Lives of Luminaries by Integral Yoga Publications

Lives of Luminaries

Biographical sketches of the saints and sages depicted in Sri Swami Sivananda Centenary & Satsang Hall

Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville®

Buckingham, Virginia

Other Books by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Beyond Words

Enlightening Tales As Told By Sri Swami Satchidananda

The Golden Present (Daily Readings)

Gems of Wisdom

Guru and Disciple

The Healthy Vegetarian

Integral Yoga Hatha

Kailash Journal

Key to Peace

The Living Gita

Meditation Pathways to Peace

Satchidananda Sutras

To Know Your Self

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali—Translation and Commentary

Healing from Disaster

Heaven on Earth: My Vision of Yogaville

Books About Sri Swami Satchidananda

Boundless Giving: The Life and Service of Sri Swami Satchidananda

Sri Swami Satchidananda: Apostle of Peace

Sri Swami Satchidananda: Portrait of a Modern Sage

The Master’s Touch

Other Titles from Integral Yoga Publications

Dictionary of Sanskrit Names

Everybody’s Vegan Cookbook

Hatha Yoga for Kids—By Kids

Imagine That—A Child’s Guide to Yoga

Inside the Yoga Sutras

Integral Yoga Kirtan

Lotus Prayer Book

Meditating with Children

Sparkling Together

LOTUS: Light Of Truth Universal Shrine

With deepest gratitude and reverence, we lovingly dedicate this booklet to Sri Swami Satchidanandaji Maharaj on the auspicious occasion of his seventy-seventh Jayanthi, 22 December 1991.

May Peace prevail on earth through the luminous lives and teachings of Sri Gurudev and the holy men and women of all traditions

Published 1991 Second Edition 2011

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge those who so diligently assisted in the preparation of this booklet: PadmaHansmaforgraciouslydonatinghertimeandeffortinpreparing the manuscript;

Swami Sharadananda Ma for editing; Swami Jyotirmayananda Ma for coordinating the project; Saraswati Neuman for preparing the photographs;

Rev. Kumari De Sachy for re-editing the second edition.

Anand Shiva Hervé for the layout of the second edition.

Introduction

Throughout the ages, the world has been graced by the lives of luminaries, enlightened men and women who embody the highest human qualities. A number of portraits of these saints are displayed in Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville’s Sri Swami Sivananda Centenary Hall and Sivananda Satsang Hall. These portraits depict only some of the remarkable saintly men and women whose lives and teachings have been a well-spring of inspiration to Sri Gurudev Swami Satchidananda and to his students.

In this booklet, you will find biographical sketches of these highly revered saints and sages, along with their basic teachings and uplifting stories. For no matter what path we may have chosen to follow, we have much to learn from their personal experiences and from their teachings.

There is no higher goal in life than to experience the Divine Peace that is beyond words. May Sri Gurudev and all these celebrated leading lights inspire and guide us all to the Divine Peace that resides in our hearts.

Truth is One, Paths are Many

Sometimes, external images are used in meditation or worship to symbolize or express certain aspects of the Divine. That is why we see so many holy pictures and images in temples and churches. The yantra is such an image. And like the teachings of Integral Yoga, the yantra is universal, representing the entire Cosmos.

Yoga teaches that God is originally unmanifest and that the first expression of God begins as sound vibration. The Bible expresses it similarly: “In the beginning was the Word...“ The dot that appears in the center of the yantra represents that first physical expression, the vibration of creation, the very core of the Cosmos. And all the rays of manifestation—shown in the rings, the petals and the colors—come out of it. The entire yantra is then surrounded by an open border to show that the Divine Expression is infinite and unlimited.

When mantras, sounds that represent various divine qualities, are meditated upon, certain images are brought out, almost like liquid crystallizing into a solid form. Those images are yantras. Tantra is the practice of repeating a mantra, a sacred word, and visualizing a yantra. When you sit and pray or meditate in front of a yantra, you can feel those divine qualities: the love out of which God manifested the world and the peace of God that transcends all understanding.

Because God is not limited to any one tradition or creed, the symbols of all the religions are included in the yantra depicted here. In this way, the yantra also serves as a beautiful reminder that we can respect and learn from all the paths and that we can follow any one of them to reach the Divine.

Because it is universal, the yantra that appears on the cover of this book is the main symbol used over the altar at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville. It was revealed to Sri Swami Satchidanandaji in meditation, and he gave it to all of us.

A saint is really a King of Kings, a great hero who has annihilated all desires, aversion and anger. A saint is one who is ever peaceful, who radiates joy and peace, who has inner and outer control, who moves about in the world to enlighten the ignorant, and who beholds God everywhere. May you lead a saintly life.

—Sri Swami Sivanandaji

Swami Sivananda

God loves you even when you turn away from Him. How much more should He love you if you turn to Him again with faith and devotion.

Seeing pictures of Swami Sivananda, you might wonder about which tradition he is associated with. In one picture, he appears in a Muslim cap; in another, with a beautiful cross adorning his broad chest; and in yet another, with a tennis racquet in his hand. It would be accurate to say that he was everything: Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Jew. He was a spiritual master, a doctor, and even a playmate.

Swami Sivananda accepted everything and everyone. That is the secret of why everybody felt at home with him. Though a perfected saint and master, he was a scientist in his acumen, an American in his efficiency, and when his Universal Love was added to these qualities, he became the instrument of Grace that relieved pain and gave new value and promise to tired lives. By his miraculous touch, he was able to lift people up.

The founder of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, Himalayas, Swami Sivananda chose a universal name for the organization, because to him Divine Life meant leading a healthy, happy, peaceful and spiritually prosperous life, attributes sought by all people, no matter what their beliefs. Likewise, his teachings were universal, modern, dynamic, and simple: “God grasps without hands, walks without feet, sees without eyes, hears without ears. He is a mysterious being. He is one without a second. He has a plan, and His wisdom is supreme. Don’t you dare to question it. Wake up, my child! Resolve this very moment to resort to Him only. Call on Him, He will run to you. Praise His glory. Invoke His mercy. Be bold, be courageous. Realize Him and be free!”

“Arise! Awake! Stop not until the goal is reached!” Such words are the hallmark of Sri Swami Sivananda, a spiritual giant who lived from 8 September 1887 to 14 July 1963. Today, he is known around the world through 400 branches of the Divine Life Society and through the 300 books that he wrote. Following his worthy example, many of his disciples have attained spiritual greatness and have become teachers themselves.

Lord Jesus

I am come—a light—into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

Christ Jesus, knowing that he had come from God and would soon be returning to God, arose from supper and laid aside his garments; and he took a towel, and wrapped it around himself.

He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel around his waist. After he had washed their feet and had taken up his garments and had sat down again, he said unto them:

“Know ye what I have done to you?

“Ye call me Master and Lord; and ye say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. For the servant is not greater than the master, and whosoever would be greatest among you, must be the least.

