Three members of our yoga community share their love and memories of a beloved mentor, friend and teacher.
REMEMBERING SHYAMDAS
By Govindas
The worldwide Bhakti community and our unified Heart are mourning the loss of our Beloved Guru, Brother, Friend, and Baba SHYAM DAS.
It was only seven weeks ago in India (Fall 2012) when he took me and my group “wandering through Vraj.” Shyam Das said this was his favorite pastime in Vrindavan: to simply wander and be in the Bhav of the sacred dham. He commonly used the expression, “… and the Lila goes on.” Yes, Baba, the Lila will go on but it will never be the same without you. Your light will continue to ignite the fire of Bhakti within us all. We will always love you in the most dearest of ways.
During the last moments I spent with Shyam Das at his home in India, we walked with arms around each other (pictured) in divine friendship. I will never forget this moment. I felt loved; unconditionally loved and accepted.
For me, Shyam Das’s colorful, spontaneous, and joyful ways inspire me to live a life of devotion. At times he seemed larger than life itself. Yet in all of his greatness as a scholar, guru, bhakta, and musician, his presence allowed me to realize that I don’t have to be perfect all the time. This was a great blessing in my life and has always made me feel at ease and accepted by him.
I will always treasure in my heart the moments I’ve shared with Shyam Das, whether singing the glories of Sri Krishna, riding in boats during magical sunsets across the sacred Yamuna River, or visiting ancient temples like Radha Raman and Banke Bihari. It was in Shyam Das’s presence and through his teachings that I have come to have a more intimate and loving relationship with God. In praise of Shyam Das and with the deepest gratitude, the mantra “Radhe Krishna Gopala Krishna” will always be inscribed in my heart. We will always lay flowers at your feet Baba! We love you.
REMEMBERING SHYAMDAS
By Suzanne Bryant
With great sadness I say goodbye to Shyamdas, a dear friend. Over Martin Luther King weekend, in his beloved country of India, Shyamdas was killed in a motorcycle accident.
His passing is a great loss to our community. Shyamdas was a devotional practitioner, author, musician, and ecstatic kirtan master who combined his music with stories and teachings from the path of devotion. Throughout his life, he spoke sincerely from his background as a Vedic scholar. His music, humor, and wisdom will be greatly missed.
Shyamdas travelled to India in 1972 to meet Neem Karoli Baba, then continued to explore the devotional Bhakti lineages of India under the tutelage of His Holiness Goswami Shri Prathameshji, his guru in the Pushti Marg: the Path of Grace. Shyamdas has lived in Vraj, the sacred lands of Shri Radha Krishna, for most of his life and has written and translated many books on devotional subjects.
Shyam was one of the pioneers who brought the tradition of kirtan—as well as his incredible wisdom and knowledge of the teachings of Bhakti (devotion)—to many of the yoga communities.
Sharon Gannon and David Life of Jivamukti Yoga describe the moment they met Shyam:
“One day a wild- looking American man, wearing a dhoti, a white piece of fabric tied around the waist like a skirt, got off a plane from India and walked into our yoga center, changing our lives forever. His name was Shyam Das…Shyam Das asked if he could lead a satsang at our yoga center. He led a wonderful Kirtan-style satsang and had us all singing Krishna’s name with him in call and response.” –Excerpted from “Jivamukti Yoga” by Sharon Gannon and David Life
For myself, without Shyam I would never have known the true essence of Bhakti Yoga. I spent time with him in India traveling around the sacred lands of Vrindavan, land of Krishna. He gave me my spiritual name Sundari at Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram. Our meeting and his essence is captured in my film, Yoga Is: A Transformational Journey.
One of the beautiful moments in my life was the day we were walking past Goverdan Hill – a scared mountain in Vraj, India where Bhakti pervades the air. It is said that Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus all walked this land. Here we visited temples and attended many ceremonies. I had felt this “Bhav” as he loves to refer to (sweetness) in that moment and a pervasive unconditional love. Hours later, Shyam would literally save my life from falling down a well at night.
Shyam opened a doorway for which I will be forever grateful. It is because of this experience I celebrate a morning ceremony/puja in my home each day. Every summer since my trip to India I have spent many memorable moments with him in Woodstock, New York. He has always been full of life and in great spirits. He was continuously bringing people together to celebrate the sacred and joy of living.
