Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!

Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya!

Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!



Namaste!



Today (Oct. 21) is the holy Deepavali day. In honour

of this occasion we uploaded a Deepavali message by

Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj at:

http://www.dlshq.org/religions/deepavali2.htm



There are videos of Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj

celebrating Deepavali during previous years at:

http://sivanandaonline.org/html/misc/deepavali/deepavali-video.shtm



Please visit the following link if you would like more

information about Deepavali:

http://www.dlshq.org/religions/deepavali.htm



Yours in the service of Gurudev,



Pannirselvam



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A CONFESSION: The date was 11 December, 1958. In the

Satsang hall tonight, a youth of about twenty-five

years was ushered in by Swami Chidanandaji--one

Suresh Chandra--whom the Master knew some years ago

as a "problem child", and who today had voluntarily

come forward to atone for his past sins and talk with

honest pride about the great change for the better

that had overtaken him.



The Master welcomed him as "Pundit Suresh", and with

a bewitching smile blessed him profusely. Suresh

informed the Master that he was now a graduate (B.A.)

and was studying privately for the M.A. He was

presently teaching at Rishikesh in a secondary

school.

Today he was emboldened to come into the Master's

presence.



He began: "So here I am, Gurudev. Let me read to you

from my written confessional statement in Hindi,

which I had kept ready several months ago, waiting

for an opportunity of expressing it."



Suresh Chandra read the long scroll in high-flown

Hindi, with a heavy heart and tearful eyes, but with

faith and confidence in himself, oblivious of

everyone except the Master.



"Gurudev, thou knowest me since several years when I

was considered a problem child, a 'lost son', a do-

nothing, roaming about in the streets, irresponsible,

disobedient and quarrelsome. I was a vagabond,

deserving of every epithet. It was thy Grace that

saved me, and next, Swami Chidanandaji's.



"Thy Ashram, as the name implies, is a place which

affords refuge to rogues and saints alike, and to

those who seek spiritual bliss. My parents had driven

me out of home as useless. My brothers and sisters

looked upon me with contempt. I would not go to

school and loafed about with do-nothings. Food and

shelter thy Holiness gave me.



"I was given some work to do in the Ashram kitchen

but my childish pranks and mischievous habits

continued. Even here I was a veritable nuisance.

Swami Chidanandaji chided me many times, stopping my

food and even driving me out of the premises in

wintry cold and scorching heat. But I continued to be

a blockhead. Swami Chidanandaji, with his motherly

affection, always let me back with a prayer: 'Let me

hope you will do better next time'.



"As an urchin I had no imagination to gauge the

greatness of a sage like 'Bada Swamiji'. Together

with other street boys I used to criticise him,

ridicule him and indulge in mimicry, like stroking

his belly. I played all sorts of pranks, both big and

small.



"Another very bad habit in which I was an expert was

throwing stones at monkeys and dogs and lynching

them. On a fateful day, while I was thus wasting my

time and energy, harassing the poor beasts and

throwing stones at them, I was quite unmindful of my

surroundings and the consequences of my foolish play.



"Suddenly I heard a passer-by shouting at me

forcefully, 'Stop, you devil! You have hurt Bada

Swamiji.' And he pounced upon me with a stick.

Gurudev was at that time proceeding from his quarters

to the office for the day's work. From a distance I

could see him bleeding from his forehead and somebody

wiping the blood off. Even in that condition, Gurudev

appeared cool and kind to the faults of others. He

asked the man not to beat me and beckoned me to

himself.



"A salt eater of the Ashram and a servant of his that

I was, I felt very much ashamed of my evil act, and

for once felt deeply that I deserved and will suffer

as a penance any indictment and punishment that Bada

Swamiji ordained.



"And what do you think his 'punishment' was? A pat on

my back, a few sweetmeats from a satchel he was

carrying, and a sermon for future guidance-'child,

behave better. Don't waste your precious time and

energy in this way. Do something useful.'



"This incident was the turning point in my life and

career. It was God-sent. Ashamed and repentant, I at

once returned to my home and mother and resolved that

I shall be an ideal boy, man and citizen. I shall go

back to school and attend to my studies zealously. I

prostrated to Bada Swamiji and Chota Swamiji.



"Off and on I used to come from Rishikesh to render

small services to Swami Chidanandaji and seek his

advice and guidance, which he always gave

ungrudgingly. My faith in both the Swamijis began to

grow greater. By their Grace I not only passed the

matriculation but also the B.A. with distinction. And

now I am a teacher and efficient in many arts and

crafts. My poverty-stricken family is much better

off. I earn a good salary and have a good reputation.

My students and comrades respect me. All glory to the

two Swamijis who, by their sweet ways and divine

prayers, wrought this change in me!"



There was pin-drop silence in the Satsang hall as Sri

Suresh Chandra read out his story in deliberate

tones. The Master was very happy to listen to this

confessional statement and account straight from

Suresh Chandra's mouth, without any reservations. He

hailed Suresh and called him over to himself from the

dais. With downcast eyes Suresh prostrated at the

Master's feet and asked for forgiveness for his sins

and failings of the past. He assured the Master that

he was now on the right spiritual path and only

craved for his blessings to strengthen his resolves.



The loving Master, ever ready and willing, blessed

him vociferously, wishing him "still greater success

in all his ventures." He prayed for the prosperity,

health, long life, peace and eternal bliss of Suresh

and his family. He then invited Suresh to wind up his

beautiful 'oration' with his amusing comics and

dramatic acting, which the latter did to the great

delight of all. The audience, too, raised their hands

to bless him from the core of their hearts.



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"If anyone injures you, forgive him and forget the

injury done by him. You will gain immense spiritual

strength." - Swami Sivananda





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