The 20th Anniversary of Sivananda Ghat, the 76th Anniversary of Divine Life Society of South Africa and Ganga Dussehra were jointly celebrated at Sivanandashram, Reservoir Hills on Thursday, 5 June 2025. Ganga Arati commenced at 5.30pm followed by Satsang. The Satsang programme comprised a message from the Society, readings, Pujya Swami Sahajananda’s audio message, a DVD on Mother Ganga, Kirtans, Bhajans and the Ganga Chalisa.
The message from the Society paid tribute to our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda, to Pujya Swami Sahajananda, and to all devotees, donors, well-wishers and volunteers, for their sterling contributions and selfless service over the past 76 years. The following relevant excerpts attest to these. “On this the 76th Anniversary of Divine Life Society of South Africa, we offer our humble obeisance to Sri Gurudev and Pujya Swamiji for their Divine Grace and blessings in providing us with this magnificent Ashram, and for rescuing us from the trammels of worldly life so that we may grow in spirituality, and work out some of our past Karma in this birth.
“We offer our deep gratitude and appreciation to Sri Gurudev and Pujya Swamiji, for their visionary leadership in providing us with the unique facilities at our Sivananda Ghat, which was inaugurated exactly 20 years ago today. The Sivananda Ghat is providing great comfort and solace to bereaved families, giving them the opportunity to perform their religious duties to the departed in a dignified and safe manner, lending itself to closure as well. Over the last 20 years, in excess of 41 690 ash disposals and 11 270 rituals have been completed at the Sivananda Ghat since inception”. At the Sivananda Ghat, Ganga Arati was performed daily at 10am from 1 to 5 June 2025 and lamps on boats were floated to mark the 20th Anniversary of Sivananda Ghat.
In respect of Ganga Dussehra, the message from the Society highlighted its spiritual significance, as is evident in, “Today marks Ganga Dussehra as well, and we offer our humble obeisance to Mother Ganga on this auspicious day, marking her descent to the earth plane, where She continues to reside in the form of the River Ganga. Our eternal gratitude to Sri Gurudev and Pujya Swamiji for bringing Ganga Mata to South Africa in the form of our Ganga Ranis. Pujya Swamiji reminded us also that the Ganga River is only her physical form, and that Ganga Mata is a great Goddess. It is said that Mother Ganga places all the sins of man deposited in Her at the lotus feet of a saint. Sri Muniji of Parmath Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, during his visit to our Ashram, stated that it is not that Swamiji brought Ganga Mata to South Africa, but rather that Ganga Mata came to Swami Sahajananda in South Africa”.
Excerpts of our Divine Master’s letter dated 5 June 1951 to Pujya Swamiji requesting a branch of Divine Life Society be opened in this country, are reproduced herewith. Sri Gurudev said, “Words cannot adequately describe the sincerity of your devotion and your ardent zeal and enthusiasm to disseminate spiritual knowledge. Keep the Divine flame within you growing strong daily. May it guide the rest towards Eternal Bliss”. The Master continued, “An interesting feature in the spiritual path is that the world looks frightening to an aspirant at the outset; but, once he takes to chanting His Name and does total surrender unto Him, everything appears as His Lila. Having installed Him firmly in your heart, what is there to worry you? March boldly with majestic steps towards Him. There He stands to give you a warm welcome and to bless you with peace, joy and immortality”.
In his handwritten instruction in the same letter, the Master said, “Kindly send a copy of your photo, postcard size in black and white. Kindly open a branch of DLS in South Africa and do some silent work”.
Pujya Swamiji’s audio message focused on his relationship with the Master, his unconditional loyalty to Sri Gurudev and his instruction to open a branch in this country. He said to the Master that he should go back (while on a visit to Rishikesh) as he didn’t have the necessary qualifications, to which the Master replied, “They will come”. He also alluded to the early beginnings of his spiritual life, when he went to the Umgeni Road Temple with his two friends and conducted the evening Satsangs, in some instances alone. The Master assured him that if he was sincere, then people will join him later on. Pujya Swamiji was reluctant to open a branch, but the Master told him, “Don’t be rebellious”. Pujya Swamiji said that Sri Gurudev knew that he was trying to escape from his responsibilities. In 1949, Pujya Swamiji had asked for Sannyas initiation but the Master said, “Kindly wait. Please wait. Sannyas is made of sterner stuff”. Pujya Swamiji indicated that Grace of the Guru comes through an enormous amount of Tapas and unconditional loyalty. He went to Sri Gurudev with just one mission, and that was his desire to realise God. This assurance was given to Pujya Swamiji by both Sri Gurudev and Swami Ramdas. Pujya Swamiji’s unconditional love and devotion to Sri Gurudev are overwhelmingly evident in this short audio message.
The reading on Ganga Dussehra from Mother Ganga by Sri Swami Sivananda, traced the origins of Mother Ganga, the curse of Kapila, Bhagiratha’s penance and how Lord Siva received the Ganga. On the latter topic, Sri Gurudev said, “Again Bhagiratha did rigorous penance for a full hundred years. It is needless to say that Lord Siva, the protector of all His devotees, was immensely pleased with the king and readily accepted to check and control Ganga through His matted locks. With surge, fury and foam, Ganga began to descend from celestial regions. Flashes of lightening, thunders from clouds, and the uncontrollable flow seemed as if a deluge was about to devour the whole world. But Lord Siva coolly received Her in His matted locks and let Her drip over Him”.
The reading was complemented with a beautiful DVD on Mother Ganga, highlighting Her majestic beauty, prowess and Her protective nature over ardent devotees as the bestower of Bliss and joy. Goddess Ganga is considered a Divine Mother who blesses devotees with Grace, well-being, and prosperity.
The Ganga Chalisa, recited during the Satsang, is a devotional hymn of forty verses dedicated to Goddess Ganga. Personified as a Goddess and revered as a purifier of sins, the Ganga Chalisa seeks blessings, purification, and spiritual emancipation. The Ganga Chalisa begins with respectful salutations and praises of Goddess Ganga, having descended from the heavens to earth, flowing from the matted locks of Lord Shiva. Her Divine Nature is evident when Ganga is described as the source of purity and salvation. Her waters cleanse sins, cure diseases, and bring spiritual liberation to those who bathe in Her or even chant Her name. It also recounts mythological stories and its spiritual benefits when worshipping or remembering the sacred river with devotion, leading to the removal of sins and granting Moksha or liberation. It is also a call for devotion when the devotees ask Mother Ganga to remove their inner impurities, guide them towards righteousness, and bless their lives with peace, devotion, and spiritual prosperity.
The three-fold celebration is indeed a unique occasion in the annals of the history of Divine Life Society of South Africa. No doubt this is a rare and spiritually potent occasion, when the calendar aligns to bring together three major spiritual observances on the same day, namely the 20th Anniversary of Sivananda Ghat, 76th Anniversary of Divine Life Society of South Africa and Ganga Dussehra. For devotees, this convergence can be considered highly sacred and transformative, offering them an unparalleled opportunity for Sadhana, spiritual growth, merit, and inner purification. The rare confluence of these three major spiritual events in our calendar on one day is not merely a calendrical coincidence, but a celestial invitation to immerse oneself in the divine. For the devotee, it represents a window of divine grace - a moment to pause, purify, and propel forward on the path of spiritual evolution.
