Swami Premananda - Life story

Swami Premananda > Life story > Swamiji's family

left to right : Uncle Mayilvahanam, Jothy Vahanam, Mother, Sri Kumar, Sivanesa Selvi, Uncle Ponnudurai, nephew Prakash, Swamiji, Nanda Kumar, Vinayakar Soundary (Babbakka). In foreground : Sundari, wife of Nanda with their first child. The small boy is nephew, Arun

Swamiji's family members in 1993

SWAMIJI'S FAMILY

Although Swamiji was born in Sri Lanka, his origins are in the heart of Tamil Nadu, India. Swamiji's paternal great grandfather was called Ganapathy Pillai and he lived with his wife in Papanasam, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu. They had four daughters and one boy child, Pakkiriswamy, who migrated to Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon). There he married Thaiyalmuthu Ammal. They had two boys named Ponnudurai and Mayilvahanam and a girl whom they called Pushpakanthi. She married Somasundaram and gave birth to seven children: 1) Vinayakar Soundary 2) Jothy Vahanam 3) Prem Kumar 4) Sivanesa Selvi 5) Nanda Kumar 6) Sri Kumar 7) Priyadarshini.

Mrs. Pushpakanthi Somasundaram (10.3.19 to 25.4.98)

As Swamiji said Himself on her funeral day, she was a great lady. During the last three years she was in poor health and was thinking constantly of Swamiji. Yet, whatever her physical condition, she welcomed everyone who came to see her with a beautiful smile and would always immediately clasp her hands together in namaskaram, the traditional Indian greeting. Since 1995 she gave blessings to hundreds of devotees and the Ashram children at every Ashram function. Ammama was loved by everyone and is sadly missed. A lamp is now burning continuously in her honour and her room is kept, as it was when she was with us. A permanent worship site will be announced by Swamiji.