Guest guest Posted July 3, 1999 Report Share Posted July 3, 1999 WEEKLY EXPERIENCE NAMASTE. Swamiji' took Mahasamadhi on July 4, 1902, 97 years ago. Let me tell you from the start, that this is one of the most inspiring experiences you will ever read. It will be because of your good fortune that you read this. It has made millions of eyes watery with tears, millions of hairs stand on end, and millions of hearts skip a beat, from the electrifying inspiration. Therefore I will not shorten the experience to take away from its full inspiration. From VIVEKANANDA: A BIOGRAPHY by Swami Nikhilananda: [Around May 1902 Belur Math, Calcutta:] Sri Ramakrishna and the Divine Mother preoccupied his mind. He acted as if he were a child of the Mother or the boy playing at the feet of Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar . . . His [swamiji's] disciples and spiritual brothers were worried to see his contemplative mood. They remembered the words of Sri Ramakrishna that Naren, after his mission was completed, would merge forever into samadhi, and that he would refuse to live in his physical body if he realized who he was. A brother monk asked him one day quite casually, " Do you know yet who you are? " The unexpected reply, " Yes I now know! " awed into silence everyone present. No further question was asked. All remembered the story of the great Nirvikalpa samadhi of Naren's youth and how when it was over, Sri Ramakrishna had said, " Now the Mother has shown you everything. But this realization, like the jewel locked in a box, will be hidden away from you and kept in my custody. I will keep the key with me. Only after you have fulfilled your mission on this earth will the box be unlocked, and you will know everything as you have known now. " They also remembered that in the cave of amarnath, in the summer of 1898, he had received the grace of Siva- not to die till he himself should will to do so. He was looking death in the face unafraid as it drew near. Everything about the Swami in these days was deliberate and significant, yet none could apprehend its true import. People were deceived by his outer cheerfulness. From the beginning of June he appeared to be regaining his health. One day, about a week before the end, he bade a disciple bring him the Bengali almanac. He was seen on several times on subsequent days studying the book intently, as if he were undecided about something he wanted to know. After the passing away, the brother monks and disciples realized that he had been debating about the day when he should throw away the mortal body. [sri] Ramakrishna too had consulted the almanac before his death. Three days before the mahasamadhi, Vivekananda pointed out to Swami Premananda a particular spot on the monastery grounds where he wished his body to be cremated. On Wednesday the Swami fasted following the orthodox rule: it was the eleventh day of the moon. . . He insisted however, on serving Nivedita the morning meal. To quote the sister's words. To quote the Sister's words: " Each dish, as it was offered- boiled seeds of the jack fruit, boiled potatoes, plain rice, and ice-cold milk- formed the subject of playful chat; and finally, to the end of the meal he himself poured the water over my hands, and dried them with a towel. " It is I who should do these things for you, Swamiji! Not you for me! " was the protest naturally offered. But his answer was startling in its solemnity- " Jesus washed the feet of his disciples! " Something checked the answer, " But that was the last time! " as it rose to the lips, and the words remained unuttered. This was well for here also, the last time had come. " (end quote) There was nothing sad or grave about the Swami during these days. Efforts were made not to tire him. Conversations were kept as light as possible, touching only upon the pet animals that surrounded him, his garden experiments, books and absent friends. But all the while one was conscious of a luminous presence of which the Swami's bodily form seemed only a shadow or symbol. The members of the monastery had never felt so strongly as now that they stood in the presence of an infinite light; yet none was prepared to see the end soon, least of all on that Friday, July the Fourth, on which he appeared so much stronger and healthier than he had had been for years. On the Supreme Day, Friday, he rose very early. Going to the chapel alone, he shut the windows and bolted the doors, contrary to his habit, and meditated for three hours. Descending the stairs of the shrine he sang a beautiful song about Kali: Is Kali, my Mother really black? The Naked one though black She seems. Lights the lotus of the heart. Men call Her black, but yet my mind Does not believe that she is so: Now She is white, now red, now blue; Now She appears as yellow, too. I hardly know who my mother is, Though I have pondered all my life: Now Purusha, now Prakriti, And now the Void, She seems to be. To meditate on all these things Confounds poor Kamalakantha's