A friend suggested that I write a short article on Swami Sivananda for the benefit of my readers. Needless to add more information may be sought from Wikipedia, as well.
Swami Sivananda was born on 8th September, 1887 in a well read and pious Tambrahm family that belonged to a village called Pattamadai, in Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu. His noble nature and putting others before self was seen from the early years of his childhood. His grasp of Vedanta seemed natural. He was a born Karma Yogi. True to his nature he qualified as a medical doctor and was so immersed in it that he would not hesitate to travel anywhere if there was a need.
In 1913, he went to Malaya and served in various hospitals for almost 10 years. He spread health awareness vide his writings in medical journals.
He came to Rishikesh in 1924. He did not wish to lead a householder's life and renounced his attachments and career and devoted himself totally to the service of mankind. In 1925 he started a charitable dispensary which is now a full fledged hospital that does not charge a dime for treatment. This hospital has no dearth of doctor volunteers who spend a few months here, in spite of having work commitments, elsewhere.
Swami Sivananda evolved as a Yogi and was not a man of miracles. His motto was 'Be Good, Do Good'. Simple and remarkable !! He inspired people. His generosity was well known. Once his well wisher remarked that he should save for a rainy day and Swamiji smiled and said not to worry about such trifles.
To give is one thing but to be unconditional and gracious needs a different mindset, isn't?
His spiritual teachings attracted a lot of attention and in 1932 the Sivananda ashram was built on a huge chunk of land that was donated by the erstwhile King and Queen of Tehri Garhwal, District who were his ardent devotees. Today this ashram manifests itself beautifully on the banks of the river Ganges.
Four years later the Divine Life Society was formed to propagate his teachings to the rest of the world, which his ambassadors very ably accomplished.
A few years later the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy was set up to conduct organized spiritual lessons in philosophy and yoga. This academy has flourished since then and attracts many students and seekers from all over the world, to understand and disseminate spiritual knowledge.
Swami Sivananda has written almost 300 books in his lifetime. On 14th July, 1963 Swamiji attained enlightenment.
Om Tat Sat
This is what my father wrote:
ReplyDeletePattamadai is in Tirunelveli district. I have heard about him as i am also
from the same district. In fact, I have also heard Pattamadai is very famous
for the mats. the mats are made out of grass available there and by the people of that village.
TNS