Teachings

Swami Vishwananda knows all of our strengths and weaknesses. On one occasion when a german devotee wanted to visit his parents in Bavaria, he asked Swami for some advice on what to say to them. Swami Vishwananda said, “Tell them that you love them.”

About this, the devotee told us:"I knew, on one hand, that it would be very important to tell them I love them, but on the other, not easy. I then realized I had never shared with them how I felt. Swami’s sole purpose is to teach us, not only during satsangs, but also in daily life. Swami Vishwananda will never miss an opportunity to teach us about ourselves. He often lets us know, patiently and in many different ways, that God is within us. Swami says that God is pure love, light and peace. And since we are made in the image of God, we also are pure love, light and bliss. God is not far away in heaven, but He is within everyone of us, and without everyone of us. How often, in daily life, we forget this simple fact, that God and Guru are omnipresent. But how nice it is to remember that God and Guru’s grace is always with us. I know, through Swamiji’s blessing, I’m moving faster to my ultimate goal of Self-Realization. 

Asking for help

Often I could experiment that when I had a difficult question in my head, I could get at once an answer when meditating upon Swami Vishwananda and asking him for the answer. Once, a devotee from South Africa told me this story:

"In Mauritius, Swami Vishwananda said me that if I ever needed Him, I just had to meditate on Him and He would be there for me.  A friend of many years came to me and asked if I could assist her in any way as she was in a very dire financial position. She needed a substantial sum of money immediately or else she could lose her house and car. I explained my fantastic experience in Mauritius and I told her that I had surrendered myself to the Divine and that she should do the same. That night I meditated and asked Swamiji to assist my friend.Two days later she phoned me and told me that someone whom she had a met through business had heard that she was in trouble, and had written out a cheque for the money she needed and told her that this was a gift and not a loan! To remove any doubt from the sceptics reading this text, the person who has never even heard of Swami Vishwananda also gave Eunice a book that he thought she should read, ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Paramahansa Yogananda ! 

Cheerfulness

The mother of a disciple of Swami Vishwananda told us this amazing experience.:

"The stories of Krishna stealing butter have strong parallels with Swami Vishwananda. He steals the hearts of humans with his abundance of love and devotion, a perfect example of his teachings. His cheerfulness, jokes and humour were so very attractive when we first meet him in 1998. His joy when experiencing snow for the first time, in the Swiss Alps, nearly made him a snowman with all his playful rolling around. As we went up Schilthorn mountain - which is over 2’000 m (over 6’300 ft) high, it began to snow. We were disappointed as we wanted Swami to enjoy the marvellous view of the other mountains, but Swami said, "Don't worry." As he said it, the sun came through and in no time the clouds sank deeper and deeper. We also experienced Swami Vishwananda’s direct relationship with animals. A mountain bird stood close to him and hopped nearer and nearer up onto his outstretched hands. While we were travelling, by car or by train, Swami always had a bhajan on his lips; exactly like Krishna and his flute. This always put us in a good mood. In the kitchen the exuberance was never missing. We exchanged Indian and Swiss recipes, cooked together and also laughed a lot. I was always very touched, as Swami was always helping: with cooking, cleaning, washing the dishes and drying. He helped with everything. For him this was the most natural thing in the world! At the same time, we sang and laughed a lot. " V. L. – Switzerland

Lingam

A resident of Springen told us about the lingam that Swami Vishwananda materialised for him in 1998:

"I witnessed the birth of my lingam. It was transparent and had the shape of an eye. When Swami gave it to me, he pressed it against my third eye. Since then I’ve done the same as a kind of ritual before and after placing it in its water at night. Until it returned to where it came from, I always carried it like a baby around my neck. It stayed with me for over eight years.

My life purpose was often reflected in my professionally life which seemed to revolve around bringing transparency and insight into certain things. In this sense, the lingam served to remind me of my personal destiny which became increasingly visible to me: like any spiritual student, my purpose includes developing insight into the ultimate secrets of life. The lingam represented this eye of deeper in-sight and its formlessness. Being transparent and without colour, it fits very well with my truest nature, which likes to identify itself with the formless, with the absolute.

Seva activities

Swami Vishwananda carried out many activities to help others. A close parent of him told:

"He was very disciplined in carrying out these practices. We visited the orphanage once a month, organised blood donations on a regular basis and went on many outings to spiritual sites. We went on many fun picnics, singing bhajans in the bus all the way. To celebrate his twentieth birthday, a picnic party was planned and three buses filled with devotees participated with great joy. We also took this occasion to bring some handicapped children out to the seaside. Games to suit these children were organised by the bhajan teacher and everyone had a great time!