wits. Then he said almost in a whisper: If there were another Vivekananda, then he would have understood what this Vivekananda has done! And yet- how many Vivekanandas shall be born in time! " . . . He partook of the noon meal with great relish, in company with the members of the Math, though usually, at that time, he ate alone in his room because of his illness. Immediately afterwards, full of life and humour, he gave lessons to the brahmacharins for three hours on Sanskrit grammar. In the afternoon, he took a walk for about two miles with Swami Premananda . . . At seven o'clock in the evening, the bell rang for worship in the chapel. The Swami went to his room and told the disciple who attended him that none was to come to him until called for. He spent an hour in meditation and telling his beads, then called the disciple and asked to him to open up all the windows and fan his head. He lay down quietly on his bed and the attendant thought that he was either sleeping or meditating. At the end of an hour, his [swamiji's] hands trembled a little and he breathed once very deeply. There was a silence for a minute or two, and he breathed in the same manner. His eyes became fixed on the centre of his eyebrows, his face assumed a divine expression, and eternal silence fell. " There was, " said a brother disciple of the Swami, " a little blood in his nostrils, in his mouth and about his eyes. " According to the Yoga scriptures, the life-breath of an illumined yogi, passes out through the opening on the top of the head causing the blood to flow in the nostrils and the mouth. [Just try to imagine it!] The great ecstasy took place at ten minutes past nine. Swami Vivekananda passed away at the age of thirty-nine years, five months, and twenty-four days, thus fulfilling his own prophecy: " I shall not live to be forty years old. " The monks were knew that their leader had voluntarily cast off his body in samadhi, as predicted by Sri Ramakrishna. In the morning, people poured in from all quarters. Nivedita sat by the body and fanned it till it was brought down at 2 p.m. to the porch leading to the courtyard. It was covered with ochre robes and decorated with flowers. Incense was burnt and a religious ceremony was performed with lights, conch shells, and bells. The brother monks and disciples took their final leave and the precession started, moving slowly through the courtyard and across the lawn, till it reached the vilva tree near the spot where the Swami himself had desired his body to be cremated. The funeral pyre was built and the body was consigned to the flames kindled with sandalwood. Across the Ganges on the other bank, Ramakrishna had been cremated sixteen years before. Nivedita began to weep like a child, rolling on the ground. Suddenly, the wind blew into her lap a piece of the ochre robe from the pyre, and she received it as a blessing. It was dusk when the flames subsided. The sacred relics were gathered and the pyre was washed with the water of the Ganges. The place is now marked by a temple, the table of the altar standing on the very spot where the Swami's body rested in the flames. Gloom and desolation fell upon the monastery. The monks prayed in the depths of their hearts, " Oh Lord, Thy will be done! " But deep beneath their grief, all felt that this was not the end. The words of the leader uttered long before his death rang in their ears: " It may be that I shall find it good to get outside my body- to cast it off like a worn-out garment. But I shall never seize to work. I shall inspire men everywhere, until the world shall know that it is one with God. " And: " May I be born again and again, and thousands of miseries, so that I may worship the only God that exists, the only God I believe in, the sum total of all souls. " For centuries to come, people everywhere will be inspired by Swami Vivekananda's message: O Man! first realize that you are one with Brahman- aham Brahmasmi- and then realize that the whole universe is verily the same Brahman- sarvam khalvidam Brahma. [THE END] On this Fourth of July, while we are celebrating the political freedom of America (Swamiji loved the Fourth of July because it represented freedom, he wrote a poem on it, and some think that that is why he chose the Fourth of July to take his mahasamadhi) let us also think of the unfathomable spiritual freedom that can be attained in THIS life. Let us remember Great Swami Vivekananda, " the lord among men, " strength itself, sing his praises and glories, and bow down to him over and over again. HARI OM! -Om Lala Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 1999 Report Share Posted July 4, 1999 Thanks for the soul-melting description of Swamiji's Mahasamadhi. Vidya123 <Vidya123 ramakrishna <ramakrishna >; Namrata86 <Namrata86; ramakrishnan <ramakrishnan; Ksprasad <Ksprasad Sunday, July 04, 1999 4:15 AM [ramakrishna] Swamiji's Mahasamadhi >Vidya123 > >WEEKLY EXPERIENCE > >NAMASTE. Swamiji' took Mahasamadhi on July 4, 1902, 97 