An Austere Mahasamadhi

These extracts from Swami Chidanandajis samadhi instructions illustrate the guru’s high-minded and ego-free nature.

This clear-cut directive and various instructions contained therein, is given for your attention and necessary action without deviating even one whit from it in action as well as in spirit. I thank you for your compliance. I have the sole and maximum authority over the body both from the point of view of long ownership, and a prolonged duration of sole tenancy of full 84 years, a period that nears the last decade that is required to complete a century.

The body will not be brought over to any place desired by the Divine Life Society authorities or important persons or devotees of the Divine Life Society organisation. Only these instructions will be carried out. It will be carried out by those persons who constitute my junior helpers, and almost always travel with me and accompany me during my tours outside Headquarters ashram. Normally, they are Swami Sharanagatananda and Swami Yatidharmananda. The body shall be disposed of the same day of my departure of it, provided this is not late evening at sunset or after sunset. In which case, it should be disposed of early dawn just before sunrise. This is in order that people could have their bath after sunrise, immediately after the disposal is finished.

The body shall not be buried under the ground. Bhu-Samadhi should not be given. The disposal shall be done in the manner of the bodies of the sannyasins belonging to Adi-Sankaracharyas Dashanami Sannyasa Order and the sampradaya generally prevailing.

Wherever the departure from this world occurs, nearby local people will identify a place with a flowing river nearest to the place of demise. By proper arrangement the mortal body will be shifted by suitable road transport to the bank of the river decided upon. With minimal spiritual rituals, the body should be taken to the midstream and bestowed Jal-Samadhi. The entire rite from start to finish should be done within three hours of the arrival of the dead body at the river bank site. Chanting of Gurudevs name, chanting the mritunjaya mantra five times and culminating with the chanting of pranava (OM), a minimum of 16 times, will be the only chanting permitted upon this final moment. The name Chidananda will not be articulately uttered by anyone present. After the group or the party that has very kindly done this task has taken its purifying bath, they will arrange feeding of Brahmins, feeding on a large scale of schoolchildren, poor beggars, feeding of leprosy patients and feeding of cows, dogs, cats, monkeys, birds and ants, which should be done with earnestness and sincerity. This is pleasing to the Lord Almighty, our creator. During feeding of human beings, suitable dakshina should be given to one and all.

Divine Life Society branches and DLS devotees will be informed only through the columns of the Divine Life Journal of the next month issue after the demise. There will be no information by telegram, telephone or Speed Post letter or courier letter. All schoolchildren of the Muni-Ki-Reti Primary School will be treated to a very tasty and sumptuous feast, and with dakshina to all. The teaching staff will also be included. No other ashram would be informed. A tokri of fruit and prasad will be sent to the local police thana in our neighbourhood. All the drivers of the taxis, tempos and three-wheelers will receive suitable prasad, both consumable and usable for a longer duration upon a more permanent basis.