“This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.

“By this shall all people know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another.”

One of the most powerful influences the Western world has known is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth some 2,000 years ago. He was born of a virgin mother; he taught with great authority; he worked many miracles; he was crucified; he died and was buried; and he arose from the dead. The great example of his life—his love, obedience and sacrifice—proved God’s own great love, power, and mercy toward all His children. His birth is traditionally celebrated at Christmas (25 December), and his resurrection at Easter.

Mother Mary

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God; for He who is mighty has done great things to me, and holy is His name.

When Mary was a little girl, her parents brought her to the Temple for her life to be consecrated; the sweet, humble child was to be brought up in the commandments of the Lord. She led a happy, carefree life of prayer, obedience, and charitable service to her family and neighbors, ever growing in grace and virtue as the years went by. It came to pass that when Mary was betrothed to Joseph, God sent the angel Gabriel to the city of Nazareth. Gabriel came to the virgin Mary and said, “Hail, Mary, the Lord is with Thee; blessed art thou among women.” Mary was frightened, but the angel said, “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. Behold, the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and he shall be called the Son of the most High.”

Not fully understanding what this meant but trusting wholly in God, Mary put aside her fear and said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to thy word.”

And thus, through a single act of obedience by His lowly servant, God was able to do great and mighty things for all mankind.

Through the Holy Virgin Mary, God was able to send His own son to earth. We do not know much about the historical person of Mary. She lived in Nazareth, a city of Galilee, 2,000 years ago, and was given in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the lineage of David, one of the great kings of the Jewish people. All of these events fulfilled the scriptural prophecies through which God promised to reclaim and redeem His lost children. Through Mary, we learn that by surrendering to God, we, too, can experience the miracle of having His Holy Spirit born in us and know the joy of living for His glory alone.

Ramana Maharshi

Why do you want to know what you will be when you die? First, find out what you are now.

Sri Ramana Maharshi was a true son of India. His life and his teachings reflect the wisdom and discrimination that mark this country that is so filled with God-consciousness.

Throughout his life, Sri Ramana Maharshi taught the truth of the temporary nature of the world and its pleasures and the imperishable nature of the Spirit, which is the eternal peace of God within. He, himself, experienced this as a youth. Terribly afraid of death, he lay down one day, closed his eyes, and pretended he was dead. This is how he told the story: I thought, “Now death has come, what does it mean? What is it that has died?” I at once dramatized the scene of death. I told myself, “This body is dead; they will come and take it away. But when the body is dead, am I dead? The material body is dead. It is inert, but I feel my personality independent of it. I am, then, the deathless Spirit that transcends the body.”

All of this arose before me intensely, as living truth—without having to be expressed. The fear of death disappeared entirely. This conscious and immediate presence of the eternal I, or Self, altogether independent of the physical world, has continued ever since.

Sri Ramana Maharshi was born on 27 December 1879. His ashram at Tiruvannamalai lies at the foot of the holy mountain, Arunachala, in South India. There, he lived a simple life of renunciation, teaching his many thousands of disciples through the power of his peace. On 14 April 1950—the day he left his body and entered mahasamadhi (the passing of a holy person)—it was reported that many people saw a bright star flash across the sky.

Avvaiyar

The body lasts no longer than letters traced on water. Why then, my friends, do you not worship in the Court of the Lord?

It is primarily through her many treasured verses and through the childhood memories of those who grew up in South India that we are blessed to know the holy grandmother, Avvaiyar, whose wisdom has been passed down from generation to generation over the past two thousand years.

Avvaiyar was a great sage and a spiritual mother to all who crossed her path. Heralded in the courts of kings, she averted more than one war by mediating between royal adversaries. Still, she chose to live among the poor and lowly. Comforting them in sorrow and guiding them in distress, Avvaiyar was known simply as “Grandmother” by one and all.

One of the greatest Tamil literary figures, Avvaiyar was also a great yogini. She presented the profound truths and various practices of Yoga in her kurals (short stanzas), known as Avvai Kural, explaining the different forms of pranayama (breathing practices) and meditation. Her wisdom—eminently practical and simply expressed—is as relevant in our time as it was in hers:

Kitta daayin Vettena mara.

“If you cannot get it, immediately forget it.”

Atradu patrenil, Utradu veedu.

“Drop wants— then you are home.”

A contemporary of the famous sage Thiruvalluvar, Avvaiyar lived in South India more than 2,000 years ago.To this day,Tamil school children begin their education with her alphabet poem, Attichoodi, learning spiritual truths along with their letters. Her prayerful song, Vinayakar Agaval, is still sung by many Tamils to invoke Lord Ganesh.

Thiruvalluvar

They alone escape from sorrow who take refuge in the feet of the One who hath no equal.

Tamil is our world’s oldest living language. And the Thirukkural of Thiruvalluvar, a garland of beautiful gems of wisdom, ranks among the most ancient of Tamil texts. This work is so complete that it is said that if something is not found in the Thirukkural, then it is not found in life.

Albert Schweitzer described the Thirukkural thusly: “With sure strokes, the Kural draws the ideal of simple, ethical humanity. On the most varied questions concerning the conduct of man to himself and to the world, its utterances are characterized by nobility and good sense.” As Dr. Schweitzer perceived, no matter which religious tradition someone belonged to, he or she could follow the teachings of the Thirukkural without any conflict. For the Thirukkural is eternal and universal:

• Of what avail is their learning if they do not communicate with the Pure Intelligence? (1)

• Become a man free of blemish; righteousness is just that; all else is ostentation. (34)

• He who leads a family-life in the manner natural to it is chief among all seekers of the Self. (47)

• To those filled with envy, that alone is sufficient to bring about their ruin -- even without enemies. (165)

• The image of austerity is just this: enduring suffering and not doing harm to creatures. (261)

Thiruvalluvar was born several thousand years ago, on February 28, in South India. He and his wife, Vasuki, were shining examples of the ideal of householder life: a pious couple whose lives were ennobled by humility and devotion. There is a shrine in Mylapore, Madras, that was built in honor of this revered South Indian sage.

Sri Ramakrishna

0 heart, call on your Almighty Mother, and you will see how quickly She comes running to you. When one calls out with heart and soul, God cannot remain unmoved.

He was the humblest of men, a human being without any sense of ego. Intelligent, sensitive, loving, lovable, and completely God-intoxicated, Sri Ramakrishna taught intimate truths about God that were learned through his own experience. And he exhorted others, by way of this beautiful parable, to also seek, find and know God: Two friends went into an orchard. One of them, possessing much worldly wisdom, immediately began to count the mango trees—and the number of leaves and mangos each tree bore—in order to estimate the value of the orchard. His companion, however, found the owner, made friends with him, and, then, at his host’s invitation, quietly began to pluck the fruits and eat them.