An incredible cook and such a character, Shyamdas would daily invite groups over for meals in Satsang. This summer in Nantucket, our time together completed a full circle: He who taught me the art of chanting was now chanting and playing his divine music in my class at the 2012 Nantucket Yoga Festival. That moment made me smile.
My last memories of our time together is the day we spent in August with his friends riding bicycles throughout Nantucket and eating a delicious meal that he had prepared. Of course, he was wearing his dhoti on the bicycle!
He is greatly missed but his spirit will shine on us all. We love you Shyamdas. Much gratitude for all you have brought to our lives.
Suzanne Bryant is a wellness consultant, yoga teacher, and filmmaker. Her first film, Yoga Is, describes her personal journey and search for meaning through yoga. Shyamdas and their time in India together appears in the film: www.yogais.com.
REMEMBERING SHYAMDAS
By Shiva Baum
“You’ve Gotta Be Ready for the Change”
Shyamdas
1953-2013
It is a considerable challenge to come to terms with the sudden loss of one of the pioneers and pillars of the modern Bhakti (Yoga of Devotion) movement in the West, Shyamdas. He passed away on January 20, 2013, in the southern part of India known as Goa, the result of a motorcycle accident.
Born in Connecticut as Stephen Schaffer, his life as a young man took him to India where he met Maharaji (Neem Karoli Baba) in the 1970s while Maharaji was still in the body. Having received Maharaji’s darshan transformed Shyamdas’ life and he became inspired to remain in India long after Maharaji’s mahasamadhi. He became a devout student, scholar, and teacher of the devotional poetry and lineage of Bhakti Yoga, in particular, the aspects of Lord Krishna.
Shyamdas went on to become one of the greatest Western scholar-practitioners of this special aspect of devotion to Lord Krishna known as Sri Vallabhacharya’s Pushti Marg (Path of Grace).
Shyamdas lived continuously in India, traveling back and forth from East to West in a period of time that spanned four decades. His influence on the modern popularization of Kirtan in the West is extraordinary. Considered a dear friend by fellow Neem Karoli Baba devotees and modern devotional chant icons Krishna Das and Jai Uttal, Shyamdas is one among many musical leaders in both the Bhakti and mainstream musical communities (multi-platinum icons Sting and Mike D of the Beastie Boys both claimed Shyamdas as a close friend and confidant) and had dedicated his entire life to sharing these sacred practices and teaching people in the West how to connect with their own soul and heart through the Yoga of devotion.
When the idea for the first-ever multi-day Kirtan festival in the West, known as Bhakti Fest, was conceived, the first leader invited to participate was Shyamdas; his continued involvement in the festival has been an essential component in its ongoing success. Shyamdas was also considered to be the “musical director” of the world-renowned East coast sacred chant festival known as Ecstatic Chant at the Omega Institute. When he wasn’t on tour, Shyamdas had divided his time between living in India and in the upstate New York area of Woodstock.
Fortunately, Shyamdas recorded and released many transformational sacred chant recordings, including “Beloved Chants” (to which Ram Dass gave a loving seal of recommendation) and “Sweet Radhe,” both available on iTunes and Amazon.com
Indeed, he was loved dearly by yoga studios from East to West and by lovers of the Bhakti tradition worldwide. He will be remembered for his great sense of humor, his unquenchable passion for Bhakti, his true nature of including all who wished to share in the sacred wisdom, and for his love of God.
He lived this love up until the very last moments of his life. In learning of Shyamdas’ sudden passing, his friend Radhanath Swami said, “Our hearts have become one in our love and gratitude to Shyamdasji. Now we are left with only our tears to celebrate his beautiful life of love and compassion.”
On January 25th, a sacred ceremony will be held approximately 100 kilometers from Vraj (Brindavan) for his ashes to be received in the Ganges River.
Where the sacred names of the divine are chanted, you will find the presence of Shyamdas there. Always.
In loving service,
Shiva Baum
January 21, 2013
Tribute by the director of the Krishna Das documentary ONE TRACK HEART:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeOooWiT514
Live at Bhakti Fest Midwest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvgVWn72M5Q
Final recorded interview of Shyamdas c/o Mindrolling Podcast:
http://mindrollingpodcast.com/shyamdas-2/
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.