10 years ago on August 14th 2003 there was a massive electric grid failure in NE America from New York in USA to Toronto in Canada. Most people remember where they were and what happened on that day.For me it was also the day the mortal remains of Swami Pramathananda Maharaj the first president of the Vedanta Society of Toronto was consigned to the sacred fires. He was a beloved Monk and spiritual light to many in Toronto Canada ..He was my spiritual and emotional anchor when I came alone as an immigrant to this country.It was he who had assisted me in my trip across the border to New York as a journalist during the night of 9/11. On the 10th anniversary of our last goodbye to our beloved Swami Pramathananda Maharaj the first president of the Vedanta society of Toronto Canada.I recall those two tragic days when the lights went out for hundreds of people not only in Toronto and New York.....but in many ways around the world..
I was amongst the hundreds of mourners at the Sanctuary cemetery on Lawrence West on August 14th 2003.. We were there to pay our last respects to Swami Pramathananda the minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta society of Toronto. The elderly monk had given so much to the people of US , India and Canada that people had traveled hundreds of miles and over several continents to say their last goodbye that day August 14th 2003.
He was the first person who had given me a warm welcome , encouragement and solace when I had arrived alone as a landed immigrant to Canada with just my dreams and two bags in June 2001.Since Vedanta society is affiliated with the spiritual organisations and temples which my family was associated with in India I had heard about the Swami long before I landed in Canada.
He was a living legend even in his life time..Though a tiny man..his courage and spirit were legendry. He was the monk who was posted to difficult frontiers like the Ramakrishna mission School in Purulia ( N E India )where he would build up a centre for educating tribal youth in the scorpion infested wilderness and tame both unruly school boys and militants alike. He was a direct disciple of Swami Virajananda Maharaj who was a direct disciple of the legendry Swami Vivekananda ..the first Indian Monk to bring the glory of India and her spiritual heritage to the west..
In the last two decades of his life Swami Pramathananda Maharaj was stationed first in the USA and then in Canada where he officially established the first Vedanta society in Canada. In Canada he gave many people of all ages and from all walks of life. A spiritual and a practical dimension to their life's goals and aspirations. It was touching and awe inspiring to see him deal with so many different personalities from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds and faiths..
Whether it was an American woman who wanted to become a Buddhist Nun or a Canadian youth who was looking for direction in his life..the Swami was able to give them the right answers and the peace that they were seeking,. He helped many individuals in many different ways..In Toronto, Swami single handedly ran the first Vedanta society in Canada and faced many challenges seen and unseen ..but he steered his ship with vision and courage. As the Chaplain for Vedanta at the University of Toronto he helped many youth seeking spiritual guidance by the universal message of Vedanta. He also traveled and lectured extensively throughout Canada and the United Statest trying to help make the life's journey of spiritual seekers one of peace and of a noble purpose...
It was he who had given my Mother hope and comfort that I would make it alone..when she visited me that Fall of 2001.That was the first and last time that they ever met..but she has never forgotten this introspective monk who had a fatherly attitude and a spiritual insight and aura that was so rare..Almost after the first few meetings she said to me " we are in the company of a very spiritual and true Monk.."
I owed much to Swami Pramathananda Maharaj ..he was my emotional and spiritual anchor in the first few years of life here as a young immigrant alone in Toronto..
He encouraged me to continue to be a writer..when I first arrived here . Leaving behind a wonderful and promising career as a full fledged journalist a crime reporter and columnist for a Pioneering English Language News paper in India..I learnt the harsh reality that freelancing cannot pay the bills in Canada.
On the night of 9/11 it was Swami Pramathananda who encouraged me to go to New York and cover the aftermath of the devastation there as a news reporter. It was my `dharma' ( duty) he said. It was he who called his contacts in New York and arranged for me to have a place to stay and someone to go back to when my work was done.
Looking back being able to cover the aftermath of that 9/11 and the breaking story of the handful of Indians who were lost in that carnage was a life changing experience for me.
I am sure that like me anyone who was trying to cross the border between Canada and US that night..will never forget what it was like..
Armed Police, Paramilitary..sniffer dogs ..chaos and fear.and also a shared shock and sadness...
This was my fist ever trip to USA and what a way and what a day ( or night) to visit this great land of freedom and dreams..!
