“Be Careful With Bhakti” Or, Why the Guru Withdraws: The Unconventional Life and Teachings of Svami Sadananda Dasa: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

The German Vaishnava guru Svami Sadananda Dasa (1908–1977) from the very beginning withdrew when people approached him to become his disciples or receive any mantras. Why was he so reluctant to play the
conventional role of the guru? We will address this and related questions in this paper. Moreover, his last advice was: “Vorsicht mit Bhakti!” (“Be careful with bhakti!”). Taking this instruction seriously, his disciples, who continued to take care of his spiritual heritage, did not engage in missionary work but focussed instead on typing, translating and publishing Sadananda’s manuscripts with his German translations of and commentaries on the main bhakti shastras or sacred Vaishnava texts. The following article is meant to shine some light on his biographical background; the reasons for his reluctance in terms of guruhood; his and his disciples’ focus on the spiritual practice or sadhana of serving the Word form of God, the shastras; and his special instruction “to be careful with bhakti.”