On this sacred day, on the first day of the Sat Chandi Mahayajna, the most ancient tantric ceremony for the upliftment of life and spirit, a special event has taken place here. That special event is entering into the tradition of sannyasa. There are two kinds of sannyasins. One belongs to an order and works according to the mandate of the guru and the order. The other is the creator or illuminator of the order and tradition. In this process, there are a few people who have become the luminaries of our tradition. Adi Guru Shankaracharya was the first illuminator. In the 20th century, our Paramguru Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati became the illuminator of the spiritual and the sannyasa tradition. Following his footsteps, our beloved guru Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati inspired and guided us to live an appropriate life filled with divine awareness and the zeal to serve.
In 2009, Swami Satyananda had given a complete and total indication as to what would happen in 2010. He said: "You will have to step out of the sannyasa order and into the sannyasa tradition and create a centre of higher learning in the form of a Sannyasa Peeth."
That sankalpa which he gave has been formalized today in Rikhiapeeth, in Gurudham, in the presence of Sri Swamiji and in the presence of all of you. Everything related to Swami Satyananda happens in an auspicious manner. On this day of his Bhu Samadhi, 6th December 2010, and the first day of the fifteenth Sat Chandi Mahayajna, the establishment of Sannyasa Peeth will be formalized. Swami Satsangi and myself are the founding members of the Sannyasa Peeth with the blessings of our guru Sri Swami Satyanandaji.
I can only wish that all of you pray for the fulfillment of this sankalpa of Poojya Gurudev's. It is the weight of this sankalpa which has come on my shoulders today. Pray that I can lift the weight of this sankalpa and fulfil the mandate that my guru has given - bahujana hitaaya, bahujana sukhaaya, for the welfare of many, for the happiness of many.
Rikhiapeeth, 6 December 2010