Swamiji

Miriam Rodgers

Description

Swamiji and Stories of His Life

Paramhansa Yogananda once said to a group of disciples: “You must not let the symphony of your life go unfinished.” 

This phrase perfectly describes the last years of Swami Kriyananda’s life, which were a crescendo of divine love and untiring service to humanity. Who was Swami Kriyananda? What was it like to know this close and direct disciple of the great Master, Paramhansa Yogananda? 

In Swamiji, Miriam Rodgers shares an intimate and up-close look at lessons she learned through her connection as Swami Kriyananda’s nurse for the last eight years of his life. 

In this profoundly moving biographical account filled with never before heard stories, you’ll glimpse the interior castle of Swami Kriyananda’s consciousness. Throughout history, the saints alone are the true custodians of religion. Saints like Swami Kriyananda draw their understanding from the direct experience of truth and of God, not from superficial reasoning or book learning. 

You’ll be spellbound and inspired by the story of Swamiji.

Sujets

• Religious
• Body (disambiguation)
• Spiritualism
• Eastern philosophy
• Paramahansa Yogananda

Informations

• Publié par: Crystal Clarity Publishers
• Date de parution: 10 décembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781565895935
• Langue: English

Extrait

Testimonials
“A unique perspective on a great spiritual teacher. Miriam had a front-row seat to the last decade of Swami Kriyananda’s life in a way no one else did. She was his personal nurse, traveling the world with him. On many occasions she literally held his life in her hands, as he had given her final responsibility for his medical care, relying on her perfect balance of heart-open devotee and compassionate but impersonal medical professional. Miriam shares many conversations with Swami about death, not as an abstraction but as an imminent possibility to be accepted or — once more — resisted. Humanity and divinity, dancing together. A beautiful, uplifting, extraordinary story. Highly recommended.”
— Asha Nayaswami , co-spiritual director of Ananda Palo Alto, and author of Swami Kriyananda As We Have Known Him , and her most recent book, Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer , published in 2019.
“In this inspiring book, we are given an intimate portrait of Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, and a great man of God in his own right. Beautifully written by Miriam Rodgers, his personal nurse for the last fourteen years of his life, this portrayal shows us Kriyananda’s ability to rise above the severe health challenges he faced and continue to serve others. Through his demonstration of courage and determination, Kriyananda shows each of us the way to face and overcome the tests in our own life. A remarkable window onto the life of a true spiritual hero.”
— Nayaswami Devi , co-spiritual director of Ananda Worldwide, and author of Faith Is My Armor: The Life of Swami Kriyananda
“A brilliant and intimate account of the author’s fourteen years with Swami Kriyananda as his cardiac nurse. Each chapter is so lively and vivid that you feel as if you are in the room as everything takes place. There are marvelous little-known stories that give fresh insight into the life of Swami Kriyananda. This is a gem of a book and highly enjoyable reading.”
— Anandi Gray , licensed clinical counselor, forty-year certified teacher of yoga and meditation, and retired adjunct instructor of philosophy and psychology at Southern Oregon University
“ ‘No man is a hero in the eyes of his valet.’ If you ever wondered about the veracity of this rather disillusioning statement, this book will provide you with page after page of evidence that supports the opposite view. The author’s perspective on her subject goes far deeper than how a famous person behaves when they are out of the limelight. For fourteen years, Miriam Rodgers cared for Swami Kriyananda through a series of life-threatening health crises. In her book she gives intimate details of how the high principles that he taught to his audiences around the world were not only lived, but amplified and enhanced by his behavior during the most trying moments of his life. This book provides a source of inspiration for us all.”
— Nitai Deranja , President, Education for Life International
“In the historic transmission of India’s spiritual wisdom to the rest of the world, the contribution of Westerners trained by gurus and yoga masters has been vital. None more so than Swami Kriyananda, whose time with the legendary Paramhansa Yogananda prepared him to be an influential teacher in his own right. The stories of such teachers deserve to be told. In that context, this book is an important addition to the literature of modern spirituality. Not just a biography or a tribute, it is an intimate human portrait, crafted well by someone with a unique point of view as nurse to her subject in the final fourteen years of his life, when legacy, further learning, and spiritual realization mix with the bodily concerns of aging, illness, and impending death. All spiritual seekers will find much to learn in these moving pages.”
— Philip Goldberg , author of The Life of Yogananda, American Veda , and Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times
“A trained cardiac nurse of over thirty years, Miriam was well prepared for the countless medical challenges that Swamiji’s body went through. She had the privilege of taking care of Swami’s health in the last fourteen years of his life in various places. I have seen the devoted manner with which Miriam took care of Swamiji in Delhi, Italy, and during his many travels to various cities. In this very moving and intimate description of various health crises Swami faced from time to time, she describes how miraculously his life was saved and his indomitable will and courage and faith. This book of Miriam’s will be read with great interest by all the admirers of Swami Kriyananda, a remarkable spiritual leader and the most devoted disciple of the great Master Paramahansa Yogananda.”
— D.R. Kaarthikeyan , IPS (R); Former Director, Central Bureau of Investigation; Director General, National Human Rights Commission; and Special Director General, Central Reserve Police Force
To Swami Kriyananda, beloved friend and guide through many lives. May we be One in that Light someday.
© 2020 by Hansa Trust All rights reserved. E-book first edition 2020.
For permission to use materials from the book, please contact [e-mail] . Reviewers may quote excerpts in connection with a review in both print and electronic publications.
ISBN: 978-1-56589-593-5 (e-book) ISBN: 978-1-56589-323-8 (print)
Cover and interior layout and design by Tejindra Scott Tully

