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On
March 7, 1952, Paramahansaji entered mahasamadhi, a
God-illumined master's conscious exit from the body at the
time of physical death. The great world teacher demonstrated
the value of yoga not only in life but in death also. Weeks
after his passing his unchanged face shone with the divine
lustre of incorruptibility. In a notarised letter sent to
Self-Realization Fellowship, Mr. Harry T. Rowe, Mortuary
Director of Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, Los Angeles (where the
great guru's body is temporarily placed) wrote the following:
"The absence of any visual signs of decay in the dead body of
Paramahansa Yogananda offers the most extraordinary case in
our experience....No physical disintegration was visible in
his body even after twenty days after death....This state of
perfect preservation of a body is, so far as we know from
mortuary annals, and unparalleled one."
His passing occasioned an outpouring of
reverent appreciation from spiritual leaders, dignitaries,
admirers, and disciples all over the world. His Holiness
Swami Sivananda, founder of The Divine Life Society, wrote: "A
rare gem of inestimable value, the like of whom the world is
yet to witness, His Holiness Sri Paramahansa Yogananda has
been an ideal representative of the ancient sages and seers,
the glory of India." American author and educator Dr.
Wendell Thomas wrote: "I came to [Paramahansa] Yogananda many
years ago, not as a seeker or devotee, but as a writer with a
sympathetic yet analytic and critical approach. Happily, I
found in Yoganandaji a rare combination. While steadfast in
the ancient principles of his profound faith, he had the gift
of generous adaptability....With his quick wit and great
spirit he was well fitted to promote reconciliation and truth
among the religious seekers of the world. He brought peace
and joy to multitudes."
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Jharkhand Alumni