Jnana guru Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna (, ; 1872–1964) was a 20th-century spiritual master, a śivajnani and anatha siddhar revered by Hindus, however he had a number of Catholic and Buddhist devotees as well. He was 161st Jagadacharya of the Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara. Yogaswami was trained in and practiced Kundalini yoga under the guidance of Satguru Chellappaswami, from whom he received guru diksha (initiation). Biography Yogaswami was born near the Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, in 1872. He was a Hindu named Sadasivan but would later attend St Patrick's College, Jaffna. His mother died before he turned 10 years old and his aunt and uncle took the responsibility of raising him. As a young adult, Yogaswami vowed to practice celibacy and renounced a place in his father's business, as he could not spare time to meditate and study the scriptures. In 1889, Swami Vivekananda visited Jaffna and made a deep impression on the 18-year-old yogi. During his visit, a large crowd took him in festive procession along Colombuthurai Road. As he got near the illuppai tree (honey tree) - which Yogaswami later performed his tapas under - Vivekananda stopped the procession and disembarked from his carriage. He explained that this was sacred ground and that he preferred to walk past it. He described the area around the tree as an "oasis in the desert." The next day, Yogaswami attended Vivekananda's public speech. Vivekananda began his address with "The time is short but the subject is vast." This statement went deep into Yogaswami's mind. He repeated it like a mantra to himself and spoke it to devotees throughout his life. Around 1890, Yogaswami found a job as a storekeeper for an irrigation project in Kilinochchi. Here, he lived like a yogi, often meditating all night long. He demanded utter simplicity and purity of himself, as he would later of his devotees. In 1905, Yogaswami found his guru Sage Chellappan outside Nallur Temple. As he walked along the road, Chellappaswami shouted loudly, "Hey! Who are you? There is not one wrong thing! It is what it is! Who knows?" Suddenly everything vanished in a sea of light for the young yogi. At a later encounter in a festival crowd, Chellappaswami ordered him, "Go within; meditate; stay here until I return." He came back three days later to find Yogaswami still waiting for his master. Soon afterwards, Yogaswami gave up his