Swami Niranjan with Swami Atmananda at Ganga Darshan
A tribute to Chotte Swamiji
from Swami Niranjan Saraswati |
Bihar School of Yoga |
Ganga Darshan, Munger, Bihar, India |
My relationship with Swami Atmananda started when I came to Munger in the 1960’s. She figures in many of my earliest memories of life in the ashram with Swami Satyananda.
I remember her as a dedicated and devoted disciple, always seeking ways in which to serve her beloved master, but also as an administrator, a caring teacher, inspirer and friend.
Though small in stature, she could roar like a lion one
moment and be soft and gentle like a mother the next.
When I reflect on the life of Swami Atmananda, it seems she was born with a special destiny to become an expression of service and an example of surrender.
From an early age she was exposed to the satsangs and spiritual teachings of Swami Satyananda, who visited her family from time to time, and even as a young girl her commitment and dedication to Guru were total.
By the age of 20, she had renounced her family and all the comforts of home to become one of Swami Satyananda’s first and foremost sannyasin disciples.
Furthermore, we see that her spiritual aspiration and dedication never weakened or wavered. Throughout her life Swami Atmananda remained straight and true to her resolves, even in the face of insurmountable difficulties, illness, personal loss and suffering.
Sometimes it is said of spiritual renunciates that many are called but few are chosen. But in the case of Swami Atmananda, we can definitely see that she was one of those who were chosen right from the beginning, and maintained her commitment and dedication to the Guru and spiritual path right up to the end.
In the course of her sannyasa life, Swami Atmananda served her Guru’s mission in many capacities. After living with and serving her master during her early years, she spent many years founding, directing and inspiring yoga centres in Europe and South East Asia.
During these years, she never rescinded her spiritual
commitment and in each post did her utmost to fulfil the needs and demands of the yoga communities which she inspired.
Later in life, when Swami Atmananda had reached a pinnacle of accomplishment and recognition in the field of yoga, she again demonstrated the strength of her spiritual resolve and dedication.
After teaching and inspiring countless disciples and devotees abroad, she chose to renounce her position as Acharya and Director and returned to India to live in sadhana and seclusion in the proximity of her beloved master.
At this time, Swami Satyananda conferred upon her the highest initiation of Paramahamsa Sannyasa and encouraged her to perfect her own path and attain spiritual illumination.
On account of her lifelong service, dedication and commitment, Swami Atmananda shines as a luminary and an inspiration on the path of yoga. For all the sannyasins, disciples and devotees of Swami Satyananda, who have known her and even for those who did not have that opportunity, her life will always be remembered as an example of the highest achievement in yoga and sannyasa.