On one occasion Swami visited his aunt’s place in Beau Bassin. There he saw a lovely picture on the wall in the kitchen and said, “I want that picture. I need it”. – “Here… you can have it”, his aunt replied.  Soon after, everyone proceeded to the Rose-Hill ashram where Swami gave his aunt a picture frame in exchange for the picture. She put it behind the door and when she went to get the frame before leaving, to her astonishment, the picture was covered with fuchsia-pink coloured vibhuti. Swami Vishwananda has shown us the way of light and raised the level of our spiritual awareness. I feel blessed to have been given this opportunity to recount some of the experiences we have shared with Swami.  Thank you for everything Swami! With all my respect, love and humility, I surrender my ignorance and arrogance. Bless me with your love. Jai Gurudev!"

The Love of the guru

Swami Vishwananda says often that God gives us everything served on a silver platter. The Divine may even put the food from the silver platter into our mouths, but we each must choose whether to swallow or not. About this, a devotee told me that: "Swami Vishwananda is ever ready to create the right circumstances for people to grow spiritually. Through many lessons given by Swami, I have uncovered deep layers of negativity that I never dreamed existed within me. With Swami’s grace I have learned to face the darkness within myself without fear, and I have overcome it. I do not believe that I would have been able to eliminate negativity and fear without my guru’s immense inner support. Moreover, I feel that the burden of karma I am working through currently is just a tiny fraction of the whole burden that my guruji is carrying for me. In his great humility, I know that Swami would never reveal that to anyone, but my inner experience knows. The greatness of a guru can be comprehended at the end of a lesson successfully learned, and each lesson may provide more clarity. When the lesson has been learned, then many of the guru’s words and actions regarding it can be understood more clearly."

Brain tumor healing

As I was in Mauritius last year, Yogeshini told me this story: "I first met Swami Vishwananda on the 15th December 1995. People had been asking me to go and see Him previous to this occasion, but something always got in the way and I think that perhaps the time was not yet ripe for me to meet Him. I first met Him through a lady who was very ill at the time, as she was suffering from leukemia and a brain tumor. While she was at the clinic seeking advice from the doctors, I went with one of her relatives to seek help from Swami. Swami said “Listen, she will come to see me this Sunday morning straight from the clinic.” Just as He had predicted, she visited Swami Vishwananda on Sunday morning straight after she had attended the clinic. Since that day medical treatments, together with Swami’s blessings, have kept her in good health".

Early beginnings

The mother of Swami Vishwananda told me: "At the age of one-and-a-half, Visham (Cosiname of Swami Vishwananda as a child) was just beginning to walk. Yet unlike other children his age, he prayed and prayed all the time. Visham’s grandmother went to the temple every morning and evening. From the time that Visham was small, he could be found by the side of his grandmother going to the temple for morning and evening prayers. My sister used to say, “How can you have a son like that? You never pray”. I would answer her, “I really don’t know; he has always been interested in God”.  I believed in God, but I did not feel the urge inside to pray or go to the temple and put water on the shiva lingam. At that time I saw people going to the temple in front of our home, but I never felt the urge to go myself.  Shortly after, Visham started doing havan, the fire ceremony called yajna. He made a big fire in the middle of the kitchen that threatened to set the kitchen on fire. All the people who were there were scared, but I was not scared and nothing troublesome actually happened. Then, when he was two and three years old, he began playing he was Krishna. For Christmas Visham sometimes asked for something, but most of the time he played puja, saying, I am doing a puja with Krishna."

When you love

With the arrival of Swami Vishwananda in my life, I feel the love of God more and more in my heart. God’s love is an eternal flame that may grow every day until it envelops everything. The most important thing I have learned from Swami Vishwananda is to love. Love is the most beautiful thing that exists. To you, dear reader, I would like to say, “Give love to your children, to your parents, to your wife, to your husband, to your friend, to whomever you want. How nice it is to love!” Swami teaches us to love everyone unconditionally, all the time. In the end you always give love to God, for he is in every thing and every being. He is also the source of love. Love does not judge, love is patient, love is forever. When you love, God resides in you and you reside in God.  At the end of your day, as at the end of your life, when you view all the good deeds you have done on Earth, the times you have loved will shine like precious jewels! 

