Swami is always shown seated in photos, so people don't know his height. When I arrived at the airport to visit Swami for the first time, I looked for someone who would be showing my name on a sign. There was a guy with my photo and my name upside-down. I went with him and on the way he asked me why women shouldn’t clean the temple lamp at certain times. At dinner, out comes this small man from another room. I just touched his feet and an electric shock went through my system. He told me to eat something that looked like spaghetti, spring hoppers, and some samber like dahl - the worst tasting thing. He said he’d take me to the Kandy botanical gardens.
Afterwards, in the car he said, “This wasn't a wasted trip. Nature is in your journey”. Back at the ashram everyone was running around. I slept in the room next to Swami’s. On our next trip the ghosts started worrying us. Dean and I used to sleep in the same room. One night when Dean was sleeping, I saw the packet of biscuits moving by itself. I think Dean also saw it and closed his eyes. Then I realised he was wearing earplugs so he couldn't hear me screaming. Swami told us about the ghosts and the cottage that used to be the house of Ravhana’s soldiers. At night we could hear them marching. One night I couldn’t sleep so I went to the lounge to meditate. Reg, Joey and Saila were staying with us at that time. They were afraid of the ghosts and I could hear one of them saying they should fetch my shoes to put outside their door to frighten the ghosts. Reg came to get my shoes from the lounge and saw me dressed in white. He ran out, screaming, back to his room, the three of them holding each other, terrified. They thought I was the ghost.
Swami lived a simple life on a hilltop. He brought about peace, harmony and love. A man so small in stature, yet within him he had the power to dissolve the whole universe. That Guru Swami Preceptor, the God within, I remember to this day. A parcel of books arrived for me in 1995, from a man I had never met. One of those very books, The Great Science and Power of Gayathri, you received today. May every one of you who reads that book find some happiness, some joy in it, that you may walk the walk and talk the talk.
Swami spent a long time, many months, with different swamis and gurus in the Himalayas. One, his favourite was Swami Gnanananda Giri, who lived for at least four-hundred years and attained mahasamadhi in the 1960s. Gnanananda Giri was so powerful but he was a mere 1.2 metres in height. His disciple, Haridas Giri, visited South Africa and taught the mantra of his Guru, the Om gnanabdagiri namaha mantra. The same should apply to you on your spiritual journey, but there's no dedication. Too many of you come to temple only once a month. Then when your quota is finished you don't come again until the next month. I've said many times that today is very special to me. I am crazy enough to be seated here with all of you, even after you damaged my kitchen and destroyed my finances. But then I am crazy.
Go out there and find yourself guru - not me - and hold onto him for dear life. There are many gurus. Once you have your guru nothing on this physical plane will affect you. I get an SMS message once a week: ‘Love you, Guru. Miss you, Guru. Love you, guru’. Others only love their guru when he gives them something. When your guru gives you a mantra you should recite it continuously and let every molecule of your being resound in his name. But you can't do that. You're too caught up in this life. Swami asked me why I wanted this spiritual journey and he wished me luck. But I've received no luck yet. Every time I get my sixteen people, one of them misbehaves. Then I get another sixteen and the same thing happens; one misbehaves. Go find your guru. Paramahansa Yogananda told his guru that he was tired and wanted to leave. Sri Yukteswar told him to go, and Yogananda traveled all over India visiting many gurus and swamis. But at the end he realised the purity and genuineness of Sri Yukteswar and returned to his guru. I'm not saying that you must make your guru more important than your parents. They are the most important faculty in your normal life. Your Guru is the most important aspect of your spiritual life. No guru will teach you things that are not ahimsha, yama or niyama.
Swami Murugesu has definitely experienced God and seen God in the form of Kali. One day Swami went to Brindhaven to Gnanaguru. While he was sitting in prayer he heard music and felt the vibration of dancing footsteps. When he looked down, there appeared in his lap a sari from Radha, Krishna’s consort. Swami Murugesu communicated with Agasthiar who would tell Swami to go with Paragrama, another disciple, to the forest where there were many wild animals, especially wild elephants. When Swami arrived at the place, he was told to stop. There were wild elephants there and he wanted to run away, but a voice told him to wait. The elephants made a circle of protection around Swami so that he could dig for herbs in safety from other wild animals. So, today is the anniversary of Swami’s samadhi. That chain you see around Swami’s neck was given to me by swami forty days after his death. Most of you have not had the opportunity to meet Swami physically. Let’s share our first experiences of Swami Murugesu.
