Swami Krishnananda Shashtyabdapurti Mahotsava Commemoration Volume

A Souvenir released on Swami Krishnananda's 60th Birthday

Fear Not! March On!!

by Hubert Farrington

Yes, my friends, rest assured; the Great Ones love us more than we love ourselves. They know us better than we know ourselves. Our essence is contained in them. Thus our assurance of success. What fools we are to believe that we carry our own burdens—the beginning of our loneliness and misery.

When Swami Sivananda came into my life, I was ready, without my realising it then, to take a giant step towards the Absolute. From childhood there are remembrances of a perpetual, though oftentimes perverse courting of the Absolute. My own perversities never caused me to waver in this direction one iota, for I realised that vers after vers of life—traverse, diverse, converse, perverse, reverse—implied in the end always movement towards some end. To what end exactly, I did not know, but that I intended to find out.

Swami Sivananda came into my life first the form of his innumerable books which I immediately recognised as the substance for which I had been searching such time. He said that the means and the end were one and the same. My Guru had come to me. Subsequently, he came in the form of several of his disciples, whom I had the great honour, privilege and joy of serving in various capacities. These disciples helped me along the way, even to the discomfort of themselves. They are all Sivananda to me.

From Swami Chidananda, I learned tolerance, abounding patience, true humility, kindness, appreciation of others, unwavering faith, the perfection of love... and I could go on forever.

From Swami Krishnananda, I learned the beauty of logic and truth, loyalty to cause and purpose, and the secret of self-contentment.

From Swami Vishnudevananda, I learned self-confidence, courage and daring.

From Swami Shivapremananda, I learned the necessity for meticulous attention to detail, precision in the execution of worldly matters.

From Swami Satchidananda, I learned the necessity of good showmanship in steering the worldly-minded towards God-consciousness.

From Swami Venkatesananda, I learned to enjoy being free and to share myself with others unstintingly.

From Swami Pranavananda, I, learned to pay respect to all religious content in world order.

From Swami Hridayananda, I learned that God and Mother's love were one and the same.

From Swami Nadabrahmananda, I learned the deeper import of sound thinking, sound health, and sound advice.

From Swami Vimalananda, I learned that the love of Hanuman for Rama is ever present and alive today, even as all the Holy Teachings.

From Dr. Adhwaryoo, I learned the practical concern for others in day-to-day life.

And altogether I have learnt that life itself is but an endless process of learning. God protects us in His infinite mercy, even as real knowledge does. Life is the privilege we are given to manifest God and make him knowable to ourselves and others.

Fear not! March on!