By J. Srinivasan

 

   

 

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, called "a pillar of orthodox Hinduism" by Religious Leaders of America, a reference book, was a native Californian who sought spiritual meaning in India as a young man and became the spiritual leader of Sri Lankan Hindus, died on 32^nd day of a fast he had begun after learning he had incurable intestinal cancer, at his Ashram on the Hawaiian island of Kauai at the age of 74.

 

Born in Oakland on Jan 5 1927, orphaned when he was 11, raised by a friend of his mother who had spent time in India and absorbed Indian culture, Satguru became a leading dancer of the San Francisco Ballet Co. by the time he was 19, but quit to go to India.

 

In 1947, as a young man of 20, he journeyed to India and Sri Lanka and two years later was initiated into sannyasa by the renowned siddha yogi and worshipper of Siva, Jnanaguru Yogaswami of Sri Lanka, regarded as one of the 20th century's most remarkable mystics, who gave him his name, denoting one who teaches through radiance.

 

The Guru's message to the newly initiated was, "Now go round the world and roar like a lion. You will build temples and feed thousands."

 

Satguru lived in Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, where he spent seven years intensively preparing him spiritually. In 1957, he began teaching in San Francisco where he founded the nation's first Hindu temple.

 

In 1965, he founded the Himalayan Academy, which promotes the Saivist, or Shiv-worhipping branch of Hinduism through classes, lectures, retreats, home-study courses, pilgrimage to India and Hawaii, home of the organisation's principal monastery. In 1970, the headquarters was moved to the island of Kauai.

 

Satguru (the name means teacher of truth) was a tall, regal man with silken white hair who devoted his life to spreading Hinduism's message, helped build more than a dozen Hindu temples (including the first Hindu Church in the US) around the world - from Denmark to New Zealand for Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka; established four monastery branches and 32 missions in seven countries and founded and published Hinduism Today, a major voice among American Hindus.

 

He used the word Church because he thought that word could be more comfortable to Western ears.

 

Though he represented fewer than 3 million of the world's estimated one billion Hindus, he became a spokesman for Hinduism at global gatherings, reflecting the reach of his publications including the 30 books he wrote.

  

In 1986, the World Religious Parliament in New Delhi honoured him as one of the five Hindu spiritual leaders outside India who had most dynamically promoted Hinduism in the previous 25 years.

 

Technically savvy, he had a sign put up in San Francisco suggesting that tithes could be put on credit cards. He also required monks to be adept on Apple McIntosh computers.