For two days, YouTube, Twitter, and social media sites are flooded with videos, pictures, and posts of Swami Sivananda. The video of him receiving the Padma Shri award from the President of India is trending all over. So why did the man receive the Padma Shri? Why was he trending on these sites?
I got to know many facts about him when I searched about him. The main reason for him to receive the Padma Shri from our President is that Swami Sivananda is a yogi. He has served many people affected by leprosy, especially those with a financially weak background. His age is 125 years, making him the oldest man to receive a Padma Shri.
Swami Sivananda currently lives in an ashram in Varanasi. He was born in Bangladesh and had a profound history. He was born in 1896 in Bangladesh, during the time of undivided India.
In his interviews, he says, ‘he has the experience of all.’ Swami Ji has seen the partition to Covid, everything. He is dedicated to yoga. When asked about the secret of his age, Sivananda Ji says, “no salt, no oil, and no sexual desire” is what he follows for a healthy lifestyle.
Swami ji has his thoughts for serving more than five to six hundred beggars affected by leprosy. He believes that the purpose of his life is to serve others. According to him, ‘all the people in the world are his mothers and fathers staying in his home.
It is his religion to serve them and take care of them.’ He provides fruits, rice, and clothing to such people. He prefers to visit them and encourage other people to help them personally. His purpose has inspired the local people of Varanasi, and they follow his preaching.
Swami Sivananda has received the Basundhara Ratan award and Yoga Ratna award in 2019. His yoga skills are captivating, even at the age of 125. Old age has changed nothing for him. Even at this age, he can practice some of the most challenging Yoga Asanas.
Swami ji avoids the consumption of milk and fruits for good health. He was born in a family with a weak financial background, and so, his father used to feed him boiled rice. This is because he believes that boiled rice and food are beneficial for health.
I also found a few more facts about Swami Sivananda:
- His followers are on their way to register him as the oldest man in the Guinness Book of World Records.
- Swami ji is well versed in languages, such as Bengali, Hindi, and even English.
- He is a great worshiper of humanity.
- He believes in God but feels that the road to God is achieved by helping humans.
- He also believes that after a point in life, one should not be focused on one’s own life and instead find solace in spirituality. He is a monk in an Ashram Varanasi and preaches these thoughts to his followers.
Swami Sivananda is a unique and great personality. In the video that is being circulated on social media, Youtube, Twitter, we notice that everyone is humble towards him, including the Prime Minister and the President. Swami Sivananda is the living inspiration for all of us.