Swami Damodarananda - the unlikely Swimmer

He had it up in his sleeves and he had it well hidden. He fooled them all, cctv included. 

Was it the right thing to do have done? Well, the debate goes on ..and on and on .. 

.. a year and a fortnight have passed since he puled the wool over many eyes. If he had been around now, we may safely guess that  he would be lying bed-ridden somewhere, doing a slow steady slog and deteriorating at too slow a pace for his liking. 

It would be a Shewag attempting to play like Dravid. There had been instances when Dravid played like Shewag but I cannot recollect anything like the other way round. So in hindsight, it seems okay that Damodarananda ji did what he finally did. 

I was told that his body was found somewhere off the Jagannath Ghat; not near Swamiji's Ghat as some would have it, nor on the other side of the Ganga as Swami Atmarupananda ji reported,but he did swim that pre-dawn. He had it on his terms and accomplished his purpose and swimmingly so; swimming for a creditable distance, considering his age, though it might not have been about the half-way mark of Ganges as it was initially thought by some. 

His spirited pottering about all over the Belur Math grounds, good natured greetings and conversations, his scores of day-to-day sweet mannerisms, will stand out in memory for a long time.

Hari Om Ramakrishna

From http://www.belurmath.org/news_archives/tag/obituary/

Swami Damodaranandaji (Shrinivas Maharaj), aged 95, breathed his last on the morning of 13 July. Till the previous evening he was quite happy and followed his daily routine cheerfully. On the 13th, he was missing from his room in the morning. After a search his dead body was found floating on the Ganges near Swamiji’s Ghat at about 9.45 am. An initiated disciple of Swami Virajanandaji Maharaj, he joined the Order at Bangalore Math in 1940 and had Sannyasa from his Guru in 1950. Besides his joining centre, he served at Lahore and Rangoon Society centres (formerly our branch centres), Delhi (for a short period), Vrindaban and Singapore centres. Thereafter, he was sent to Fiji centre in 1976 as an assistant. In 1985 he was appointed head of that centre and served there till 1999. Subsequently, he was engaged in preaching Vedanta in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, etc for about 8 years (2000-2001 and 2004-2011). He had been living a retired life at Ulsoor and Belur Math for the last three years. Meticulous in his monastic routine, he endeared himself to all by his cheerful and sweet nature.

Swami Purushananda - Swami Dhruveshananda - Swami Sevananda - Swami Atmakamananda - Swami Shantarupananda - Swami Paratmananda

Swami Purushananda ji (Dulal Maharaj) passed away on 24 August, 2014. 

Initiated by Swami Shankaranandaji, he joined the Order in 1952 at Deoghar centre and had Sannyasa from Swami Vishuddhanandaji in 1962.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Puri Mission, Manasadwip, Purulia, Lucknow, Balaram Mandir, Tamluk, Kankurgachhi and Barasat Math in various capacities. He also served Swami Nirvananandaji for about two years.  He had been living a retired life mainly at Kankurgachhi, Barasat and Belur Math for several years. 

Swami Dhruveshwarananda ji (Ganesh Maharaj) passed away on 27 May 2014. He was 71.

Initiated by Swami Madhavananda ji, he joined the Order in 1963 at Varanasi Home of Service and had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwarananda ji in 1973.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Ranchi Morabadi, Malda, Asansol, Patna and Deoghar centres.  He also participated in drought relief work in Hazaribagh district from January to March 1969.  He had been living a retired life at Belur Math since December 2012.  

Swami Sevananda ji (Shivaprasadan Maharaj) expired on 28 May 2015. He was 77.  Initiated by Swami Madhavanandaji, he joined the Order in 1963 at Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, and had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwaranandaji in 1973.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Belur Math dispensary and Ranchi Morabadi, Trivandrum, Kanpur, Quilandy and Kochi centres in various capacities. He had been living a retired life mainly at Thrissur and Ulsoor centres since April 2006.

