SHASHI'S ARATI

[Guest guest]

Salutations to Thakur, Guru, and Ma!

 

Chetanananda--"In the evening Shashi would conduct the vesper service, waving a

light, fanning the Master, and singing with the disciples the vesper song of

Vishwanath in Varanasi :

 

 

 

Jai Shiva Omkara, Bhaja Shiva Omkara,

 

Brahma Vishna Sadashiva,

 

Hara Hara Mahadeva !

 

 

 

Swami Virajananda (a monastic disciple of Vivekananda), later recalled :

 

Oh, how wonderful was the arati [vespers] of Shashi Maharaj. It was really a

sight for the gods. Enveloped within the smoke of burning incense and drowned

in the music of drums and cymbals, he would wave a chamar [a fan made of a yak's

tail] towards the end of the arati. Intoxicated with God-consciousness he would

repeat, 'Jai Gurudeva ! Jai Gurudeva ! (Victory to the Guru), in a crescendo of

divine abandon and would dance from one side of the hall to the other

rhythmically pacing the floor.

 

What a unique feeling of ecstatic love would course through the hearts of men

witnessing it can better be imagined than described. The whole building would be

in a tremor. With a heavenly glow on his face he looked the very embodiment of

the God of Fire.

 

The hand of the drummer would get benumbed and would refuse to move. The

spectator's would watch from the adjoining room and join him, all repeating in

chorus, 'Jai Gurudeva ! Jai Gurudeva !' They too would dance in rapture and

fervour. Then all would prostrate themselves before the deity and recite in

chorus this verse from the Guru Gita : 'I bow down to the adorable guru who by

the collyrium of knowledge, opened my eyes, blinded by the disease of

ignorance.'

 

After this, the last part of a hymn composed by Swami Abhedananda would be sung:

 

'Let our salutations be to Ramakrishna, the taintless, eternal, of universal

form, God incarnate out of mercy for his devotees, and adorable Lord of all.'

 

Finally the the evening service would end with the words,

 

'Jai Sri Gurumaharaj ki Jai ! "

 

 

 

Satchitananda

 

Kathy

 

 

 

(GOD LIVED WITH THEM by Swami Chetanananda. p. 276 ;

 

THE STORY OF A DEDICATED LIFE. ( Ramakrishna Math : Madras, 1959) p. 30

 

 

Shashi Maharaj became Swami Ramakrishnananda.