(1941-Jan. 1, 2021)
We are sad to inform you that Acarya Yatiishvarananda Avadhuta passed away at 3.30 am IST in Chennai, India. He was suffering from Brain Stroke/Parkinson's disease for the past few years.
He was born in 1941, August in Tamil Nadu, India. He was 79 years old.He became a Wholetime worker in 1966 at the age of 25. He was posted as the Sectorial Secretary (SS) for New York Sector in 1971, and he served in that capacity for 13 years. He personally gave hundreds of lectures and initiated thousands of people. He inspired hundreds of young people to volunteer as Local Full Timers, and some to become Wholetimers. A number of Ananda Marga jagrtis were purchased, and an efficient organization of many departments according to Baba's plan. He taught meditation to prisoners on Death Row at Carbondale, Illinois.
During the State of Emergency (1975 to 1977), Dada Yatiishvarananda supervised all the sectors and represented Baba in several Dharma Maha Sammelans.
He also worked as the SS Qahira sector.
Dadajii practiced Vishesh Yoga and Microvita Sadhana.
At the time of Tiljala Jagriti construction in 1981, Baba got the court order to pay Rs. 2,50,000 debt within 15 days. Dada Yatiishvarananda came forward and took responsibility, collected the funds to pay the debts.
He managed the Ananda Marga Degree College at Ananda Nagar, giving scholarships to many poor students in and around Ananda Nagar. He also helped Central Children's Home at Ananda Nagar and also constructed a building for senior dadas who had medical issues/old age.
Throughout his life, Dadajii was well known and highly respected throughout Baba's mission for his strict discipline in spiritual practices.
His contribution to AM is immense and it is a great loss!
His contribution to AM is immense and it is a great loss!
During the State of Emergency (martial law) in India, from 1977-78, Baba smuggled a message out from jail authorizing Dada Yatiishvarananda to organize Dharma Maha Sammelans (DMS) in which he would give a spiritual talk on behalf of Baba. Dadajii gave several, in Norway, in Washington, DC, in Denver, and elsewhere. He said that he had to do three hours of sadhana before each DMS talk in order to properly represent Baba.
ReplyDeleteIn 1978 I was an LFT volunteer in the Sectorial Office in Denver. I was asked to transcribe an informal talk for the Crimson Dawn newsletter by Dada Abhidevananda, who was born and raised in the United States. It was a good talk, but I had to edit it because Dada frequently stopped in mid-sentence, and then started a new idea.
A week later I transcribed the DMS talk that Dada Yatiishvaranandajii gave in Denver. I was shocked. Whereas Dadajii didn't speak English perfectly, in seven pages of transcript, I didn't find a single grammatical error. Every sentence that he began, he finished. A couple of times he paused to define a term, so I inserted dashes, but it was perfectly correct. The language and clarity of ideas reminded me only of Baba.
Martial law was 1975-1977. DMS was also given in Brazil.
ReplyDeleteThe Gita tells us that the wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead. I can't help being heartbroken over the loss of this Saint and dear friend.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping that this will be an appropriate place to share some inspiring and crazy memories of Dada Yatiishvarananda.
Cakreshvara
🙏🏻
ReplyDeleteDada "Y" initiated me in 1972. Thereafter, he spent many times at my house while he was touring. I would get a phone message, "Shiva Kumar, I will be in Portland on such and such date. Please organize my West Coast tour for me." Maybe the most memorable time he came to my house was once, many years ago, when I had stopped meditating. As you can well imagine, you do NOT want to be in the position of having to tell Dada Yatishvarandanda that you are not meditating. He arranged a time for us to meet in his room. We sat down facing each other, and Dadaji looked at me with an intense expression and said, "This is unacceptable. You don't have a choice. This is your spiritual path. You HAVE to meditate, twice a day, every day, all 6 lessons, no exceptions. The next time I come to your house, that's what I want to hear." And it worked, because that's what I did from that point on to this day: twice a day, every day, all six lessons, no exceptions." Somehow Dada just had the ability to do that. Some kind of combination of inspiration and stone cold fear :-). There is no way I would ever be able to repay him for that.
ReplyDeleteDada Y was my acarya (1976). He initiated my first husband and me in Denver. Although Dada knew that my husband dropped out of Ananda Marga when we divorced a year later, whenever we spoke, about once a year, up until my ex-husband died in 1997, he would always ask how my ex-husband was and would call him by his first and last name. I was always amazed that with all the people Dada initiated and after so many years, he remembered my ex-husband's name.
