Sri Ramakrishna Charanam Saranam; Sri Sri Ma
Dear and Revered Maharaj,
I am sorry to hear the mahasamadhi news of Most Revered Srimat Swami Swahananda ji Maharaj of Hollywood Centre. But I am consoling myself thinking that he did not suffer much. Jai Ramakrishna!!
Personally, I owe him a lot in my life. Although I have seen him and heard his lecture in seventies at Kalady ashrama during his visit there from Berkely centre, my interaction with him was minimum. But recently, (in 2008) when I visited Hollywood centre, he was very warm and extended an unforgettable welcome to us. He gave me twenty copies each of two of his books ( Monasteries of South India and Swami Shivananda ) to carry back to Singapore. The talk then turned to Tulasi Maharaj and Ottapalam ashrama. He told me that he had visited Ottapalam ashrama two times and had met Vishadananda ji Mj also. Also, he told me he had the good fortune of mingling with many senior Sannyasin-Disciples of Tulasi Mj.
He asked lovingly about Tulasi Mj's the original biography whether it is still available in print. When I told that it is now out of print, he asked me to take up the re-printing and re-publishing of the original biography personally. Among many things he told me that day, I still remember this one statement, rather command on publishing that biography, ...."Prakash, before you die and go, you do it and die and go ........" (By the Grace of Bhagavan, now, I could carry out his command, As you know, Tulasi Books has published it in February 2011. I sent a copy to him and he replied his happiness over that).
Before we left, he told me that he is going to show something personally to me in his bed-room and asked me to go to his room with him. When I was going with him, Indira asked him, "Why Maharaj, are we not allowed?" After a short pause, he gestured his hands and asked her to follow him with Vedavyas, our son. .... When we entered the bedroom, he said, "...look at this", pointing towards a photograph hanging on the wall next to his bed. It was the original composite photograph published by Udbodhan of the Direct Disciples of Thakur where Tulasi Mj's photo was also included. He continued, "I wanted to show this to you; I always hang this photo of Thakur's Chelas in my room next to my bed and I look at it before I get up and go to bed every day....."
When I launched the website, www.vedantaonline.org a few years back, two Swamis from the Mission congratulated me heartily by long letters. One was Swahanandaji.
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With respectful pranams,
Prakash |
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