After relating this tale, Sri Ramakrishna would ask his listeners: “Whom do you consider to be the wiser of the two?“ Then, he would urge them: “Eat mango! It will satisfy your hunger. What is the good of counting the trees and leaves and making calculations? The person of vain intellect uselessly busies himself with finding out the why and wherefore of creation, while the person of wisdom humbly makes friends with the Creator and enjoys His gift of supreme bliss.”

The life of Sri Ramakrishan Paramahamsa (February 1836–16 August 1886) was filled with the presence of God. His vision and his message conveyed that God is not an object living up in the clouds, but a being that can be realized. His saintly wife, Sri Sarada Devi, also lived in this state of God-consciousness. The Ramakrishna Mission has proved to be one of the foremost religious and charitable organizations in the world, and the monks of the Ramakrishna Order are renowned for the purity of their teaching.

Sri Sarada Devi

The patient earth always puts up with people’s transgression. We should behave likewise.

The Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, used to be visited regularly by a very troublesome child who demanded constant attention. Whenever the little girl came into the room, she would run to Mother and hold her fast. The Mother always gave the child lots of sweets to eat.

One day, Holy Mother said to the little girl, “You have been visiting me a long time now. Do you love me?” “Oh, yes, I love you very much!” the child said. “I shall be sure of your love for me if you can love everyone at home,” the Mother said. “All right, I will love all of them. I will not be naughty anymore.”

“That’s very good,” Mother continued. “But how shall I know that you will love all equally?” “What should I do to love all equally?” the child asked. “Do not demand anything of those you love. If you make demands, some will give you more and some less. In that case, you will love more those who give you more and less those who give you less. Your love will not be the same for all. You will not be able to love impartially.” The little girl promised to love everyone without asking for anything in return. From that day forward, the child lived harmoniously with her family and brought them great joy.

Likewise, the Holy Mother, with her own loving ways, transformed the lives of the disciples. It was said of her, “By Mother’s grace, even desperados become devotees of the Lord!”

Sri Sarada Devi lived, in India, from 22 December 1853 to 21 July 1920. She was the spiritual partner of the great saint, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and lovingly cared for his disciples. The devotees called her “the very embodiment of love that never seeks to possess but is content to simply give.”

Swami Vivekananda

Where should you go to seek for God? The poor, the miserable, the weak, let these people be your God. Think of them, work for them, pray for them incessantly.

When the World Parliament of Religions opened in Chicago on the morning of 11 September 1893, it was probably the first time in all of history that representatives of the major religions were brought together in one place to express their beliefs.

The most striking delegate by far was a young Hindu monk uniquely ordained by God to challenge the values of the West. Blessed with an imposing presence and a commanding voice, the Swami was a thrilling speaker. When he stood up and addressed the crowd with the simple words, “Sisters and Brothers of America,” the audience rose to its feet, roaring with applause. Casting off the formality of the conference, he spoke in the language they had been waiting for. And they loved it, even though that language was strong: “Make no compromise. Stand up for God, and let the world go.” He could speak like this because he, himself, lived without compromise.

One of the foremost disciples of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekanandaji helped to organize the Ramakrishna Mission, which integrates educational, philanthropic, and religious activities in India and plays an important role in famine relief and the building of schools and hospitals. The Vedanta Centers that he founded in the United States and Europe still flourish today and continue to promote the same principles: “Give love, give help, give service, give any little thing you can. Let us give out of our own bounty, just as God gives to us. Have no motive except God.”

Swami Vivekananda, whose name means the Bliss of Discrimination, was not only a great teacher, but also a great patriot and reformer whose influence continues to be felt around the world. He lived from 12 January 1863 to 4 July 1902 and was already, a century ago, advocating and working for the education and advancement of women.

Nothing is impossible; God is great and merciful.

Mahatma Gandhi was a young lawyer practicing in South Africa when he inspired his people to resist a government that was oppressive. That same government said of him: “I often wish you took to violence like the (other) strikers, and then we would know at once how to dispose of you. But you will not injure even the enemy. You desire victory by self-imposed limits of courtesy and chivalry. And that is what reduces us to sheer helplessness.”

This is satyagraha in action. Satyagraha is the way of life that Gandhiji taught to millions of followers in Africa, in India, and throughout the world. Satyagraha means “truth force,” that is, being insistent on truth, even obstinate for truth. Satyagraha is a spiritual force and a potent form of energy based on love.

One who practices satyagraha seeks always to trust one’s opponents, no matter how often one has been betrayed. “We must make them feel that they have a friend,” Gandhiji taught, “and we should try to reach their hearts by rendering them humanitarian service whenever possible.” The acid test of ahimsa (nonviolence) and satyagraha, Gandhiji said, is that “in the end, our enemies are converted into friends.”

Mohandas K. Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in Western India. An ordinary, nondescript young man, he was, nevertheless, called to lead the Indian people to independence through truth and nonviolence. Reverently named Mahatma (Great Soul) by a grateful country, he not only gave his life to the cause, but also for the cause. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948. He died as he lived, with the name of God on his lips.

Mahatma Gandhi

Hazrat Inayat Khan

God is the key to that unlimited store of love which is in the heart of all.

One of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s followers was traveling by train with him from Switzerland to Italy after a long, tiring lecture series. The disciple was exhausted and feeling very sorry for himself as he gazed out the window. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted. “Look at that wonderful sunset!” the Master exclaimed. The disciple then realized that the sun setting over the Italian landscape was, indeed, beautiful.

“Imagine,” his Master continued, “what it would be like if the sun appeared only once every thousand years. Think of the books that would be written about it and how privileged those people would feel who had lived during the moment of its appearing. Yet, many of us who see this miracle every day of our lives hardly appreciate it at all. We take it entirely for granted.”

Hazrat Inayat Khan, who lived from 5 July 1882 to 5 February 1927, brought the Sufi Movement from his native India to the West. The message of Sufism has the following as its chief objectives: to awaken the spirit of the world from the thought of antagonism and hatred and to bring about the feeling of human brotherhood, so that all humanity may meet with one another in one place, namely, in the thought of God.

Sri Shankaracharya

Be not vain of wealth, or family, or youth—all are fleeting, all must change. Know this and be free: enter the joy of the Lord.

Imagine stepping out into your yard one evening and seeing something coiled up near the door. “Snake! snake!” you shriek, and everyone comes running. Then, someone turns on the porch light, and, with great embarrassment, you realize that the “snake” you were so afraid of is just a piece of rope.

Sri Shankaracharya often used this image to demonstrate the illusory nature of the world we live in. Through this anecdote, he illustrated that God alone is the all-pervading reality and that the individual soul—no matter how it may appear—is none other than the universal soul. He counseled: “Hold fast to the truth that you are the Atman, the Immortal Self. Give up identifying yourself with the ego or any of its coverings. Remain completely indifferent to them, as though they were broken jars of clay.”