ReplyDeleteGovinda Pittsburgh,PA USA
ReplyDeleteIn October 1971 I decided to pravtice asanas in my living room. At that time I would practice way too much. Falling asleep in the corpse pose I was awakened by an announcement on the radio at midnight.
A Yoga talk would be given by ...huh? at Carnegie Tech in Pgh.
The next morning I had my wife call the radio station for particulars
Sitting in back of the room with my wife and two friends ...Dada Dear delivered his Chariot and the Charioteer discourse.
I couldn't understand a word but my mind had become so transfixed him...
Somehow I knew this was the real deal inspire of all the 150 colorful hippies in the
room . As Dada departed I watched him closely as he passed ...some newly initiates followed him. One boy had an orange pratik pin on his shirt.
To myself I thought what? A Swastika? This organization has courage !
Back at 17 Welsford street ...so many initiations began well into the night.
I was his last ...As I entered the room he looked at me and said firmly what do YOU want? After initiation as I walked out wearing a shirt that my mother embroidered in nagari script the Om sign...he said "You must do a lot of service "
Discovering later that he was so exhausted initiating so many that he bled from his ears...I felt badly.
From the first winter retreat in Hutchinson Kansas in 1971-1972 where the first tandava demonstration was given and him shouting from the stage Don't smoke marijuana it's tamasic ! till today ...I have so many stories to share but will limit it to this one and another
He was to visit me here but suffered a stroke in New Jersey...visiting Sister Sunita. Yes I was the last to be initiated in Pgh and my visit would have been the last for me and Sumitra my wife .
Govinda
Pittsburgh,PA USA
Namaskar. Dadaji had had many ministrokes and 3 minor ones undetected for some time,
Deletein India. He did not have a stroke at my home. He had been recuperating well and on this particular trip, the flight took an unexpected toll on his health and he returned to India within a few days. Baba nam kevalam
Govinda USA Pittsburgh
ReplyDeleteYears after my initiation in 1971 ...I had fallen away...BABA was always there
as HE was from the beginning but I had begun smoking expensive cigars etc
I had seen BABA in India in 1980-81 and in 86 but..here I was waiting to see Dada Y flying in to Pittsburgh .
He knew ...my pitiful state by looking at me in the airport and just shook his head .
In my meditation room that I didn't visit he stayed ..
He chastised me saying Govinds who are you trying to be Winston Churchill ?? Fidel Castro?
He intuited about the cigars even though I hid the knowledge from him That day was the end of the cigars and I was smoking 4-5 a day . ...wine too.
Once I asked him to define me with one word ...he said "Wild"
I thought oh no I probably come from Lord Shivas time . For even in high school my nickname was Crazy- Greg
So one night I went to sleep with my wife Sumitra at at about 3 am I shot up in bed as if someone had given me a shot of adrenaline !
The thought came...go downstairs and sit in meditation . I did so...and so many tears flowed . My undisciplined kundalini was jumping all over the place
and after a time I returned upstairs . In the morning I prepared breakfast for Dada ..Dada was teased by other Indian Dadas ...for they called him Dada WHY? Because he received so many crazy questions from us comfort loving undisciplined westerners .
I stood next to Dada shoulder to shoulder at the kitchen table and said to him..Dada what did you do!!!? ...referring to my intense experiences at 3 am
He calmly said..well as I sat in sadhana my kundalini went schwing !!
I said to BABA..we must reform this boy !
Govinda Pittsburgh PA USA
I first met Dada Yatiishvaranandajii in Los Angeles, CA in the year 1978 when he did his travels of the Sector. I would see him since in retreats and seminars at different parts of US. What would always impress me was his dynamism, strict spiritual adherence and hard-working attitude. I also remember that his avadhuta uniform was always clean and without wrinkles. After many years, I had the chance to see him in Hawaii where he gave a seminar which was to be his last trip of the US from. Was happy to see that he was as active and committed to BABA's Mission. At that time, his main project was running a school in India. He commented "I was told to only have boys in the school but I went ahead and incorporated girls'education anyway". To me, that was one example of Dada's greatness.
ReplyDeleteI was initiated by Dada Y at the same time as Govinda who so beautifully described the experience above, in Sept. 1971 at Carnegie Mellon. Couple years later Dada came to Syracuse NY where we had a small meditation group and gave a speech at Comstock House that was attended by many. He fell asleep over his dinner afterward he was so tired. He worked so so hard for the cause. Last I saw him at the Corona Queens Jagriti around 2005, powerful and imposing like Baba. may his memory be a blessing to us all!
