A reminiscence of Swami Swahananda

Swami Sampurnananda <sampurnanandaswami@gmail.com>

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Passing Away of Swami Swahananda ji - some links

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P.S.Kamanat <kamanat@pacific.net.sg>	20 October 2012 18:04
To: Swami Sampurnananda <sampurnanandaswami@gmail.com>
Sri Ramakrishna Charanam Saranam; Sri Sri Ma Dear and Revered Maharaj, I am sorry to hear the mahasamadhi news of Most Revered Srimat Swami Swahananda ji Maharaj of Hollywood Centre. But I am consoling myself thinking that he did not suffer much. Jai Ramakrishna!! Personally, I owe him a lot in my life. Although I have seen him and heard his lecture in seventies at Kalady ashrama during his visit there from Berkely centre, my interaction with him was minimum. But recently, (in 2008) when I visited Hollywood centre, he was very warm and extended an unforgettable welcome to us. He gave me twenty copies each of two of his books ( Monasteries of South India and Swami Shivananda ) to carry back to Singapore. The talk then turned to Tulasi Maharaj and Ottapalam ashrama. He told me that he had visited Ottapalam ashrama two times and had met Vishadananda ji Mj also. Also, he told me he had the good fortune of mingling with many senior Sannyasin-Disciples of Tulasi Mj. He asked lovingly about Tulasi Mj's the original biography whether it is still available in print. When I told that it is now out of print, he asked me to take up the re-printing and re-publishing of the original biography personally. Among many things he told me that day, I still remember this one statement, rather command on publishing that biography, ...."Prakash, before you die and go, you do it and die and go ........" (By the Grace of Bhagavan, now, I could carry out his command, As you know, Tulasi Books has published it in February 2011. I sent a copy to him and he replied his happiness over that). Before we left, he told me that he is going to show something personally to me in his bed-room and asked me to go to his room with him. When I was going with him, Indira asked him, "Why Maharaj, are we not allowed?" After a short pause, he gestured his hands and asked her to follow him with Vedavyas, our son. .... When we entered the bedroom, he said, "...look at this", pointing towards a photograph hanging on the wall next to his bed. It was the original composite photograph published by Udbodhan of the Direct Disciples of Thakur where Tulasi Mj's photo was also included. He continued, "I wanted to show this to you; I always hang this photo of Thakur's Chelas in my room next to my bed and I look at it before I get up and go to bed every day....." When I launched the website, www.vedantaonline.org a few years back, two Swamis from the Mission congratulated me heartily by long letters. One was Swahanandaji. ..... With respectful pranams, Prakash

Vedanta Centre at Austin Consecration by Swami Swahananda

By Sanchali Basu

AUSTIN: I had the good fortune of meeting my guru, Swami Swahananda last Sunday, October 14 when he had come for the opening of Austin Vedanta Society Center. He is 91 years old and has recently been through some health challenges.

Swami Swahananda is the disciple of Swami Vijnanananda who is one of the sixteen direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. He has a huge following of about 2,000 disciples spread all over the world. He received initiation at the tender age of 16 and completed a double M.A.in English Literature and English Language before becoming a monk of the Ramakrishna order at the age of 26. He gave up his career as a lecturer to meditate in the Himalayas and was later made the head of the Delhi Ramakrishna Mission center. He was instrumental in spreading the word of the Vedanta and Swami Vivekananda to the western world by taking leadership roles in the San Francisco, Berkeley and the Hollywood centers since 1968. He has been the minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of Southern California since 1976.

I feel fortunate to have him as my guru. I got initiated into the faith by him on June 10, 2011 and my life has changed since then. In this 150^th year of Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, I appreciate the relevance of his teachings, principles and philosophies more than ever before. I can relate now even more to the importance of the role that my guru and his fellow monks play in bringing about some form of peace and sanity to this modern day world of war, turmoil and unrest. The principle that the Ramakrishna order is based on, “As many faiths, as many paths,” couldn’t ring truer than at these present times, when tolerance by all is what is called for.

Swami Sarvadevananda, the assistant minister of the Hollywood, California center, who had come to Houston to conduct the Durga Puja ceremony (see page 5) encouraged Houstonians to go to Austin. Many fellow devotees had driven from Dallas and flown from India and several monks traveled with the Swami.

