Swami Krishnananda Shashtyabdapurti Mahotsava Commemoration Volume

A Souvenir released on Swami Krishnananda's 60th Birthday

The Supermaster Krishnananda

by Mila Vodvorka

I am not a good writer. My language is also not English. However, I express the heartfelt feelings of my experience of the three years'stay at the Sivananda Ashram during the early Seventies.

It is very important in our life to meet a Master, live with him at least for some time and invite his teachings; but it is not easy to except that it is also important to know that one day we must leave him, physically speaking. Most important is to know the proper moment to leave him.

To live in the Sivananda Ashram, with such an enlightened Master as Swami Krishnananda, is like living in heaven. Who should like to leave heaven! But it is necessary. Even if we are happy and unwilling in the beginning, and do not agree that it is necessary, if we obey the Master's command, we understand how wise was his instruction.

After three years of my staying in the Ashram, I did not want to go back to the 'Civilization' of the West, because by then I had understood that the real civilization lay in the Ashram. The way of living, teaching and giving instructions by Swami Krishnanandaji is something you must experience for yourself; it is not possible to describe it. It was something so new, so wonderful for me, when I started to understand a little of what Swamiji was talking. I could not believe my ears, for I had never heard anything so deep and profound, so logical and scientific, and yet so simple and jocular, so unassuming and homely. I thought that perhaps I was in a dream-land. It was like a wonderful, long dream. To make sure that it was not a dream, I decided to touch Swamiji's feet and press my fingers so hard as to feel the bones. But he would not allow anyone to touch his feet and I never had the opportunity to touch Swamiji's feet. Only on the last day, when I was leaving, he permitted me to touch his feet, but at that moment I was so emotionally overpowered that I had forgotten to press my fingers hard on his feet. So, I will never know whether my stay at the Sivananda Ashram was real or a dream! So beautiful it was to stay in the Ashram.

But the teachings, the marvellous teachings I had in the Ashram, I started to digest when I was far from India, from the Ashram, from Swamiji. And so, now I understand that it is also important to go away from the Master; otherwise, we will go on living in a dream. It would be like going on eating and eating, and never having time to digest the food.

After three years of stay in the Ashram, I had the opportunity to do a little Seva to the Ashram, by accompanying Swami Hridayananda Mataji on her world tour, where I could put what I had learnt into practice, and I learnt to serve, what I had never done before. Then I could appreciate the value of my Master's teaching, without which I would never have been able to accomplish the task.

Sometimes I was angry with Krishnananda Swamiji. (I am ashamed to say that.) I found some teachings of his were not necessary; it was not necessary to go to India for them. Those I could have learnt at home, in Venezuela. And those teachings only complicated my existence. Swamiji had so often been repeating to me: "Forget yourself. Never ask for anything. Be prepared for the worst. Take the last place for yourself. If you give a present to someone, give the best you have; it is to God that you are giving, not to a man". Now, as my Sarees became old and torn, I bought some new ones and wanted to give the old ones to a poor lady. But then, I remembered Swamiji's words that I must give the best things to others, and keep the worst for myself. So, I had to stay the next time with the old Sarees, but I could not really give away the new ones, because they were too good. I went angrily to Swamiji, explained to him how his teachings were complicating my life, and that this kind of teaching I could also have learnt at home and that there was no necessity to come to India for them. Swamiji smiled and asked me if I was afraid to lose my little ego, and win a big one. Of course, I wanted to lose my ego; and so, his answers always satisfied me and I went happily back to my room.

But for Swamiji's wonderful teachings, I do not know how I could have managed my life from the time of my stay in the Ashram till now. The essence of what I learnt from Swamiji I can sum up: It is not possible to serve people, if we do not forget ourselves. Especially it is wonderful not to ask for anything. Why ask for anything? Everything we need will come by itself to us, if we do our Sadhana sincerely. There is no necessity for asking; it will come to us easily and in a much better way than we could ever hope for by asking. So, life becomes a marvel. Swamiji used to say: “Life is a marvel, you are a marvel and God is the biggest Marvel”. But, a greater Marvel was my staying in the Ashram, at his holy feet. That three years' stay in the Ashram has changed my whole life, I can only bless him every day. I can only thank the Lord that He gave me an opportunity to stay in Sivananda Ashram, to meet Swamiji, and many other wonderful people there. I am sure that all who know Swamiji well will agree with me, that there exists a point, a moment in your life when you know a man, but then at a certain point of time the man ceases to be a man, and from that moment only God exists, there is no more a man.