Many tributes were paid on both days to honour and thank Pujya Swamiji for his inestimable contribution to the country. We produce herewith an excerpt of a tribute received on 11 December 2007, which was read on the evening of 10 December 2015, “All work that Pujya Swamiji did was an offering to God. And, as an offering, it had to be thorough, perfect, immaculate and meticulous. His capacity for work was exceptional, often working through lunch and dinner, without respite.”
On this most sacred day it was also a fitting tribute to Pujya Swamiji for the Society to release a special edition of Secrets to Good Health. Pujya Swamiji laid great emphasis on Health & Diet, Nature Cure, Ayurveda and certain tonics which, taken as a food supplement help to tone, build, energise and rejuvenate the body. Without good health, one will not be able to do rigorous Sadhana, said Pujya Swamiji.The booklet also contains sections on the benefits of Yoga Asanas and Reflexology. Secrets to Good Health has been reprinted for the first time since Pujya Swamiji’s Mahasamadhi in 2007. It is hoped that devotees would purchase many copies and give them out as gifts during this festive period.
In Pujya Swamiji’s audio message, Pujya Swamiji said that a stage has come when he encouraged devotees to use their free will. Whenever they came to him for permission to undertake a task, he would readily give consent. If they told Pujya Swamiji that they decided not to go ahead with some task or the other, then too, he would instantly agree. It was thus likely that he was preparing them to make such decisions in his absence.
Further to the quotation in the first paragraph, we are happy to state again that the Spiritual Darlings of Sivananda Sunday School (Reservoir Hills) delivered a well-received power-point presentation on the life of Pujya Swamiji. They said, “Swamiji worked tirelessly to the last days of his life to spread the teachings of our Divine Master. Swamiji had many great skills such as being an expert editor, typesetter, printer and book binder. Today Gurudev’s books distributed by Swamiji has helped numerous lives in tough times and helped them live a better and more Divine Life.”
Readers will be pleased to note that through the Grace and blessings of our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda, and beloved Pujya Swami Sahajananda, the first livestream Satsang was launched on Thursday, 10th December 2015, to commemorate the sacred 8th Mahasamadhi Anniversary of beloved Pujya Swamiji. For newcomers to this concept, live-streaming entails the broadcast of a live video and audio feed from an event, enabling a worldwide audience to view and hear the event via the medium of the World Wide Web. Below are some of the experiences received from two devotees currently residing the United Arab Emirates:
The live stream Satsang on Pujya Swamiji’s Mahasamadhi Day was a great and an innovative idea. It was very much appreciated by devotees who could not be present. It was emotional and heart warming to experience the vibrations from thousands of kilometres away. I look forward to more live-streams or edited highlights of Satsangs in the future.
– Devotee from Abu Dhabi
I've been living in the UAE for just over 3 months and during this period I have not attended any Satsangs or prayer services as it is very difficult to find places of worship for a Hindu in the UAE. In South Africa I would attend Ashram more than once a week, so for me to not be attending any Satsang feels as if something is missing. The live streaming of the Satsang on the 10 December 2015 was one of the most amazing experiences. I felt spiritually uplifted and complete. It was an emotional but spiritually elevating experience to watch Satsang live and be a part of it. It makes me happy and content knowing that I will not miss out on the spiritual benefits of Satsang and that I will be a part of big functions and celebrations that take place at DLS SA in future.
– Devotee from Fujairah
As this is our pilot study, we will make further improvements in our next live streaming.
On Monday, 14 December, letters from the Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda to Pujya Swamiji were read. In a letter dated 23 December 1956, the Master wrote, “Each one of you is a real gem, blessed and chosen by the Lord for the spread of His Gospel of Divine Life.” The final letter from the Master to Pujya Swamiji was dated 30 January 1963. The Master concluded this letter with these words “May the Divine Life tree planted by you in South Africa spread its protecting wings to all towns and villages of the country!”
In the audio message on 14 December, Pujya Swamiji exhorted us not to have any fear of death. “As long as you can remember Gurudev and call for him at the time of death, he will be there to make the transition smooth.” Pujya Swamiji went on to say that the period between death and rebirth can be anything from a few weeks to 200 years. “If you meditate a lot, then you can have a conscious death, like the Yogis. I would also like to have a conscious death. I would like to see how the soul passes out of the body”, said Pujya Swamiji.
In a tribute to Pujya Swamiji, the youth boys prepared a dialogue which focused on Guru Bhakti Yoga, which Pujya Swamiji advocated to devotees to follow. It was the cornerstone of Pujya Swamiji’s spiritual life. About Guru Bhakti Yoga, our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda wrote, “It is a Yoga eminently suited for this age of doubt and scepticism, pride and egoism. It is a decided and established conclusion that a Guru is absolutely essential for spiritual progress. However, change of your nature and God-realisation cannot come to you as a miracle done by your Guru”. Our youth boys elaborated further by quoting the Master, “Guru’s Grace is very necessary. That does not mean the disciple should sit idle. He must do rigorous spiritual practices”.
The DVD on Pujya Swamiji brought back fond memories. Devotees were touched to see and listen to Pujya Swamiji talk on the growth and development of the Ashram.
It is 8 years since Pujya Swamiji attained Mahasamadhi. The time has come now, as a fitting gift to this great spiritual being, for us to take a spiritual leap forward, to call for Guru’s Grace and make a concerted effort to change our natures in our quest to conquer the lower mind, enjoy peace of mind and perhaps one day have the stupendous experience of the bliss of God-realisation. Even if this takes many births, we have made the start!
