Swami Pranavananda Saraswati from the Chinmaya Mission: “Dharma is your duty”
“Dharma is your duty. It is the duty that you have toward your parents, your husband (patnivrata) and your wife (pativrata). This was the Swami’s answer.”
On the 17th December, Triveni Hall, a socio cultural association in Beau Bassin welcomed the Swami Pranavananda Saraswati from Chinmaya Mission for a Satsanga in creole with the intent to guide its members on the path of Dharma. Swami Pranavananda Saraswati, now aged 87 has been sharing the message of Vedanta and the Bhagwad Gita for the last 45 years. Under Swami Pranavananda guidance, Chinmaya Mission Mauritius has been enriching people’s life by the knowledge of Vedanta, selfless action and sincere devotion.
Through this Satsanga, the Swamiji wanted to shed light on the massive conversion of Hindus into Christianity and Islam and Hindus slowly diverting to the path of Adharma unknowingly. The question of what is Dharma was raised by someone in the public and he was enlightened by the knowledge of the Swami Pranavananda Saraswati.
Dharma is your duty. It is the duty that you have toward your parents, your husband (patnivrata) and your wife (pativrata). This was the Swami’s answer.
Swami Pranavananda Saraswati’s early days
Born in the town of Port Louis from a pious family of Tamil origin, Swamji left school at the age of 12 to start working. His teen days were mostly spent in regularly visiting temples and helping out during festivals and celebrations. Swamiji then being a young fellow found an exquisite joy in feeding his mind with the knowledge of great Hindus leaders and sages such as Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Bhagavan Ramana Maharsi, Sri Buddha, Swami Sivananda and others.
Slowly his train of life led him in London, which at that time was the colonial power of Mauritius. Being in a western country didn’t make him wander away from Hinduism instead he would visit occasionally the Ramakrishna Mission. And in 1972, his zest to be closer to the Hindu culture and scriptures became so strong that he ultimately left London and travelled to India. In the great Peninsula, he halted at Rishikesh in the Life Society of Swami Sivananda, a Hindu Spiritual Organization where he was inspired by Great Masters like Swami Chidananda and Swami Krishnananda.
Swami Chidananda subsequently became his guruji in the studies of Vedanta and as Brahmacharya Deeksa, he was gifted with the name of Pranava Chaitanya. Later on, after his initiation to Sannyasa on 28 October 1985 in Mumbai, Pranava Chaitanya became known as Swami Pranavananda Saraswati.
Face with the fall of tradition from the Vedanta, loss of respect for Dharma and the Hindu Culture, Swamiji continues to deliver talks on the importance of the Vedic scriptures across Mauritius and Reunion Island.