Swami Atmakamananda ji (Haralal Maharaj) passed away on 21 July at 4.30 pm at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata.  He was 86. Before the end came, he suddenly uttered “Om” thrice and breathed his last. Initiated by Swami Yatishwaranandaji, he joined the Order in 1959 at Rangoon Sevashrama  and had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwarananda ji Maharaj in 1967.  He was a sevak of Swami Vireshwaranandaji during the latter’s entire tenure of Presidentship.  He had been living a retired life at Belur Math for several years.  The Swami was affectionate and jovial by nature.

                                                               

                                                                   

Swami Shantarupananda ji (Viswanath Maharaj), of Portland Centre, USA, passed away at a hospital in Santa Rosa, California, on 10 June at 7.25 pm local time  He was 70 years old. 

Initiated by Swami Madhavananda ji, he joined the Order in 1965 at Saradapitha, where he served as hostel warden of Vidyamandira (Arts & Science College).  He had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwarananda ji in 1974.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Advaita Ashrama (Kolkata), Baghbazar, Barasat, Narottam Nagar, Cherrapunji, Aalo, and finally Portland centre in various capcities.

Swami Paratmananda ji (Gangadhar Maharaj) expired on 13 June at 10.15 pm. He was 67 years old.  Initiated by Swami Vireshwarananda ji, he joined the Order in 1969 at Mysore Ashrama, and had Sannyasa from his Guru in 1979.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Visakhapatnam, Jammu and Srinagar centres in various capacities. Since August 2014 he had been staying mainly at Bangalore Math for his medical treatment.  Affectionate and calm and quiet by nature, the Swami was known for doing his work meticulously.

Swami Asitananda ji (Clair Maharaj of San Francisco centre)

Swami Asitananda ji (Clair Maharaj of San Francisco centre) passed away in Kaiser Hospital at San Rafael, near San Francisco, USA, on 4 March at 7.30 am local time.He was 88.

Initiated by Swami Ashokananda ji, he joined the Order in 1947 at San Francisco centre.  In 1950-51, he went to the newly purchased land in Sacramento, where he stayed until 1966, helping to transform that barren land into a flourishing Vedanta centre with well-equipped monastery, worship hall, library, extensive gardens and other facilities.  In 1966 he went to San Francisco centre’s Vedanta Retreat at Olema, where again he undertook many important tasks, such as the supervision of the construction of the women’s retreat house, and the design and supervision of the renovation of the men’s retreat house.  He had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwarananda ji in 1973.  The Swami was a good spiritual counselor and a poet too. He was an engineer by training.

Here is one of his poems : 

A Christmas Wish - 

Merry Christmas

      Ages ago on a deep winter night,

      marked by a star exceedingly bright.

      A virgin gave birth to one long sought,

      to lift humanity into spiritual light.

                                In the present time of humanities need,

                                a deep spiritual current is flowing.

                             
                                Come!

                                Let's go for a swim!

                                                             Happy New Year!





Here is one more from American Vedantist : http://americanvedantist.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Vol_7_No_1.pdf

Awake 

Lost in this worldly dream 
distractions all around. 
Struggling to survive 
just about to drown. 
Awake— 
it is not what it seems. 
This world is alive, 
consciousness everywhere. 
Lift the veil and see 
all are related to you and me! —

Swami Asitananda

May a spiritual aspirant eat meat? 

Max Langley wrote - (see : http://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology_list.indology.info/1997-February/006897.html )

Swami Asitananda of the Vedanta Society of Northern California in San Francisco once pointed out to me that one must put such questions in a proper perspective. The Sugata, Siddharta Gotama, marked the end of the Vedic period. It is clear from the Upanishads that recluses forwent meat.It was only in the struggle for religious, and eventually political, domination of the Indian subcontinent after the passing of the Buddha by his disciples and their successors that many reforms were compelled in line with the teaching of the Buddha and sangha. Among the reforms was the institution of vegetarianism outside of renunciate circles, Brahmans having previously eaten meat, probably beef also in some areas. I suspect that the beef-taboo in conjunction with cow veneration is not altogether primeval in India.

This cannot be the whole story. The early sangha ate _anything_ that fell into their begging-bowls - even the finger of a leper, it is said --, and at least one tradition has it that the illness that caused the death of the Tathagata was caused by His eating of contaminated pork.