The Joy Is Within You symbol is registered by Ananda Church of Self-Realization of Nevada County, California.
Crystal Clarity Publishers Commerce, California crystalclarity.com 800-424-1055 [e-mail]
Contents
Testimonials
Contents
Foreword
Prologue
Acknowledgements
A Pilgrim’s Progress
Meeting a Saint
A Way of Awakening
Endless Bliss
Living for God
Truth Can Never Die
Medjugorje and Divine Mother
Circumstances Are Neutral
Suffering Is Needed to Find God
Seville and a Soulmate
Transformative Power
Renunciation
Vow of Complete Renunciation
Vanished the Veils of Light and Shade
The Soul Is Untouched
The Final Exam
Epilogue
Links to Cited Works
Foreword
I served Swami Kriyananda as his personal assistant and caregiver for the last four years of his life. As I look back to that time, and the period leading up to it, I can see that there were a few key people who played a pivotal role in my coming to Swamiji. Miriam Rodgers was one of them.
She was, as you may already know, Swami Kriyananda’s nurse. I learned a great amount just by witnessing her dedication to Swamiji, and her behavior towards him. She was to be the first role model in my service to him, and taught me how paying attention to the tiniest of things made such a huge difference in Swamiji’s overall well-being. She carried a great responsibility on her shoulders, considering Swamiji’s advanced age and turbulent medical history. Yet she always fulfilled it with such humility and attunement; constantly asking Master (Paramhansa Yogananda) to guide her to the right medical course of action in all that she did.
It wasn’t easy to balance the outward medical realities with the larger spiritual reality that Swamiji lived in. I felt deep respect for her readiness, always, to adjust to Swami’s wishes, and yet be able to find ways to help keep his body going, so that we all could continue enjoying his physical presence for as long as possible.
When Swami’s body took unexpected and often sudden turns, Miriam was able to intuitively feel what it was going through. By watching her, I learned not only to understand Swami’s body on a physical level, but to perceive how it sometimes needed to burn a specific karma, at which times no medicine or treatment could interfere with that process. The best we could do then was to make him feel as comfortable as possible, and relieve as much pain as we could. It was a daily battle she had to fight, and it took gigantic effort and strength on her part to find that perfect balance.
I remember one afternoon when Swamiji suddenly felt greatly unwell, and decided to go lie down and rest. I felt this urge to check on him just ten minutes later, and to my surprise I found him profusely sweating, his whole body shaking violently. I had no idea what was going on. I immediately phoned Miriam, and she was with us in less than a minute. The moment she saw him she knew: “He is having a hypoglycemic attack! Quickly, bring me a spoon of sugar.” She put a big spoonful of sugar into his mouth and helped him get it all down, as Swamiji was barely conscious. A few suspense-filled minutes later he came back.
These were the kinds of episodes we had to be prepared for. Almost daily. Having Miriam around allowed all of us, including Swamiji, to feel relaxed and trust that she would know what do to when the need arose. Swamiji was never afraid, but we, on the other hand, had always to expect the unexpected. His life was in God’s hands, and he saw in some of us those hands at work.
At the beginning of our friendship, Miriam would share many things related to Swami’s health, which helped me greatly to pray for him, and thereby attune myself to him on a deeper level. Soon we became very close friends. We went through many spiritual crises together, which only reinforced our dedication, commitment, and loyalty to Swamiji, to this path, and to one another, as soul-sisters.
I am eternally grateful for all that she has done, and continues to do, for me and for Swami.