years ago. Let me >tell you from the start, that this is one of the most inspiring experiences >you will ever read. It will be because of your good fortune that you read >this. It has made millions of eyes watery with tears, millions of hairs >stand on end, and millions of hearts skip a beat, from the electrifying >inspiration. Therefore I will not shorten the experience to take away from >its full inspiration. > >From VIVEKANANDA: A BIOGRAPHY by Swami Nikhilananda: [Around May 1902 Belur >Math, Calcutta:] Sri Ramakrishna and the Divine Mother preoccupied his mind. > He acted as if he were a child of the Mother or the boy playing at the feet >of Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar . . . > >His [swamiji's] disciples and spiritual brothers were worried to see his >contemplative mood. They remembered the words of Sri Ramakrishna that Naren, >after his mission was completed, would merge forever into samadhi, and that >he would refuse to live in his physical body if he realized who he was. A >brother monk asked him one day quite casually, " Do you know yet who you are? " > The unexpected reply, " Yes I now know! " awed into silence everyone present. >No further question was asked. All remembered the story of the great >Nirvikalpa samadhi of Naren's youth and how when it was over, Sri Ramakrishna >had said, " Now the Mother has shown you everything. But this realization, >like the jewel locked in a box, will be hidden away from you and kept in my >custody. I will keep the key with me. Only after you have fulfilled your >mission on this earth will the box be unlocked, and you will know everything >as you have known now. " > >They also remembered that in the cave of amarnath, in the summer of 1898, he >had received the grace of Siva- not to die till he himself should will to do >so. He was looking death in the face unafraid as it drew near. > >Everything about the Swami in these days was deliberate and significant, yet >none could apprehend its true import. People were deceived by his outer >cheerfulness. From the beginning of June he appeared to be regaining his >health. > >One day, about a week before the end, he bade a disciple bring him the >Bengali almanac. He was seen on several times on subsequent days studying >the book intently, as if he were undecided about something he wanted to know. > After the passing away, the brother monks and disciples realized that he had >been debating about the day when he should throw away the mortal body. [sri] >Ramakrishna too had consulted the almanac before his death. > >Three days before the mahasamadhi, Vivekananda pointed out to Swami >Premananda a particular spot on the monastery grounds where he wished his >body to be cremated. > >On Wednesday the Swami fasted following the orthodox rule: it was the >eleventh day of the moon. . . He insisted however, on serving Nivedita the >morning meal. To quote the sister's words. To quote the Sister's words: > > " Each dish, as it was offered- boiled seeds of the jack fruit, boiled >potatoes, plain rice, and ice-cold milk- formed the subject of playful chat; >and finally, to the end of the meal he himself poured the water over my >hands, and dried them with a towel. > > " It is I who should do these things for you, Swamiji! Not you for me! " was >the protest naturally offered. But his answer was startling in its >solemnity- " Jesus washed the feet of his disciples! " > >Something checked the answer, " But that was the last time! " as it rose to the >lips, and the words remained unuttered. This was well for here also, the >last time had come. " (end quote) > >There was nothing sad or grave about the Swami during these days. Efforts >were made not to tire him. Conversations were kept as light as possible, >touching only upon the pet animals that surrounded him, his garden >experiments, books and absent friends. But all the while one was conscious >of a luminous presence of which the Swami's bodily form seemed only a shadow >or symbol. The members of the monastery had never felt so strongly as now >that they stood in the presence of an infinite light; yet none was prepared >to see the end soon, least of all on that Friday, July the Fourth, on which >he appeared so much stronger and healthier than he had had been for years. > >On the Supreme Day, Friday, he rose very early. Going to the chapel alone, >he shut the windows and bolted the doors, contrary to his habit, and >meditated for three hours. Descending the stairs of the shrine he sang a >beautiful song about Kali: > >Is Kali, my Mother really black? >The Naked one though black She seems. >Lights the lotus of the heart. >Men call Her black, but yet my mind >Does not believe that she is so: >Now She is white, now red, now blue; >Now She appears as yellow, too. > >I hardly know who my mother is, >Though I have pondered all my life: >Now Purusha, now Prakriti, >And now the Void, She seems to be. >To meditate on all these things >Confounds poor Kamalakantha's wits. > >Then he said