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Satsang with Swamiji

Sanatana Dharma and Lord Ganesha

I always say that the true name for the Hindu religion is Sanatana Dharma. It is the eternal code and original law of life. It is everlasting, timeless and natural. One cannot trace its origins to a particular person or form of God. It is so ancient one cannot find its beginning. Its beauty is that it encompasses all living beings and every religion or philosophy. It covers all aspects of creation, day-to-day life, death and rebirth. Its great and super-intelligent laws were given to mankind through the meditation of wise men and women. The wisdom of Sanatana Dharma is constantly perpetuated by millions of spiritually interested people and humanitarians throughout the world. They are helped by enlightened souls who take birth from time to time to remind them of the true essence of Sanatana Dharma. The principles of Hinduism are those of Sanatana Dharma.


�Hinduism contains many forms of God, groups and various beliefs. The majority of the branches of Hinduism worship Lord Ganesha. We worship him at the start of any pooja, religious act, and major change or step in life. Why? Lord Ganesha is the great primordial energy that assists us clear the way to progress in any situation. That is why he is called Vinayakar, the remover of obstacles and difficulties. On the yearly festival of Vinayakar Chathurti we remember his birth and pray to him for his blessings.

There are many spiritual seekers who want to understand and accept Hindu philosophy as part of their spiritual path. I encourage them to contemplate the great Ganesha force. It can only be beneficial to them if they do this. I especially urge children and students to worship Ganesha, particularly in the early morning when divine influence is at its height. The innocent prayers and meditations of the young and pure-hearted people give them inner strength, a clear mind and good powers of concentration. Practice of a short but regular meditation on Lord Ganesha helps everyone to learn well and easily.

Children are especially able to relate to the loving, friendly and homely form of Lord Ganapati (another of his names). They often tell me he is close to them like a dear friend. He is the lord of knowledge and all the arts. He can guide students towards a cultured life, which also involves spirituality.

I have materialized countless Ganesha statues for devotees and spiritual friends from all over the world. I am very happy if my devotees keep Lord Ganesha’s image in their houses and first appeal to him to clear away their difficulties. If they pray sincerely, they will experience his compassionate help and problem-dissolving powers. Lord Ganesha is sometimes described as having the form of AUM, the original sound vibration from which all creation originated. That is why I advise everyone to pray to him for his assistance and blessing before meditating for help in transcending the troublesome mind, which gets trapped into always thinking about worldly matters. Praying in this way helps aspirants to reach deep inside themselves to the Divinity within.

I am now calling especially the children...I have given you all the clues and hints on what to do. Now it is up to you to do some spiritual work. Reach out to Lord Ganesha and he will help you in all you aspire for. Don’t forget to tempt him to help you by offering him some sweets now and again (the ancient stories always tell us how Ganesha loves sugary and milky sweets!).

Lord Ganesha and Sanatana Dharma belong to everyone. My duty is to tell you about them and to make your mind relish the taste of spiritual ideas. Having been tempted by this taste, I hope that you will crave for more. This is really a worthwhile desire, which I encourage. If you once taste the honeyed nectar, which the flower of Sanatana Dharma has to offer, the desire to taste the pleasures of the world will drop away from you naturally. If you understand that the pleasures of the world are inferior, you will no longer run after them. Let Lord Ganesha break up the obstacles on your spiritual path and let the dharma take you ever on towards the Divine.

Jai Prema Shanti!


�

Swamiji in the puja hall in Pudur

A Miracle on Ganesha Chathurti by a sannyas disciple

The following happened one day in September 1987, during the yearly Vinayagar Chathurti celebration, in Edamalaipatti Pudur near Trichy, South India....

Swamiji was living on the ground floor of no. 4, State Bank Colony, in Edamalaipatti Pudur. Abhishekams, satsangs, private interviews with Swamiji and other public events took place in the large hall upstairs. We were busy decorating the hall for the mahabhishekam that would be performed that evening, on the occasion of Vinayagar Chathurti, the birthday of Lord Ganesha, when Swamiji called me and said, “You have to somehow collect nine Vinayagar statues for the abhishekam this evening.”