The local Austinites had gone to great lengths to attend to everyone’s needs and were very kind and welcoming. They had their puja at the new center the previous day. On Sunday, we listened to a short lecture by Swamiji and participated in a 20-minute meditation session. After lunch was served, we had a chance to interact with our Guru a bit more. That evening there was a short lecture session on Vedanta and a short presentation on Swami Vivekananda by local youngsters.

Swami Swahananda

An important message just received: 

REVERED SWAMI SWAHANANDAJI, a disciple of Swami Vijnananandaji, has passed away peacefully today

at 2:52 PM PST.

He suffered a brain stem stroke on Wednesday morning. After several tests

and consultations with doctors it was determined that his condition was

irreversible and life support was removed per his wishes. He has blessed us

as the head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California since December of

1976.

His body will be on view in his bedroom beginning Saturday, October 20th,

from 11 a.m. until Sunday morning at 8 AM. Devotees who wish to pay their

respects may offer a flower at this time. Chanting and singing will

continue throughout this period. After a brief visit in his room, please

exit to make room for additional devotees. Refreshments will be available

in the puja dining room. You may also join the chanting from outside the

room.

Please check the Vedanta website

http://vedanta.org/<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rHp3Yv9cR2lO5HrMNH0VaW1gajEBBThMmYcIZ40eGJCCrlg9oiZ0nyj9yxKR2wl1EaJRyGhYU7AZbsf7ljeJTJXfXCpj8mf8xQ9jHCRWJVE=>for

notices of the cremation, the cremation service, and the memorial

service. We would greatly appreciate that you avoid calling the centers for

information that is available on the website.

ॐ

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May we follow the spiritual path shown by Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda to reach God, the goal of our lives, and by His power help others also in their struggle to reach Him.

Sri Ramakrishna Bhakti Sutra - A collection of Ramakrishna Quotes on Bhakti compiled by Swami Yatishananda ji

Ramnarayan Maharaj (Swami Yatishananda ji)

My God, this is sudden as sudden could ever be. Oh, my idle mind, wake up, your time is nearing. Give up laziness, get busy with the things you have vowed to do. It could be you anytime. Let not Brother Death, catch you unawares.

Ramnarayan Maharaj, Swami Yatishananda ji, passed away a day back. It came as a surprise that he was 72 years old. He had taken the robes of a Sannyasin in 1972. To us he looked much younger and his manners, still younger. He was cheerful, heartily jumping into the fray with younger people and sometimes singly when younger people too felt like sticking to formal ways. His free spirits propelled him away from the danger of getting stuck up anywhere. You can bet, this bubbling joy-stick, time and again jabbed hard at many smug and stuck-up logjams.

He was active in September Vrindaban function, felt uneasy on return, found he had advanced liver cancer (tumour), was hospitalised, willed himself to die on Ekadashi and yielded to God’s will on Mahalaya eve.

To give a scope for the very few, who wish to pursue a full time spiritual vocation, is a top priority of Sri Ramakrishna’s Mission. A conducive community where young and old alike, feel homely and heartened to lead a holy life is the way of doing it. Such a community needs as its first requisite, a free flow of mutual love like which was set in motion by God Incarnate out of Love for us humans.

Happy and free souls such as our Ramnarayan Maharaj are the signs which show that Mother is always with us.

Flash  : Swami Yatishananda ji (Ramnarayan Maharaj) passed away on 14 October 2012, at about 10.55 pm at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata.  He was 72.  Cremation was done at Belur on 15 October at 9.00 pm.

1. Vrindaban Function : http://www.rkmsvrind.org/Inauguration_Ceremony.pdf
http://www.rkmsvrind.org/Glimpses_of_Public_Function.pdf

2. At Dol Purnima in Belur Math : http://ramakrishnaashrama.blogspot.in/2012/03/swing-festival.html

See official obituary at: http://www.belurmath.org/news_archives/2012/11/08/obituaries-october-2012

A monastic brother, much younger to Ramanarayan Maharaj, but a close friend of him, recalls that he had heard from him that Maharaj had performed Durga Puja fourteen or fifteen times either as Tantradharak or as Pujari. It was significant that he passed away on Mahalaya day. Was he in a rush to meet his Mother?
He had performed Kali Puja too more often than Durga Puja.