Discrimination was the hallmark of this great spiritual giant, who was already triumphing over all rivals in religious debate at the age of ten. A multifaceted jewel, Sri Shankaracharya embodied renunciation, discrimination, self-control, devotion, and joy. He held no illusions about this world, condemning its hollow pleasures with frightening frankness. But this ruthless cutting down of the world cleared a field in which one could see all creation in its real relation to the Absolute: as a paradise of infinite consciousness, truth and peace.

Sri Shankaracharya lived in India from 18 May 788 to 820 AD. He revived the ancient Vedic scriptures by writing fresh commentaries and giving new interpretations. His Viveka Chudamani, or Crest Jewel of Discrimination, is a classic text of Vedanta, which deals with the path to God through knowledge of advaita (non-dualism). Sri Shankaracharya also founded many monasteries and organized India’s thousands of wandering Hindu monks into one monastic order with ten branches.

The Buddha

Be earnest, then be steadfast in resolve! Keep watch o’er your hearts! Who wearies not but holds fast to truth shall cross this sea of life, shall make an end of grief.

Young Prince Siddhartha was sad and dejected. He had lived a life of luxury in the protective care of his father. But while journeying outside the palace grounds, he had discovered that all creatures suffer sickness, old age, and death. And he saw that all creatures were hurting themselves and others in their search for happiness—yet, how fleeting that happiness was! Suddenly, everything seemed worthless to him. Overwhelmed with sorrow, he sat down under a tree and began to question the meaning of life in such a strange world. With his mind focused in this way, he experienced a deeper calm and greater peace than he had ever known.

Leaving his home, Siddhartha went to live in the forest. Here, deep within himself, he experienced nirvana, the state of tranquility that is beyond the body, beyond thought, beyond all desire. It was a blissful state. Overflowing with love and compassion, Siddhartha left his forest retreat and returned to the world to teach others how to transcend suffering and know peace.

The Buddha was born a prince in the Gautama family sometime around 500 BC. After attaining nirvana, he was called The Buddha, the Illumined One. For the rest of his 80 years, he wandered throughout India, teaching spiritual truth with wisdom and compassion. The Buddhist scriptures, which number in the thousands, are beautifully poetic. One of the best known of these scriptures is the Dhammapada, The Way of Truth.

St. Teresa of Avila

Learn, from my experience, never to listen to natural fears . . . for this great God is all-powerful. God alone suffices.

“But I am not meant for writing,” Teresa told her supervisor. “I have neither the health, nor the wits for it.” However, out of obedience, the Catholic nun agreed to write about matters relating to prayer. But having nothing of her own to say, Teresa decided to rely on the Lord for guidance. Thinking of the soul, she began to see it “as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal.” Within this Interior Castle—entered into through prayer and meditation—she saw many rooms surrounding an innermost room; it is within this room that “the most secret things pass between God and the soul.”

Outside the Castle are poisonous snakes and vipers—symbols of the bad habits and occasions for sin that follow us into the first room. Here, all is cold and dim, for the heat and light of the innermost rooms can barely be felt. The soul, wanting to move closer to God, practices humility and good company, which strengthen it. Then, it can move on, though not without falling back sometimes. By the fourth room, God’s grace is starting to water the soul as if it were immersed in a flowing spring, and the soul continues, although it is still severely tested. At last, the soul reaches the seventh room and blissful, sweet union with the Lord.

Courageous enough to rely wholly on Him and on the power of prayer, St. Teresa herself became a fitting example for countless souls on their interior journey to God.

St. Teresa Of Avila, a great mystic and leader in the Catholic Reformation, lived in Spain from 28 March 1515 to 4 October 1582. She reformed her own religious order, the Carmelites, and founded many new convents and monasteries, leaving behind a great spiritual legacy in her writings: Interior Castle, The Way of Perfection, an autobiography, and hundreds of letters.

Mirabai

I cannot forget—even for a moment—the beauty of my Beloved Lord.

Mirabai was a princess by birth; but with all her breeding, money, jewels, beautiful clothes, banquets, and the honor accorded her as royalty, she still had no interest in worldly life. Instead, she gave her heart and soul to her beloved Lord, Krishna.

Mirabai sang ceaselessly for the Lord. Thus, she left behind a wealth of devotional songs that have been sung by Hindus for centuries. These songs express a single, fervent longing from the heart of one who detached herself from the world and took refuge in the name of her Beloved. Mirabai belonged to God and God alone.

0, great Lord,

You alone are the crown of my life!

You are the light of my heart—I have none else. I have searched the whole world. None else but You pleases me!

I was born for devotion’s sake.

My Beloved dwells in my heart, so I sing day and night.

I am mad with love.

Forget me not, I beseech You—life is nothing without You!”

Mirabai was a saint from India who lived from 1498 to 1546. She is not only known and loved throughout her own country, but, gradually, she has become known in the West. Her love songs to the Lord led to a revival of bhakti (loving devotion to God) among the Hindus of her day.

Sri Sadhu Swamigal

Why do you worry? There is a Higher Authority that takes care of all these things.

In South India, there is a holy place called Palani. Palani is a hill temple that, for centuries, has been a place of pilgrimage and meditation for seekers. Even today, visitors can feel the presence and the blessings of the many saints and sages who have experienced God there.

One such saint was Sri Sadhu Swamigal. Because of his great devotion, Sadhu Swamigal was able to converse with God, who is known at Palani as Lord Muruga, and with Goddess Annapoorna, the Divine Mother who nourishes all creation. In Her name and through Her grace, thousands of people—the poor, the sick, saints and pilgrims—were fed each day by Sadhu Swamigal and his devotees.

One night, the ashramites came to him in great distress, crying, “Swamiji, there’s not even a single grain of rice! How will we feed everyone tomorrow?” “And who has been feeding you all these days?” the Master asked. “Annapoorna, of course,” the devotees responded. “Then go and sleep,” Swamigal said. “She who has taken care of us yesterday and today will take care of us tomorrow as well.”

At precisely midnight, a man from the next village knocked at the door; he was standing there with a cartload of rice. The man explained, “I was sound asleep when a lady dressed in white, like an angel, appeared to me and said, ‘Sadhu Swamigal needs rice. Please take it to him right away.’ I didn’t dare question her. I just loaded up the rice and came.” Thus, the devotees learned that nothing is needed except total trust in God.

Sri Sadhu Swamigal lived in South India from 1890 to 1950. He received initiation into sannyas (monkhood) at the age of 18 and lived in many holy places before coming to the sacred hill, Palani. He was very well known for the many social services that he established there; and the practice of feeding thousands of people free of charge continues to this day.

Siva Yogaswami

You must not come to the conclusion that there are no stars just because you are unable to see stars in the daytime.

His silver-white hair and spotless white clothing were fitting outer reflections of the inner saintliness of Siva Yogaswami. For more than fifty years, this modern Sri Lankan sage traveled the length and breadth of his country, transforming the lives of its people.

