TEN DISTINCTIONS OF SWAMI
CHIDANANDA
(Swami Chidananda : Birth : 24.9.1916, Mahasamadhi : 28.8.2008)
There
are ten types in Dasnami Sannyasin
sampradaya of Adi Shankaracharya, ten principal Upanishadas on which Acharyas have written bhasyas and ten dishas (directions) referred to in the ritual worship. This
inspires me to look deep into 10 distinguished points about life and work of
Swami Chidananda.
- Unparalleled Gurubhakti –Gurubhakti is one thing which shines with resplendence in his
life.. His life was a vibrant example of Guru Shishya Yoga so beautifully described by him in his
writings. He had implicit and explicit Gurubhakti
which surfaced in any thing that he preached or practiced. None of his lecture or write up would
complete without saying what Swami Sivananda had to say on that particular
subject. He would give mantra dikshsa
or Sannyas diksha in the
name of Gurudev. He would address himself as a humble servant of Gurudev
in all his oral and written communications. The classical manner in which
he sang the famous Guru Mantra – Gurur
Brahma Gurur Vishnu- in a deep breath at 2nd international
DLS Conference at
- Personifying Maryada Purushottam Lord Rama – His life was also a
personification of his ishta devata
Lord Rama in the sense that he was Maryada
Purushottam in all the roles played by him in his life as a student,
brahmchari, sannyasin, speaker, writer, president or trustee of the Divine
Life Society. He led spotless and exemplary life. He would never
transgress the boundary drawn by law, professional etiquette or his own
ideals and would not hesitate to seek pardon even when his well meaning
action would unwittingly hurt somebody’s sentiments. Like Lord Rama, he endeared
himself to one and all by his loving and compassionate nature &
remained ajatshatru throughout his
life.
- Compassion to mankind
& all living beings (jiva) – He practiced cosmic spiritual
consciousness that he professed. He had a room for one and all regardless
of their size and stature. He loved and respected all aspirants, all
saints, all sages and mankind at large. In this sense, he replicated his
Guru Swami Sivananda whom he described as a great friend of mankind in the
documentary film released in 1987 to mark his centenary. He adored
hundreds and thousands of human beings not out of mere atmabhava but also by praising
their contribution for good of the humanity in the relative phenomenal
world. He would dwell on details of different missions as if he is a part
& parcel of them. To err is human & to forgive is divine. Nobody
knew this better than Swami Chidananda. His cosmic love embraced all from a
small ant to a mighty elephant.
- Compassion to world (Jagat) - He saw the
phenomenal world as manifestation of Divine and showed keen interest &
deep reverence towards various objects of the world. Nothing would escape
his penetrating vision and he would find time to inquire about different things
like articles made out of clay, different institutions and different
nations. He would even love to talk on United Nations Charter as a citizen
of the world. His love for nature was stupendous and he would insist that
flowers should not be spread in a zigzag manner and should never touch his
feet. He was a rare mahatma that Bhagwad Gita describes as Vasudev sarvamiti sa mahatmane
sudurlabhah
- Supreme devotion to
Lord (Jagdish) – He displayed deep
reverence and adorations for all deities, incarnations, religions and
apostles of Lord. Educated in missionary school & college, he embodied
the Christian ideals of love & compassion and integrated them with the
ideal of oneness of existence propounded in Vedanta and Hinduism. He was
lovingly known as St. Francis of
- Spontaneity of
expression:
Like Gurudev Sivananda, he had the objectivity of a scientist, intuition
of a clinician & expression of an artist. The unique phrases uttered
by him had the potency of divine hymns. He would love to speak
spontaneously and not confined to boundaries of any particular
subject. The short phrases like –
“Change is inherent in nature & nature fulfils the change; Check the
hypervitaminosis I; Don’t be afraid of getting well! and Asparsh yoga”-so characteristic of him would greatly appeal the
devotees and on the other
side, one would struggle to find a
full stop in his elaborate narration. The lucidity & originality in
his expressions were next to none.
- Beauty & richness
of language
– What is more?.- The heartfelt expressions came out in a very sweet
language. His expression in English was impeccable & he could
communicate in many Indian & foreign languages. His write ups &
speeches were a kind of thesaurus where he would render several words with
near equivalent meaning without sounding repetitive. To put this in the
language of performing vocalist, his speech was rendered in a pilu rag where artist would roam
freely among all the 12 notes or like a Thumri rag bringing out adornment
- Clarity of upadesha- His brief addresses
brought out in the books like- Ponder these truths, Seek the beyond &
A call to liberation had wonderful take home message. The titles like - Be
committed to the highest, What is true success, Looking at problems from a different angle of
vision, Cultivate positive attitude & In search of I are so touchy
& inspiring that they will leave an indelible impression in the mind
and prop up a man from deep dpression into dynamic action. The impact
factor of his presentations was of very high order. He also put forth the
message of Gurudev Sivananda and Adi Shankaracharya in a manner that could
be assimilated by modern man. Our understanding of Gurudev Sivananda’s
message of Divine Life would be incomplete until we read his commentary on
Twenty spiritual instructions and Central theme of Swami Sivananda’s
message to mankind. Likewise his commentary on Bhaj Govindam stotra of
Sankaracharya & Verses addressed to the mind by Swami Ramdas place the
true esoteric meaning of these teachings before us.
- Punctuality &
Subtlety:
He would always Adapt, Adjust and Accommodate as prescribed by Gurudev
Sivananda. But equally important, he would accomplish this in a very
orderly and meticulous way. He would write several letters to devotees at
times by remaining awake at midnight on appropriate subjects & object.
He would not accept any error in the spelling or composition in compiled
or typed text. He would insist on
use of right word at right moment. On one occasion when devotee politely
spoke that “Atman is to be asserted”, he intervened saying “No, Atman is
not to be asserted, Atman is to be deeply felt & experienced”. He
would even organize his small kit bag in 5 to 6 compartments & not
allow others to do this seva for him. Sages say that order in nature is
Iswara & he reflected this order in his individual life.
- Karma Yogi &
Sannyasin Par excellence - He exemplified, demonstrated and radiated two types
of sadhana for spiritual aspirants shown in Bhagavad Gita. One, Sadhana
along the path of action for Karmayogi & two, sadhana along the path
of knowledge for Sankhyayogi or vividisha sannyasin. His early &
middle life as brahmachari; ‘doctor Raoji’ at Sivananda hospital &
Airline wale baba taking message of Swami Sivananda and ancient India to
the world is a fine example of wisdom filled action and Karma Yoga & his later life,
guiding two international DLS conferences, construction of Swami Sivananda
Satsang Bhavan at Sivanada Ashram, guiding ashram activities and its
inmates by dwelling in solitude at Shantinivas Dehradun is a fine example
of action oriented knowledge and Jnana
Yoga. He showed that these two paths are in sequence and not two
separate alternatives.
Swami
has gone but Chidananda would live eternally in our hearts as our swarupa, our very being. Om Tat Sat.
Dr.Jayant
B.Dave, Vadodara