Heart problem healing

A woman from Mauritius, Hindomatee S. told me one evening her story: "I had Heart problem in 2000. I could not work any more, I could not walk any more. The doctors said that the problem was very serious and they send me to the Hospital. After 8 days lying in the Hospital the son of a friend of mine came to see me at the hospital. The boy who knew Swami Vishwananda gave me a small pack of Vibhuti coming from Him for me. Baba made a miracle with me, I ate the vibhuti and was three months latter completely healed. Thank you very much Swami Vishwananda.

A long prayer

Swami Vishwananda made in 2000 a pilgrim in a bus with 50 people. One evening, we arrived at the Oropa Monastery with our bus where we were to spend the night. The sight is magnificent as the monastery is perched in the mountains and snow covers the rocks around. After we organised our belongings and dined in the refectory, we went to pray to the beautiful black Madonna in the sanctuary. The tradition relates that Saint Eusebe had brought this wooden statue, carved by Saint Luke from Jerusalem. After we admired a huge crucifix in carved wood in the outside courtyard, we started singing a Rosary. Someone started singing a canticle, and then another Christian song. Swami Vishwananda started singing all His repertory. It was never-ending. My feet were completely frozen, and I was seeing the other people shivering as well, as nobody had dressed to stay outside. I whispered to Swami Vishwananda: - “If we stay longer outside, people will catch a cold.” He then answered to me: - “Nobody will get a cold. Never worry when you pray to God.” I kept silent afterwards; I was reassured but still frozen. We sang for another 15 minutes and then we came in and drank a well-deserved tea. I thus learnt to be completely dedicated to God when I pray, and not to worry about anything else. The next day and for the days which followed, everybody remained in good health.

The early years

On a trip to the Seychelles, I took Yogananda’s book “Autobiography of a Yogi “. Either my wife or I would read out loud from the book while the other would be playing on the beach with our son Romeo.  While discovering this marvellous world of spirituality and Divine love, I was yearning to meet such a Master on this planet. Back in Europe, I went to visit a spiritual centre established by one of Yogananda’s disciples in Assisi. This, however, was not enough to satiate my thirst. I searched on the Internet for spiritual Masters that were alive on the planet. It took me another few years to eventually find my true spiritual Master, Swami Vishwananda. At the time, He was still living in Mauritius with His parents.  In the room where He had grown up, in Quatre-Bornes, images of saints cover the walls. On the shelves are statues of various deities. Each object is covered with Vibhuthi (sacred ash), which the visitors, as well as His parents, at the beginning mistook for dust. The layer is sometimes so thick that the head of the Murti (statue) hardly sticks out of the mountain of ash.  In Mauritius, Swami Vishwananda first had a little temple built on His parents land, with their permission, where every week Bhajans were sung. Later on in time, in the garden of His friend’s house, He built the first Ashram, thanks to the generosity of this family. There is a little chapel filled with statues of the holy Virgin Mary. These statues have been purchased at the many pilgrimage sites in Europe: Lourdes, Merdjegurje, Pontmain, Loretto, Rome, Pelvoisin, and Fatima.

My first encounter

Swami Vishwananda came to me as the guru who allways look for the disciple. I was already following another Guru and was not looking for a new one. So he came to my home on a nice and sunny summer afternoon, He remained for ten minutes in the doorway. Everyone was awe-inspired. I couldn’t help repeating in my head: “Babaji is here, Babaji is in my house! This is incredible. My God, how beautiful He is!” As a matter of fact, all those present could not say a word in front of this handsome 22-year-old boy, radiating the Divine. We went on the terrace to observe at will this rare bird fallen from Heaven. I was surprised to feel so at ease with Him, like an old friend whom I hadn’t seen for a long time. I showed Him the paintings I had made of my spiritual Master. He looked at them for a long time. He told me that this Master had offered Him a great statue of Krishna when on visit to Mauritius. This comforted me: if my Guru had offered Him a statue, then He must be a good person. Once He left, the only wish I had was to see Him again soon. It was then the start of a series of interviews and meetings where we would sing Bhajans. He asked to do a Yagna at our house, and we did it in the fireplace. During Yagna, all participants throw a mix of grains, herbs and rice into the fire while saying “Swaha”. This means to offer, which at the time I had no idea.  During the Yagna, I suddenly found myself in India, sitting on the floor and repeating “Swaha” and throwing rice into the sacred fire. At the end of the ceremony, I went to Swami Vishwananda and asked Him: - “Tell me, did we know each other in a past life, in India, where we did Yagnas together?” - “Of course, many times!” He spoke these words with a beautiful smile, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. - “Really?” I queried Him. At that moment somebody called Him and He left me standing open-mouthed and voiceless.

