New Delhi: A Catholic priest, who took up the Indian form of asceticism to spread Christ’s forgiving love among people of all religions, died on April 25.
Swami Sadanand (perpetual happiness), a member of the Carmelite of Mary Immaculate (CMI) congregation, died of cardiac arrest at Sendhwa, a town in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, central India. The 72-year-old priest had undergone a bypass surgery in 2009.
His body was brought to Bhopal, the state capital, some 350 km northeast of Sendhwa, Tuesday morning to hand it over to the local branch of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences . The priest had willed his body to a medical college.
Divine Word Bishop Chacko Thottumarikal of Indore told Matters India that the hospital will release the body for a few hours on April 30 for final prayers at St Paul House. It will then return to the hospital.
People cutting across religions mourned the death of the swami, who donned a saffron loincloth and shawl, the traditional garb of a Hindu ascetic
Bishop Thottumarikal noted that the priest was committed to the poor and the oppressed. “Wherever injustice was done to the poor, he came forward to their help and totally detached from the world and lived a simple life. He is a model for all religious in this modern life,” the prelate added.
CMI superior general Father Paul Achandy said they have lost “a revolutionary ascetic priest who lived Christian life in an authentic and inspiring way.”
Fr Sadanand’s simple life was “a great inspiration” for their young members. He challenged oppressive structures in society and the Church,” he told Matters India.
Fr Achandy also said the ascetic priest influenced his congregation to focus on poor and promote inter-religious dialogue at grassroots level. “We are very proud of him,” he added.
According to the 53-year-old superior general, the elderly priest never cared for his health or sought fame.
Swami Sadanand, who sported a white flowing beard, managed an ashram (hermitage) in Narasinghpur, a town about 85 km north of Bhopal where hundreds of people came for prayer and counseling.
Father Achandy noted that the apostle of reconciliation died when the Universal Church is observing the Year of Mercy. He helped reconcile warring groups and spread Christ’s forgiving mercy among the marginalized, including prisoners, he added.
One of them was Samunder Singh, who was hired by some landlords to kill a Catholic nun. Singh stabbed to death Franciscan Clarist Congregation Sister Rani Maria on February 25, 1995, at the behest of some landlords who were upset with her work among landless laborers.
Swami Sadanand used to visit Singh when he was serving life term in a jail. The visits helped Singh to repent his crime. The Catholic priest then helped the martyred nun’s younger sister, who is also a nun in the same congregation, to accept Singh as her brother. After Singh’s release from jail, Swami Sadanand took him to Sister Rani Maria’s home in Kerala.
“I can’t imagine that Swamiji has left us He helped me very personally to start a new life. His constant guidance helped me repent for my sins and lead new life of hope,” Singh told Matters India, mourning his mentor’s death.
The reformed Hindu man hailed the Catholic priest as a man deeply rooted in truth and nonviolence. “He loved everyone without any condition. He went out of his way to help the sick, poor and the needy,” he added.
Rani Maria’s sister, Selmy Paul, said the “Swamiji has completed his race and returned God.” The nun who was closely associated with Swami Sadanand, recalled that the Catholic priest had arranged Singh’s early release from the jail.
Sister Paul ties a thread on Singh on “Rakshabandhan” (bond of protection), the Hindu festival of siblings, every year. She said the ascetic priest who followed “religion of life” freely mixed with people from all walks of life. He kept moving from place to place drawing people burdened with life’s worries, she told Matters India.
The nun said he priest continued his work without rest even after the heart surgery. She recalled that Swami Sadanand was reluctant to go for the surgery saying such treatments are beyond the reach of ordinary people. “But he relented due to persuasion of his family members and others.
Anil Mahajan, a Hindu friend of the ascetic priest, said he found him “a through gentleman, who always stood for “the right cause and for the right of the oppressed.”
Father Sadanand was born Purattukara in Kerala.
He set up Sachidananda Ashram in Narasinghpur, a cluster of 13 huts spread over a three-hectare plot, in 1991 after he became a sanyasi (ascetic).
The barefoot ascetic had justified adopting the sanyasi dress to work in a predominantly Hindu area. “A sanyasi has immense impact, and they approach him without hesitation,” he told an interview in early 2000s. His ashram is open to all, around the clock.
Many visitors were comforted when he inquired about their welfare and shared God´s love with them, “the love Christ has given me,” as he explained. The priest said many people had never experienced love and concern from anyone.
Another attraction was his herbal treatments. The priest grew herbal plants on the ashram grounds.
Madhya Pradesh is among Indian states where Church workers have faced right-wing Hindu hostility. However Swami Sadanand never encountered any problem. His admirers included pro-Hindu politicians.