The 61st Mahasamadhi of Sri Swami Sivananda according to the Sanskrit calendar was observed at Sivanandashram, Reservoir Hills, on Monday, 29 July 2024. Ganga Arati commenced at 5.30pm followed by Satsang. The Satsang programme comprised Kirtans, Bhajans, a reading and an audio message by Sri Swami Sahajananda. Amongst the singers was Smt Mahenthri Pillay, a long-standing devotee, now resident in Abu Dhabi.
Sri N. Anathanarayanan, author of From Man to Godman, captured intimate glimpses of Sri Gurudev’s last days. He said, “At about 9pm, an electric massage was administered. The machine made a croaking noise. The Master commented, ‘You see, frog is crying’! People around were grieved over the Master's health, but could not help letting out a smile at his remark. Just then a close disciple of the Master came in. He was bare above the waist, and his bulging stomach showed to prominence. The Master saw him and exclaimed jocularly, ‘Oh! Put the machine on his belly’! His mood turned a little serious, however, when the doctors began to apply the electric massage to his face. Overtired as he was, he said, ‘Enough, enough’! The attitude of the Master at that moment revealed extreme dispassion. He wanted nothing. After all, what could all the doctors in the world do when the call had come to him? … He lay on his bed totally relaxed like a child, tapping the pillow with the fingers of his right hand. Or he moved his right palm lightly over his stomach in gentle circles. He had nothing to accomplish now; his work was over”.
On the morning of 14 July 1963, close devotees were at the Master’s bedside. As sick as he was, the Master was concerned that all inmates should take their meals, indicative of his love unto the last moments.
In the Master’s conversation with Colonel Puri who examinedhim on the morning of 14 July 1963, the doctor assured the Master that he will be well, to which the Master replied, “Yes, I must. I have many things to do.” This is prophetic, as the Master’s teachings and legacies live on decades after his Mahasamadhi. Indeed, he continues to do his work even to this day.
The Master’s last moments, as captured by Ananthanarayanan, leave one with a sense of desolation. He said, “After the doctor had left, and before he could take his own food, the Master developed fever and began to shiver. The breathing hardened. He took two or three spoonsful of Horlicks, and at about 3pm asked for water. As was the usual practice, the disciples wanted to give him barley water or jeera water, but he wished to have Ganges water, pure and simple. The water was brought. The Master, who had experienced difficulty in taking the smallest quantity of solid or liquid, gulped down half a glassful of Ganges water without apparent trouble-and with that the Being that was Swami Sivananda laid aside its mortal vesture. It was now 11.15pm”.
In Pujya Swamiji’s audio message, he addressed the Master in the first person, saying that the Master’s physical manifestation is filled with divinity, indicative in, “The whole world is really your form”. Pujya Swamiji recounted the Master’s boyhood antics and his love for sport and adventure. He continued, “Shuddhananda Bharatiar said that you are born with the vision of God. You are not born like ordinary people. You are born sage and Siddha”. The Master would run out with his plate of food when he heard the cry of a beggar, indicative of the Master’s compassion and love for the destitute and forlorn. He prostrated at his fencing tutor and garlanded him, when his orthodox parents told him not associate with the low caste tutor. Pujya Swamiji’s concluding remark, “Even from the very early days, God shone through you”, sums up the Master’s munificence.
Sri Gurudev’s words of advice to disciples who survive after their Guru’s passing, is an apt conclusion to this report and pertinent to us all. He said, “A true disciple is one who serves his Guru till the end of his life. If the disciple survives after the Guru leaves his mortal body, he should lead the remaining portion of his life in accordance with his Guru’s teaching and live to preach them to others by practising them himself”.
The majority of us, young and old have had no physical contact with Sri Swami Sivananda. Yet, we marvel at his teachings, relish his spiritual legacy and follow his teachings steadfastly. Is it of wonder, therefore, that generations to come will continue to be inspired by this spiritual dynamo, this silent yet eloquent personality – Sri Swami Sivananda? May we be true disciples who will serve our Master till the end of our lives, and lead the remaining portion of our lives in accordance with our Guru’s teachings, and live to preach them to others, by practising them ourselves.
