How often man suffers with habits that are known to be die hard, following one like a monster, chasing him vouching to exterminate his being. And he is often led to believe in the maxim, old habits die hard. Proving the age old maxim wrong, here we have a die-hard addict who put an instant full stop to smoking which was till then a habit supposedly “die hard”. What prompted him to bid farewell to this Old “mighty” Friend? Read on as chronicled by Mr. T. Santhanam in the May, 1979 issue of Sanathana Sarathi.

"Habits die hard!" that is the famous saying. Smoking is one such habit that overtook humans all over the world.

The writer was subjected to this nasty habit for about 25 years. It started as fun but continued to stay. Consumption which was originally 3 to 4 cigarettes a day slowly increased to 20 to 30 a day.

The D Day was a Thursday, 21st September 1978. It was my beloved Swami's Day. I had just then (it was about 11.20 a.m.) bought a pack of Cigarettes and smoked one, as usual, and went straight to my friend who is also a Devotee of Swami and my well wisher.

He asked me to sit down before him and told me, that he had a vision of Swami that morning, while doing Puja and Swami told him to tell me, that I should give up smoking forthwith. This was my beloved Swami's command, and as a Devotee, I am bound to obey it implicitly. I told my friend that I will not touch a cigarette from that moment if it is Swami's will.

I prostrated before Swami's photograph in my Puja room next day, and requested Him to kill the instinct in me and that I shall succeed. The next few days that followed I need not describe the mental torture and uneasiness I had to undergo. Smokers know it better. With Swami's grace, I did it. For one full week, it was really mental agony and a vacuum. The world seemed to have lost its charm for me without my good old friend the Cigarette.

Temptation, Frustration, Anger, Confusion; all of them overtook me. I resisted... At one point at the end of that week something in me went to the extent of defying Swami. I resisted. I never yielded to pressure. Prayers to Swami continued unabated. I prayed to Swami intensively. Prayed, Prayed and Prayed.

I succeeded. Swami's Grace has won. Today 21st March 1979, it is full six months since I bade farewell to my friend. I have passed all the Danger zones, and there is practically no chance for me to start smoking again.

What a relief? ...How much of money saved! What an improvement in Health! Last, but not the least what a smile on my wife's face.

I and my family thanked Swami with all our Hearts.

I will be the happiest person in the world, if at least one of my brethren among the devotees, who is chained to this habit of smoking, gives it up immediately, after reading my experience.

Do not lose heart, Swami is always with you. He answered my call when I was struggling. You will succeed. No doubt about it. That is my humble request to all who smoke.