YOGANANDA’S LAST DAY: Today is the anniversary of the Mahasamadhi of Paramhansa Yogananda, who left his body on March 7, 1952. Daya Mata tells the story of the last day that she spent with her Guru: “Late one evening he called me to him and said, come let us take a walk. As we walked he suddenly turned towards me and said, Do you realize that it is just a matter of hours and I will be gone from this earth?” Tears flooded my eyes. Intuitively, I knew that what he said was to come to pass. A short time earlier, when he spoke to me of leaving his body, I had cried to him, “Master, you are the diamond in the ring of our hearts, and of your society. How can we carry on without you?” With such sweet love and compassion, his eyes like soft pools of divine bliss, he answered: “When I am gone, only love can take my place. Be so drunk with the love of God, that you will know nothing but God; and give that love to all.” On the final day, he was to speak at a banquet for the ambassador in downtown Los Angeles. We who served him arose in the early dawn and went to his door to see if we could do anything for him. As we entered, he was sitting very quietly in the chair in which he frequently meditated and was often in ecstasy. When he didn’t want us to talk, he would put his finger to his lips, meaning, “I am in silence.” The moment he did that, I saw the withdrawal of his soul, that he was gradually severing each of the hidden ties that bind the soul to the body. Sorrow filled my heart, and yet strength too, because I knew that no matter what happened, through my devotion to him, my Guru would never leave my heart.
All day long he remained in that interiorized state. Toward evening, we went with him to the large hotel where the banquet was to be held. Arriving early, Guruji waited in a little room upstairs, quietly meditating. We disciples sat around him on the floor. After some time, he gazed at each of us in turn. I remember thinking, as he looked at me, “My beloved Guru is giving me a farewell darshan.” Then he went down to the banquet hall.
There was a large audience and I was sitting some distance from the speakers’ table, but my mind and gaze never left the blessed Guru’s face. Finally, the time came for him to speak. As Guruji rose from his chair, my heart skipped a beat and I thought, “Oh, this is that moment!”
When he began speaking, with such love for God, the whole audience was like one person; no one stirred. They were transfixed by the tremendous force of love that he was pouring from his heart upon all of them. Many lives were changed that night — including some who later entered the ashram as monastics and many others who became members of the society — because of that divine experience. His last words were of the India he loved so much:
“Where Ganges, woods, Himalayan caves, and men dream God —
I am hallowed; my body touched that sod.”
As he uttered these words, he lifted his eyes to the Kutastha center, and his body slumped to the floor. In an instant — our feet seemed not to touch the ground — two of us disciples were by his side. Thinking that he might have gone into samadhi, we softly chanted Aum in his right ear. (Over the years he had told us that when he went into ecstasy, if after some time his consciousness did not return we could bring him out of that state by chanting “Aum” in his right ear.)
As I was chanting, a miraculous experience took place. I do not know how to describe it to you, but as I knelt over my blessed Guru, I could see that his soul was leaving the body; and then a tremendous force entered my being. I say “tremendous” because it was an overwhelming blissful force of love, peace, and understanding. I remember thinking, “What is this?” My consciousness was lifted up in such a way that I could feel no sorrow, I could shed no tears; and it has been so from that day to this, because I know beyond any doubt that he is truly with me. That night, I was meditating deeply and praying to him. It was already very late and suddenly I saw my body get up from the bed, walk down the hall, and enter my Guru’s room. As I did so, out of the corner of my eye I saw his chuddar (shawl), fluttering as though in a slight breeze. I turned, and there stood my Guru! With what joy I ran to him and knelt to take the dust of his feet, holding them close to me.
“Master, Master,” I cried, “you are not dead you are not gone! Death has no claim on you.” How sweetly then he reached down and touched me on the forehead. After he blessed me suddenly I saw myself once again sitting upon my bed. I used to think that it would be very hard for devotees to understand the guru-disciple relationship after the Master had gone from this earth plane, but then I remember his words so clearly. Once I was sitting at his feet one evening, when he said to me: “To those who think me near, I will be near. This body is nothing. If you are attached to this physical form, you will not be able to find me in my infinite form. But if you look beyond this body and see me as I truly am, then you will know that I am always with you......”
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