almost in a whisper: If there were another Vivekananda, then he >would have understood what this Vivekananda has done! And yet- how many >Vivekanandas shall be born in time! " . . . > >He partook of the noon meal with great relish, in company with the members of >the Math, though usually, at that time, he ate alone in his room because of >his illness. Immediately afterwards, full of life and humour, he gave >lessons to the brahmacharins for three hours on Sanskrit grammar. In the >afternoon, he took a walk for about two miles with Swami Premananda . . . > >At seven o'clock in the evening, the bell rang for worship in the chapel. >The Swami went to his room and told the disciple who attended him that none >was to come to him until called for. He spent an hour in meditation and >telling his beads, then called the disciple and asked to him to open up all >the windows and fan his head. He lay down quietly on his bed and the >attendant thought that he was either sleeping or meditating. > >At the end of an hour, his [swamiji's] hands trembled a little and he >breathed once very deeply. There was a silence for a minute or two, and he >breathed in the same manner. His eyes became fixed on the centre of his >eyebrows, his face assumed a divine expression, and eternal silence fell. > > " There was, " said a brother disciple of the Swami, " a little blood in his >nostrils, in his mouth and about his eyes. " According to the Yoga >scriptures, the life-breath of an illumined yogi, passes out through the >opening on the top of the head causing the blood to flow in the nostrils and >the mouth. [Just try to imagine it!] > >The great ecstasy took place at ten minutes past nine. Swami Vivekananda >passed away at the age of thirty-nine years, five months, and twenty-four >days, thus fulfilling his own prophecy: " I shall not live to be forty years >old. " The monks were knew that their leader had voluntarily cast off his >body in samadhi, as predicted by Sri Ramakrishna. > >In the morning, people poured in from all quarters. Nivedita sat by the body >and fanned it till it was brought down at 2 p.m. to the porch leading to the >courtyard. It was covered with ochre robes and decorated with flowers. >Incense was burnt and a religious ceremony was performed with lights, conch >shells, and bells. The brother monks and disciples took their final leave >and the precession started, moving slowly through the courtyard and across >the lawn, till it reached the vilva tree near the spot where the Swami >himself had desired his body to be cremated. The funeral pyre was built and >the body was consigned to the flames kindled with sandalwood. Across the >Ganges on the other bank, Ramakrishna had been cremated sixteen years before. > >Nivedita began to weep like a child, rolling on the ground. Suddenly, the >wind blew into her lap a piece of the ochre robe from the pyre, and she >received it as a blessing. It was dusk when the flames subsided. The sacred >relics were gathered and the pyre was washed with the water of the Ganges. >The place is now marked by a temple, the table of the altar standing on the >very spot where the Swami's body rested in the flames. > >Gloom and desolation fell upon the monastery. The monks prayed in the depths >of their hearts, " Oh Lord, Thy will be done! " But deep beneath their grief, >all felt that this was not the end. The words of the leader uttered long >before his death rang in their ears: > > " It may be that I shall find it good to get outside my body- to cast it off >like a worn-out garment. But I shall never seize to work. I shall inspire >men everywhere, until the world shall know that it is one with God. " > >And: " May I be born again and again, and thousands of miseries, so that I may >worship the only God that exists, the only God I believe in, the sum total of >all souls. " > >For centuries to come, people everywhere will be inspired by Swami >Vivekananda's message: O Man! first realize that you are one with Brahman- >aham Brahmasmi- and then realize that the whole universe is verily the same >Brahman- sarvam khalvidam Brahma. > >[THE END] > >On this Fourth of July, while we are celebrating the political freedom of >America (Swamiji loved the Fourth of July because it represented freedom, he >wrote a poem on it, and some think that that is why he chose the Fourth of >July to take his mahasamadhi) let us also think of the unfathomable spiritual >freedom that can be attained in THIS life. Let us remember Great Swami >Vivekananda, " the lord among men, " strength itself, sing his praises and >glories, and bow down to him over and over again. >HARI OM! >-Om Lala > >--------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- > >ONElist: where real people with real interests get connected. > >Join a new list today! > >------ >Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah >Vivekananda Centre London >http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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