The first time you get a letter from a Swami, it kind of shakes you up a little. I was pretty new to the mail art world when a package came from Swami Nirmalananda. I was pretty impressed to get mail from India, let alone a Swami. He sent me some of his leaflets and an ad for his books and videotape (the prices were all in rupees, so I had no idea what I was supposed to do if I wanted to order something). I wrote back, but the Swami didn't answer my letter, he only sent me more leaflets. Then he didn't answer me at all. I would see his name in Ryosuke Cohen's brain cell from time to time, but he didn't write me back. Then a few months ago, he started writing me again. Several months ago I received a letter that said he was planning to die in January, 1997, and the text of his last testament, which came as quite a shock to me. I have since received a final message from him (possibly sent by his friends because nothing was in his handwriting)

Why does a swami participate in mail art? He's just communicating like we all are. He has found an ideal medium for his words . . . perhaps not his videos, but his words. His words of wisdom have been a regular part of my mailings, and I was quite sad to learn of his passing, and an article describing the controversy surrounding his death and a brief biography. I do not know if his assistants will answer his mail, but his address is: Vishwa Shanti Nikethana, B.R. Hills, 571 441 Karnataka, India.

What follows are a small portion of the Swami's philosophical mailings.

The Saddest Thoughts of Life

The wise think with the heart and feel with the mind!

As a young man I took part in World War II in Europe and saw the horrors of the war and the untold sufferings of people. That sad experience shook me to the depth of my being.

Later I lived through the most unimaginable happenings during the partition of India. It was a heartbreaking experience for me.

Still later I was in Hiroshima, saw a part of the devastations and also some of the victims of the Bomb in hospitals. Hiroshima is not only a grim reminder of the tragedy of Japan but also a severe slap on the conscience of humanity.

In Russia, I met many in tears, showing the beaten scars on their back, who spent years in forced labour camps.

Look at these man-made horrors, too sad for words & too deep for tears. Neither education nor religion and culture have tamed man. Man is still being used and manipulated. My heart still weeps with deep sorrow and compassion: feeling with another. How could I easily forget those moving sights, the mourning faces? : the weeping women, the wailing widows and the crying orphans and people in distress. Oh God! Why have Thee forsaken us, our suffering and weeping masses in their most pitiful conditions?

All these three events taught me that man should cherish the universal values of ONE WORLD AND ONE HUMAN FAMILY. We should respect the whole of our MOTHER-EARTH that supports and sustains all, and not a particular patch of land which we call as our own, and also that man should not cling to any sectarian beliefs.

The condition of my health is deteriorating. Body has become a bondage. The sooner it ends, it would be better for me. Still it does not leave me to be free of all bonds.

---

The Smiling Wisdom

Smile shows that our goal is happiness. Wisdom to me is not a set of words, but freshness and emptiness of the mind! Empty out the mind by self-observation, self-awareness and inner attention. Thus make the mind shine like a mirror! Then nothing is seen or known but the limitless radiance of eternity! This is wonderful and a source of ever-renewed joy and inspiration beyond words!

---

My Testament

Our everyday life should be celebrated as a festival of song, dance and self-awareness.

Through song, we attain Nada Brahman. A single song or poem, repeated softly, helps us to attune ourselves to the Supreme.

If one does not want to sing, humming is equally good and effective. While the effect of a love-song and romantic music cannot last long, a melancholy tune will linger long. Sad music will bring about joy and harmony.

The English poet William Wordsworth went ecstatic on seeing daffodils swinging in the breeze:

'Then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils!'

Dancing kindles one's inner joy for perpetual bliss.

Self-awareness or God-awareness means awareness of oneself, a condition which is free from thoughts. One should be aware of oneself, but not thinking of oneself, all the time. When the mind is free from thoughts, the light of Heaven falls on us without any obstructions, bringing ineffable peace and inestimable joy. Awareness is the eternal Presence. Awareness is not an act of our will. In simple self-awareness, we are able to find our wholeness and harmony. The impact of constant self-awareness is wonderful beyond words.