The experience of being alone in New York just hours after the attack was like being part of something too huge for an ordinary human being like me to comprehend . The aftermath of 9/11 as a journalist truly humbled me. It was once more that I realized that as reporters we are never greater than our stories or the people we write about. They make us humble..and... It is they..that are truly great.. The day we stop feeling the pain and the..heart throbs of our brethren that day my friend..we have truly died within ourselves. Walking in the open grave of ground zero on September 12th, there was an eerie feeling of loss and heart break not only for America but for all mankind . To me it seemed like this was just the beginning of things to come..We feel the vibrations and thoughts of people ..we have never met and yet who we are bound to..Ground Zero was so powerfully painful and heart breaking..that to this day..I often awaken suddenly and feel the sadness of standing across the skeleton structure of the fallen towers ..the huge gaping crater that was ground zero and..I felt as if I were alone in a foresaken world and that day I cried out for God and truth and the return of warmth and love of normal human existance again in this land which has given hope and freedom to so many millions.
I spent many hours alone walking along and around the zone and everything seemed so unreal that it was almost impossible to comprehend . Late that evening I went to my Hotel and then the next day to the Vedanta society of New York where I found peace and comfort in the company of the senior Monk and the very friendly and affectionate American disciples and devotees of the temple there.
( The feature story of my journey through the ruins was carried in the Sunday Spectrum Maharashtra Herald 21st September 2001) .
I also remember the warm hospitality and affection with which reverend Swami Tathagathananda , President of the New York Vedanta Society received me. It was Swami Tathagathananda who personally arranged an interview with the Indian High Commissioner in the US for me and I was able to learn first hand about the people of Indian origin who were feared lost in the attack and what the Indian Government was doing. to assist their families and support the US in its darkest hour..Swami Tathagathananda Maharaj said something which I never forget..." Remember the towers that have been broken will be rebuilt again.oneday...but human character. and morality and conscience once lost cannot be easily rebuilt ever again "
Returning to Toronto and Canada also made me realise how blessed we are to be in such a beautiful and safe country where public trust and decency is still a way of life.
I remember the fatherly love , affection and concern with which this wonderful Monk Swami Pramathananda Maharaj had not only for me but all those who were blessed to know him closely.. He was a keen observer of human nature and character and also a very good teacher. Firm in his disapproval when necessary and warm in his approval when delighted. While he encouraged me in my writing career , He never failed to remind all of us of the higher meaning of life that goes beyond the search for name, fame, power and possessions. He was a true living example of every spiritual truth he believed in....That is what I remember most..
In the months that followed Vedanta Society Toronto the temple and monastery was the home I could come back to every weekend just to meet this beloved fatherly monk.
How delighted he was when I got my first job and how he heard my prayers and dreams and listened not just with his ears but from his heart..He also on very rare occasion revealed a side of himself which was a part of a divinity that is immortal. On many occasion while in the middle of conversation he would ask me to wait..then go into his chambers and return in a few minutes..he would then quietly tell me something about myself which only I or my Mother knew..an incident or a characteristic. He once wrote down a message on a yellow sticky paper and gave it to me..It is a very sacred and special message which he has asked me to verify in my future and as the years go by..I know that what he said is perfectly true..and his words cannot be proved wrong..
Those happy days..turned to weeks and then months and two years were gone..
...and then one day this beautiful association was all suddenly over. We began to notice that Swami was less and less at the centre ..
In early 2003, Swami Pramathananda was diagnosed with terminal pacreatic cancer..It was as if by instinct that I and many of the people whose lives he had touched knew that our time with our Swami was suddenly over..
Some unseen force pulled us to the centre in the summer of 2003 and we heard the shattering news shared with us in silence..
. During the progress of the disease, he remained alert and focused on the work of the center and the well being of the congregation. he showed no fera or remorse and scolded us if we shed tears in his presence.
As an educationist himself.. Swami Pramathananda was deeply interested in education. He wanted to be able to provide education that included moral and spiritual values. Towards his end, in June 2003, the Vedanta Society began the "Vedanta Vidya Mandir" - a children's school that teaches music, vedic chanting, Indian history, and moral and spiritual values through stories. The detailed plans for this school were written by the Swami himself during one of his last visits to the hospital. He worked unceasingly..
Swami Pramathananda's last public lecture was aptly titled "Spiritual Journey" and was given on Sunday, July 20, 2003 during the Annual Summer Retreat.The hall was filled with hundreds of people..there was a deeply sombre yet spiritual atmosphere in the room as he spoke..he looked around and blessed every one present there that day and even grown men and women..could not contain their sobs..as they realised that he was saying his last goodbyes to us..
