Om Namo Bhagavade Sivanandaya!

The launch of the 41-day Sri Hanuman Chalisa took place on Thursday, 30 July via online audio stream. Beloved Pujya Swami Sahajananda encouraged all to recite the Sri Hanuman Chalisa for protection, safety, peace and the welfare of the world. In this critical period, collective recital of the Sri Hanuman Chalisa will assist in counteracting the scourges of our times. A verse in the Sri Hanuman Chalisa tells us of the power of the Sri Hanuman Chalisa in assisting the world, Naashai Roga Harai Saba Peera Japata Nirantara Hanumata Beera, which translated means, "All diseases are destroyed and pain and sorrow vanish when your great and powerful Name is repeated incessantly".

We are most grateful to the more than 460 devotees who have pledged to participate in the 41-day recital, and encourage others to join in. Several participants are from across the globe. This 41-day Sadhana is an offering to Sri Hanuman and our Divine Master and will culminate on Tuesday, 8 September, which is the 133rd Birth Anniversary of beloved Gurudev, Sri Swami Sivananda.

“If you find humility, that is a sign of a Yogi, and he must be compassionate. His heart should melt like butter when he sees the sufferings of others. If he finds a starving man, and if he has got a tumbler of milk, he will run to him and give it to him. Of all the qualities that are enumerated in the Gita, humility and compassion are the most important. He who possesses these qualities is a Yogi of the first order. These are the test of a Jivanmukta. So, we all pray for his health, long life, peace and prosperity. Such a person is a rare jewel on this earth. He who is not free from selfishness is a burden on earth, but when he becomes selfless and works for relieving the human suffering, when he has dedicated his life for the service of humanity, he is a divine being on earth.” Our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda was paying tribute to Pujya Swami Sahajananda on 10 April 1956, on the auspicious occasion of Pujya Swamiji’s initiation into the holy order of Sannyas. This message will go down as one of the keynote messages in the history of the Society.

And now, 64 years later, on 10 July 2020, as we celebrate Pujya Swamiji’s 95th Birth Anniversary via online audio Satsang, we reflect upon these qualities that the Master had enumerated and pray that we too, will one day imbibe these divine qualities. Pujya Swamiji was an exceptional Being. The great faith and devotion that he had in the Divine Master, was second to none. He did not question the Master but carried out his instructions implicitly. It is this faith, devotion and obedience that contributed to the growth and development of the Society. It is this faith, devotion and obedience that we should all aspire for.