Mortal remains of Yoga guru Swami Sivananda consigned to flames

Varanasi: The mortal remains of Yoga Guru Padma Shri Swami Sivananda were consigned to flames at Harischandra Ghat on Monday evening. His disciples, including two women, performed his last rites.
Swami Sivananda died of pneumonia and subsequent cardiac arrest late Saturday. He was 129. His cremation was delayed due to differences of opinion among his disciples and followers about whether he should be cremated or given a Samadhi. However, after his disciples and followers failed to find a suitable place to give him Bhusamadhi by Monday afternoon, they unanimously decided to cremate his mortal remains.
The funeral procession was taken out from Sivananda Baba Ashram in Kabirnagar Durgakund area according to Bengali customs. Scores of disciples, followers of the Yoga Guru, dignitaries, and locals joined the funeral procession, which culminated at Harischandra Ghat in the evening. Local BJP MLA Saurabh Srivastava and Kashi ADCP T Sarvanan offered floral tributes to him before the mortal remains were placed on the pyre.
Later, his disciples— Hiramani Vishwash, Sanjay Sarvajna, Purushottam Bhattacharya, Mamoni Didi, Sushant, and Sarmila— who arrived from London, lit the funeral pyre .
Earlier, uncertainty persisted over the mode of his last rites due to differences in opinion among his disciples and followers. After consulting some seers, one group decided to give Bhusamadhi (bury) his mortal remains, while another group favoured Jalsamadhi, as it is given to sages after their death. Due to these differences of opinion, the initial decision to cremate Swami's mortal remains at Manikarnika Ghat on Monday morning was postponed, said Debashish Das of Bangiya Samaj, who is also associated with Swami's ashram. On Monday morning, the search for a suitable place to give him Bhusamadhi began. When no suitable place was found within the city area, options on the city outskirts were explored, especially in Ramna. However, the disciples and followers did not find any land that met their expectations, after which they returned and held another meeting, where it was unanimously decided to cremate the mortal remains at Harischandra Ghat, added Das.
Born on August 8, 1896, in the erstwhile district of Srihatta (now in Bangladesh), Swami spent his life in Varanasi's Kabirnagar since 1979 and had followers in different countries. From 1925 to 1959, he spent his days in France, Greece, Malta, Japan, and other foreign countries. Swami used to start his day at 3 am, and after practising yoga, he indulged in worshipping, reading books, and chanting hymns. Dependent on only boiled rice, boiled water, and boiled vegetables, Swami also loved to walk up to the ghats to take a dip in the Ganga. Before coming to the limelight in 2022, when he was honoured with a Padma Shri, he surprised even vaccinators by reaching the primary health centre to get the Covid-19 vaccine in June 2021. However, following pneumonia and other complications, Swami Sivananda was admitted to BHU Hospital on April 30.
Apart from PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath, Union home minister Amit Shah also condoled his demise, terming it an irreparable loss.