A few days later, he lost his voice and communicated through handwritten notes. On July 27, 2003, he coordinated and was present at the welcome reception for Swami Kripamayananda the present head of the Vedanta Society of Toronto.
Swami Pramathananda's address was read out to the congregation.
I remember how In the last few months of the Summer of 2003 we would gather at the temple in the evenings..sing and pray and gather around him in the room where he lay ..sometimes he smiled at us and blessed us..sometimes he seemed asleep, sometimes he gave us candy like we were children ...Swami's physical condition deteriorated rapidly in the following weeks. During this time, physicians, nurses and attendants were astonished at the degree of Swami's self-control, mental alertness and concern for others. ..and then just like the flickering light on a beautiful candle he passed away at 8.25 a.m. EST on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 at the age of 83. The final moments were peaceful.
August 14th 2003..after an entire morning of visitations and prayer at the Temple on 120 Emette Ave Toronto..The mortal remains of our Swami were taken to the cemetery on Royal York and Lawrence West.
The convoy drove along the tree lined Emette Ave following our beloved Swami in his last journey down the very paths where he used to walk and pray in solitude every day in the last 12 years of his life. Hundreds of mourners..young and old alike walked behind the convoy that day....
...
It was late afternoon by the time the new Monk in Charge of Vedanta Society
Reverend Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj ( The present head of the Vedanta society of Toronto) recited the last prayers and Vedic chants in the little chapel at the cemetery .
Then he and two of the devotees who had served Swami Pramathananda Maharj until his last breath -Harmesh Chander and Prof Kumar Murty ( UofT) stepped into the doorway of the electric crematorium to consign the coffin of Swami Pramathananda to the Fires ..The atmosphere was charged with spirituality and a sad peace... We all returned to the Vedanta society temple on Emmette ave and the lights suddenly went out at around 4 pm. Someone checked the fuses and the wires and we sat around until we heard of The Eastern Grid failure that stretched from N.Y ,USA to Canada..outisde the world seemed to screech to a stand still . There seemed to be a lot of chaos and excitement out on the streets ...
But for us we spent that night in prayer and sharing stories of how a single life could touch so many.. .. 10 years have passed away since that beautiful life. left us ..the life.of a beloved Monk.. who was to us a father and grand father and holy man and friend all rolled into one.. Seems like so much has vanished. I console my self knowing that he has .returned to that eternal light ..a light which never fails nor goes out....the light to which we will all return one day....
I was amongst the hundreds of mourners at the Sanctuary cemetery on Lawrence West on August 14th 2003.. We were there to pay our last respects to Swami Pramathananda the minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta society of Toronto. The elderly monk had given so much to the people of US , India and Canada that people had traveled hundreds of miles and over several continents to say their last goodbye that day August 14th 2003.
He was the first person who had given me a warm welcome , encouragement and solace when I had arrived alone as a landed immigrant to Canada with just my dreams and two bags in June 2001.Since Vedanta society is affiliated with the spiritual organisations and temples which my family was associated with in India I had heard about the Swami long before I landed in Canada.
He was a living legend even in his life time..Though a tiny man..his courage and spirit were legendry. He was the monk who was posted to difficult frontiers like the Ramakrishna mission School in Purulia ( N E India )where he would build up a centre for educating tribal youth in the scorpion infested wilderness and tame both unruly school boys and militants alike. He was a direct disciple of Swami Virajananda Maharaj who was a direct disciple of the legendry Swami Vivekananda ..the first Indian Monk to bring the glory of India and her spiritual heritage to the west..
In the last two decades of his life Swami Pramathananda Maharaj was stationed first in the USA and then in Canada where he officially established the first Vedanta society in Canada. In Canada he gave many people of all ages and from all walks of life. A spiritual and a practical dimension to their life's goals and aspirations. It was touching and awe inspiring to see him deal with so many different personalities from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds and faiths..
Whether it was an American woman who wanted to become a Buddhist Nun or a Canadian youth who was looking for direction in his life..the Swami was able to give them the right answers and the peace that they were seeking,. He helped many individuals in many different ways..In Toronto, Swami single handedly ran the first Vedanta society in Canada and faced many challenges seen and unseen ..but he steered his ship with vision and courage. As the Chaplain for Vedanta at the University of Toronto he helped many youth seeking spiritual guidance by the universal message of Vedanta. He also traveled and lectured extensively throughout Canada and the United Statest trying to help make the life's journey of spiritual seekers one of peace and of a noble purpose...
