Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, World Hindu Leader, Passes Away at 74

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November 13, 2001

Today's Stories:

1. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, World Hindu Leader, Passes Away at

74

1. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, World Hindu Leader, Passes Away at 74

Source:

http://www.gurudeva.dynip.com/~htoday/press_releases/

KAUAI, HAWAII, USA, November 13, 2001: Satguru Sivaya

Subramuniyaswami, one

of Hinduism's foremost spiritual teachers, a prolific author and

publisher

of Hinduism Today magazine and Hindu Press International news service,

passed away today at age 74 at his ashram home on the island of Kauai,

Hawaii, USA. A spokesperson for the ashram said the Hindu master

discovered

on October 9 that he had advanced intestinal cancer. Three medical teams

of

radiologists and oncologists in Hawaii, Washington State and California

all

concurred that even the most aggressive treatment regimens would not

prove

effective, and estimated he had just a few months to live. Consequently,

Subramuniyaswami declined any treatment beyond palliative measures, and

made the decision to follow the Indian yogic practice, called Prayopavesa

in

Sanskrit scripture, to abstain from nourishment and take water only from

that day on. He died on the 32nd day of his self-declared fast, passing

on

quietly at 11:54 pm on November 12, 2001, surrounded by his 23

monastics.

Upon news of his impending passage, prayers and worship were offered in

hundreds of temples around the world by tens of thousands of Hindus. The

suddenness of the events especially stunned the 2.5 million Tamils of Sri

Lanka, for whom Subramuniyaswami, the successor of Lanka's great guru

Yogaswami, is their hereditary spiritual leader.

At his passing, Subramuniyaswami consoled his sorrowful monks, telling

them,

"Don't be sad, soon I will be with you 24 hours a day, working with

you all

from the inner planes." Bereaved devotees arriving at the ashram

heard the

same message, and by the time of the passing, a great peace had descended

upon the ashram and all connected with it. His designated successor,

Satguru

Bodhinatha Veylanswami, was duly installed as guru of the ashram,

formally

known as Kauai Aadheenam.

When notified of his passing, Sita Ram Goel, one of India's most

influential

Hindu writers and thinkers, wrote, "Subramuniyaswami has done great

work for

Hinduism, and the recent reawakening of the Hindu mind carries his

stamp."

Ma Yoga Shakti, renowned teacher and Hinduism Today's Hindu of the Year

for

2000, said, "For more than three decades, Subramuniyaswami, a highly

enlightened soul of the West -- a Hanuman of today, a reincarnation of

Siva

Himself -- has watered the roots of Hinduism with great zeal, faith,

enthusiasm and whole-heartedness."

Few in the Hindu world would not recognize the tall, white-haired

American

who had gained prominence over the decades for his practical and

clear-minded books replete with explanations of everything Hindu, from

the

most basic beliefs and daily practices to the loftiest refined philosophy

and yoga techniques. He was equally famous as founder and publisher of

Hinduism Today, an award-winning, international, full-color magazine,

respected for its authoritative reporting on Hindu events, institutions,

personalities, issues and controversies around the world. Among his

innovative projects are the creation of Iraivan Temple on Kauai, the

first

all-stone, hand-carved granite temple ever built in the West, the

founding

of Hindu Heritage Endowment to perpetually fund worthy Hindu institutions

and his participation in numerous international conferences on religion,

peace and interfaith harmony. He inspired and guided the construction of

dozens of temples among Hindu communities outside of India, especially in

America, Canada, Europe, Mauritius, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and

Fiji.

>From his ashram in Hawaii, Subramuniyaswami continued to follow his

own

guru's instruction to bring Saivism to the Western world by teaching

others

to "know thy Self by thyself" and thus "see God Siva

everywhere."

Among his honors are being named one of 25 "presidents" of

religion at the

1996 Parliament of the World Religions held in Chicago, and receiving the

U

Thant Peace Award while attending the Millennium Peace Summit of World

Religious and Spiritual Leaders held at the United Nations in August,

2000.

This award was previously given to the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela,

Mikhail

Gorbachev, Pope John Paul and Mother Teresa. On August 25, 2000, he

addressed 1,200 spiritual leaders during the UN events in New York.

"Just before his passing," said the monastery spokesperson,

"He asked

devotees worldwide to carry his work and institutions forward with

unstinting vigor, to keep one another strong on the spiritual path, to

work

diligently on their personal spiritual disciplines and to live every

moment

in harmony and love for all peoples. His monks, gathered from six

nations,

forged in the fires of his wisdom and love, are well-prepared to keep his

mission potent and effective. Equally, his family devotees are pure,

one-minded and deeply committed. These two communities will continue the

work together: building the Iraivan Temple, managing the Spiritual Park

in

Mauritius, shepherding souls on the Saivite path of enlightenment,

continuing the many publications, teaching children their Saivite Hindu

religion, preserving traditional culture and art, protecting Hindu

priests

and the indigenous faiths of the world, contributing to our local Kauai

community, guiding the future of Hinduism around the globe and working to

reduce violence, child-beating and spouse abuse.

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