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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

H.H. Sri Swami Krishnananda

by Sri N.S.V. Rao, Tanuku

Sri Swami Krishnananda. What a wonderful name! Krishna is blue. The sky is blue. The ocean is blue. What dices blueness indicate? It indicates depth, infinite expansiveness. So is Swami Krishnananda. The depth of his knowledge is immeasurable. His vision is cosmic, infinitely expansive.

I went to Anandakutir for the first time in the year 1951, along with my parents, brother and my family. In one of the night Satsangs, presided over by Gurudev H. H. Sri Swami Sivananda, a young Sanyasi gave a lecture on Divine Life. He laid stress on individual effort and on the necessity of keeping a room under lock and key, specially for Japa and meditation and not to miss Brahmamuhurtha under any circumstances. It was an impressive speech, well pronounced and superbly modulated. Every point was brought out with clarity and emphasis. He was none but Swami Krishnananda. He was then a bit lean, but a look of renunciation and resoluteness was easily discernible in his face.

Now twenty two years have gone by. During these two decades Sri Swami Krishnananda has grown in stature enormously. I had occasion to watch his tremendous progress all these years. He has now developed an integral personality. He has acquired a profound knowledge on the higher values of life. He is a perfect Renunciate. He is very independent in outlook He has a powerful personality. He is shakti-maya. He has reached the highest realms in spirituality. There is rich wisdom in his humour. He is an able administrator. He seems to be experiencing the greatest Bliss (Ananda) in and through his busy day to day activities.

Thus Krishnananda is the sum total of Knowledge, Renunciation, Independence, Shakti, humour, Nishkamata ability and Ananda. (In KRISHNA, K stands for Knowledge, R for Renunciation, I for Independence, S for Shakti, H for humour, N for Nishkamyata, A for ability.)

It will not be an exaggeration to state that Swami Krishnananda is the crest-jewel of the Divine Life Society. By dint of sincere and hard work and by virtue of deep study and Tapascharya he has built up a stature that is an eyesore even to many ochre-robed sanyasins.

To me Swami Krishnananda is a modern Sankara. He represents the intellectual genius of Swami Sivananda. He is not lured by name and fame, power and pelf. He is very unassuming. He has a detached outlook on life. He has no fear or favour. He speaks to you just as long as he feels it necessary (while giving personal interviews) and minds his own business and seems to ask you to mind your own business. But during the few minutes he spends with you, he gives you his heart and takes you to higher realm of wisdom and lavishes all his love and concern for you. He is very punctual to meetings.

He addresses the gatherings just at the appointed time. For full one hour he speaks, taking the audience with him. His speeches are highly educative, deeply informative, and sensibly revealing. He analysis the subject on hand to a remarkable degree of thoroughness. He uses wonderful similes and beautiful illustrations, and dives deep into the subject, giving it a masterly touch. The moment he finishes his speech, he disappears from the scene, without waiting to be patted and praised for his excellence in speaking.

Many people wonder how it is that busy people find time to produce voluminous works on intricate topics. Gurudev is an example of a voluminous writer. He was a very busy Master and yet could manage to write over 300 books on a verity of topics ranging from 'Health and Hygiene' to 'What Becomes of the Soul After Death.' The real secret is that it is only extremely busy people who have no work become so lazy that they do not find time to do anything other than eating, drinking and making merry. Swami Krishnananda, in spite of his preoccupation with the heavy organisational work of the Ashram, writes copiously. Some of his best books are: 'The Philosophy of Life' and 'A Short History of Religious and Philosophic Thought in India'. His writings are very powerful and not meant for light reading. They require your keen insight and deep reflection. Your effort will certainly be richly rewarded by way of your being the wiser for it.

I have all admiration for Swami Krishnananda. I have high esteem for him. On the happy occasion of his 50th Birthday (Golden Jubilee) celebrations, I pray to God to bless Sri Krishnananda with best of health, longevity and Self-Realisation in this birth itself.

Om Tat sat.