Visit to Ramdas

In Maui, we went to visit Ramdas, a disciple of Nam Kaoli Baba. As we followed the sea, Swami Vishwananda looked at it and said: “Maybe we’ll see whales!” - “Really?” I asked and then remembered that an afternoon in 2005, when we were in the garden that Yogananda planted on top of a cliff, above the sea in Encinitas. Swami Vishwananda also had told me that dolphins were nearby and a few minutes later we had seen dolphins jump and disappear again.  - “Look at the whales, there!” He exclaimed. - “I have never seen whales jumping like that!” I said. - “They gather to breed,” He told me. After following a winding road in the hills, we eventually reached Ramdas’ villa, in Hawaii’s countryside. - “Tell me, was Nam Kaoli Baba an Avatar?” I asked. - “Yes, he was an incarnation of Hanuman. In fact he was an incarnation of Shiva. Shiva very rarely incarnates directly on earth. When he incarnates, he does so under the face of Hanuman. When Rama came on earth, Shiva incarnated as Hanuman to be the greatest of all his devotees, “ He said.   After a warm welcome, Ramdas asked Swami to speak about His youth and about Babaji. We then sang Bhajans in front of his altar. In front of the picture of Nam Kaoli Baba, Ramdas then told us the following story: - On a trip with Nam Kaoli baba and other devotees, they had a car accident. Passengers of the car then saw a huge hairy hand protecting them. The car was no longer of use after the accident, but none of the passengers got hurt.  On the altar were a lot of photos of Saints and deities. Swami asked Him : - “You have a lovely altar, but tell me why do you have the photo of George Bush on your altar? Are you worshiping him?” - “No, but you know, to all these saints and deities I can say I love you. The day I can say to George Bush, I love you, I know that I will be a good person.”  The day after Swami Vishwananda gave a Darshan where Ramdas and his family came. We went back to his place afterwards. When Ramdas arrived on his wheelchair, the little group of devotees greeted him. Then they saw the altar with pictures of gurus, saints, and deities. Ramdas followed and we sang the Hanuman Chalisa and some Bhajans.  It was a Divine moment. The presence of Hanuman was very strong when Swami Vishwananda and Ramdas were together.

The burnt bulb

This morning, when I woke up, the bedside lamp in Swami Vishwananda’s hotel room was not working anymore.  - “It must be when I went to this lady who was very sick. I went to comfort her because she is going to die very soon. It must be the energy that burnt the bulb. If you had woken up earlier and looked at me I would have looked dead and you would have been afraid,” He told me. - “Maybe. Tell me, this person was aware that you were there?” I asked. - “Of course! I will call her today. You know, the three days before you die, many people see all their life as well as the way they will die. That is why when a person is about to die, they get better to talk to those that they are going to leave.” He said.  We went in the car and took the motorway. Above the motorways, luminous signs displayed the time. I noticed that each time we passed under one of these signs, it would start to flicker. - “What is that? Do you think it is a speed control?” I asked. “No, it must still be the energy,” said Swami Vishwananda.

The Leelas (games) of the Divine

Swami Vishwananda likes to play. He has this capacity to enthuse you with something that you found insignificant before. He creates role-plays and throws Himself in for the pleasure of living, of playing. After that, everyone draws a personal experience from the event. That is what is happening on this earth: We are here to learn how to live and love from every possible and imaginable situation. Swami Vishwananda is very indulgent and has amazing patience. One evening, He invited a man to His apartment in Mauritius. This man had aggressively thrown endless catechist sentences and canonical rules to us. I was in a rage to hear this fanatic, when would he stop? I was ostentatiously looking at my watch. Swami, unlike me, kept smiling and had taken His notepad to take notes! After that, I was vaccinated against any dogmatism. Fanatics exist in every religion. God is one, man only makes the differences. Each religion can lead to God. It is a boat on the ocean of our lives. In one life we are Christian, once Muslim, once Hindu, another time Jewish, another time Sufi… thus the soul learns to practice different religions without becoming dogmatic.    Swami Vishwananda plays in every day communication. He doesn’t show even a thousandth of His knowledge. Many times I realise how I judge automatically people who I hardly even know. Swami Vishwananda never judges, He just loves.  Often with Him, we don’t know what to think in every day communication. He can say a banality with a very serious face, like an important revelation. He knows prejudices and everyone’s fixed ideas.  Because I am afraid to make a mistake, say something wrong and be laughed at, I once spoke in the same direction as the conversation, like a sheep, instead of thinking and providing my own opinion. Two sentences later, Swami Vishwananda went in the opposite direction, and I found myself stuck in my remark, facing my own hypocrisy.   The Guru is the one that removes ignorance and makes you realise. Swami Vishwananda does it while having fun. Life is not sad with Him. Yes, we laugh a lot!

