devotion" (bhakti marga) to describe spiritual life. To some devotees he would say: "You can win over anything with devotion. If God can be won over by devotion, rest assured that anything can be won by devotion. You have to come from devotion to practice meditation. Only then will you get Self realization. You should begin meditation with devotion. Chanting and bhajans are for devotion. They are the start for the spiritual path. Just like you go for the first class in primary school. It’s like that. Prayer, bhajans, homa, japa and all these things help you develop further and further on the spiritual path. Gradually they will bring you into the line of meditation." When people asked for blessings and healing, Shivabalayogi typically gave them blessed vibhuti (ash), which symbolizes the formless Divine and is meant to encourage faith on the part of the devotee. Giving prasadam (blessed food) was also very important for him, and devotees often arranged for mass feedings of thousands of people. Shri Swamiji once explained the importance of mass feedings as follows: "Look if you eat at a restaurant then it is simply food. But when the food is offered to God it becomes prasadam. During mass feedings if someone contributes even a little food to the occasion, that person’s bhava (the feelings of the mind) will be purified with this thought, 'May my little contribution be helpful in the feeding of the poor and needy.'" Book The spiritual teachings of Sri Sivabala Yogi have been published in the book Laghu Guru Upanishad: Spiritual Teachings of Sri Sivabala Yogi. Death Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj passed on, or "entered Mahasamadhi", in Kakinada, India, on March 28, 1994. Although it was not evident to onlookers, he had been on dialysis since 1991 and for some fifteen years he suffered from diabetes and an injured foot which became infected and never healed. Throughout this time he worked to inspire people on the spiritual path. Shivabalayogi often told devotees that yogis do not "die" in the ordinary sense. They drop their physical bodies through mahasamadhi (the great samadhi), but their presence remains available. "If I am not within the bounds of my body I am more available to you", and he often gave Jesus as an example. On April 2, 1994, his body was interred at the ashram in Adivarapupeta near the place where he sat for almost ten