman went to his first Satsang in Pittsburgh, PA and met Shri Vivek Gupta, who shared with him the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta. Convinced and compelled that he, too, could experience this for himself, Suman joined the two-year residential Vedanta course under the guidance of Pujya Swami Prakashananda at Chinmaya Mission’s ashram in Trinidad & Tobago.
Returning in 2018, Suman now lives in Providence RI, where he works full-time as an Information Technology Manager. He serves Chinmaya Mission Niagara and Cleveland through various classes and study groups, traveling every opportunity he gets to share the message that gave his life meaning: that perpetual, independent joy is one’s nature.
Shri Shankar Rajupet
Shankar Rajupet was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. He was a senior pursuing an undergraduate degree in Economics, just trying to figure out his way through life when he was first introduced to the simple, yet most profound teaching of Vedanta. Shankar was told that there exists a permanent state of independent joy accessible to all. This one idea took hold of his mind and completely reshaped his priorities.
If such a state is truly possible to reach, what other pursuit could possibly take precedent? In an effort to abide in this state of independent joy, he sought to gain clarity in understanding this Supreme Knowledge by studying in a Vedanta course under a guru. At an ashram in Trinidad and Tobago he studied the Hindu scriptures for two years under the guidance of Swami Prakashananda. After recently completing the course in November of 2018 he is now studying and teaching in the Pittsburgh area.
