A Grand Departure

Jai Sivaya Subramuniyaswami!
Jai Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami!
Jai Kailasa Parampara!

Today we celebrate the completion of Sannyasin Brahmanathaswami's incarnation for this birth and his life's mission as a Sannyasin of the Saiva Siddhanta Yoga Order. On December 22nd at 10 PM, Swami left his body, transitioning from this physical world into Siva's inner world of light. Less than 24 hours after his transition, at 12:33pm on December 23rd, Swami's remains were given a traditional departure ceremony followed by a swift cremation—all overseen by an entourage of twelve Saiva sannyasins. As a Saiva sannyasin, Swami's funeral rites were conducted on the day he donned his kavi robes, many years ago. For our monks, this is not a time of mourning or grief, but a time to celebrate a long life well lived, brought to completion in a natural and noble way. As many of our mathavasis can attest, Swami is already living a very active existence on the inner planes. The Tirukural succinctly says, "Death is like falling asleep, and birth is like waking from that sleep."

Yesterday, on the 26th, the monastery held a Reflective Honoring, a small gathering to remember the life that Swami lived so beautifully. Monks and island devotees shared stories of their interactions with him throughout life, messages were read from around the world from those who knew him and worked with him on many projects, including his beloved SivaSiva app. To conclude, Satguru gave a meaningful short talk on the continuity of awareness from life to life, stating that while many see life as a book which, read once, comes to the end, Hindus see it as one chapter in a book, which leads not to the end but to the next chapter. Consciousness does not die. You are invited to add your own testimonies in the comments below.

"Wear the body like a sandal" - Siva Yogaswami

Aum Namah Sivaya

A gathering in the courtyard for monks and members, honoring Swami\

s life and work'

Satguru describes lifetimes as chapters in a book. Once you complete one, you keep on reading.

Monks and members tell stories of their many interactions with Swami

He found Gurudeva\

s teachings at a young age and was always a staunch supporter of his guru\'s mission'

Swami was constantly trying new ways to present our ancient teachings

He spent a great amount of time building our websites and apps

And he was always great at finding and collaborating with other like-minded souls

Many will remember his love of Yogaswami\

s Natchintanai and of teaching bhajans every week'

Aum Namah Sivaya. Sivaya Namah Aum.

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