Swami Kriyananda receives two awards, including the “keys to the city” of Rome

May 18, 2007, in Italy

At the conclusion of the launch for The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, the government of Rome presented Swami Kriyananda with the “medaglia Giulio Cesare” (the Julius Caesar Medal), a medallion which is conferred as the greatest honor to heads of State. Symbolically it represents “the keys of the city.”

That night he also received the “Premio Ponte 2007 del Consorzio Per i Libri” (the 2007 Bridge Award of the Consortium for Books) for his role in promoting unity and dialogue between cultures, and as a spokesman in the meeting of East and West.

The award, translated, reads:

“…[Swami Kriyananda has given] all his life and his work to the service of others, creating a bridge between philosophy and practicality, science and religion, social duties and inner well-being, East and West….

“For sixty years he has also affirmed the principles of the union between East and west, spreading throughout the entire world the ancient principles of Yoga and the spiritual teachings of the highest Indian tradition of Self-realization, making them practical and at the same available to people of every social level, and applicable in every area of daily life.”