Stern and disciplined as a disciple, Siva Yogaswami became an equally stern Master. Undaunted, students came to him from far and wide in great numbers, some for guidance, others for comfort, still others for encouragement. None of them left empty-handed, for within this strict Master there lay a deep love and compassion. These qualities came through especially in such teachings as: “He who has nothing steals. Whom are we to blame?” or “Who can be a better friend to us than God?”

Another quality that characterizes Siva Yogaswami is simplicity. In fact, he summed up all of his teachings in just four principles:

• There is no evil.

• We do not know.

• It was determined long ago.

• All is truth.

Siva Yogaswami lived from 29 May 1872 to 24 March 1964 in Sri Lanka. Near the end of his life, he sent out five disciples to bring the worship of Lord Siva to the West, where they founded the Saiva Siddhanta Church and spread the spiritual awakening that was begun by their Master.

St. Francis of Assisi

Grant me, 0 Lord, to know thee so well, that in all things I may act by Thy Light and in accordance with Thy Holy Will.

The parents of Francis Di Bernardone were both very upset. His mother was worried, and his father was angry. All the townspeople were saying that their son was mad. The carefree young Francis had gone exuberantly off to war; but, since returning to Assisi, he had taken ill, spending many months in bed. As the fever raged through his body, a fever seemed to burn in his soul as well.

As he recuperated, Francis, now frail and distant, spent much of his time wandering over the countryside, befriending the poor and talking to Nature. He started going to the little, broken-down church of San Damiano, where he would pray for hours in front of the old, painted crucifix. One day, he asked, “Lord, what do you want of me?” And from the crucifix itself, the Lord answered him: “Francis, rebuild my church.” Francis started at once by giving the priest some money.

Francis’ father had been embarrassed by his son’s strange behavior, but this was too much. Now, he accused Francis of stealing from him. In front of the entire town, Francis returned the money, along with everything else that was his father’s—including the clothes on his back—and walked out to serve the Lord.

Of all the saints of all the religions, perhaps none is as widely known as Francis of Assisi, who lived in Italy from 1182 to 3 October 1226. St. Francis obeyed his Lord’s command to “rebuild my church” by restoring both its physical buildings and its spiritual foundations. With his devoted follower, St. Clare, he founded the Franciscan orders of monks, nuns, and laypersons, who, to this day, reflect his light and joy.

Sri Aurobindo

These are the conditions of our effort: to be perfectly equal to all beings, to live in God, to act in God and not in the ego.

As a young man, Sri Aurobindo was a brilliant leader in the Indian independence movement. His powerful and perceptive newspaper articles on the issues of the day were eagerly awaited by the educated people in Calcutta and throughout India. It was inevitable, under the circumstances, that he be arrested and imprisoned. And, for almost a year, he was kept in solitary confinement in a small cell.

How did Sri Aurobindo respond to this challenging situation? He let it become for him a time of communion with God. “I looked at the jail that secluded me from men,” he writes, “and it was no longer by its high walls that I was imprisoned. No. It was Lord Krishna who surrounded me. I walked under the branches of the tree in front of my cell, but it was not the tree; it was the Lord. It was none other than Sri Krishna whom I saw standing there, holding over me His shade . . . I lay on the coarse blankets that were given me for a couch and felt the arms of the Lord around me—the arms of my Friend and my Beloved.”

Sri Aurobindo Ghose lived from 15 August 1872 to 5 December 1950 in England and in India. Both a nationalist and a mystic, he sought to transform the world by awakening the spirituality within it. Sri Aurobindo was a prolific writer whose wisdom is eloquently conveyed in his 30-volume collection of poetry, philosophy, and spiritual guidance. He and his spiritual partner, who is known as “the Mother,” founded the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India. It was here, writing in seclusion, that Sri Aurobindo spent the last decades of his life.

God is realizable. You can know God NOW!

“Mother, thy son will be a spiritual engine; he will carry many souls to God’s kingdom.”

With these prophetic words, the great Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri blessed the life of the tiny baby held in the mother’s arms. That baby grew up to be a great spiritual force in his native India and on the other side of the world as well.

In a beautiful blending of Eastern wisdom and Western dynamism, this accomplished Master eloquently taught the essential oneness of the teachings of Jesus Christ and Bhagavan Krishna: “The wisest one is the one who seeks God; the most successful one is the one who has found God.” His message attracted capacity crowds as he crossed America, although, personally, he would say, “I am not interested in crowds, but in souls who are in earnest to know God.”

The organization that grew up around him—the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), founded in Los Angeles in 1925—continues to propagate spiritual values in a needy world: “Humanity is engaged in an eternal quest for something else that will bring complete and unending happiness. For those who have sought and found God, the search is over: God is that Something Else.”

Paramahansa Yogananda was born on 5 January 1893 and passed away on 7 March 1952. His famed Autobiography of a Yogi describes for Westerners the science of Yoga and its mastery in clear and captivating detail. In addition to SRF, Paramahansa Yogananda founded, in India, the Yogoda Satsanga Society, which provides outstanding spiritual education for the youth of his Motherland.

Paramahansa Yogananda

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Love is the most durable power in the world. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. . .

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . .”

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. . .

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will transform the jangling discord of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to play together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day!

On 28 August 1963, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke these moving words to the 250 thousand people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial. They had come together in the March on Washington for racial equality, a march that was inspired by Dr. King’s leadership in the nonviolent struggle for liberty for his people and for all people.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the powerful voice behind the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, was a minister and keen admirer of Mahatma Gandhi, who told his followers to meet physical force with soul force. Dr. King’s life of self-sacrifice began on 15 January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, and ended when he was assassinated on 4 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, four years after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Meher Baba

Live more and more in the Present, which is ever beautiful and stretches away beyond the limits of the past and the future.

From the God-intoxicated masts of India (those who continually experience the joy that emanates from within them) to the great movie stars of Hollywood, Meher Baba moved among the rich and the poor, the lavishly housed and the homeless, the spiritually whole and the physically infirm, sharing with one and all his knowledge of truth, unity, love, honesty, and obedience.

In 1925, Baba began to observe silence, and throughout the remaining forty-four years of his life, he did not utter a single word. It was not necessary for him to speak, because, as he affirmed, “Through endless time, God’s gift is continuously given in silence. . .. It is love, not questioning, that will bring God to you.”

It was through experiencing the Master’s love that the students were awakened. Still, questions would often pop up in their minds. In response, Baba taught, “There is only one question. And once you know the answer to that question, there are no more to ask. That one question is: Who am I?” Through means of an alphabet board and gestures, he was able to instruct his students as to their true nature, urging them to “give up all forms of parrotry” and to be honest, for “to attain union with God is so impossibly difficult, because it is impossible to become what you already are!”

