The 36th Jnana Yajna at Kolkata had also the twist of the unexpected. On the calm evening of December 23rd, just the day before the planned Havana, the devoted Akhanda Kirtan of “Hare Rama” was interrupted by the cries of “Fire, Fire!” In a matter of just five minutes, the huge tent with all the expensive idols and equipment was reduced to ashes by a raging inferno. Hearing about that fearsome blaze, Pujya Gurudev remarked with His characteristic composure: “Agni Bhagavan decided not to wait for the Havana tomorrow to visit us. Do you not discern His Protecting Hand in the fire breaking out at 5:30 pm. and not at 6:30 pm.?” Indeed, if the fire had broken out just an hour later during the discourse, it would have ended in a tragic disaster. It was a sheer miracle that no life was lost.

Personifying equipoise, Pujya Gurudev reassured the shaken people and continued His Jnana Yajna at the Gujarati Bala Mandir for the next few days. Guided by His unshakable strength, the Kolkata Yajna Committee re-erected a new, bigger tent on the very same fire-ravaged land. The Yajna was a roaring success as the program was improvised. Instead of a scheduled trip to the Triveni Sangam, a steamer trip to the Ganga Sagar Island was scenic and memorable; the small snags dissolved in the sheer bliss of Pujya Gurudev’s Presence. From February 3, 1958, the Havana inside that new pandal and Akhanda Kirtan commenced with fervor and faith. When the final 68th verse was explained on February 5th and the Ganga waters were sprinkled by Pujya Gurudev on the blessed audience of Kolkata, the spiritual fulfillment felt was beyond words. 

The unforgettable Jnana Yajna ended when the Om flag was unfurled. It had been flying high, untouched by the hungry flames, symbolizing the unscathed Atma that Pujya Gurudev extolled.

In a memorable talk at Poddar College on December 25, 1957, Pujya Gurudev presented a thought-provoking analogy. Comparing mankind to an old man, religion to a long-standing, faithful spouse, and science to a young, attractive maiden, Pujya Gurudev showcased the predicament of mankind. With science racing ahead and mankind abandoning the loyal support of religion, Pujya Gurudev pinpointed how mankind was lost in the middle. 

Every yajna of Pujya Gurudev was aimed at rejuvenating religion and helping mankind understand its value in the presence of advancing science. In Mumbai too, the special lectures at colleges, the Upanishad discourses, kirtans, meditation sessions, and the sacred Ganga prokshan (sprinkling) affirmed how the people of a busy city could tap into the blessings of religion.

The yatra to Alandi near Pune was a sacred experience. Aspirants could bask in the peace of Sant Jnaneshwar’s samadhi and complete the Avabhrta Snana in the Indriyani river. The satsang with Pujya Gurudev under a banyan tree transported all to the Vedic times. After that, when each seeker meditated for half an hour in seclusion, the significance of the scriptures came into focus. Pujya Gurudev aimed to empower mankind with a clear understanding of both religion and science.

Invited by the Allahabad Students Union, Pujya Gurudev addressed the students in a set of powerful discourses titled, “Your life is yours. Make it or mar it.” Initial skepticism from the youth on the first day rapidly turned into admiration and attention. Word spread and attendance peaked. Chairs were pushed farther back making place for more students to sit on carpets. But that too wasn’t enough. Students stood in the verandah and the upper gallery, grabbing every inch of space and hanging on to each word that Pujya Gurudev uttered. 

An astute Teacher that He was, Pujya Gurudev announced a prize of Re.100 for the best essay written on ‘Religion and its place in Modern Life.’ The sight of hundreds of students taking notes at a fiery pace was proof of the revival of Sanatana Dharma among the motivated youth.

In several of His initial Jnana Yajnas, Pujya Gurudev had incorporated the feature of essay contests. This encouraged avid listeners and seekers to internalize and apply the wisdom of the scriptures in their own lives. The winners were given a small cash prize and the best essay was published in earlier editions of Tyagi.

Besides the words to remember, the spirited kirtans on boats at the Triveni Sangam, the meaningful satsang on the banks of Ganga, and the sincere worship at Shivkuti temples –  the people of Prayagraj marveled at and adored the ways Pujya Gurudev refreshed their spiritual perspective.

