Sri Swamiji

I'm not a big fan of guruhood. Somehow the thought of commiting yourself to the discipleship of a stranger doesn't feel like the proper way to develop spiritual independence. Sure, a teacher is helpful in guiding you along the path of sef discovery and reaching the end goal of liberation, especially one who has travelled the road himself, but I am ultimately convinced that the true guru resides inside each and every one of us and is there waiting to be both discovered and developed. Of course, finding him is not an easy process. We are constantly being bombarded with familial ,cultural, social, personal and egotistical stimuli and expectations that do nothing more than dilute our true sense of self and creative a rift between our expressed and authentic identities. It takes alot of willpower and alot of courage to begin unravelling the delusional metaprogramming we have been exposed to from an early age and for many guruhood may be the best option. However, a guru is not one who will blindly drag you into the higher planes of conscious knowlede, the task is ultimately our own and though a guru could plant the seed of spiritual awakening and point the way, the seed is ours to water and he'll be pointing from long distance. The zen masters believe that all a person really needs on the path towards enlightenment is the ground beneath his feet, if that. Judging from my limited experiences with meditation and joy seeking I'd be inclined to wholeheartedly agree. Nevertheless for the infant spirtual aspirant (like myself) a little bit of help is always welcome. Due to the lack of authentic spiritual guides within the reach of both my location and pocket book I've had to rely upon several books to help get me started on the path of self discovery. And through one of these book I have come to discover a person who is the closest thing to a guru I have, Swami Satyannanda Saraswati. Though he has never been physically in my presence, I always feel him at my side. Sometimes even, when my eyes are closed and my mind is as still as it can get for a horny 21 year old living a lie as a law student, I see the dim contours of his outline peacefully mimicing my pose almost as if he's speaking to me without saying a word. With his indirect guidance I've managed not only to gain a more positive outlook on life but have even gained stronger confidence in my potential. Still, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is soooooo much out there to learn adn with every bit you accomplish thousands of possibilities open up just waiting for you to explore them. Anyways, I fear this rant is getting a little long and I haven't even gotten to the meat of it yet. So without further adu I'd like to introduce you to my guru, my firend, my spiritual companion: Swami Satyananda Saraswati (yea, trying saying that 10 times while watching tv... just kidding...don't watch tv...)
The following is being reproduced from the back sleeve of "A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya." (Without permission of course) It's long so I'm turning this into a 3 part series. Enjoy.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati was born in 1923 at Almora (Uttaranchal) into a family of farmers. His ancestors were warriors and many of his kith and kin down the line, including his father, served in the army and police force.
However, it became evident that Sri Swamiji had a different bent of mind, as he began to have spiritual experiences at the age of six, when his awareness spontaneously left the body and he saw himself lying motionless on the floor. Many saints and sadhus blessed him and reassured his parents that he had a very developed awareness. This experience of disembodies awareness continued, which led him to many saints of that time such as Anandamayi Ma. Sri Swamiji also met his tantric bhairavi, Sukham Giri, who gave him shaktipat and directed him to find his guru in order to stabalize his spiritual experiences.
In 1943, at the age of 20, he renounced his home and went in search of a guru. This search ultimately led him to Swami Sivananda Saraswati at Rishikesh, who initiated him into the Dashnam Order of Sannyasa on 12th September 1947 on the banks of the Ganges and gave him the name Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
In those early years at Rishikesh, Sri Swamiji immersed himself in guru seva. At that time the ashram was still in its infancy and even the basic amenities such as buildings and toilets were absent. The forests surrounding the small ashram were infested with snakes, scorpions, mosquitoes, monkeys and even tigers. The ashram work was too heavy and hard, requiring Sri Swamiji to toil like a labourer carrying bucket loads of water from the Ganga up to the ashram and digging canals from the high mountain streams down to the ashram many kilometers away in order to store water for constructing the ashram.
Rikishesh was then a small town and all the ashram requirements had to be brought by foot from far away. In addition there were varied duties, including the daily pooja at Vishwanath Mandir, for which Sri Swamiji would go into the dense forest to collect bael leaves. If anyone fell sick there was no medical care and no one to attend to them. All the sannyasins had to go out for bhiksha or alms as the ashram did not have a mess or kitchen.
Of that glorious time when he lived and served his guru, Sri Swamiji says it was a period of total communion and surrender to the guru tattwa, whereby he felt that just to hear, speak or see Swami Sivananda was yoga. But most of all his guru's words rang true, for through his dedication and spirit of nishkama seva he gained an enlightened understanding of the secrets of spiritual life and became an authority on Yoga, Tantra, Vedanta, Samkhya and kundalini yoga. Swami Sivananda said of Swami Satyananda, "Few would exhibit such intense vairagya at such an early age. Swami Satyananda is full of Nachiketa vairagya."
Although he had a photographic memory, a keen intellect, and his guru described him as a versatile genius, Swami Satyananda's learnign did not come from books and study in the ashram. his knowledge unfolded from within through his untiring seva as well as his abiding faith and love for Swami Sivananda, who told him "Work hard and you will be purified. You do not have to search for the light, the light will unfold from within you."
In 1956, after spending twelve years in guru seva, Swami Satyananda set out as a wanderer (parivrajaka). Before his departure Swami Sivananda taught him kriya yoga and gave him the mission to "spread yoga from door to door and shore to shore." .... to be continued...