Meher Baba was born in Poona, India on 25 February 1894 and left the physical body on 31 January 1969. He taught, “Whether men soar to outer space or dive to the bottom of the deepest ocean, they will find themselves as they are, unchanged, because they will not have forgotten themselves nor remembered to exercise the charity of forgiveness.” It is because of his own tender, forgiving nature that his early disciples named him Meher Baba , or “Father of Compassion.”

Saint Teresa of Calcutta

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

“One day, I visited a house where our sisters shelter the aged. This is one of the nicest houses in England, filled with beautiful and precious things, yet there was not one smile on the faces of these people. All of them were looking toward the door. I asked the sister in charge, ‘Why are they like that? Why can’t you see a smile on their faces?’ (I am accustomed to seeing smiles on people’s faces. I think a smile generates a smile, just as love generates love). The sister answered, ‘The same thing happens every day. They are always waiting for someone to come and visit them. Loneliness eats them up, and, day after day, they do not stop looking. Nobody comes.’

“Abandonment is an awful poverty.There are poor people everywhere, but the deepest poverty is not being loved.”

“The poor we seek may live near us or far away. They can be materially or spiritually poor. They may be hungry for bread or hungry for friendship. They may need clothing, or they may need the sense of wealth that God’s love for them represents. They may need the shelter of a house made of bricks and cement or the shelter of having a place in our hearts.”

Mother Theresa, born on 27 August 1910, described herself thusly: “By blood I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” For over 45 years, this “mother of the poor” ministered to the poor, the sick, the orphaned, and the dying throughout India and in other countries. She died on 5 September 1997, and her beatification, a step on the path to sainthood, took place on October 19, 2003.

Black Elk speaks:

Black Elk

Grandfather, Great Spirit, you have been always, and before you no one has been. There is no other one to pray to but you.

Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles. In the old days, all our power came to us from the sacred hoop of the nation.

The flowering tree was the living center of the hoop, and the circle of the four quarters nourished it. The East gave endurance. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, the earth is round, and the wind, in its greatest power, whirls. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The seasons form a great circle in their changing and always come back again to where they were.

You want to know why we always go in a circle from left to right? Think of this: Is not the south the source of life, and does not the flowering stick truly come from there? And does not man advance from there toward the setting sun of his life? Then, does he not approach the colder north where the white hairs are? And does he not then arrive, if he lives, at the source of light and understanding, which is the East? Then, does he not return to where he began, to his second childhood, there to give back his life to all life and his flesh to the earth from whence it came?

The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves.

Black Elk, a Native American Medicine Man— holy man, priest and healer— of the Oglala Sioux tribe, lived from December 1863 to 19 August 1950. He received many powerful visions that revealed to him a strong mission to heal his people’s wounds. His visions and teachings live on in his books, Black Elk Speaks and The Sacred Pipe.

St. Therese of Lisieux

The Little Flower

It is sufficient if one acknowledges one’s nothingness and places oneself like a child in the arms of God.

“How can everyone in heaven be happy,” asked the young Therese, “since some people are so much greater than others? Aren’t the lesser ones jealous of the greater ones?”

Her older sister, Pauline, asked Therese to bring Papa’s big glass and her own tiny sewing thimble. When Therese had done so, Pauline filled them both with water. “Now, which one is fuller?” Pauline asked.

“Why, the one is as full as the other,” Therese replied. “You can’t pour any more water into either one of them.” Thus, the saint-to-be learned that the lesser ones can be as full of happiness as the greatest, having no reason to envy those who seem to have more glory. Abhorring half-way measures, she determined to strive for holiness with all her might.

St. Therese, the Little Flower, lived from 2 January 1873 to 30 September 1897 in the region around Lisieux, France. It was her mission to show ordinary people that saintliness comes not from doing great deeds, but from doing simple, everyday activities with love and compassion. Her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, describes her “simple little way to God: the way of spiritual childhood, of trust and complete surrender.”

Guru Nanak

The Lord is in every heart, and within Him is my home.

There is a profound conversation recorded between Guru Nanak and a group of siddha yogis—yogis who have acquired some supernatural powers—whose members try to trick him.

“Bow to us,” the yogis begin, sitting proudly before him. “I bow only to Him who is True and Infinite,” Guru Nanak replies.

“Who are you?” the yogis ask. “Where do you live? Where is your seat? What is your goal?”

Nanak replies: “The Lord is in every heart, and within Him is my seat and my home. Nanak is my name, and I live to obey His every command. To attain the all-encompassing vision of the Imperishable Lord is my life’s goal.”

“This life is like a turbulent sea,” says one of the yogis. “How can it be safely crossed?”

“Observe the lotus,” Guru Nanak answers, “as it drifts over the surface of the lake with its roots embedded in the mud below. Observe the swan floating carefree on the stream; the waters never reach beneath the surface of its feathers. One crosses over the terrible ocean of life with the mind fixed on the Guru’s Word and by repeating the Name of the Lord.”

Guru Nanak was the first in the line of ten Sikh Gurus. He was born in India on 15 April 1469 and died there on 21 November 1539. After renouncing worldly life, he traveled around India, reconciling Hindus and Muslims. Guru Nanak is known as the founder of the Sikh religion, which teaches one to have the Name of the Lord constantly on one’s lips: “By practicing the Name, even iron can be chewed with teeth of wax.”

Sadhu T.L. Vaswani

The great God is not shut up in the temples. He is in the procession of life — in the sweat and struggle, in the tears and tragedies...Greet Him there!

“Which is your bank,” someone once asked Sadhu Vaswani. “The Bank of Providence,” Sadhu Vaswani replied; “it never fails!”

Over and over again, he told his disciples, “Believe and achieve!” And, time after time, they had the opportunity to witness his faith in action.

In 1962, for instance, Sadhu Vaswani established St. Mira’s College for Girls. In order to be affiliated with the University of Poona, the College was required to pay 25,000 rupees a year for the first four years. In the first two years, donors came forward with the needed funds, but in the third year, no money appeared.

“Where God guides, He provides!” Sadhu Vaswani responded. A few days later, an unassuming man came to see him. The man placed a bag of currency at his feet containing exactly 25,000 rupees. “My brother is sending this small offering to be used where it is needed,” the humble visitor said.

Sadhu Vaswani used to say, “Life is the test of your religion.” His religion— faithful, strong and true—proved throughout his life that “love rejoices in spending itself.”

Sadhu T.L. Vaswani was a humble devotee of the Lord. Others called him “a king whose crown is compassion,” but he called himself “a disciple of all.” It was said that “poems and articles flowed from his pen like gushing streams down a mountainside.” Sadhu Vaswani dedicated his life (25 November 1879 to 16 January 1966) to serving youth and the poor. His work continues in the many Sadhu Vaswani Missions in India, in the seven Mira Educational Institutions, in work-training centers for women, and in funds for needy students.