It was he who had given my Mother hope and comfort that I would make it alone..when she visited me that Fall of 2001.That was the first and last time that they ever met..but she has never forgotten this introspective monk who had a fatherly attitude and a spiritual insight and aura that was so rare..Almost after the first few meetings she said to me " we are in the company of a very spiritual and true Monk.."
I owed much to Swami Pramathananda Maharaj ..he was my emotional and spiritual anchor in the first few years of life here as a young immigrant alone in Toronto..
He encouraged me to continue to be a writer..when I first arrived here . Leaving behind a wonderful and promising career as a full fledged journalist a crime reporter and columnist for a Pioneering English Language News paper in India..I learnt the harsh reality that freelancing cannot pay the bills in Canada.
On the night of 9/11 it was Swami Pramathananda who encouraged me to go to New York and cover the aftermath of the devastation there as a news reporter. It was my `dharma' ( duty) he said. It was he who called his contacts in New York and arranged for me to have a place to stay and someone to go back to when my work was done. Looking back being able to cover the aftermath of that 9/11 and the breaking story of the handful of Indians who were lost in that carnage was a life changing experience for me.
I am sure that like me anyone who was trying to cross the border between Canada and US that night..will never forget what it was like..
Armed Police, Paramilitary..sniffer dogs ..chaos and fear.and also a shared shock and sadness...
This was my fist ever trip to USA and what a way and what a day ( or night) to visit this great land of freedom and dreams..!
The experience of being alone in New York just hours after the attack was like being part of something too huge for an ordinary human being like me to comprehend . The aftermath of 9/11 as a journalist truly humbled me. It was once more that I realized that as reporters we are never greater than our stories or the people we write about. They make us humble..and... It is they..that are truly great.. The day we stop feeling the pain and the..heart throbs of our brethren that day my friend..we have truly died within ourselves. Walking in the open grave of ground zero on September 12th, there was an eerie feeling of loss and heart break not only for America but for all mankind . To me it seemed like this was just the beginning of things to come..We feel the vibrations and thoughts of people ..we have never met and yet who we are bound to..Ground Zero was so powerfully painful and heart breaking..that to this day..I often awaken suddenly and feel the sadness of standing across the skeleton structure of the fallen towers ..the huge gaping crater that was ground zero and..I felt as if I were alone in a foresaken world and that day I cried out for God and truth and the return of warmth and love of normal human existance again in this land which has given hope and freedom to so many millions.
I spent many hours alone walking along and around the zone and everything seemed so unreal that it was almost impossible to comprehend . Late that evening I went to my Hotel and then the next day to the Vedanta society of New York where I found peace and comfort in the company of the senior Monk and the very friendly and affectionate American disciples and devotees of the temple there.
( The feature story of my journey through the ruins was carried in the Sunday Spectrum Maharashtra Herald 21st September 2001) .
I also remember the warm hospitality and affection with which reverend Swami Tathagathananda , President of the New York Vedanta Society received me. It was Swami Tathagathananda who personally arranged an interview with the Indian High Commissioner in the US for me and I was able to learn first hand about the people of Indian origin who were feared lost in the attack and what the Indian Government was doing. to assist their families and support the US in its darkest hour..Swami Tathagathananda Maharaj said something which I never forget..." Remember the towers that have been broken will be rebuilt again.oneday...but human character. and morality and conscience once lost cannot be easily rebuilt ever again "
Returning to Toronto and Canada also made me realise how blessed we are to be in such a beautiful and safe country where public trust and decency is still a way of life.
I remember the fatherly love , affection and concern with which this wonderful Monk Swami Pramathananda Maharaj had not only for me but all those who were blessed to know him closely.. He was a keen observer of human nature and character and also a very good teacher. Firm in his disapproval when necessary and warm in his approval when delighted. While he encouraged me in my writing career , He never failed to remind all of us of the higher meaning of life that goes beyond the search for name, fame, power and possessions. He was a true living example of every spiritual truth he believed in....That is what I remember most..
In the months that followed Vedanta Society Toronto the temple and monastery was the home I could come back to every weekend just to meet this beloved fatherly monk.