The sole aim of a spiritual aspirant is to bring about Mano-Nasa (the annihilation of the mind) or Mano-Nigraha (the slaying of the mind) or Mritha-Manas (the dead state of the mind) by total attention, alertness and self-awareness. We then abide in Brahman by eliminating the mind-made miseries and problems. Man is not only the cause of sorrow to himself but to others by his thoughtless words and actions. A totally harmless person alone can be absolutely free, fearless and happy. Gaudapada in his Mandukya-Karika describes this sublime state as 'the mindless-Mind.' In Patanjali Maharshi's words, it is 'Chitta-vritti Nirodha,' arresting the waves of thoughts in the mind.

A Jeevan-Mukta (the liberated while living) is totally free from all sorts of attachment, desires and ambitions. His very presence is a blessing and a benediction to all. Our primary duty in life is to be free from greed and selfishness, which cause untold misery to others. The thoughtless activities of man are responsible for the growing sorrow and suffering of mankind.

Death is the ultimate thing in life. We should be able to court death as our loving companion and should learn to 'die' before we die. Death cannot destroy life. The renewal of the mind is possible only in death while living. Death solves all problems. If we have any problem, it shows that we are not 'dead' to our self. Death looks horrifying to many because they have not experienced death while living.

Both time and space are a myth and the play-things of the mind. We should learn to live in the nameless, the spaceless and the timeless Reality which is the instant, precise and the priceless moment, otherwise known as Eternity.

The attainment of BRAHMA-NIRVANA by Prayopavesha-- giving up the body when it has served its purpose, when one has found complete fulfillment in life-- is meant only for a very few souls. It is approved by Shastras. While all others die in Roga (disease), a few blessed souls should die in Yoga (union with Brahman) by being fully conscious till the last moment. While all others become a burden to others in their old age, the wise give up their body in peace, without causing any problems to others. Above all, the old must die by giving place to the young.

From a letter dated December 23, 1996:

Pranams

Dear Friends,

It is almost time to take leave of you all. It has been a joy & a privilege to have known you and received your love and affection. How could we repay them? No words can adequately express our feelings for you.

My so-called end is really endless, as there is no end and beginning for life. Feel the infinite state of our Being and feel the limitless expansion of the heart.

My living presence and our Blessings could be felt gently but firmly in your heart when the mind is quiet, silent and receptive.

Parting is always painful. It is with tearful feelings that I bid you farewell. But remember my smile, my trademark! Smile is my best sermon because it shows that our goal is Happiness.

-Swami Nirmalananda

The Universal Vision

It is the all-embracing inner vision that has broadened my outlook and understanding. I, therefore, stand for the Universal Truth, Universal Religion, Universal Teachings, Universal Peace, Universal Values, Universal Prayers, Universal Perception of the world and humanity and, above all, a heart of Universal Love and a feeling of Sympathy and Compassion towards one and all.

Prayopavesha

"Science is discovering that matter is the same as energy or mind. The mathematical physicist states that space is a concept of the mind. If this is true, then matter which exists in space must also be a concept of the mind. Then what is mind? Mind is the same as matter which means that mind too is a concept. If matter, mind and space are concepts, then who is the conceiver? Someone or something must be conceiving of this triad. The term 'Eternity Dimension' has been coined and used by some scientist in their acknowledgment of this fourth state.

"Swami Nirmalananda, the author of this book (Live In Freedom, Here & Now) has caught a glimpse of this fourth state. His tacit understanding of the Eternal Presence in which matter, mind and space exist gives him the broad vision, profound depth and universal outlook. "

So wrote Mr. Darrell Miya, our Japanese-American friend, about me nearly four decades ago in his Introduction of our book. Therefore, men of my vision, attainment and understanding are indeed very few in human society.

Prayopavesh--giving up the body in resignation by fasting--is not for one and all . It is only for those blessed souls who have found complete fulfillment in life, who have absolutely no cravings, desires, ambitions and plans in life and, above all, who have nothing more to attain in life. Their number in the whole world could be counted on one's fingers!

In the Jain religion which greatly emphasizes non-hurting and non-killing of all beings, Prayopavesha is called 'Santhara' and it is a quite common practice among them. The Jain Acharyas, Munis, monks and nuns who observe 'Santhara' and give up their body, are very much venerated for their self-suffering and self-sacrifice. They regard 'Santhara' as the ultimate attainment of Nirvana.

