Catholic Swami Spreads Christ's Love

December 20, 2006

UCAN: Ascetic Catholic priest spreads Christ's love, concern in Hindu garb

By Saji Thomas

12/13/2006

NARASINGPUR, India (UCAN) – Kamalesh Kaurav kneels before a white-bearded man in a saffron loincloth and shawl, the traditional garb of a Hindu ascetic. The Catholic priest places his hand on Kaurav's head and blesses him.

"I feel greatly relieved," the middle-aged Hindu farmer tells UCA News as he left. He explains that he came to the Catholic priest, known locally as Swami Sadanand, after family members fell ill.

Next in line is Laxmi Jain, in her 20s. The priest's herbal medicine cured her stomach ailment, and she came to thank him. "Swamiji (respected master) is full of love," says the woman, an adherent of Jainism, an ancient Indian religion.

Similar scenes recur daily at Sachidananda Ashram, a cluster of 13 huts spread over a three-hectare plot in Narasinghpur, a town in Madhya Pradesh state, about 900 kilometers (about 560 miles) south of New Delhi.

Swami Sadanand, formerly Father Michael Purattukara of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, a congregation based in the southern state of Kerala, set up this ashram in 1991 after he became a sanyasi (ascetic). Sadanand in Sanskrit means someone in perpetual happiness.

According to the priest, sanyasi dress attracts people in this predominantly Hindu area. "A sanyasi has immense impact, and they approach him without hesitation," he told UCA News, running his fingers through his beard.

His ashram is open to all, around the clock.

"Swamiji treats everyone equally" even though they come from various religions, Laxmi told UCA News.

Many visitors are comforted when the barefoot swami inquires about their welfare and shares God's love with them, "the love Christ has given me," as he says. "Many have never experienced love and concern from anyone," he adds.

His herbal treatments are another attraction. The priest grows herbal plants on the ashram grounds.

Mohammed Salim, a 55-year-old Muslim visitor, said he came to get his paralyzed leg treated. He acknowledged that his chances of cure are remote, but said he came all the same "to listen to Swamiji and get comfort."

"Swamiji's consolation and courage, given to patients, is the big healing," agrees Kanshi Ram, a vegetable vendor who is recovering from a leg wound after falling from a tree at the ashram.

Another visitor, P.S. Patel, a Madhya Pradesh state government official, came with his wife to thank the priest for healing her and their daughter of stomach ailments. The priest's prayers and touch heal, Patel testifies.

Madhya Pradesh is one of the Indian states where church workers have faced right-wing Hindu hostility, but Swami Sadanand says he has encountered no problem so far. In fact, his admirers include pro-Hindu politicians.

"He is a fine human who is above caste, religion and other differences," says Geeta Pahar, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian people's party) that rules the state. She told UCA News she finds him a man of God, "ready to serve people in distress."

Likewise, the swami's Christian identity bothers neither Kaurav, the Hindu farmer, nor Ajay, husband of Laxmi, the Jain woman.

"I find nothing wrong in his Christian identity, but believe in swami and his love for mankind," Kaurav stated.

Ajay said he and his wife come to Swami Sadanand knowing he is a Christian priest. The ascetic treated Laxmi for free after doctors suggested surgery.

Visiting the priest regularly has become a habit for Shiv Prasad Nema, a businessman, and S.M. Nema, a retired government official, who said "something is missing" if they do not come to the ashram to talk to Swamiji.

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Republished by Catholic Online with permission of the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News), the world's largest Asian church news agency (www.ucanews.com).

http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=22339