I went around to all the houses in the neighbourhood to ask people if we could borrow their statues. In this way I was able to collect eight small statues. I showed them to Swami, explaining that I had only been able to collect eight, and he said that it was okay and told me where to put them. Then I went to help the others who were busy making modakam balls, which is Ganesha’s favourite food. A ‘modakam’ is a steamed rice flour dumpling with either a sweet or savoury filling. We filled ours with green gram, grated coconut and jaggery and we made one extra large one, the size of a big orange. In the evening Swami came upstairs for the abhishekam. The hall was packed with a few hundred people and all eight Ganesha statues had been placed on the abhishekam tray. Swami sat beside the tray. He took the large modakam ball we had prepared and placed it on the abhishekam tray together with the Ganesha statues. Then he took a knife that had been placed on a separate tray for use during the abhishekam, and made two cuts that formed a triangular shaped hole in the dough of the modakam ball. As he started to peel away the triangle of dough, it opened like a flower petal and there, at the tip of the petal, was a Ganesha statue! Swami then explained that since I had only been able to collect eight statues and we were one short, the ninth one had come! A sketch of the modakam ball with the ninth

Ganesha sitting at the tip of the petal.


� I can assure you that there definitely was no Ganesha statue in this modakam ball when we prepared it! Everyone was happy to have witnessed this miracle. Swami then removed the modakam ball from the tray and went on to perform the abhishekam on the nine small statues, which he decorated with the tiny garlands we had ordered. The Ganeshas looked really beautiful and those who had lent their statues were especially happy because they had not expected that Swami would be performing abhishekam to them. The statues were then returned to their owners and the prasadam was shared with everyone. After Swami left the hall when the celebration was over, I quickly went after him to ask him what I should do with the ninth Ganesha, which was still in the hall. “Shall I keep this one too?” I asked. I said this jokingly because Swamiji had already given me a Ganesha statue long ago. “No, no, no, he will go,” Swami answered. And sure enough, when I returned to the hall I saw that the statue was no longer there! Jai Prema Shanti!

Swami beside the wall of no. 4, State Bank Colony in

Pudur, where he moved in August 1986


�

My Experience with Swamiji

Overcoming Problems By Lakshme Sivakumaran

Born in Jaffna, in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, and brought up in an orthodox Hindu family, I was quite narrow-minded with regard to my religion and race. In 1986, at the time when I first attended one of Swamiji’s satsangs that were being held at the home of a devotee in Wellawatte (southern Sri Lanka), I did not yet have any faith in Swamiji or devotion for him. In his satsang he spoke about detachment. He said, “To lead a detached life, you should live like a tamarind fruit1.” When Swami made this statement it upset me and I complained to a devotee, saying that because he is himself a swami (a monk) he is forcing others to be the same.

Later, as I was going about my day-to-day life, I was faced with many problems. I was very attached to people and became very anxious about their well being, and I faced many hardships, as the smallest misunderstanding made me very unhappy. I experienced that when I became less attached to a person, I became more independent. When my expectations towards others became less, so did my worries lessen and I became happier. In this way I suddenly realized the truth of Swamiji’s words and, from that time onwards, I began following his advice and discovered that

��1 A raw tamarind fruit is still attached to the outer shell and, as it ripens, the fruit detaches from the shell and finally stands on its own. When you shake a ripe tamarind fruit you can hear the fruit shaking inside the shell. This proverb means that one should lead a detached life.

I was able to face all my problems with ease, and so I started developing faith in Swamiji as well as in his words. He used to invite both my husband and me to the Ashram functions and so it is that we became frequent visitors to the Trichy Ashram, enjoying many long stays there.

During my childhood, as I was growing up, I thought that my Hindu religion was the only way to God and that all other religions were untrue. But during my stays in the Ashram I met many of Swamiji’s devotees who came from various countries and belonged to different religious faiths and this made me realize the oneness of all religions and that every religion guides you to the same goal through different paths. I remember a time when Swamiji was in Pudur, near Trichy, that we met a Muslim gentleman who became very friendly with us and mentioned how he became a better Muslim after associating closely with Swamiji. Swamiji was able to explain to him certain facts propounded in the Muslim faith and this helped him to better understand the holy Koran.

With time, I was able to develop compassion towards each being and this made me recognize the same divinity within each person. Swamiji is an incarnation of the divinity and has the ability to help each individual person realize the divinity that is already within them.

Jai Prema Shanti!


�

News from the …..

Good Habits – Respect for Elders

The Ashram’s Premananda Youth group is sending birthday cards to Premananda Youth around the world. Contact your nearby Premananda Youth coordinator to receive a birthday card, and to take part in the Youth meetings and activities! You can read more information about Premananda Youth groups on www.sripremananda.org.

