It had long been agreed that Swamiji’s body would not be cremated, but enshrined at Ananda Village. For eight days, the open casket sat in the Temple of Light in Assisi, as devotees from around the world came to say a last goodbye. Then it was sealed, and Anand and Kirtani traveled with it to Ananda Village. For a month, the closed casket sat in the living room of Crystal Hermitage, where devotees came, day and night, to meditate near it. It was then placed in a temporary crypt in the ground, next to the patio outside Swamiji’s apartment, where he often sat for tea. A statue of Master was placed on the grass above it to mark the spot.
Two years later, on his birthday, May 19, 2015, Swamiji was moved to the Moksha Mandir, an exquisite shrine built at the edge of the Crystal Hermitage garden. The casket was put under the floor in front of the altar, next to the window overlooking the canyon. A small tile engraved with a lotus is embedded in the floor above Swamiji’s feet. A tile engraved with a star is over his forehead. On the wall, are two quotations:
From Master’s poem Samadhi:
A tiny bubble of laughter,
I am become the Sea of Mirth Itself.
And the words Swamiji wrote for the Final Vow of the Nayaswami Order:
I am free in Thy Joy,
And will rejoice forever in Thy blissful presence.