“On my first trip to Swami, I was so surprised to see a tiny man. He served us personally, seeing to it that we had everything. On my second trip we were initiated and I got to know Swami better.” (Mrs Naidoo)
“All I can say is that when Guru used to speak about Swami I didn't feel the connection. Then once, when Swami was visiting, I wrote a letter saying I would love to visit him, even though in my mind I didn't think it would be possible. When I saw Swami for the first time I felt as if he knew everything. During the initiation I didn't want to be initiated. I was taking photos and the next thing I remember, I was sitting, holding swamis hands and being initiated.” (Manogrie)
“I met Swami in 2003. It was my birthday. I didn’t know what to expect. He was so welcoming and took care of all of us. He took us all over Sri Lanka even though his health wasn't so good. The following year I went back to Sri Lanka, and every year after that. Three month’s before Swami’s mahasamadhi, I saw him again on my birthday. On my second trip I had better chance to speak to Swami. Ashok and I were staying in a cottage near the ashram and I was telling Ashok that I wished to stay there but I have a family back in South Africa. When we reached the ashram Swami asked me a question: ‘When God calls you, will you go back and ask your husband if you can go?’ I phoned him often and visited every year. (Nereen)
“We had always heard Guru talk about Swami. On our first trip we arrived in Sri Lanka. We conjured up an image of this great swami but when we arrive, there was this small person with tiny feet. He said to me: ‘So you’re the disciple of your Guru?’ He was the most sweet, divine individual.” (Dean)
“In 1998 we met Swami personally. He arrived on the 21st March. We were running around getting things ready. A year before that Guru had gone to Sri Lanka for the first time and told us about Swami.When Ronnie, Paul and I were traveling to the airport to meet Swami, we were so excited that we composed a song which kept us together for a long time. And when Swami arrived we all sang the song: ‘Swamiye murugesu, you are the light in our lives. The children of Gayathri love you, Swamiye Murugesu’. That was the song we composed.We hired a bus to take the devotees to the airport to meet Swami. It was three weeks of splendour, sharing every minute traveling with Swami to different places. We took Swami to the school where I teach. They couldn't believe his simplicity. Everyone who was at the school at that time has since benefited. The highlight was Swami’s initiation of all the devotees. I was the only one not initiated. Notwithstanding that, I was initiated after kumbabishegam, which was great. Meeting Swami a few years later in Sri Lanka brought back many memories of his first visit to South Africa. I must say that every moment we spent with Swami, we relished.” (Ashok)
Afterwards, in the car he said, “This wasn't a wasted trip. Nature is in your journey”. Back at the ashram everyone was running around. I slept in the room next to Swami’s. On our next trip the ghosts started worrying us. Dean and I used to sleep in the same room. One night when Dean was sleeping, I saw the packet of biscuits moving by itself. I think Dean also saw it and closed his eyes. Then I realised he was wearing earplugs so he couldn't hear me screaming. Swami told us about the ghosts and the cottage that used to be the house of Ravhana’s soldiers. At night we could hear them marching. One night I couldn’t sleep so I went to the lounge to meditate. Reg, Joey and Saila were staying with us at that time. They were afraid of the ghosts and I could hear one of them saying they should fetch my shoes to put outside their door to frighten the ghosts. Reg came to get my shoes from the lounge and saw me dressed in white. He ran out, screaming, back to his room, the three of them holding each other, terrified. They thought I was the ghost.
Swami lived a simple life on a hilltop. He brought about peace, harmony and love. A man so small in stature, yet within him he had the power to dissolve the whole universe. That Guru Swami Preceptor, the God within, I remember to this day. A parcel of books arrived for me in 1995, from a man I had never met. One of those very books, The Great Science and Power of Gayathri, you received today. May every one of you who reads that book find some happiness, some joy in it, that you may walk the walk and talk the talk.
Swami spent a long time, many months, with different swamis and gurus in the Himalayas. One, his favourite was Swami Gnanananda Giri, who lived for at least four-hundred years and attained mahasamadhi in the 1960s. Gnanananda Giri was so powerful but he was a mere 1.2 metres in height. His disciple, Haridas Giri, visited South Africa and taught the mantra of his Guru, the Om gnanabdagiri namaha mantra. The same should apply to you on your spiritual journey, but there's no dedication. Too many of you come to temple only once a month. Then when your quota is finished you don't come again until the next month. I've said many times that today is very special to me. I am crazy enough to be seated here with all of you, even after you damaged my kitchen and destroyed my finances. But then I am crazy.