Pujya Gurudev’s choice was timely since spiritual and material integration of the modern man was the need of the hour, in the turbulent 1950s, especially in India; only the enduring wisdom of the Upanishads could offer a comprehensive and lasting solution. Shri Bhimsen Sachar, the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, who inaugurated the yajna and unveiled the portrait of Adi Shankaracharya, appealed for a changed outlook based on scriptural understanding. In His opening discourse, Pujya Gurudev was forthright and clear: “Turning to God in darkness is not true religion, and it would only amount to temporary adjustment and compromise. True religion means a correct understanding of the questions like ‘Who am I? From where have I come? And what is the purpose of life?’” 

To build that understanding, Pujya Gurudev explained, in His morning sessions, the path to  Self-Awareness using the succinct verses of Atma Bodha written by Adi Shankaracharya. Then, His discourses in the evening on the pithy 18 verses of the Ishavasya Upanishad made the audience review the world in a different, divine light. The majestic vision that Pujya Gurudev inspired in the audience was evident in the other limbs of the Jnana Yajna – the soulful Akhanda Kirtan, the devout Maha Mrtyunjaya Homa, the purifying sprinkling of Ganga waters, as well as the sacred bath and prayers at the Vemulawada Uma Maheshwara temple 130 miles from Hyderabad. Whether in the yajnashala or through His lectures to students of Osmania University, Pujya Gurudev unceasingly steered everyone to look out with a unifying Upanishadic lens and make work a selfless offering.

The Governor of Kerala, Sri Ramakrishna Rao, unfurled the Om flag and inaugurated the yajna. In the yajnashala graced by the portrait of Swami Tapovanam and the divine idol of Sri Krishna, a mellow prayer song, “Akhilanda Mandalam,” which was Pujya Gurudev’s favorite, sounded the perfect starting note. The song’s refrain, “Vijayikka nin thiru Namangal Paadi – Singing Your Great Names, May we achieve victory” was meaningfully apt. Pujya Gurudev’s introduction about “Vedanta, the Philosophy of Life” and Shrimad Bhagavad Gita roused the audience. Thereafter, everyday, from 6-8p.m, He transported all into the paradise of the enlightening second chapter. To the Christians who attended regularly in large numbers, he welcomed them without distinction saying, “Gita is not meant for a particular caste or creed ; it is meant for Man. It points out the way to Man, how to live his best, individually, as well as a society or as a nation.” 

The Atma Bodha classes in the early mornings, a 5-day Akhanda Kirtan from Sep.18, and a four-day Gita Homa from Sep.19 culminating in a huge procession with the Ganga waters – Thrissur was awash with spiritual fervor. Pujya Gurudev eloquently unfolded Sankhya Yoga and answered questions for two days after concluding His discourses. The Avabhrta Snaana at the scenic Sri Rama Temple at Triprayar was an unforgettable blessing. Beholding at night that illuminated temple beside the flooded river that carried hundreds of lamps lit on paper boats, devotees were enveloped in that sacred radiance. Thrissur was immersed in a mighty flow of Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti, transformed by Pujya Gurudev’s astounding Gita Jnana Yajna.

From July 7th, the involved audience hung onto every word of Pujya Gurudev’s -they waited with Nachiketa, rejected distractions offered by the world, and wanted only That Knowledge that outlasted death. 

One notable experience that Pujya Gurudev had incorporated from the earliest yajnas was what He called “returnable sannyas.” He took four hundred eager seekers of Chennai on an unforgettable journey of a ‘one-day-sannyas’ starting at 5 pm the evening of August 3, 1957. Fervent chanting, bhajans, a joyous dip in the sacred Kollidam river, and the blissful Darshan of Lord Shiva as Nataraja and Lord Vishnu as Govindaraj at Chidambaram – divinity pervaded every minute. Pujya Gurudev then took them to Ramalinga Jothi, a great Tamil saint’s samadhi sthal which had a Tamil inscription of “Be ever hungry, ever in solitude, and ever vigilant.” To elevate Bhakti and Jnana through silent Japa Yoga, Pujya Gurudev guided them to the meditative Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry before returning to Chennai. A whirlwind visit in temporary orange was the briefest glimpse through which Pujya Gurudev indicated what Nachiketa gained forever in Kathopanishad.