From the above, it must be quite clear that Prayopavesha is not suicide, but far from it. Unlike suicide which is more crude, abrupt and violent, Prayopavesha- is non-violent and more natural, giving up one's body when it is sufficiently old, when the time is ripe to leave this world, when the body has served its purpose and when the body has become a burden. Moreover, suicide is caused by deep resentment, frustration and disappointment of all kinds, whereas Prayopavesha is totally free from them.

While all others die in 'Roga' (disease), the Yogi dies in Yoga, union with Brahman. Without troubling others in any manner, such rare souls take upon themselves quietly and silently the self-suffering and self-sacrifice as a form of penitential act for the sake of the erring multitudes, the erring humanity, and also as a blessing and benediction to all.

Prayopavesha has to be practiced in an atmosphere of peace and quietness without any sort of mental agitations and outside disturbances of any kind, but with Tapas and Brahma-chinta (the thought of Brahman) having clarity of the mind and being fully conscious fill the last moment.

---

NIRMALANANDA PASSES AWAY

Nirmalananda, whose mission seeking salvation had generated a controversy, succumbed to his three-week-old fast at his BR Hills abode just past noon today.

The end, which was premature because he had anticipated it around the middle of the month, came at 12:15 p.m. The police had not yielded to the demand by many activists that they should treat his fast as an attempt to suicide. There were not many devotees by Nirmalananda`s side when the end came, but the police have chalked up elaborate security arrangements for tomorrow as they expect devotees from across the State`s border with Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the funeral.

A Saint's Self-Willed Death

Rationalists call aged and afflicted swami's fast to death "publicity stunt"

By Choodie Shivaram, Bangalore

"Dear friends," began Swami Nirmalananda's short missive of December 23, 1996, "It is with tearful feelings that I bid you farewell. My so-called end is really endless, as there is no end and beginning for life." Similar letters sent worldwide to 8,000 friends--he called no one his "disciple"--calmly announced the 73-year-old swami's intent to undergo prayopavesha, self-willed death by fasting. Also called mahaprasthana, "the great departure," scriptures allow the practice for a terminally-ill ascetic. "My body has become weak," he explained to Swami Brahmadeva, his designated successor as head of Viswa Shanti Nikethana ashram. "I do not want to be a burden and die in roga (disease), I want to die in yoga. I have discharged all my duties and lived a full life. Now time has come for me to leave." He planned to accomplish this on January 15, 1997, the auspicious first day of Uttarayana Punyakala in the Hindu calendar.

Swami's intent had been known for some time, and the local authorities had even posted police at the ashram located in the Balliligiri Rangana Hills ("BR Hills," 250 km from Bangalore) to prevent what they regarded as an unlawful act of suicide. The police were withdrawn on December 18, and from that day Swami gave up his normal austere diet of hand-pounded wheat bread and jungle greens to take only water. By January 1 he was taking one glass daily. On the 7th, he stopped even that, intending to attain Mahasamadhi on the 15th.

From mid-December a steady stream of visitors came to dissuade Swami. In nearby Mysore and Bangalore, vociferous critics called it all a publicity stunt. On January 10, amidst mounting pressure, the Additional Commissioner of Police, Panduranga Rane, promised action would be taken within two days and Swami Nirmalananda's rendezvous with prayopavesha would be foiled by hospitalizing and force-feeding him. But Swami was not to be thwarted and breathed his last at 11:45 am that same morning, departing five days earlier than intended.

I arrived at BR Hills on January 11, in time to witness the final stages of the samadhi (burial) ceremony amidst sonorous Vedic hymns. I felt a strange stillness. The atmosphere was neither gloomy nor sad. Thousands of disciples who had rushed to the inaccessible ashram since the news of the death had spread, filed past and silently offered their respects. Most touching was the plight of the Soliga tribals of this hill region for whom Swami was friend, teacher and protector. They sat huddled in the corner, confused, bursting into tears as I spoke to them. They related to me their shock when Swami's intentions had become clear to them, even though he had consoled each, distributed amongst them clothes and all the money he had and pleaded, "Do not cry when I die--it will be difficult for me in the next world. If you people keep smiling at all times, it will help me reach God, and there I can be here amidst you all."

Thirty-year-old Jayalaxmi, a Soliga woman, was unconsolable. "I grew up in the ashram since I was a child of five. When I came here last week, Swami gave me clothes to last a whole year and a thousand rupees. He advised me to take care of my home and children, to keep smiling and be always happy," she sobbed to me. Another said, "We don't understand all this. We loved and respected Swami. He was our doctor, our guru, our father. We ran to him with any of our problems. We feel orphaned. But we respect his decision."

