Taking Mahasamadhi

Paramahamsa-ji takes Mahasamadhi on Dec 6th 2009!!!

Pilot Baba, the famous student of legendary “Babaji”, the immortal siddha made popular in Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi, once said to me at Mahakumbhamela in Prayag, India (in 2000) that “Swami Satyananda is the greatest Tantrik Yogi alive right now.” This being said by a man who is able to enter kevala kumbhaka (the spontaneous cessation of breath) at will and remain in Samadhi underground or underwater for days at a time.

Such was the unparalleled greatness of Paramahamsa Satyananda Sarasvati, famed founder of the Bihar School of Yoga and Tantrik adept. His own guru, Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh said that Paramahamsaji was a veritable genius exhibiting extreme detachment at such an early age that he compared him to Nachiketas, the great sage of ancient times.

On December 5^th at 10pm Sri Paramahamsaji called Swami Satsangi to him and said that he was at a transition in his life. He said “this body is 88 years old and I have a choice to initiate another 20 year cycle before I let go of this body or to consciously enter death now.” He told Swami Satsangi that there are times when the path between this plane of existence and the totality of the Universe is wide open, and this was one of those times. He went on to tell her that he had decided to consciously leave his body that night. Before he took Mahasamadhi Sri Swamiji gave her initiation into the highest order of Sannyasa – the order of Paramahamsa.  He told her to live out her years manifesting Swami Shivananda’s three great acts – serve, love, give.

And as the head of Rikhia Pitha she will do just that, continuing to selflessly serve and uplift the local community both spiritually and materially.

I took personal retreat for a few days in Laos. It turned out to be during the time of Paramahamsaji’s Mahasamadhi. For two weeks leading up to his Mahasamadhi I was receiving an unusual amount of dream transmissions from Paramahamsaji. Normally I would receive one every 3-4 months, but during this two week period they were almost nightly and also during daytime dream-yoga practice sessions.

More important than the increase in volume of the dream transmissions was the change in quality. Paramahamsaji was much more ethereal, subtle, expansive, detached and yet deeply compassionate and connected.

On December 5^th I thought I was being paranoid. I had a strong feeling that Sri Paramahamsaji was going to die.  Two times before I had the sense that he was very sick and could die. But this time I felt he really did die. I disregarded the feeling and continued retreat, pushing down the urge to call India to check on his status.

Upon arriving back at Kailash Akhara, we received a phone call from Jagadamba that Sri Paramahamsaji had left his body. A few days later we received an email from Swami Maheshananda telling us that ceremonies were being held that would conclude on December 22^nd. This was the proposed final day of the 3-month retreat in Inner Yogas.

The students graciously allowed me to conclude the retreat early to attend my beloved guru’s funeral ceremonies, for which I am very grateful.

Paramahamsaji’s body was prepared and then placed in a crypt below the kutir outside of his pancamahayajna (five fires) sadhana area. Each day we were allowed to file past it to receive his blessings.

When a siddha-guru dies they become infinitely expansive, powerful and present. Their ability to benefit their disciples increases a thousand fold. And many people at the funeral reported feeling Paramahamsaji stronger than ever.

Swami Niranjanananda and Swami Satsangi both declared that Paramahamsaji’s passing catapulted them into an exalted state somewhat like a dream. They certainly appeared to be floating around in an altered state, mostly expressionless and immobile.

I feel a greater sense of gratitude and responsibility since Paramahamsaji’s Mahasamadhi. I remember Paramahamsaji saying that although Swami Shivananda had many great disciples he felt that he was the one truly carrying on the spirit of his guru’s work.

I got the impression that he meant the spirit of pioneering that Swami Shivananda was well known for. Swami Shivananda was the first to initiate women into the sanyasa order and freely initiated and taught westerners – most famously the German woman he named Swami Radha.

Paramahamsaji went on to further extend the accessibility of sanyas to householders through the institution of karma sanyas. But fundamentally, as much as Swamiji is identified with sanyas, he was and always will be a Tantrik adept, a Siddha of the highest caliber.

He was the first to write and teach authoritatively on such fundamental Tantrik practices as Tattva Shuddhi, Svara Yoga and Kriya Yoga. He also held massive festivals to Mother Goddess Durga in the form of Chandi-Ma every year. In 1994 he said, “This is the time of Ganesha and Devi!” He told us that these two deva’s (god’s) were most important in the times to come.

Paramahamsaji had a very close association with many powerful women, some considered to be incarnations of the Goddess Herself. As a boy he was healed by AnandamayiMa and was told by her that he would be a great Guru someday. Much later he was to form a bond with the Tantrik Yoginis of South India.  These high priestesses were often present at Paramahamsaji’s festivals to Ma, performing yajna and puja. They performed the Sri Vidya puja and homa at his funeral.

Paramahamsaji also regularly performed the Kanyakumari Puja, where 9 young girls become the center of the ceremony. Their purity is taken as a symbol of the Divine Mother and offerings are made to them to honor and celebrate Ma in all of her divine and beautiful forms.

Without a doubt Paramahamsaji was a Tantrik Siddha. This is who he truly was, and is. He was the first lineage holder of modern times to write and lecture authoritatively on the spiritual role of human sexuality.

He was a renaissance man, a genius, but he was much more than his vast knowledge – he was an adept, a practitioner with solid and stable realization of his true nature as well as a holder of many siddhi’s (supernatural powers). He was able to transmit the essence state of Siva with ease through gaze, a word, even in dream.

I feel so lucky to have been initiated by him and to have had the opportunity to serve him. In 2000 he gave his full blessings to our school and said that because we are teaching Tantra, classical Tantrik Yoga, that we would be a success. He raised his right guru finger as if to seal the fate of his blessing.

In the same way that the spirit of Swami Shivananda’s teaching was carried on by Paramahamsaji, I feel that we, as JñanagniKula, are carrying on that same pioneering spirit forward for the next generation. Paramahamsaji was blazing the trail to make Tantra acceptable to the public once again. He wanted to restore it to its former grandeur and utility.

He told me, “there’s no need to invent something new, draw on the tradition.” I have continued to do nothing but that ever since.

It’s clear that Paramahamsaji’s overarching philosophy he worked within was that of Kashmiri Shakta-Shaivism. One only need read the introductory material in his books Tattva Shuddhi and Kundalini Tantra to see very understandable explanations of Shaivisms 36 Tattva cosmology and its relation to practice and enlightenment. I took these cues and direct advice from Paramahamsaji and Swami Niranjanananda and dove into the sea of Kashmiri Tantra. If I can bring out even a small bit of the knowledge we will be successful in keeping the flame alive until I hand it on to the next generation.

Tantrik Yoga teaches that the highest state of enlightenment is expressed as the “Body of Light”, as discussed in the introduction to his book Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Satyananda. The Body of Light can be attained while still living, leaving no corpse behind, or it can occur shortly after one dies, while in the transitory states. Paramahamsaji lives in our hearts because his Light Body knows no limits. His mind is now the mind of Siva.

It is with the utmost respect, gratitude and love that I say goodbye to my Guru in physical form and I pray that his unlimited Body of Light continues to bless all beings worldwide.

Blessings of strength and love to Swami Nirjanananda and Swami Satsangi in all their works as they carry the tradition for Sri Paramahamsaji.

May we all endeavor to serve humanity as completely and selflessly as Paramahamsaji has done.

Hari Om Tat Sat,

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