Every month we highlight a great quality of a Premananda Youth. This month: Respect for elders

“It is not old-fashioned to respect one’s parents. Because respect means that you have a good heart that cares for others. Youngsters expect that their mothers and fathers should look after them and give them everything. Then they will leave them, find their own way in the world and after the parents die they should leave them property, money and so on. My feeling is that the children should take care of their parents as much as they can. Never forget that your mother carried you for nine months inside her own body and gave birth to you. Do you think that is a small work? No, it is a very great and marvelous gift she has given you... she gave you life, which is so precious. Only by taking a human birth can you go on the spiritual path. And your mother and father gave this chance to you. They have brought you up and given you whatever they can for many years. Remember this always. Our first project is this... respect your mother and father. Do not hurt them and fight with them. Be reasonable, kind and patient. Charity and selfless service begins at home. Talk about your problems with your parents. Talk with the other members of the youth group. Share your experiences and solve your problems. If you feel you can’t, then call on me. I am always ready to help you.” Swamiji

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Swamiji’s Early Years

This is a short series presenting little stories about Swamiji’s childhood days and early youth. This month Swamiji talks about his research into the source of the miraculous powers that increasingly began to manifest themselves. By the time I was fourteen years old I had become very good at my studies but I started deep spiritual Self-enquiry at that time and lost interest in school. Gradually I became last in the class. The teachers could not understand what was happening to me and wondered if I was sick. I also found it difficult to understand myself. I was always searching deeply within for the source of the power. I tried to talk to my father about it but he thought I was stealing things from his shop instead of materializing them and he beat me very badly. I asked one of my uncles and received similar treatment. Even my eldest uncle did not want to see my powers and so I decided not to talk about it anymore.

Sometime later a friend invited me to his home for dinner. He had told his parents about the powers I had and they thought I must be very religious and saintly. They had made vegetarian food for me. My friend felt sorry because I had asked him to make chicken rice.

So, just before the meal he secretly came and hid an egg in my rice.2 I said a prayer because they all seemed to expect it. When I started to eat, I discovered that the egg had turned into a piece of jaggery (raw brown sugar)! I must have looked shocked because everyone asked me what the matter was. “Mmm...when I prayed, the rice turned into sweet pongal rice!”3 I lied. Now I was sweating profusely because I had lied. Then the whole family asked me for some pongal as prasadam. What was I to do now? I quickly prayed, “Oh God, please turn the rice into sweet pongal” and it changed. I was really panicking because of my lie but somehow the power had saved me.

These events and many more like them made me think very deeply about my life. Slowly I was developing very strong abilities to know what others were thinking and to see into their past, present and future. I would pray and their pains would go away. Vibhuti, kumkum and sandalwood started to flow from my fingers when I thought of the Divine. Sometimes I lost body-consciousness and fell down. They had to send me home from school in a car. At those times I felt as if I was in God’s lap and was filled with joy. At other times I seemed to split myself in two and find myself in two places at the same time.

��2 In general Hindu religious people are expected not to eat meat or eggs. 3 Sweet pongal is rice traditionally made with ghee, jaggery, nuts and raisins


�

The first materialization of a statue As told by Chitrangani

In Matale, Sri Lanka, 1978 Close to the Gandhi Memorial Hall in Matale, Sri Lanka, which was Swamiji’s first Ashram, at a few minutes’ walking distance, lived a man who was an ardent Krishna devotee. His name was Padmanathan, he was in his fifties and a retired station master. At a certain time Mr. Padmanathan began making regular visits to Gandhi Hall to meet with Swamiji. Even though he was a nice man, he used to drink daily. It was not surprising then that one of the first things Swami advised him to do was to stop drinking alcohol. He insisted that he couldn’t stop this habit and so Swami materialized vibhuti for him and told him to take some of this vibhuti with water every day. After that, he gradually managed to stop his drinking habit. Mr. Padmanathan would often come to the Gandhi Hall to help pick flowers for the early morning pooja, to attend the poojas and bhajan sessions, to talk with Swamiji and listen to his satsangs. He also attended the yearly Mahashivaratris. Sometime after the Mahashivratri in 1978, when Swamiji was holding satsang, Swamiji explained to everyone present that Mr. Padmanathan had said the following to him during a private interview: “Swami behaves like Krishna, but every Mahashivaratri he gives birth to Lingams, which are Shiva. So, now that Krishna Jayanti is coming, what are you going to do? Maybe you can manifest a statue of Krishna?”

