The founder of the Chinmaya Mission was Swami Chinmayananda. His focus was on the balance between head and heart, and he expressed the importance of selfless work, study, and meditation in spirituality. He helped to share the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta with India, and left behind many videos, audio recordings, and written documents to teach future generations about its principles.
Swami Tapovan Maharaj was the guru of Swami Chinmayanada. A Himalayan hermit, he dedicated himself to spiritual life at an early age. He was a talented linguist and mastered the languages of Malayalam and Sanskrit. Swami Tapovan Maharaj is renowned for his wisdom, compassion, and poetry.
The current swami of Chinmaya Mission West is Swami Tejomayananda, who served as a spiritual teacher with the organization before becoming swami. He uses his knowledge of Vedanta and talent with language to translate spiritual writings from Chinmayanada and to compose hymns and devotional songs.