ReplyDeleteDadaji initiated me in 1972 (Seattle), and I was forever in awe of his discipline, work ethic, and absolute dedication to Baba and the Marga. Especially as a newbie I felt I had very little to offer, but as a singer and musician I gradually got active leading bhajans and kiirtans, and then contributing songs for RAWA concerts. The one time Dadaji asked for one of my songs by name — well I was just floored that he remembered me at all, and that the music Baba gave me, might matter to such a leader! It was humbling and memorable. And now almost 50 years since that first contact, Dadaji’s passing has become an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and devotions. As the Jewish tradition says, "May his memory be a blessing." --Nirmala
ReplyDeleteDadaji was my friend,and Acharya, for many years....we were the same age August1941... I accomplished amazing things, because he expected me to...
ReplyDeleteWe met in India, he asked me to help him establish the new regime in this country, as the first Dada who I loved and had initiated me, had stepped out of the bounds of his role..a small group of us who were in India at the same time, came back and made waves becoming very unpopular with the existing margiis...
Dada, you were my super hero...
And Baba's very good boy...
Best times in my life, following your commands...
Jai Baba!!!
Karunajii🙏💜
Namaskar, I also have a few stories of Dada Yatiishvarandaji. He was SS in USA when I grew up as a Margii. in the mid !970s, when I started to attended AM Sectorial retreats. he was always present. I usually dealt only with the Dadas under him, but directly with him. In 1978, I decided that I would go for LFT training, to become a LPT (part timer volunteer)
ReplyDeleteAfter completing my LFT training, I went to Denver and he was the Examiner to see if I passed the training. I had taken 2 thick notebooks of notes for the LFT classes, plus I had some of Baba's books. I studied these long and hard before going to Dada Yatiish.. for the exam.
He simply asked me 2 questions of some obscure parts of PROUT and I couldn't answer. Then he said, "You pass, just keep studying" I feel that I had ego at the time and he wanted to reduce that. But I was amazed of all the material that I studied, he was able to go straight to the topics that I hadn't studied much to come up with 2 questions that I couldn't answer at all.
After that I was working under him as Renaissance Universal Setorial Office assistant. So, I had many opportunities to interact with him more. Overall, I was impressed by his dedication to Baba's mission and the strictness of his practice that he enforced on us LFTs who were in the Jagrti doing work for the mission.
One story I remember he shared with a few of us once when it was time for his Kapaliik Sadhana. He said that once he was in Alaska in the middle of the winter and it became time for his Kapaliik sadhana. So, he asked the local Bhukti Pradhan (BP) there to show him where he could do the Kaplika sadhana. The BP showed him to a field of snow almost 1 meter thick. He managed to dig down to the ground and in kapalik sadhana they wear very little clothes and winter nights can be very cold in Alaska. While he did his sadhana in this deep pit that he had dug, he said that he felt no cold, in fact the icy snow was melting around him! But, after that he made sure not to be in Alaska in the middle of the winter when it would be time for Kapaliik sadhana.
While, I was living and working in Singapore and Malaysia, he would sometimes stop by on the way to India or coming back from India. He was always pleasant, remembered me and still strict in his discipline and dedicated to Baba's mission.
A great man that we would all gain much to respect and follow the example he set.
Parama Pita Baba Ki. JAI!
DMS omen and Dada Y the race car driver…
ReplyDeleteUnrelated stories really, but in one close and intimate DMS with about 30 of us attending, Dada stressed the point of doing maximum work quickly because the time we had on the planet was short. He said, “No one in this room will see the age of 85”. It did not occur to us that Dada was also included.
About Dada behind the wheel of a car…
I was a pre LFT touring with our late brother Dada Gagan. There was a mini retreat and special Dharmacakra to be held in our southwest United States to be hosted by Dada Gagan and Dada Yatiishvarananda. Me and Dada Gagan were late. I had my foot to the floor on my old Volvo travelling about 95 miles per hour. The car was about to shake apart. Dada was yelling over the noise and vibration, “Can’t this thing go any faster”.
We arrived with about an hour to calm down and let the adrenalin rush settle.
Dada Yatiishvarananda was late as well, but travelling in a more modern car with greater speed capability. He was the lone driver and occupant.
Dada Y arrived about 45 minutes after Dada Gagan and I got there. All were happy to be reunited, but Dada Y seemed disconnected and absorbed in some thoughts. I asked him if he were all right because he seemed strange and distant.
Dada apologized and said he was thinking about something strange that had just happened.