Vibhuti

In the Mauritius Ashram, one day in 2005, I had the opportunity to see where the Vibhuthi came from. Swami Vishwananda told us: - “Today I have to make some Vibhuti, I need a lot!” Swami Vishwananda then went to His bedroom, and sat on a bed-sheet wearing a lunghi (Indian robe). He put an “Om Namah Shivaya” Bhajan on the Hifi. In the next room, we also sang “Om Namah Shivayah” for the next 40 minutes. Yogeshini, who had stayed behind the door then called us. The corridor smelt strongly of the beautiful perfume of Vibhuthi. We came into the room, and the smell was even stronger. The atmosphere was Divine. White ash was spread all around Swami Vishwananda, emanating from Him. Swami was white from head to toe!  We took the four corners of the sheet to bring it downstairs and fill up little packets. There was more than 25kg of Vibhuthi and we filled about 7000 packets. They were distributed during Darshan to all participants.  Later I remarked to Him: - “I am used to seeing you with a brown colour. I didn’t recognise you any more. I don’t want to be racist, but I prefer you in brown. Where does all that Vibhuthi come from? How does it happen?” - “It is the light that comes from my body, which transforms itself into Vibhuthi. Before I used to let the people see, but now the light is too bright, it would burn your eyes,” Swami Vishwananda explained.

A storm in Maui

As Swami Vishwananda and some monks were in Maui at the Hotel one quiet night, a huge storm decided to invade the island. We watched the torrential rain pour down from our windows. Our apartment was on the ground floor so we went outside to investigate. We could only see the light of the Hotel’s garden lamps and the streetlights, for the vision of everything else was blurred by the torrents of water bucketing down. We were amazed at the vision of this spectacle of Nature. The rain was warm and so there was also a playful element in the air. The thunder roared and lightning streaks lit up the sky. We went with Swami Vishwananda for a second time outside and we noticed that the rainwater had started to accumulate in the street in front of our door. As the storm grew in fury, it soon became alarming for us and hence Swami Vishwananda went outside a third time. The water level because of this heavy rain was now so high that soon our apartment would start to be flooded. Swami Vishwananda suddenly looked up at the sky and in fury shouted at the elements, “Stop now! Stop it!”  At this very moment, the storm decreased dramatically in strength! The rain reduced, bit by bit so that within seconds, it had completely stopped! Not a single drop! We all thankfully went back into our apartments and awoke the next morning to a bright sunny day. We laughed as we saw in the morning newspaper that some places of the island had suffered from a freak storm the previous night.

Ignoring maya

During the Oneness Congress in December 2006 on Swami Vishwananda’s US tour, Swami gave a lecture on mudras in Pasadena. The huge room with a balcony could hold up to 3,000 people. Swami Vishwananda sat on a large stage and only about a hundred people were scattered around the room. He started to speak warmly about spirituality. He then demonstrated the mudras, explaining their significance and the mantras linked to them. In front of me, some young girls were listening absentmindedly while a boy sat next to them and started flirting with them. Then some more people arrived but didn’t stay, as they seemed to seek something more spectacular. There was a freezing draft in the room and little by little, some 30 people left the room. I was feeling so bad for my guru who had to bear this empty room and the freezing ambiance.  At the end of the session, we left the room and went to the lobby where those few people still left wanted to speak personally with Swami Vishwananda. He was talking to all of them, taking his time. I thought about warming him up by bringing him a cup of tea, but he made me understand that the tea could wait. He hugged everyone, even the bouncer.  Once outside, the gale was blowing and Swami Vishwananda was wearing just his robe, his bare feet in sandals. I was wondering how he was able to speak with everyone without minding this freezing wind that went right to the bones. Then I remembered his words when we were on the plane coming to the US, “Maya is very powerful and very cunning, even some gurus get tricked by her. Wealth, glory, fame or material pleasures seduce some of them. The best way not to be caught in the net of illusion is to remain humble and to ignore her.” I could see now how Swami Vishwananda was able to ignore maya. He would push away personal desires and concentrate on other people’s needs, and what was important to them at that very moment.