Go out there and find yourself guru - not me - and hold onto him for dear life. There are many gurus. Once you have your guru nothing on this physical plane will affect you. I get an SMS message once a week: ‘Love you, Guru. Miss you, Guru. Love you, guru’. Others only love their guru when he gives them something. When your guru gives you a mantra you should recite it continuously and let every molecule of your being resound in his name. But you can't do that. You're too caught up in this life. Swami asked me why I wanted this spiritual journey and he wished me luck. But I've received no luck yet. Every time I get my sixteen people, one of them misbehaves. Then I get another sixteen and the same thing happens; one misbehaves. Go find your guru. Paramahansa Yogananda told his guru that he was tired and wanted to leave. Sri Yukteswar told him to go, and Yogananda traveled all over India visiting many gurus and swamis. But at the end he realised the purity and genuineness of Sri Yukteswar and returned to his guru. I'm not saying that you must make your guru more important than your parents. They are the most important faculty in your normal life. Your Guru is the most important aspect of your spiritual life. No guru will teach you things that are not ahimsha, yama or niyama.
Swami Murugesu has definitely experienced God and seen God in the form of Kali. One day Swami went to Brindhaven to Gnanaguru. While he was sitting in prayer he heard music and felt the vibration of dancing footsteps. When he looked down, there appeared in his lap a sari from Radha, Krishna’s consort. Swami Murugesu communicated with Agasthiar who would tell Swami to go with Paragrama, another disciple, to the forest where there were many wild animals, especially wild elephants. When Swami arrived at the place, he was told to stop. There were wild elephants there and he wanted to run away, but a voice told him to wait. The elephants made a circle of protection around Swami so that he could dig for herbs in safety from other wild animals. So, today is the anniversary of Swami’s samadhi. That chain you see around Swami’s neck was given to me by swami forty days after his death. Most of you have not had the opportunity to meet Swami physically. Let’s share our first experiences of Swami Murugesu.
“On my first trip to Swami, I was so surprised to see a tiny man. He served us personally, seeing to it that we had everything. On my second trip we were initiated and I got to know Swami better.” (Mrs Naidoo)
“All I can say is that when Guru used to speak about Swami I didn't feel the connection. Then once, when Swami was visiting, I wrote a letter saying I would love to visit him, even though in my mind I didn't think it would be possible. When I saw Swami for the first time I felt as if he knew everything. During the initiation I didn't want to be initiated. I was taking photos and the next thing I remember, I was sitting, holding swamis hands and being initiated.” (Manogrie)
“I met Swami in 2003. It was my birthday. I didn’t know what to expect. He was so welcoming and took care of all of us. He took us all over Sri Lanka even though his health wasn't so good. The following year I went back to Sri Lanka, and every year after that. Three month’s before Swami’s mahasamadhi, I saw him again on my birthday. On my second trip I had better chance to speak to Swami. Ashok and I were staying in a cottage near the ashram and I was telling Ashok that I wished to stay there but I have a family back in South Africa. When we reached the ashram Swami asked me a question: ‘When God calls you, will you go back and ask your husband if you can go?’ I phoned him often and visited every year. (Nereen)
“We had always heard Guru talk about Swami. On our first trip we arrived in Sri Lanka. We conjured up an image of this great swami but when we arrive, there was this small person with tiny feet. He said to me: ‘So you’re the disciple of your Guru?’ He was the most sweet, divine individual.” (Dean)
“In 1998 we met Swami personally. He arrived on the 21st March. We were running around getting things ready. A year before that Guru had gone to Sri Lanka for the first time and told us about Swami.When Ronnie, Paul and I were traveling to the airport to meet Swami, we were so excited that we composed a song which kept us together for a long time. And when Swami arrived we all sang the song: ‘Swamiye murugesu, you are the light in our lives. The children of Gayathri love you, Swamiye Murugesu’. That was the song we composed.We hired a bus to take the devotees to the airport to meet Swami. It was three weeks of splendour, sharing every minute traveling with Swami to different places. We took Swami to the school where I teach. They couldn't believe his simplicity. Everyone who was at the school at that time has since benefited. The highlight was Swami’s initiation of all the devotees. I was the only one not initiated. Notwithstanding that, I was initiated after kumbabishegam, which was great. Meeting Swami a few years later in Sri Lanka brought back many memories of his first visit to South Africa. I must say that every moment we spent with Swami, we relished.” (Ashok)
