Friday 13 October 2017

SIVANANDA PARAMAHAMSA



Gnana Pitha Sivananda was born in 1879 in Vadakarai to Karunakara Kurupp and Mathavi Ammal and was named Raman Nambiar. At the age of 9, he left home and reached the madam of Kanoor Swami. But he was brought home again. He ended his schooling and served as a teacher in Kalaripayat in Malabar. Again he left home. His relative Ananthan Nambiar got him a constable's job at his station. He was 17 then. When he returned home from his duty one day to find his wife had died at their home, the incident made him re-think hard about life and its impermanence. This was the starting point of his spiritual conquest. A new leaf began for him. He was soon to become Gnana Pitha Sivananda Paramahamsa.

After performing the last rites for his wife, he headed for Tunjathu Ramanujar's Samadhi and sat in meditation. Then he furthered his meditation at the Panjavarna cave in Palani. After Bhogar appeared in front of him and gave him initiation, he left on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas on 5th January 1910. He returned from the Himalayas in 1913 as Swami Sivananda Paramahamsar. 

In 1914 he took a pilgrimage throughout India, stopping over at Pavanagar, Peshawar, Thirusoor, Savakadu, and Kadathanadu before establishing the Samapanthi Bhojana Sangam in 1921. This was later renamed Siddha Samajam. 

Gnana Pitha Sivananda came to Malaya in 1937 and established the Siddha Vidhya Sangam to spread the teachings of Siddhas in Setapak in Kuala Lumpur. He started an Ashram on a 7 ½ acres of land in Tasik near Kroh in Perak which devotees had donated.  

It is said that prior to the independence of Malaya, he gathered some of his followers and left for India. His remaining devotees started the Swami Sivananda Paramahamsa Dhyana Mantram in Bagan Serai, Perak. 

(Source of information: "SIDDHAVEDA SINTHANAIGAL" by Pa. Subaiyah, Published by Sivananda Paramahamsa Dhyana Mantram, Malaysia and Govindasamy Sivapalan of the Department of Indian Studies, University of Malaya, from his paper entitled "THE SIDDHA WORSHIP IN MALAYSIA: An Introduction" presented at the 32nd All India Sociological Conference held at Chennai, India in 2006).

Amal Raju fills in more details about the Swamigal. He was born on 8 December 1879 on Karthigai Deepam day. He was an exponent of silambam, varmam, archery, and in sword-wielding. It is said that he had helped tame a runaway horse that carried a British officer on its back. The officer who was much relieved from that startling incident and who escaped near death, offered him a job as a constable.

When his austerities (tavam) at Palani were not fruitful, Swamigal decided to end his life by jumping off the cliffs of the hill. Miraculously he was caught by an angelic figure who appeared in the sky and laid him down on the ground. He revealed himself as Bhogar and signaled him to follow. Bhogar brought him to the Panjavarna cave. Swamigal continued his tavam there for such a long time that snakes den and anthill covered him. A forest officer Kalam realizing the fact that there was someone sitting beneath the earth mound in meditation cleared the mound and exposed Swamigal.

Upon completing his tapas in the Himalayas from 1910 to 1913 he was instructed to leave for the Sharadha Peetham in Sringeri and receive certain items. At the same time the Sankarachariyar of that time, the 32nd, Narasimha Bharathi had a dream in which he was instructed to pass certain items belonging to Adhi Sankara that was in the possession of the Peedham to the ascetic traveler who would turn up at the door of the Peedham shortly. These possessions of Shankara were handed over to Swamigal ceremoniously. He was conferred the title of Sivananda Paramahamsa by the Sharadha Peetham.

Swamigal came into the limelight when during his travels beginning 1914 he stopped over at Peshawar among several places and took up a debate with 48 German pandits. He released his book Siddha Vedham the same year.

Swamigal introduced the Siddha ways to his followers. He revived the Sathini program where food is cooked and served to all immaterial off their caste and faith. He fought for the rights of the deprived community who were barred from drinking and using water from a common water tank. Upholding ahimsa and remaining passive, they ended up being beaten. But miraculously the beatings were felt by the ones carrying out the atrocity.

A person with elephantiasis on the streets of Nagore, seeing the Tejas of Swamigal, falls at his feet begging to bring relief and cure. Swamigal picks up a pinch of soil from the ground and asks him to consume it and apply it on his feet. The man was cured. He came to be Swamigal's disciple Sarananandar.

Several thugs who tried to abduct a couple of girls while Swamigal was addressing a large crowd at Madurai, were made to squirm in pain and plead for mercy before they were let free.

While addressing a crowd in Chennai, Swamigal foiled an attempt by a person who had hidden a knife behind the large garland of flowers to stab him. Swamigal by just his mere stare in the direction of the person made his legs be rooted to the ground, un-abling him to move further.

Bhundasi Vaidyar of Seruvanur was rid of his ego in the presence of Swamigal at Otrapalam, at the same time bringing the realization to him to heal the Jeeva rather than the disease.

Besides Malaya Swamigal was in Afghanistan too. He is said to have mentioned that he had planted the seed of Siddha Vidya on 5 continents. He started 5 Siddha Samajam.

Raman who later came to be called Bhagawan Nithyananda was identified and brought to the path of the Siddha by Swamigal.

Swamigal attained samadhi on 21 June 1949 in Palani. His devotees from Vadakarai rushed to Palani to bring back his mortal body to their Ashram. On the way back a devotee thought that the one who preached deathless-ness eventually succumbed to death too. At that moment the vehicle they traveled in hit a pothole and Swamigal's mortal frame, in turn, hit the car door. Blood oozed from the cut on his forehead. His devotees realized that moment that he was indeed alive.