A MESSENGER OF PEACE AND WISDOM SWAMI KRISHNANANDA The Divine Life Society Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India Website: www.swami-krishnananda.org About This Edition Though this eBook edition is designed primarily for digital readers and computers, it works well for print too. Page size dimensions are 5.5" x 8.5", or half a regular size sheet, and can be printed for personal, non-commercial use: two pages to one side of a sheet by adjusting your printer settings. 2 CONTENTS Preface ........................................................................................................... 5 ARTICLES BY SWAMI KRISHNANANDA .......................................... 7 The Vedas and Their Message to Humanity ................................... 7 The Ecstasy of God-Love ...................................................................... 17 The Path of Divine Devotion .............................................................. 21 A Project of Education .......................................................................... 30 QUOTES BY SWAMI KRISHNANANDA ........................................... 44 SCRIPTURAL CAPSULES ...................................................................... 52 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...1 ........................... 52 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...2 ........................... 53 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...3 ........................... 53 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...4 ........................... 54 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...5 ........................... 55 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...6 ........................... 56 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...7 ........................... 56 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...8 ........................... 56 Swami Krishnananda’s Scripture-Capsules...9 ........................... 57 POETRY BY SWAMI KRISHNANANDA ........................................... 59 The Divine Ambassador ....................................................................... 59 On Man ........................................................................................................ 71 Principles of a Higher Order of Life ................................................ 77 The Import of the Gita’s First Chapter ................................... 77 The Import of the Gita’s Second Chapter .............................. 81 The Import of the Gita’s Third Chapter ................................. 85 The Import of the Gita’s Fourth Chapter ............................... 92 ARTICLES ABOUT SWAMI KRISHNANANDA .............................. 96 Messages f The President Swamiji Maharaj by Swami Chidnanda .......................................................................................... 96 He is a Wondero to Me! by Swami Sivananda ............................... 99 Message by Swami Madhavananda .............................................. 102 The Making of a Scholar-Saint ........................................................ 104 Birth And Infancy ................................................................. 105 School Days At Puttur ........................................................ 106 Love For Scriptural Studies ............................................. 107 Government Service—A Brief Interlude .................... 108 As A Sadhaka In Sivanandashram ................................. 109 Sannyasa Diksha And After.............................................. 111 As He Is Today ....................................................................... 113 Humility—The Hall-Mark of True Wisdom by Swami Madhavananda ...................................................... 114 Swami Krishnananda, Silence and Dynamism Combined .. 119 Gurudev Was All Appreciation for Swami Krishnananda by Swami Hridayananda Mataji ....................................... 121 Swami Krishnananda - As I see Him by Swami Yagnavalkyanandaji ......................................... 123 The Royal Swan is Seventy-Five .................................................... 125 Analysis Of Western Thought ....................................... 127 Reconciliation With Science .......................................... 128 My Guru—An Embodiment of Fathomless Love .................... 130 Swami Krishnananda: A God-Man ................................................ 139 by Swami Narayanananda Mataji..................................... 139 A Living Gita in the Sivananda Ashram ...................................... 145 The Divine Diamond by Prof. Vasudev Randev ....................... 149 A Tribute by P. Ganesh Prasad ....................................................... 153 Swami Krishnananda—A Conundrum by Matru Mandali .. 157 An Aspirant's Viewpoint on the Life of Swami Krishnananda, the Living Saint by Seshagiri Rao ...... 160 Swami Krishnananda, the Shining Light of the Sivananda Ashram by V. Krishnamurthy ............................................ 165 My Guru: Compassion Incarnate by Dr. Bharat Chandra Nath ............................................... 167 Sacred-Hearted Swamiji by K.J.A. Gunasekaran ..................... 172 Arise! Awake! by Miss Medha Sachdev ....................................... 175 Contribution of Swami Krishnananda to the Revival of Indian Education by B.R. Naik ........................................... 178 Swami Krishnananda—A Towering Spiritual Genius by D.M. Sinha ................................................................................. 183 Motherly Kindness and Ruthless Truthfulness by Vandana Mataji ...................................................................... 186 My Obeisance by Swami Sivachidananda .................................. 192 4 PREFACE The Divine Life Society felt it an honour and a privilege to celebrate the 75th Birth Anniversary of revered Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj in an adequately befitting manner, commensurate with the services being rendered by him to the Society for over half a Century, with singular devotion, dedication and spirit of undiminished renunciation. Though Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj initially was not at all in favour of any such Celebration, true to his spirit of renunciation, he was gracious enough to accede to the wish of the senior monks of the Ashram, thereby leaving very little time for the Swami Krishnananda Amrita Mahotsava Committee for planning its various projects. One of the projects of the Celebration Committee was to bring out a suitable Souvenir on the occasion, in addition to re-printing some of Swamiji’s books, as well as small booklets for free distribution. We record with great satisfaction that, in spite of the lack of time, the response from devotees, admirers and disciples of Swamiji, has been so spontaneous and immense that the Souvenir has become larger than what we had hoped. It is because countless in number are those who have received an awakening, an inspiration or a total transformation in their lives by their association with the revered Swamiji, who came forward to pen their feeling of gratitude. So profound and deep are Swamiji’s love and wisdom that no one who had an occasion to meet him, ever left without 5 being ‘touched’ or ‘affected’ by his thoughts. A perusal of the articles in this Souvenir—outpourings of the contributors’ experiences and feelings—will reveal the depth and profundity of the Saint in Swami Krishnanandaji. Yet, the Wholeness which is the Real Krishnananda, stands beyond anyone’s grasp—both of the intellect and the heart. Truly, therefore, Gurudev said: “He is a wonder to me!” We wish to express our gratitude to the numerous contributors for their feelingful write-ups which portray in different colours, the multifaceted resplendent personality of the Swamiji; and the value of the Souvenir is enhanced by the Swamiji’s own scintillating articles and poems. It is, therefore, with joy and satisfaction that we are releasing this Commemoration Volume on this auspicious occasion of the Amrita Mahotsava of revered Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj, with the earnest hope that no sincere reader of this Volume will go ‘unaffected’ by one or the other of the articles, thus bringing a true transformation in his or her inner being. – Sri Swami Krishnananda Amrita Mahotsava Committee 6 ARTICLES BY SWAMI KRISHNANANDA THE VEDAS AND THEIR MESSAGE TO HUMANITY For the first time, perhaps, in the history of mankind, the great ideal of Yajna was propounded in the Vedas, especially in the Rig-Veda, to its immortal glory. In the famous hymn, called the Purusha-Sukta, we have this enunciation of cosmic sacrifice as an all-round duty. The importance of sacrifice was raised to such heights in this glorious hymn of the Veda that it has been identified with the existence of the Creator Himself. God Himself is Sacrifice,—”Yajno vai vishnuh.” Narayana became the First Sacrifice. And His Sacrifice has had its impact in a series, in lesser and lesser densities of manifestation, until the last particle of earth has been reached, which also is performing a sacrifice of its own. Every atom of creation is engaged in a sacrifice because of the impulse of this supreme Sacrifice that has been imported to it by the Eternal Being. The Purusha-Sukta enunciates the cosmology of the Veda. In the beginning the Purusha alone was, and the Purusha is all that is, and also what shall be. The Purusha is all creation, and is, at once, above all creation. Past, present and future do not exist in Him, He is the Timeless Eternal Being. From Him, the All-Reality, proceeds the Creative Cosmic Person who