Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah!
Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!

Namaste!

In Search of Peace
by Sri Swami Yogaswarupananda

A message given for the Seventy-Fifth Birthday Anniversary of Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj

After reading abridged edition of Mahabharata, I too thought of going to Himalayas for Mahaprasthana, to reach heaven like Pandavas to obtain supreme peace. On seeing the railway map that the last station to Himalayas is Rishikesh, travelled by train for four days without food or water as my destination is to reach heaven! On getting down from train at Rishikesh station, neither I could see thick forests, super-human Yogis of Himalayas, nor snow-peaks and all my imaginations vanished with utter disappointment. I decided to return. Suddenly a thought came to my mind to go to Sivanandashram to meet one of my friend who is supposed to stay there and then return to home. Thus I reached Sivanandashram, met Sri Swami Dayanandaji who was sitting near Gurudev’s Kutir and he enquired about the purpose of my visit, offered a cup of tea. Again I was disappointed as I could not meet my old friend also. When I intended to pay for the tea, Dayananda Swamiji bluntly refused to accept and insisted that I should stay for some days, take rest and then return. When I asked how can I stay without any payment for boarding and lodging, Swamiji suggested to serve Gurudev Sivananda and he introduced me to H.H. Revered Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj, who was staying at Gurudev’s Kutir.

On hearing my purpose of visit to Rishikesh, Sri Swami Krishnanandaji felt very happy and advised me to assist him in his correspondence work for some hours in the mornings and help Sri Swami Sharadanandaji, who was in charge of Publication League, during the rest of the day. Sri Swami Sharadanandaji taught me a set of Yogasanas, Pranayamas, etc., and advised to take up classes at Ashram’s Bhajan Hall, daily in the mornings. After some months he left for Gangotri. When I was conducting Yoga classes, one day, a Yoga teacher visited the Ashram, attended the class and asked me a question: “Do you know the Ear of the ear?” When I replied negatively, he said that without knowing It, one should not teach. I went to Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj and narrated my discussion with that Yoga teacher, told Swamiji that henceforth I may not conduct Yoga classes as I do not know the Ear of the ear. Swamiji laughed and said: “You are serving Gurudev’s mission, Guru’s service is God’s service. Isvara, Guru and Atman are one the same. Atman is everything. It is Ear of the ear, Eye of the eye, Upanishads declare the nature of the Self in various ways. You know ‘Tat Twam Asi’—Thou art That Mahavakya and explained relationship of Hanuman to Lord Rama. He narrated an incidence of Ramayana. When all the great warriors like Angada and Hanuman lost hope in discovering the whereabouts of Sita and decided to end their lives as a result of negative thinking and also felt helplessness and weakness to cross the ocean, it is Jambavan who reminded Hanuman about his strength. Hanuman listened, his body started to grow bigger and bigger and stood up like a big mountain and shook of his old passive personality. His entire body became radiant and filled with dynamic energy and crossed the ocean. Swamiji said that esoteric meaning of this incidence of Ramayana is: ”That the Spirit inside of everyone is like Hanuman. Its immense energy has been misused due to ignorance or wrong thinking. That is why everyone is caught up in the world-process and is unaware that the power within oneself is the power of God. The intrinsic reality within all names and forms is Self, the Absolute Brahman or Atman, but somehow that awareness has faded. A fictitious ego developed, declaring, ‘I am this body, etc.’ Because of this there is a great deal of misery and tension in life. But by good company, right thinking, selfless service, you regain your inner spiritual strength of the Self and grow just like Hanuman and cross the ocean of the wheel of births and deaths." Swamiji also said that worshipful Gurudev has given all the essential teachings of scriptures in small phrases: “Serve, Love, Meditate, Realise, Be good, Do Good, Serve all, Love all” and created wonderful atmosphere to grow spiritually. It is by his Grace we are here, he is taking care of us and guiding us in every step of our life. To serve him and his Divine Mission is serving the Lord in all his names and forms. Look at righteous Yudhishthira, even after going to heaven with his physical body, he could not give up his likes and dislikes, hence he could not get the peace of mind. Gurudev often repeated: “Goal of life is Self-realisation or God-realisation.” To realise the Self or God alone we are all doing Seva and Sadhana. Spiritual practice is not merely to do something and avoid to do something. It is total surrender and effacement of individuality, then alone can one get peace of mind. He quoted the verse of the Bhagavadgita Chapter XII. 12: “Better indeed is knowledge than practice; than (theoretical) knowledge, meditation is better, than meditation (with ego) the renunciation of the fruits of actions; peace immediately follows renunciation.” Swamiji Maharaj’s timely guidance and advice helped me to continue my Sadhana uninterruptedly and I continued to teach Yoga as a part of Sadhana and service to Gurudev. On the auspicious occasion of his Amrita Mahotsava I pray to the Almighty Lord and worshipful Gurudev to bestow good health and long life to venerable H.H. Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj so that he can continue to guide spiritual aspirants for many more years.

"Swami Krishnanandaji is the proper man to go to the West. But if that is not to be, even his mere presence in the world is sufficient. His books are treasures for us. I am sending them all over the world. A man remaining in his own Kutir can send powerful thoughts that would stir the whole world. It is not necessary to go here and there, delivering lectures; it is not necessary even to write books. It is good that a great man remains in his own place; bees will come when the flowers bloom. Swami Krishnanandaji is silent dynamism." - Swami Sivananda

Today, 25th April 2017, marks the auspicious 95th birthday anniversary of Revered Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj. There are many new uploads to Sri Swamiji's website on this holy occasion:

1. Discourses given on Swamiji Maharaj's Amrit Mahotsava in 1997
   • The Deep Fundamental Truth of Spiritual Longing
   • The Principle of Divine Living is Tapas
2. eBook to be serialised: India’s Ancient Culture
   • Publishers' Note
   • Chapter 1: The Definition of Culture
3. eBook to be serialised: Isavasya Upanishad for Beginners
   • Foreword
   • Preface
   • Invocation
   • Verse 1
4. Die Verwirklichung des Absoluten - the German translation of The Realisation of the Absolute
5. Books being released in print and will be available from our bookshop
   • A Brief Outline of Sadhana
   • The Tree of Life

The above may be accessed from Sri Swamiji's website.

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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