Six priests from the historic Srirangapatna temple 100 km away undertook rites for the internment of yogis. The body was bathed in tumeric and sandalwood paste, covered by vibhuti (holy ash) and placed in yogic posture. Then it was lowered into a small cavern which was then filled with 200 kilograms of salt, 15 kilos of camphor and 45 gallons of holy ash. Coincidentally, the sky which was clear all along suddenly clouded and drizzled at the time of final sealing of the samadhi (saint's tomb). One side of the marker over it had an inscription explaining the meaning of prayopavesha, the other had Swami's name, date of birth and month and year of attaining Nirvana. The year read 1999. It dawned on me that Nirmalananda, who had decided to live till end of the century, had changed his mind.

A year earlier a Calcutta journalist wrote about Swamiji's intent. That report did not even cause a flutter. But when Nirmalananda's missive reached his disciples and they thronged to his ashram, the seriousness of his resolve became clear. Many disciples tried dissuading him. Maria Zilioli from Ireland had arrived on a telepathic call from Swami. "I did not receive his letter, but I could hear him calling me. I'd not seen him for nearly 3 years. Feeling uneasy, I rushed here only to learn that he was on his final journey."

Dissed by disbelievers: Unsympathetic "rationalists" termed prayopavesha "an act of madness" and labeled Swami a "spiritual pervert." "A swami who had isolated himself from public life, all of a sudden announces his death, makes it an all-important event and grabs media attention," accused academician Shri Ramdas. They appealed to the government "to preempt a mentally deranged person." On the other hand, Swami Paramananda Bharati of Sringeri Mutt affirmed to Hinduism Today that such a death is allowed by scripture for aged ascetics.

Dr. Sudarshan, of Vivekananda Girijana Kendra, the Swami's neighbor and personal physician, took exception to the rationalists' outburst, "One might dispute the way Swami chose to leave this world, but it is certainly not an act of madness. He was an intensely spiritual person, and we have to respect his decision. It cannot be termed a suicide, as a yogi can enter prayopavesha. His mind was alert."

Ramdas countered, "I respect one's right to live. But there's no provision to kill oneself in our constitution, whether it's spiritual or religious. Why have we banned sati [burning of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre]? It's nothing but suicide. It's the business of the state to safeguard every citizen."

The controversy raged right up to Swami's last day. The rationalists charged the administration of being soft on the issue. The District Collector, Shri Ajith Seth, called on Swami on January 6 with his father. "He tried to dissuade Swamiji, but in vain. Swami had stopped talking by then and only gave me a written reply in which he said, 'I've given enough to this world and now my body cannot sustain anymore. The call has come from God, and it's time for me to leave.'" Some of the foreign disciples of Swami had camped at the ashram and stayed by his side day and night till the end came. Their implorations for Swami to eat were in vain.

I visited several colleges in Mysore to ascertain the general reaction to Swami's actions. Many students and teachers knew Swami, and most objected to his chosen means of death. Among his defenders were Professor Immadi Shiva Basappa, head of the Sanskrit department at the University of Mysore who said, "Prayopavesha is not suicide. Suicide is the result of dejection or disappointment in life. In prayopavesha one gives up his life willingly and happily. It arises out of life fulfillment." Common was the comment of Vinutha, a final degree student, who said, "Swami Nirmalananda should not have died. It was a kind of selfishness on his part. He should have lived longer. Society today needs more people like him. He was doing so much to protect our forests."

Choosing death: Swami Nirmalananda suffered severely from chronic asthma, according to Dr. Sudarshan, and was dependent upon inhalers and medication--a dependence Swami did not like. His asthma was expected to worsen, but was not life-threatening. But we don't know what other health problems Swami might have had.

Prayopavesha, ending one's life by fasting, is mentioned in ancient scriptures including the Gautama (verse 14.7.12) and Manu Dharma Shastras (verse 6.30). It has been cautiously allowed for ascetics, brahmins and kings. The practice was subject to debate even within the Hindu tradition--Sri Adi Shankara (788-820 ce), for example, opposed it--but it was outlawed only upon the institution of the British Penal Code in India in the 19th century.

