Divine Life Society of S.A. celebrated its 72nd anniversary online on Monday, 18 October, 2021.

Readers would be interested to read the background to the celebrations.Our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda instructed Pujya Swami Sahajananda, then Srinivasan Naidoo, on 3 separate occasions to establish a branch of Divine Life Society in South Africa. These instructions were on 5 June 1949, 18 October 1949 and 11 November 1949. Pujya Swamiji therefore celebrated the Anniversary on all three dates each year. On this occasion, we pay special tribute to our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda, for his vision in establishing his mission in this country.We also offer humble obeisance and gratitude to Pujya Swami Sahajananda who led Divine Life Society of S.A. with distinction since its inception in 1949. The Society's phenomenal growth, success, its moral and spiritual endeavours, service activities and its humanitarian initiatives, are attributed to the boundless Grace of our Divine Master and Pujya Swamiji.

Our Divine Master states, "The central purpose of existence is to recognise your eternal identity with the Supreme Spirit. It is to grow into the image of the Divine. The Supreme One embodies the highest perfection. It is spotless purity. To recognise your identity with That, to attain union with That, is verily to grow into the very likeness of the Divine. The aspirant, therefore, as his initial step, has to get rid of all the countless impurities, and the demoniacal elements that have come to cling to him in his embodied state. Then he has to acquire lofty virtues and auspicious, divine qualities. Thus purified, knowledge flashes upon him like the brilliant rays of the sun upon the crystal waters of a perfectly calm lake. This process demands a resolute will, determined effort, and arduous struggle. In other words, strength and infinite power are the prime necessity. Thus, it is the Divine Mother who has to operate through the aspirant".

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On Friday, 10 September 2021, Divine Life Society of S.A. celebrated online, one of the most popular Hindu Festivals, Sri Ganesha Chaturthi. Our online Satsang commenced with Ganga Arati at 5.30pm followed by Satsang.Sri Ganesha is the Power that removes obstacles by the force of Knowledge. Sri Ganesha, among other things, is the Devata of spiritual Knowledge. Sages say that because Lord Ganesha removes all the obstacles on the path of the spiritual aspirant, and bestows upon him worldly as well as spiritual success, He is called Vigna Vinayaka.

The celebration on 8 September 2021began online from 5 - 6am witha short invocation and the chanting of the Sri Hanuman Chalisa, 11 times, being the culmination of the 41-day Vrata. We must note that beloved Pujya Swami Sahajananda had encouraged all to recite the Sri Hanuman Chalisa daily for protection, safety, peace and the welfare of the world. In this critical period faced by the world at large, collective recital of the Sri Hanuman Chalisa will assist in counteracting the scourges of our times. In view of the life-threatening coronavirus pandemic and instability still prevailing, we urge all to continue reciting the Sri Hanuman Chalisa as often as possible

While chanting, devotees respectfully paid homage to our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda, who "by his dedicated life of selfless service and artless love, proved to a sceptic world the infinite potentialities that lay hidden in every human soul. He was a living embodiment of the Gita, the Koran, and all the Gospels of the world. His word was love. His deed was love. His every thought was tinged with mercy and compassion". These moving words were extracted from Sri Ananthanarayanan's book, From Man to God-man.