Responses from Gandhi family members re: ashes at Lake Shrine
Arun Gandhi ( gandhi@cbu.edu )
"Nothing about Gandhi belonged to the family except his name. His ashes were indeed disbursed by the
Government of India to various people. I have heard that the Yogananda Ashram claims to have his ashes which is strange because if Yogananda is a true Yogi and a true Hindu he should know that ashes of people eminent or otherwise are never kept. They must be immersed in a body of water. Someone said to me they only have the urn that once contained the ashes but I don't know what is true. There isn't anything the family can do about this because God knows where all his ashes have been distributed and how many of them speak the truth and how many of them are lying. Gandhi met with Yogananda but he never had a Guru. He belived in Japa and Rama."
Tushar A Gandhi (contactus @ mahatma.org )
"After the funeral of Gandhiji many people collected ashes from the funeral pyre. Some people took urns containing the ashes of Mahatma to various places in India and the world to immerse them in bodies of water in thoses locations. Some people renegaded on this and have kept the ashes as collectibles. The one in Los Angeles is one of these kinds. Swami Yogananda had spent few days with the Mahatma at his Ashram in Central India, they had talked about Gandhi's theories of diet and the Swamy's belief in yoga and spirituality but I have not come across any reference to whether the Mahatma practiced Kriya Yoga.
During his youth Gandhi had been influenced by a Jain thinker Rajchandra Bhai but in Gandhi's worship he never came across some one whom he could call his Guru, so Gandhiji himself did not give anybody the credit for being his Guru.
As far as the ashes kept in Los Angeles are concerned, the family would wish that they are immersed in the Pacific Ocean because it is against Hindu Religious practice to keep the ashes of a departed soul for display."
Arun Gandhi ( gandhi@cbu.edu )
"Nothing about Gandhi belonged to the family except his name. His ashes were indeed disbursed by the
Government of India to various people. I have heard that the Yogananda Ashram claims to have his ashes which is strange because if Yogananda is a true Yogi and a true Hindu he should know that ashes of people eminent or otherwise are never kept. They must be immersed in a body of water. Someone said to me they only have the urn that once contained the ashes but I don't know what is true. There isn't anything the family can do about this because God knows where all his ashes have been distributed and how many of them speak the truth and how many of them are lying. Gandhi met with Yogananda but he never had a Guru. He belived in Japa and Rama."
Tushar A Gandhi (contactus @ mahatma.org )
"After the funeral of Gandhiji many people collected ashes from the funeral pyre. Some people took urns containing the ashes of Mahatma to various places in India and the world to immerse them in bodies of water in thoses locations. Some people renegaded on this and have kept the ashes as collectibles. The one in Los Angeles is one of these kinds. Swami Yogananda had spent few days with the Mahatma at his Ashram in Central India, they had talked about Gandhi's theories of diet and the Swamy's belief in yoga and spirituality but I have not come across any reference to whether the Mahatma practiced Kriya Yoga.
During his youth Gandhi had been influenced by a Jain thinker Rajchandra Bhai but in Gandhi's worship he never came across some one whom he could call his Guru, so Gandhiji himself did not give anybody the credit for being his Guru.
As far as the ashes kept in Los Angeles are concerned, the family would wish that they are immersed in the Pacific Ocean because it is against Hindu Religious practice to keep the ashes of a departed soul for display."