How delighted he was when I got my first job and how he heard my prayers and dreams and listened not just with his ears but from his heart..He also on very rare occasion revealed a side of himself which was a part of a divinity that is immortal. On many occasion while in the middle of conversation he would ask me to wait..then go into his chambers and return in a few minutes..he would then quietly tell me something about myself which only I or my Mother knew..an incident or a characteristic. He once wrote down a message on a yellow sticky paper and gave it to me..It is a very sacred and special message which he has asked me to verify in my future and as the years go by..I know that what he said is perfectly true..and his words cannot be proved wrong..
Those happy days..turned to weeks and then months and two years were gone..
...and then one day this beautiful association was all suddenly over. We began to notice that Swami was less and less at the centre ..
In early 2003, Swami Pramathananda was diagnosed with terminal pacreatic cancer..It was as if by instinct that I and many of the people whose lives he had touched knew that our time with our Swami was suddenly over..
Some unseen force pulled us to the centre in the summer of 2003 and we heard the shattering news shared with us in silence..
. During the progress of the disease, he remained alert and focused on the work of the center and the well being of the congregation. he showed no fera or remorse and scolded us if we shed tears in his presence.
As an educationist himself.. Swami Pramathananda was deeply interested in education. He wanted to be able to provide education that included moral and spiritual values. Towards his end, in June 2003, the Vedanta Society began the "Vedanta Vidya Mandir" - a children's school that teaches music, vedic chanting, Indian history, and moral and spiritual values through stories. The detailed plans for this school were written by the Swami himself during one of his last visits to the hospital. He worked unceasingly..
Swami Pramathananda's last public lecture was aptly titled "Spiritual Journey" and was given on Sunday, July 20, 2003 during the Annual Summer Retreat.The hall was filled with hundreds of people..there was a deeply sombre yet spiritual atmosphere in the room as he spoke..he looked around and blessed every one present there that day and even grown men and women..could not contain their sobs..as they realised that he was saying his last goodbyes to us..
A few days later, he lost his voice and communicated through handwritten notes. On July 27, 2003, he coordinated and was present at the welcome reception for Swami Kripamayananda the present head of the Vedanta Society of Toronto.
Swami Pramathananda's address was read out to the congregation.
I remember how In the last few months of the Summer of 2003 we would gather at the temple in the evenings..sing and pray and gather around him in the room where he lay ..sometimes he smiled at us and blessed us..sometimes he seemed asleep, sometimes he gave us candy like we were children ...Swami's physical condition deteriorated rapidly in the following weeks. During this time, physicians, nurses and attendants were astonished at the degree of Swami's self-control, mental alertness and concern for others. ..and then just like the flickering light on a beautiful candle he passed away at 8.25 a.m. EST on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 at the age of 83. The final moments were peaceful.
August 14th 2003..after an entire morning of visitations and prayer at the Temple on 120 Emette Ave Toronto..The mortal remains of our Swami were taken to the cemetery on Royal York and Lawrence West.
The convoy drove along the tree lined Emette Ave following our beloved Swami in his last journey down the very paths where he used to walk and pray in solitude every day in the last 12 years of his life. Hundreds of mourners..young and old alike walked behind the convoy that day....
...
It was late afternoon by the time the new Monk in Charge of Vedanta Society
Reverend Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj ( The present head of the Vedanta society of Toronto) recited the last prayers and Vedic chants in the little chapel at the cemetery .
Then he and two of the devotees who had served Swami Pramathananda Maharj until his last breath -Harmesh Chander and Prof Kumar Murty ( UofT) stepped into the doorway of the electric crematorium to consign the coffin of Swami Pramathananda to the Fires ..The atmosphere was charged with spirituality and a sad peace... We all returned to the Vedanta society temple on Emmette ave and the lights suddenly went out at around 4 pm. Someone checked the fuses and the wires and we sat around until we heard of The Eastern Grid failure that stretched from N.Y ,USA to Canada..outisde the world seemed to screech to a stand still . There seemed to be a lot of chaos and excitement out on the streets ...
But for us we spent that night in prayer and sharing stories of how a single life could touch so many.. .. 10 years have passed away since that beautiful life. left us ..the life.of a beloved Monk.. who was to us a father and grand father and holy man and friend all rolled into one.. Seems like so much has vanished. I console my self knowing that he has .returned to that eternal light ..a light which never fails nor goes out....the light to which we will all return one day....
Lipi K Mukherji