Swami went on to explain that he agreed to do this and had decided that he would materialize a Krishna statue on the day of Krishna Jayanti. He then told everyone to bring as many flowers as they could collect when they came for the Krishna Jayanti celebration and said that the amount of flowers collected would determine the size of the statue. In those days Swami used to materialize mostly vibhuti and, on special days, also sandalwood. He sometimes materialized other things at the request of the devotees, but he had, to my knowledge, never before materialized a statue of a deity. And at that time the great miracle was, of course, the birth of the lingams. Yet whenever Swami was finished with giving private interviews, he would end it by loudly calling out the name of Krishna three times. Now this devotee was questioning how it was possible that Swami, who was behaving like Krishna, also gave birth to lingams. Soon it was Krishna Jayanti and the Gandhi Hall was packed with some 300 to 500 people. Many of them had brought flowers, which were all duly collected in flower baskets. Then Swami selected a number of respectable, educated, elderly people and divided them into six or seven groups, of four people each. He then instructed these groups to each take one of the baskets and, in turn, go sit on the stage and offer the collected flowers, piling them into a heap on the floor,


�

The statue of Lord Krishna decorated with flower garlands.

while everyone chanted ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’. When one group’s flower basket was emptied, the next group of four would come onto the stage with their basket, offering the flowers and adding them to the heap, one by one. After several hours, around 1 a.m., Swami returned, freshly bathed and wearing only a cloth wrapped around his waist. He stepped onto the stage. He put his hand into the heap of flowers and at that very moment I saw a big light coming from above and going right down into the flowers where his hand was! The whole of the hall was now resonating with the devout chanting of ‘Om Namo Narayana’. The only other person on stage with Swami was the priest of the Mariamman Temple in Matale. I was standing close by and could see that Swami’s body was shaking as he lifted his arm with a Krishna statue now in his hand. Everybody began shouting, crying and dancing. It was a very heavy statue, exactly the height of the heap of collected flowers.

But the Krishna statue didn’t have a flute and, a while later, Mr. Padmanathan mentioned this to Swami, saying that he did not think it was nice that Krishna did not have a flute. Swami asked him if he wanted a flute and, of course, Padmanathan replied, “Yes!” Then he asked Swami, “You say Krishna and Shiva are the same, Swamiji, but how is this possible? According to me they are different.” Swami answered, “God’s grace is all the same. God is one; there is no difference between the deities, there are only different paths. I will show you that they are all the same. So, you

say you want a flute?” Swami then instructed him to lock Krishna inside the mulastanam (innermost part of the temple) for one week and to seal the doors by nailing them shut. Following his instructions, Krishna was placed there and the doors of the mulastanam were nailed shut. For seven days we lit the lamp and sang bhajans in front of these closed doors. Mr. Padmanathan came every day but soon grew impatient and began to express his concern that Krishna was locked inside and he could not worship him. He pleaded with Swami to open the doors but Swami told him, “No, wait, you want a flute, don’t you?” After the week had passed Swami told Mr. Padmanathan that he was now going to open the doors but that he wanted to do it


�together with him. A few other people, including myself, were also present when the nails were removed. Swami, together with Mr. Padmanathan, then entered the mulastanam to see Krishna. There they found the statue completely covered with a layer of vibhuti and now Krishna was also holding a flute. Vibhuti is also called holy ash, and is associated with Lord Shiva. As soon as Mr. Padmanathan saw this he broke out in tears. “Why are you crying?” asked Swami. Through his sobs Mr. Padmanathan said, “You told me that all the deities are the same; oh Swami, I am so foolish, they are all the same!”

Swami, who was now sitting down, was lovingly looking at him and laughing. In this way Swami had showed him that Krishna and Shiva are one and the same. Actually, Krishna was covered with so much vibhuti that he was hardly visible. As for myself, I didn’t immediately understand the reason for the vibhuti, but of course it was in answer to Mr. Padmanathan’s question. God’s power and energy is one, it only takes different forms. After this, Mr. Padmanathan had no more questions; he was satisfied. His confusion about Swami behaving like Krishna and giving birth to lingams had been dispelled, and his doubt had been the cause of the first materialization of a statue by Swami using flowers. Many other materializations of statues were to follow!

JAI PREMA SHANTI!

The Gandhi Hall in Matale, Sri Lanka, where the miracle of the materialization of Lord Krishna took place on 27th August 1978. The Poobalakrishna statue was about 22 inches high when it was just materialized.