Dada Gagan and I were both racing to get to the Dharmacakra on time. It was Dada Y’s bad luck to be caught in a state police radar trap. He was pulled over. The policeman was in a state of rage seeing a long haired foreigner in funny orange robes. Dada said the man was close to exploding with his face bright red in uncontrolled anger and eyes bulging out of the sockets.
Dada said he tried to maintain ideation and calm as the officer screamed at him.
Officer screaming that Dada was driving over 100 miles per hour.
Officer yelling, “Surrender your driver’s license! Give me your driver’s license!”
Dada said he was in fear, but closed his eyes and said his Guru Mantra. He replied,
“Officer, I don’t have a driver’s license.”
Dada said that the state trooper all of a sudden became calm and flush of rage left his face. He told Dada,
“Oh, okay then. You can go”
I want to submit as well a couple strange untold accounts of the DMS encounters with Dada Yatiishvarananda, and second verify a comment made by Dada Maheshvaranada.
May all be blessed,
Cakreshvara
About the DMS events.
ReplyDeleteThis was when our Lord Baba was in jail and could not by His design, gather His children for a DMC blessing.
Acharya Yatiishvarananda was selected by Baba to be His conduit, His voice to address the Margiis in a collective gathering.Dada said how the schedule for the DMS was rigid and absolute. He had to be at a specific location at an exact time given by Baba.
Dada was given a process, some alteration of our 6th lesson that he had to perform while sitting in place at the precise location and before the discourse. Dada said the DMS meditation process immediately lifted his sadhana to levels of bliss and Shakti that would have been impossible otherwise. He said that his mind was being dissolved in Light and energy. He made the analogy, moving his fingers to illustrate that it was like a typewriter taking over his brain. He could see the text for a short time and would automatically begin to speak, reading aloud from the text. Bliss and expansion called him into a state of internal Communion with the Infinite.
Dada said the only way he knew what he said after the first few words was if it was recorded or read back to him. Otherwise, he was lost in Samadhi for the entire DMS discourse.
Dada Maheshvarananda noted that the voice, language of Dada Y was entirely different during the DMS. I wish to verify Dada’s observation. I was able to spend a lot of time formally and informally with Dada Yatiishvarananda. Dada’s spoken English had his unique style all over it. His syntax, colloquial phrases, mannerisms were individual to Dada Y.
During DMS, everything changed from body language to the spoken word, tone of voice. Dada Y was there as a vehicle, but it was Baba who took over the stage. The DMS presentations were in proper English, impeccable in delivery.
I would request to submit encounters of two other paranormal DMS events with Dada Y that may otherwise be lost to our history. My intent is only to provide documentation for our future generations and to relay the truth as much as I am able to understand.
Love you all,
Cakreshvara
About the DMS events.
ReplyDeleteThis was when our Lord Baba was in jail and could not by His design, gather His children for a DMC blessing.
Acharya Yatiishvarananda was selected by Baba to be His conduit, His voice to address the Margiis in a collective gathering. Dada said how the schedule for the DMS was rigid and absolute. He had to be at a specific location at an exact time given by Baba.
Dada was given a process, some alteration of our 6th lesson that he had to perform while sitting in place at the precise location and before the discourse. Dada said the DMS meditation process immediately lifted his sadhana to levels of bliss and Shakti that would have been impossible otherwise. He said that his mind was being dissolved in Light and energy.
He made the analogy, moving his fingers to illustrate that it was like a typewriter taking over his brain. He could see the text for a short time and would automatically begin to speak, reading aloud from the text. Bliss and expansion called him into a state of internal Communion with the Infinite. Dada said the only way he knew what he said after the first few words was if it was recorded or read back to him. Otherwise, he was lost in Samadhi for the entire DMS discourse.
Dada Maheshvarananda noted that the voice, language of Dada Y was entirely different during the DMS. I wish to verify Dada’s observation. I was able to spend a lot of time formally and informally with Dada Yatiishvarananda. Dada’s spoken English had his unique style all over it. His syntax, colloquial phrases, mannerisms were individual as to a fingerprint.
During DMS, everything changed from body language to the spoken word, tone of voice. Dada Y was there as a vehicle, but it was Baba who took over the stage. The DMS presentations were in proper English, impeccable in delivery.
I would request to submit encounters of two other paranormal DMS events with Dada Y that may otherwise be lost to our history. My intent is only to provide documentation for our future generations and to relay the truth as much as I am able to understand.
Love you all,
Cakreshvara
Namaskar
ReplyDeleteHeartfelt condolences.
Baba Nam Kevalam
Dada Snigdhananda