September 8

He Is Shedding His Light Even Today

We are extremely fortunate to celebrate the holy birthday of a great and modern saint of the world, His Holiness Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, who is shedding his light, even today, as he was doing over one hundred years ago from those holy mountains, the Himalayas, on the banks of the Ganges River. It is very fortunate to even live in an age in which there are such great souls.

The scriptures say: “The greatest bliss, the highest joy, embodiment of wisdom absolute, non-dual, boundless like the sky, You are the goal of Thou art That. One, eternal, pure, and still, witness of the whole universe, beyond mind’s grasp, of gunas free, to that Guru may my worship be.”

That means, the one who has all these qualities personified is the true Guru. To that Guru I give my salutations. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj is an embodiment of all these qualities. I feel very fortunate in having had him as my teacher, and to have seen his example even while he was functioning in the physical frame.

If you see any little bit of truth or knowledge in me, it is the spark that came from that great Light. Being a small spark myself, it is almost impossible for me to fathom or talk about him. But let us take this occasion to remember a little bit of the real qualifications of a teacher; and at the same time to realize how lucky we are to have this association and how careful we should be in not missing this opportunity to realize that Light within. Life is limited; death can come at any moment. So, make hay while the sun shines. God bless you.