�

Swamiji as Krishna

By Mr. Sivakumaran The late Mr. K. was a very dear friend of my family and he would often visit us. He loved to tell us about the time he saw Swamiji as Krishna, and he would always begin the story by saying how he used to repeatedly beg Swamiji to please reveal his true Self to him. On this particular day Swamiji had invited Mr. K., his wife and their daughter for a satsang. While Swamiji was talking, Mr. K. suddenly saw Swamiji change – from the waist up – into the form of Krishna. Bewildered and amazed at this transformation, he nudged his wife to ask her if she was also seeing what he was seeing, but she brushed him aside and just kept on listening to Swamiji. It was clear that she wasn’t seeing the same. Meanwhile, Mr. K. was so overcome by this vision of Sri Krishna that he began to experience very severe heart palpitations. The palpitations continued and at the end of the satsang Swamiji went over to him and placed his hands on his chest. Swamiji asked Mr. K.’s wife to fetch a mug of hot milk and after her husband had drunk the milk the palpitations stopped. After seeing this miracle, Mr. K. was apprehensive about approaching too close to Swamiji and he kept a respectful distance. Swamiji noticed this and lovingly chided him, “This is why I don’t want to reveal my Self to you all, because you will avoid coming close to me!” Unfailingly, Mr. K. would end his story by telling us to be sure never to miss any opportunity of being close to this divine being!

Jai Prema Shanti!

Now this Poobalakrishna statue resides in a newly built temple in Puliyankulam, in Northern Sri Lanka.


�

Prema Nature Sambrani incense blocks

Sambrani is a traditional incense made from the aromatic and beneficial resin or gum harvested from trees of the genus Boswellia – this resin is also known as frankincense or olibanum. Sambrani is either sprinkled on hot coals or available in little ‘dhoops’ or blocks, which are set afire, its fumes then wafted around for cleansing the atmosphere and imparting a wonderful fragrance. It produces a thicker smoke than other incense, which makes it more helpful in purifying the environment. Its fine energy creates a pure, positive and divine atmosphere. It is a great gift of nature and helps to rid the environment of negative energies.

In the Ashram we prepare sambrani blocks in a completely natural way. We start with a mixture of solidified resin or gum (photo 1) that is made into powder. To this we add dried flowers from the garlands which were offered to Swamiji’s Samadhi Lingam and other deities in the Ashram, some special herbs (photo 2) and also some cow dung. The addition of white henna flowers gives the sambrani an extra nice fragrance.

After putting all these dried ingredients through a grinder (photo 3), we now have a powder to which we add a small amount of water, just enough until the substance can be easily shaped into small cylindrical blocks (photo 4). Once the sambrani blocks have been properly dried they are ready to be used (photo 5). The sambrani gives off a nice smell and burns well, producing a thick smoke (photo 6). They are entirely natural and do not contain any added chemical perfume.

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To carry out wrong deeds that are injurious for human life, the mind will work very quickly and complete this evil in a competent manner. At the same time, the mind will take little interest in carrying out good deeds and thinking about ways to reach God. For this it will work slowly and only half-heartedly. The conscience is the high judge that determines whether an action is good or bad, and we should make use of its court to inquire into the mind’s actions. Our conscience will pass the correct judgment and, if the mind accepts that judgment and behaves accordingly, then it will become a guide that will lead us to the Universal Light, to the Divine.

Think well – a person with a mind eager to complete an evil deed is forced to tell thousands of lies. A person with a mind eager to complete a good deed will need to tell thousands of truths. A mind that chooses or wishes for evil will be sure to suffer. But the mind that chooses or desires truth will be sure to live. By practising self-enquiry you will gain much and the lives of those who differentiate

between the positive and the negative will serve as an example to the world.

There are people who have become great sages and yet never even went to school. How? They practised self-enquiry by reflecting on their thoughts and behaviour in the worldly life. The experience this gave them pushed them forward on the spiritual path and brought them to an enlightened state. Consider the following example. A scientist observing a skilled potter at work should appreciate the potter’s talent. It would be wrong if, instead, the observer only thinks that he or she is a great scientist. Each and every person is of value and is great in their own individual way. God lives in all beings as Shiva, and in all bodies as Shakti. Therefore, once we come to the correct conclusion that all peoples of all countries and all living beings are one, then our self-pride will quickly fade away.

The mind that does not practise self-enquiry is like a darkened room. Light the lamp of truth by practising self-enquiry. Live truthfully! Speak the truth!

Jai Prema Shanti!

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