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Glorious Fifty Years of Wisdom and Service
A Souvenir released on Swami Krishnananda's 50th Birthday

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Table of Contents

  • Meditation—Its Theory and Practice BY SWAMI KRISHNANANDA
  1. The Meaning and Method of Meditation
  2. Impediments in Meditation
  3. Spiritual Experiences
  4. The Groundwork of Self-Knowledge
  5. The Problem of Self-Alienation
  6. The Method of Self-Integration
  7. Self-Withdrawal and Self-Discovery
  • Articles About Swami Krishnananda

Sri Gurudev's Vedanta Kesari

by Sri Har Datt Sharma, New Delhi

Sri Gurudev Swami Sivananada founded the Divine Life Society and flooded the world with his literature containing a supreme knowledge of the Eternal Truth which elevates an aspirant from all miserable plights and leads to limitless bliss. This Jnana Ganga of Yoga and Vedanta started in the early thirties of this century from Rishikesh carried a very strong current of practical spirituality and living idealism, which attracted many sincere aspirants to drink deep at the source e.g., at the feet of Sri Gurudevji Maharaj.

His Holiness Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj as we see him now came in touch with the Holy Feet of Sri Gurudev in a very young age with a purpose to drink deep the nectar of Divine Life. He practised spiritual discipline in silence and seclusion and was almost unfamiliar figure in the Sivananda Ashram for number of years and thus captured the last infirmity of noble mind, e.g. desire for fame. But Sri Gurudev visualizing him as a big shady tree full of fruits for the hungry aspirants of spiritual path nourished him in such a way that impressed by his exposition he was awarded with the title of "VEDANTA KESRI" by Sri Gurudev. Being a scholar in Sanskrit and a Sanyasin of very High Order he occupies the seat of Acharya of the Sivananda Ashram. As a true sevak of Sri Gurudev, he has set-forth a wonderful example of "Work is Worship" while working in the organisational setup of the Divine Life Society. He is conscious of duty only neither the nature of duty nor the name allotted for that, SEVA.

It is difficult to unfold the personality of a saint of his height but apart from his known scholarship and impressive oratory I would like to narrate my rare experience of half an hour of private audience with H. H. Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj.

It was the last week of January 1967 when I visited the Ashram with a group of young engineers who were accompanying me for the first time and we were to spend only one night in the Ashram, for attending the night Satsang. But we were told that H. H. Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj will not speak in that evening Satsang and at our request H.H. Swami Premanandaji Maharaj was kind enough to arrange for half an hour audience with him. The introduction with the newcomers was very brief and then revered Swamiji started saying that: "What is this I ?" He addressed everybody there as "This I" and did not call any one "You", and after explaining the meaning of "I" in his most philosophical terms Swamiji concluded that the sum totality of all these "I"'s is God and everyone in this world is nothing but Self. The group came out of Swamiji's room charged with energy to follow the divine path with more confidence, understanding and devotion.

Among the visitors and Sadhakas Swamiji is very well known for his spontaneous philosophical expression which makes the metaphysics a logical scientific subject.

May God and Gurudev keep Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj amidst us for a very long time so that Divine Mission of Sri Gurudev may bring peace, prosperity and spiritual awakening in the whole world.