Maimonides

Do not unto others that which is hateful to you. This is the whole of the Law; all the rest is commentary. —The Talmud

Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, a 12th-century prophet and religious philosopher with a brilliant gift for writing with grace, clarity and precision, was able to express the most complex ideas in the simplest and most rational of terms. To the Jews, who know him as Rambam, he is famous for his Mishnah Torah. But he is just as well known to Christians and Moslems, who know him as Maimonides, through his Guide to the Perplexed.

Born into a distinguished European family of judges and scholars who settled in Egypt—a great center of learning at that time—Maimonides studied both the Talmud, the ancient religious-legal code of Judaism, and medicine. Here, he undertook an enormous work to make the ancient laws more easily understood by and applicable to ordinary individuals: a simplified, modernized Talmud. He chose the title Mishnah (Second) Torah for this work in order to remind his readers that the foundation of all Jewish life was still the Five Books of Moses. Designed to integrate God into all aspects of life, the Talmud brings profound wisdom to the level of day-to-day activities. To cite a few examples, Speech: “Silence is good for the wise; how much more so for the foolish.” Justice: “One who breaks a law to save a life is free of guilt.” Medicine: “Heed your physician, that you may not need one.” Religion: “Greater is the one who follows the commandments from love than one who follows them from fear.”

Maimonides, who lived from 30 March 1135 to 13 December 1204, was one of the greatest Jewish philosophers to enlighten the West. His writing was simple, rational, poetic: “Who is wise? One who learns from all. Who is mighty? One who controls the passions. Who is rich? One who is satisfied. Who is honored? One who respects others. “

Anandamayi Ma

The intense desire for God-realization is itself the way to it.

One night, sitting alone in her room in the light of the full moon, poised in the serenity of the Self, Anandamayi Ma received spiritual initiation: she was touched by God and heard His holy name within. What is the significance of such initiation? She explained it in this way: “It is as if you wanted to call somebody, but you don’t know his name; so, somehow or other, you try to attract his attention. The person comes over and says, ‘Were you calling me? My name is such and such.’ Similarly, God Himself, in the role of the Guru, discloses His name to the pilgrim wandering in search of a guide. After initiation, the pupil’s random efforts are over. The pupil has touched the lifeline that will lead him to the goal.”

Sri Anandamayi Ma, called the Bliss-filled Mother, lived in India from 30 April 1896 to 27 August 1982. After her spiritual initiation, disciples began to flock to her. She blessed them all with her radiant presence, her beautiful chanting, and her profoundly simple answers to their many questions. Leaving everything in God’s hands, she spent her life traveling around India, serving God’s children. “This body always says, ‘Where do I have a dwelling place except in the hearts of you all...‘“

Lord Mahavira

All living beings hate pain; therefore, do not injure them. This is the essence of wisdom.

During the time of Prince Gautama—known to the world as the Buddha— another prince was living in the neighboring kingdom of Mogadah. Even as a youth, this young man showed great courage, compassion and modesty, and his people called him Mahavira, the Great Hero.

When Mahavira was 28, his parents died. Stricken with grief, the young prince started to search for the meaning of life. He renounced the world with great dedication and intensity; and, taking a vow to remain silent for twelve years, he embarked on a life of contemplation. Of him the Kalpa Sutra says: “As water does not adhere to a copper kettle, so sins found no place in him. Like the sky, he needed no support, and like the wind, he knew no obstacles. Like the earth, he patiently bore everything, and like a well-kindled fire, he shone in his splendor.”

At the end of the twelve years, Mahavira had reached the state of spiritual enlightenment. He re-entered the world, bringing the wisdom of the Three Jewels of the Soul: Right Conduct, Right Knowledge and Right Conviction. These Jewels, along with ahimsa (non-violence) and charity, form the foundation of the Jain religion. The essential teaching of Lord Mahavira is so very simple yet so difficult to follow: base every action on a deep reverence for all living things.

Lord Mahavira, a great spiritual leader who reformed the Jain faith, lived in India from approximately 599 to 527 BC. He was the last of the twentyfour Jain Thirthankaras, or spiritual guides. His teachings of thirty years filled forty-six volumes, and the spiritual community that he founded is still a vital and disciplined one: “Knowing the truth, one should live up to it. “

Kandaswami Swamigal

My Lord, to attain compassion, to relieve pain, to give peace, to do so in Thy name, to sing Thy glory, these are my desires, desires born of Thy grace!

—Thiruvarupta

The life of Kandaswami Swamigal reflects all that is the noblest and purest of India. He was youthful, bold and energetic, becoming, at just fifteen years of age, a disciple of the great Sri Ramananda Swamigal, founder of the Kaumara Madalayam. Shortly thereafter, Kandaswami Swamigal was ordained as a monk; on the same day, he was named second Pontiff of the Madalayam, later becoming the able successor of Sri Ramananda Swamigal.

Ahimsa paramo dharma—non-violence as the supreme virtue—was one of the main teachings of Kandaswami Swamigal’s life. He was a great scholar who wrote 18,000 verses in the intricate, ornate style unique to Indian languages; a great orator who was able to spread the Lord’s message far and wide with compassion and conviction; a remarkable yogi who could rise above body-consciousness in order to undergo surgery without anesthesia; a pillar of strength and solace to thousands of seekers; and the object of praise in the hymns of poets and scholars.

Sri La Sri Kandaswami Swamigal was born in South India on 18 April 1892 and lived there until his passing on 10 December 1948. He spent his life teaching that a life dedicated to God and His creation, wherein one exhibits universal love and non-violence in all undertakings, is the way to obtain true and unending happiness. His thousands of devotional songs praise the many Holy Names of God, demonstrating his spirit of ecumenism in Hinduism.

Papa Ramdas

0 Lord, Thou comest in wonderful disguises!

Papa Ramdas worshipped God as Lord Ram. So strong was his devotion that he saw Ram in everyone and accepted everything that happened to him as coming from the Lord.

One day, someone casually said to him, “Ramdas, why don’t you take the train and go to Benares?” Benares is a great holy city in India, revered as a place of pilgrimage. Taking this as the will of God, Ramdas boarded the train. But when the ticket collector found that Ramdas did not have a ticket, he told him that he would have to get off at the next station. So, Ramdas got off. He simply felt, “Ram told me to get on the train, I got on; Ram told me to get off, I got off.”

Ramdas was sitting on the platform when someone came along and asked if he was waiting for a train. “No; Ram said I should go to Benares on the train, and Ram came again and asked me to get off.”

Thinking Ramdas to be a fool, the stranger decided to have some fun with him. “Okay then; Ram is telling you, stand up.” Ramdas stood up. “Sit down.” Ramdas sat down. The fellow made him stand up and sit down fifteen times. Still Ramdas felt, “Ram is saying so.”

