Swami Krishnananda Shashtyabdapurti Mahotsava Commemoration Volume

A Souvenir released on Swami Krishnananda's 60th Birthday

The Tranquil Bliss of Divinity

by N.C. Ghosh

High stands the name of Vedanta Kesari Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj in the roll of India's sages and saints.

It is a proud privilege for me to express my felicitations to Swamiji on his completing the 60th year of his life. Generally speaking, this age is considered to be an age of retirement, and many persons do keenly desire to retire at this stage, but I am glad to find that instead of cherishing any idea of retirement, Swamiji has now started active work in the field of Yoga and Vedanta.

Like Gautama Buddha, Swamiji was a thoughtful boy from his childhood. He inherited from his parents the rich treasure of piety, purity and a natural inclination for religious life. Vairagya attained its natural culmination very early in his life and his burning inner urge took him to Rishikesh where he found his Guru in Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, under whose personal guidance he has scaled lofty heights of spiritual experience. Call it the peace that passeth all understanding or a glimpse of the Eternal if you like. He has been Professor of Vedanta in the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy since its inception in 1948. He has written several illuminating books on the Upanishads and India's spiritual culture. The vast learning and education of the saintly author has combined with inspirational fervour which reverberates in every page of his books.

Apart from revered Swami Krishnanandaji's exceptionally high spiritual attainments, he is well known as a hard and conscientious worker; and his noble activities as the exalted General Secretary of the Divine Life Society for about a quarter of a century have been extremely and highly appreciated. Divine life radiates from His Holiness and the strength born of spiritual devoutness is writ large on his face. His genuine humility, simplicity and eagerness to help the struggling aspirants have commanded universal admiration.

Swami Krishnanandaji knows no rest. Much of the expansion and popularity of the Divine Life Society of Swami Sivananda and its success and grandeur are due to his herculean activity. Under Swamiji's inspiration and guidance, the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy has been doing very work. May we hope that, in the year* come, this Academy will grow from its present humble beginnings into a full-fledged and ideal spiritual institution capable of catering to the growing number of spiritual seekers from everywhere around the globe.

I wish our revered and beloved Swamiji many happy returns of his Birthday and a long life of health and happiness in the service of the Lord.