Historical examples abound. The Pandava brothers and their wife at the end of the Mahabharata turn over their kingdom to their heirs and walk off to the Himalayas, all except the eldest dying along the way. Other kings have retired to the forest and fasted to death after installing their sons on the throne. "In recent times, Vinod Bhave, Gandhi's close associate and one-time mentor of Swami Nirmalananda, so passed on. Finding himself in failing health, he stopped taking both food and water and died within a week in November, 1982. Even Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who came to his bedside, was unable to change his mind. The Maharastrian freedom fighter Savarkar similarly died in 1966 at the age of 83. Bhagawan Nityananda, the formidable siddha guru of Swami Muktananda, ceased eating in 1961 and entered Mahasamadhi two months later.

The practice is found among Jain ascetics, who consider it a meritorious passing. In 1987, Jain ascetic Badri Prasad died after fasting more than fifty days. His death, too, was called a suicide, but High Court Justice N.L. Jain told the press that no laws were being broken. "It is in accordance with our religion. There is no pain involved, as the body is in tune with God."

An aged Aparakarma priest at Nirmalananda's samadhi ceremonies said, "There's a world of difference between prayopavesha and suicide. Suicide is a violent form of voluntary sudden death, inflicting pain to the body. It's born out of dejection and disorientation of mind. It's escapist in nature. Prayopavesha is a nonviolent, spiritual form of voluntary, slow dissolution of the body. It's done in quest of communion with Him after fulfilling one's responsibilities in full. The extinction of life progresses very slowly. To ensure slow, painless and conscious dissolution, the fasting progresses in stages."

Western scholars, notably Professor Katherine Young of McGill University, Quebec, Canada, have extensively studied the Hindu practice of prayopavesha. They are searching for useful ethical and legal guidelines to resolve the difficult modern issue of care for the terminally ill. The same wisdom which allows an aged and infirm Hindu ascetic to fast to death is being applied to the removal of life support for a patient who will never recover from an incapacitating illness, as well as to the issue of not force feeding an elderly patient who has stopped taking food.

The future of Viswa Shanthi Nikethana is now in the hands of Swami Bramhadeva. He told me, "I have given my word to Swamiji that I shall continue the tradition of rishis and munis and their message to the world. While ordinary people are viewed with two eyes, in today's situation, the saffron-clad swamis are viewed with 1,000 prying eyes from every angle. An ascetic's life is like walking on the edge of a sword. We tread this path carefully. Service, Silence, Salvation.

One Swami's journey from World War II to ashram life

Swami Nirmalananda hailed from the Malabar region in Kerala. Born on December 2, 1924, he discontinued his studies at 14 and left home to join the postal service in the British army. He traveled extensively in Europe while serving in World War II as a noncombatant. Later he visited the USA, Europe, Russia and Japan and seriously pursued philosophy and religion. He came under the spell of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Henry Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy and Albert Schweitzer. He visited over 200 ashrams spread over India. He found, however, that his studies resulted only in mental turmoil and not the Realization he sought. The awakening which finally stilled his turbulent mind occurred not in India, but in Amsterdam, Holland.

Swami had the misfortune to be a mute witness to three major tragedies--World War II, Partition and the Indo-Pakistan conflict. He observed, "If a man turns his attention within, he will be able to see that a constant warfare is going on within his own mind between opposing ideas, urges and desires. It is the sum total of all such conflicts that erupts as open war between nations."

After taking sannyas, Swami Nirmalananda settled in the serene forests of BR Hills, where he had secured a piece of land in 1964. He became close to the Soliga tribals whom he educated and enlightened on various subjects, while they did whatever work they could at the ashram. Whenever there was a power or water supply problem, delay in postal or transport service to the remote region, Swami set it right for the Soligas with the concerned authorities.

Swami observed mauna, silence, for 11 years. He would not use milk or milk products, tea, coffee, fried or processed food, vegetables and fruits. He lived on the edible wild greens of the forest and bread. He would pound and bake his own whole wheat bread. He always personally cooked and served food to his guests.

Swami Nirmalananda did not believe in rituals. However, he never came in the way of his devotees' performing pujas at the small temple in the premises of his Vishwa Shanti Nikethana ashram.

Once he said, "The universe needs no correction. God's world is not mismanaged by Him. First change yourself, then the world around would have already changed for you."