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Devi Mandir

Temple of Divine Mother

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Trailinga Swami and Tapasya

Trailinga Swami was a great embodiment of tapasya. His main teaching was the example of his life – the example of what it is to perform tapasya. Tapasya is any spiritual discipline we perform to move closer to God, to make ourselves more pure and divine.

There is a verse from the Rig Veda. It says that from Tapaysa, all the Gods originally became divine. Within tapaysa resides the entire existence. Therefore, perform your tapasya and realize the Ultimate. This is what Trailinga Swami symbolizes to spiritual seekers around the world.

By performing tapasya the Gods became shining ones. They became divine beings. Trailinga Swami showed us what it means to truly utilize the human life for God Realization – to live the reality of the scriptures – and to become Divine.

Trailinga Swami performed so many different kinds of sadhana, so many types of tapasya, and he realized the Ultimate. He truly became a Shining One, an illuminated visionary. He was such a luminous sage that he was an inspiration to Ramakrishna, Swamiji and our entire lineage.

Inspiration to Swamiji, Inspiration to the World

Swamiji says that Trailinga Swami’s life inspired him to perform many forms of tapasya he might otherwise never have undertaken.

Trailinga Swami’s life, however, is not only an inspiration to those performing intense spiritual discipline. “Spirituality” is more than sitting in front of the altar or wearing orange. Shree Maa and Swamiji say that spirituality means “giving more than you take,” and Trailinga Swami is a perfect example of this.

Maa and Swami also say that the meaning of sadhu is “one who is efficient.” Our goal as sadhus is to complete our worldy karma as efficiently as possible, so that we may spend more time sitting in one asana, working to realize the divinity within.

Trailinga Swami was a great Sadhu, an Avadhuta, who demonstrated supreme efficiency in both his worldly duties and his spiritual tapasya. He completed his karma with an attitude of service, surrender, and devotion. Only after this did he leave behind the world to live a life of renunciation, submerged completely in spiritual discipline for more than two hundred years.

Seva, Tapasya, and Walking into the Forest

When Trailinga Swami’s father died, Trailinga Swami was still a young man, though his exact age at the time is uncertain. He told his mother that since his dad was gone he was going off to perform tapasya.

His mother inquired as to who would take care of her if he left to do tapasya. She told him to stay and take care of her until she left her body, and that if he did so, he would get blessings that he would not get from meeting his Guru or performing spiritual discipline.

Not only did Trailinga Swami stay – he was more than 50 years old when his mother finally passed away. For that period of his life, Trailinga Swami’s only sadhana was taking care of his mother. His tapasya was performing her seva. And when she did pass,  he performed her last rights and walked off into the forest.

Ramakrishna-Trailinga Swami

Above: A picture of a picture of an original photo that was retouched in the early 1900s, showing the meeting between Ramakrishna and Trailinga Swami.

The story is told that Ramakrishna cooked 25 pounds of rice pudding to present to Trailinga Swami. Swamiji ate it all in one sitting.

Join Online Satsangha

Click HERE for online satsangha with Shree Maa and Swamiji. Class is held every day in the morning and evening at 7:30a (PST) and 8:00p (PST).

Miss a class or want to stream them on your devices? Please click HERE.

Jai Maa!

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  • Home
  • About Us
  • What’s New
  • Ways to Worship
    • Cosmic Puja Presentation
    • Goddesses
      • Annapurna
      • Chandi
      • Durga
      • Gayatri
      • Kali
      • Lakshmi
      • Lalita
      • Saraswati
    • Gods
      • Ganesh
      • Hanuman
      • Krishna
      • Navagraha
      • Rama
      • Shiva
      • Vishnu
    • Gurus
    • Mantras
    • Philosophy
  • Spiritual Life
    • Astrology
    • Cooking
    • FAQ
      • FAQ Deities
      • FAQ Festivals
      • FAQ General Philosophy
      • FAQ Scriptures
    • Presentations
    • Sanskrit
    • Spiritual Business
    • Stories and Articles
    • Travel
    • Wisdom on Relationships
    • Yoga
  • Free Classes
    • Video Classes
      • Introductory
        • Shiva Puja
        • Durga Puja
        • Ganesha Puja
        • Guru Gita
          • Guru Gita – 2013
          • Guru Gita – 2006
        • Ramakrishna: The Nectar of Eternal Bliss
        • Swami Purana
        • Tattva Jnana 
      • Intermediate
        • Annapurna Sahasranama
        • Bhagavad Gita
          • Bhagavad Gita – 2013
          • Bhagavad Gita – 2006
        • Gayatri Sahasranam
        • Hanuman Puja
          • Hanuman Puja – 2006
        • Kashyapa Sutra
        • Lakshmi Puja
        • Lalita Trishati
          • Lalita Trishati – 2013
          • Lalita Trishati – 2006
        • Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs
        • Satyanarayan Vrat Katha
        • Sundar Kanda
      • Advanced
        • Aparajita Stotram
        • Chandi Path
          • Chandi Path – 2010
        • Cosmic Puja
        • Devi Gita
          • Devi Gita – 2013
          • Devi Gita – 2007
        • From Birth to Death: Sixteen Initiations
        • Kali Puja
        • Rudrashtadhyayi
        • Shiva Puja and Advanced Yajna
          • Shiva Puja and Advanced Yajna – 2006
    • Video Excerpts
    • Podcast Commentaries
      • Introductory
        • Bhuta Shuddhi
        • Ramakrishna Series
        • Sadhu Stories from the Himalayas
        • Sandhi Puja
        • Shree Maa on Gurus
      • Intermediate
        • Bhagavad Gita
        • Lalita Trishati Stotram
      • Advanced
        • Chandi Path
        • Devi Gita
        • Devi Yajna
        • Five Fires Sadhana
        • Kali Puja
        • Rudrashtadhyayi
        • Sahasra Chandi Yajna
    • Podcast Chanting
      • Introductory
        • Durga Mantra
        • Ganesha Mantra
        • Mahamrtyunjaya Mantra
      • Intermediate
        • Hanuman Puja
        • Lalita Trishati Stotram
      • Advanced
        • Advanced Shiva Puja
        • Chandi Path
        • Cosmic Puja
        • Rudrashtadhyayi
        • Sundar Kanda
    • Swamiji’s Bhava Videos
      • Puja Techniques
      • Sahib Sadhu
      • Shivaratri Q&A
      • Swami Ramkripalu Visits
      • The Story of Two Men and the Prostitute
  • Shree Maa Sings
    • Shree Maa Sings (audio)
    • Shree Maa Sings (video)
    • Shree Maa Bhava Videos
  • Our Store
  • Get Involved
    • Contact Us
    • Devi Mandir Facebook Page
    • Continuing Education Credit
    • Sponsor/Donate
    • Food Sponsorship: Devi Mandir Food Program
  • Other Languages