Each one of us should learn to celebrate the inner Diwali by gradually transforming the darkness of our material consciousness into the divine light of God consciousness by the daily practice of Yoga meditation,” said Swami Chidananda Giri, the spiritual head and President of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS). Swamiji was addressing a gathering of nearly 1000 devotees and guests at the Yogoda Satsanga Sakha Math who had come to hear his discourse on Yoga and its benefits.
Yogoda Satsanga Society of India/Self-Realization Fellowship (YSS/SRF) is the worldwide organization founded by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, the acclaimed author of Autobiography of a Yogi. Yoganandaji established his first ashram in Ranchi in the year 1917, before going to America in 1920 to spread the message of Yoga all over the world.
During his satsanga, Swami Chidanandaji guided the group in meditation and then spoke about the deeper significance of celebrating Diwali. He said that Diwali is a festival that celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and wisdom over ignorance. Expressing his great regard for India, Swamiji said, “The ancient name for India is Bharat, which means devoted to light. The soul of India is that spiritual light to which India has held on to over thousands of years. And this was possible only because of the great rishis that were born in India from time to time to rekindle that light. The science of Yoga that these ancient rishis discovered is the crowning achievement of mankind and it is the most precious gift to all humanity, which hungers for this light,” he said.
Swamiji further said that in the modern age, this light of yoga was rekindled by Yoganandaji in this very ashram in Ranchi, and from here that light spread all over the world. He explained that spiritual Diwali is experienced by a yogi as the inner divine light that manifests within through the practice of scientific techniques like Kriya Yoga.
“We are essentially souls, not mortal beings,” Swami Chidananda said, adding, “Real joy comes from immersion in this divine light. Worldly joy, by comparison, is just a drop in the ocean.” At the end of his talk, Swami Chidanandaji announced the release of a Hindi audiobook of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi. This is available as a free download from this
He also announced the release of a new book, “My Work Shall Go On - Living Legacy of Paramahansa Yogananda”. The book documents the life and work of Yoganandaji and includes some never-before published pictures of this great saint and also highlights his organizations’ current activities. Both these publications were produced through the grant given by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda. Ranchi is a stopover during the president’s 2019 India tour that includes three locations in India – Noida, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Swami Chidanandaji has been a sannyasi for almost 40 years and has dedicated his life to the editing and publishing of Yoganandaji’s teachings.
In 1917, Yogananda began his life's work in Ranchi by founding the ashram and a "How-to-Live" school for boys. That ashram has now grown into a worldwide organisation that spreads the Kriya Yoga teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.The public is welcome to learn more about the life of Yogananda and the divine science of Kriya Yoga by visiting the ashram and its meditation gardens, Smriti Mandir, Litchi Vedi, and Yogananda’s room.