Finally, the man realized the greatness of this person. He fell at Ramdas’ feet and said, “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” Ramdas immediately helped him up, saying “Oh, Ram, you shouldn’t do that!”

Such total devotion may look like insanity to the world; but through his devotion, Ramdas became a perfect instrument of God’s will. He was even called by the name Ramdas, which means “Ram’s servant.”

Swami (Papa) Ramdas lived in India from 10 April 1884 to 25 July 1963. He spent his early years as a wandering monk, but he was finally led to settle in Kerala, where, with the assistance of his dedicated disciple, Mother Krishnabai, he established the Ananda Ashram.

Swami Chidbhavananda

When good deeds are done for the glory of the Lord, the doer emerges as the Divine. The turning point in life comes in dedicating everything to God.

Swami Chidbhavanandaji was a very exacting teacher with a watchful, scrutinizing eye. He was a disciple of the great Sri Ramakrishna and was well known for his training of young monks. Here is a story that demonstrates how he taught through even the simplest activities of his disciples.

One morning, an ashramite swept up a spoonful of fine dust coaxed from the cracks and corners of his room. Carrying the dust on a sheet of paper, he carefully crossed the grounds until he came to the fence separating the ashram from the neighboring fields. There, he blew the dust over the fence. On his way back to his room, he happened to meet up with Swami Chidbhavanandaji.

“Ah, what were you doing over by the fence?” the Master asked. The young monk smiled, eager to report on his thorough cleaning. “I cleaned my room of a spoonful of dust, and I was just now blowing it across the fence.”

“Oh, I see. So only this side of the fence belongs to you; the other side is not yours . . .. Why don’t you treat the other side as yours, too, and see that it also is kept clean?”

That was all he said. He didn’t need to give big lectures to press his points; the few words he did use were powerful enough to guide a disciple for a lifetime.

Swami Chidbhavananda (11 March 1898 to 16 November 1985) founded the Ramakrishna Thapovanam in Tiruparaitturai, South India, on the banks of the “Ganges of the South,” the holy Kaaveri River. The Thapovanam, which is still flourishing today, is the site of a residential high school renowned for the quality of its education, as well as for the beautiful character and joy-filled nature of its 500 students.

Saint Ramalingam

0 my King, my Lord, my Mother, my Father, my all in One, I take refuge in Thee.

“O Light! You drove away the darkness, poured on me Your Divine Grace, and accepted me as Your servant. I should go to all the worlds and hallow Thy name.”

Such spontaneous outpourings of devotion occurred throughout the life of Sri Ramalingam Adigal (affectionately called “Vallalar,” meaning: Great Giver of Grace and Wisdom). But this profound mystic, who had his first vision of God at the age of five months, was also a very practical saint and a great social servant and reformer.

In his deepest worship, Saint Ramalingam saw the Lord as Light. Realizing that this Arutperum Jyothi—this Light of Grace—was common to every religion, he exhorted all people to express their devotion to God by compassionate service to the world. And he prayed that everyone would experience God as deeply as he did. To share this experience with others, he built a temple at Vadalur, where people of all faiths could worship. The one large, silent room houses but a single image of God: that universal Light of Grace.

“Take everything that is mine; give me everything that is Yours” was the saint’s prayer. And the Lord did as he asked, ultimately taking the saint himself. On 30 January 1874, Ramalinga Swamigal entered his room and asked his disciples to lock the door. There, his body was transfigured into light, and he was never seen again.

Saint Ramalingam saw that his own worship was only one aspect of a universal religion of fellowship and light. Born on 5 October 1823 in South India, he founded a school for spiritual knowledge, a center for feeding the poor, and the temple of light at Vadalur, where the lamp he lit in 1869 still burns today. His 7,000 poems are written in beautiful, yet simple language: “The Lord, the Common Reality, dances with all His radiant grace. Make up your mind to embrace Him.“

About Sri Swami Satchidananda

"It’s all His name, it’s all His form, it’s all His deed, and it’s all for good.”

Sri Gurudev Swami Satchidanandaji was born on 22 December 1914. His early life was spent in South India, a land steeped in ageless scriptures and filled with holy men and women who found in God a peace and happiness more permanent than the fleeting wonders of the passing world could ever give.

His parents, desiring to conceive a child who would grow up to be like those saintly ones, traveled to the sacred Palani Hill to seek God’s blessings. Here, his mother was given a mantra to repeat that would develop an inner vibration conducive to receiving such a soul. It is not surprising, then, that when the child she bore grew to manhood, he gave himself completely to spiritual life, and his mantra became this: “To spend every breath I take in serving God and His humanity.”

SriGurudevwaswell-knownaroundtheglobeforhisguidance,histeaching, his inspiration, his insight, his wisdom, his example, his universal love, and his all-embracing approach to religion. He respected the various names and forms, perceiving the one God behind them all. He did not deny any individual but accepted all people as his brothers and sisters in the one family of God. Sri Gurudev entered mahasamadhi on 19 August 2002.

About Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville

Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville, a non-profit organization, is a vibrant spiritual center founded by Sri Swami Satchidananda. A unique Yoga community, it serves as an oasis for spiritual unfoldment, benefiting residents and guests alike. Situated on the banks of the James River in rural Buckingham, Virginia, with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop, Yogaville encompasses over 700 acres of serene, wooded landscape. Five sacred sites, including the Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS), provide a variety of options for meditation and for spiritual gatherings. Our members have come together from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities to live the simple yet profound teachings of Integral Yoga®, whose goal is to help us maintain an easeful body, a peaceful mind, and a useful life. Our aim is to practice, live, and impart the Integral Yoga teachings of Sri Swami Satchidananda, to experience supreme peace and joy, and to share that peace and joy with one and all.

The Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS) embodies Sri Gurudev’s universal teaching that “Truth is One, Paths are Many.” For more than forty years, Sri Gurudev sponsored interfaith worship services and conferences. Witnessing the genuine peace and joy experienced by all who participated in these gatherings, Sri Gurudev was inspired to create a permanent place where all people could come to realize their essential oneness. Opened in July 1986, the LOTUS is dedicated to the Light of all faiths and to world peace; and it exemplifies Sri Gurudev’s efforts to foster religious harmony throughout the world. Built in the shape of a lotus blossom—the ancient symbol for the spiritual unfoldment of the soul—the shrine is a sanctuary for silent meditation, contemplation and prayer. It displays altars for the world’s faiths and is a place where people of all backgrounds come together under one roof to honor their individual traditions and, at the same time, to realize the ultimate spiritual unity of all.

We invite you to visit, to enjoy the serene beauty of Yogaville and to learn more about the teachings conveyed in this booklet. Visitors are always welcome to stay as long- or short-term guests, participating in such activities as formal retreats, workshops, celebration of holy days, work/study programs, or personal retreats.

May the Light embodied in Sri Gurudev and in all the saints and sages enlighten our paths and help us to experience that same Light within and without.