Brahmachari Anandachaitanya (Ananda chaitanya) (Dell a.k.a. Orval)

Western Vedantins very often seem to be more sturdy than us.

Take the case of Brahmachari Anandachaitanya who passed away on 12 September 2014. 

He was 93 years old. 

Orval a.k.a. Dell took initiation from Swami Ashokananda (a disciple of Swami Vivekananda like Paul was a disciple of Jesus). He joined the Order under his Guru in San Francisco in 1949 but shifted to Sacramento in 1951. He remained here for the rest of his life. He had Brahmacharya ordination in the year 1959 and received the name Anandachaitanya (Ananda Chaitanya) from his Guru. He was a master of many things and played a key part in the construction of the shrine and all the buildings that came up in the Sacramento centre. His official Obituary states : 'All who came in contact with him were drawn by his gentle, quiet and unassuming manners and his utter dedication to the work of the Order'. He seemed to have felt that his Guru had given him everything in his initiation and ordination as a lifelong Brahmacharin. He never took monastic robes. Like Jnan Maharaj, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda, he chose to remain a Brahmachari all his life. 

May his tribe thrive ! May we have more and more Western Vedantins like Swami Atulananda, Swami Vidyatmananda, Br. Nityachaaitanya and Br. Anandachaitanya.

Swami Jinananda - Swami Madhusudananda - Swami Harishananda

Swami Jinananda ji (Amal Maharaj) passed away  30 September 2014. I was surprised to know that he was 97. To me he looked at least 10 years younger. Initiated by Swami Virajananda ji, he joined the Order in 1948 at Delhi centre and had Sannyasa from Swami Shankarananda ji in 1957.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Belur Math and Rahara, Deoghar, Purulia, Jayrambati, Asansol, Bhubaneswar, Kalimpong, Chandipur, Shillong, Taki, Puri Math and Varanasi Home of Service centres.  He had been living maiinly at Belur Math since 1991.  The Swami was simple and friendly by nature.

Swami Madhusudanananda ji (Gopal / Harinarayan Maharaj) passed away on 22 May 2015 at our Vrindaban hospital. He was 82. Initiated by Swami Shankarananda ji, he joined the Order in 1953 at Taki centre and had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwarananda ji in 1966.  After serving at his joining centre for six years, he spent the rest of his monastic life at Vrindaban centre.  The Swami was a good singer.

Swami Harishananda ji (Manatosh Maharaj) passed away on 21 April 2015 at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata.  He was 67.Initiated by Swami Nirvanananda ji, he joined the Order in 1974 at Saradapitha, Belur, and had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwarananda ji in 1984.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Malda, Asansol, Almora, Karimganj, Jayrambati and Cooch Behar centres.  He had been living at Belur Math for about five years.  

He used to sit opposite me in the Monks' Dining Hall in Belur Math where 'disabled' people like me were provided with chair and desk. He was mild mannered and spoke little but did that softly.

Swami Shivanathananda ji and Swami Mangalananda ji

Swami Shivanathananda ji (Srikanta Maharaj of Rajarhat Bishnupur centre) expired on 8 March 2014. He was 75. He was a very senior Gurubrata of mine, having been Initiated by Swami Vireshwarananda ji. He joined the Order at Sarisha centre in 1972 and had Sannyasa from his Guru in 1982.  He was the headmaster of our Sarisha boys’ school for several years.  Besides Sarisha centre, he served at our centres at Koalpara, Sargachhi and Rajarhat, Bishnupur.

Swami Mangalananda ji (Mahesh Maharaj) passed away at Kankhal Sevashrama on 14 February at 11.07 am.  He was 83. Initiated by Swami Vishuddhanandaji, he joined the Order in 1955 at Kankhal centre and had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwaranandaji in 1966.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Belur Math and Kanpur, Ramharipur and Seva Pratishthan, Malda and Patna centres in various capacities.  He had been living a retired life at Kankhal Sevashrama since 2004.  He was a simple, hardworking monk.