Article
Swami Shivananda: A Living Light SWAMI SHRADDHANANDA
(Continued from the previous issue...)
March 2021
In this article, Swami Shraddhanandaji reminiscences about his interaction with Swami Shivananda, one of the direct-disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and the 2nd President of the Ramakrishna Order. From 1957, Shraddhanandaji served in the American centres of San Francisco and Sacramento until his mahasamadhi in July 1996. This article was sent to The Vedanta Kesari by Lali Maly, a devotee of Vedanta Society of Sacramento, USA.
The Vedanta Kesari
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t continued for about a fortnight. Brother monastics urged me to go and apologise. But I said, “No. I don’t know what I have done. But I shall bear it, because I know he is my well-wisher.” Then one day suddenly he spoke, and he smiled saying, “My boy. You see, Self-knowledge, the knowledge of Atman, is, after all, the knowledge of God. God can give you Self-knowledge, but it cannot be wrested from Him. So humility must be practised. Every day you should go to the shrine and in all humility pray to Sri Ramakrishna to give you humility, and then you will be ready for Self-knowledge. It isn’t merely studying the Upanishads or just some vain arguments and vain reasoning. Self-knowledge will come when the heart is ready. For you it is necessary to go on that path of devotion. Don’t think Self-knowledge won’t come. It will come, but it will come through devotion.” There were other swamis present, and they said, “Oh, Maharaj. You have been so hard on him.” “I am his guru,” replied Swami Shivananda. “I have to correct him. I knew the boy was going on the wrong path, and was going astray.” Gradually his health, weakened by high blood pressure and asthma, deteriorated. He
used to live on the second floor of the monastery. The doctors forbade him to come
Swami Shivananda
down, even to climb two flights of stairs. However, sometimes he would come outside and walk on the terrace slowly. Physically he was almost an invalid, but when we went to him, we found his mind was far above his body. It was as though he was bodiless while in his body. If someone would ask, “How are you, Maharaj?” he would reply, “Are you asking about my body? Body is aching, body is old, but
