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The sad news of the mahasamadhi of our dear and revered President Srimat Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj on Sunday, 18 June, was communicated to our centres on the same day. Revered Maharaj had been undergoing treatment at Seva Pratishthan since 21 February 2015 (for more than two years) for old-age ailments. In February and April 2016 his health condition became quite critical: In February owing to urinary tract infection with high fever and episodes of low blood pressure, and in April owing to infection in chest and urinary tract. On both these occasions, his health condition was stabilized with intensive medical care. Subsequently, on 14 June 2017, the double J stent in his left ureter was replaced. Although Maharaj’s health was stable after this procedure, his condition started deteriorating on 17 June and, on the following day, he passed away owing to septic shock and multi-organ failure at 5:30 pm. He was 98. The news was broadcast over radio and television the same night and published in several newspapers of India and Bangladesh the following morning. The body of Revered Maharaj was brought to Belur Math at 9.25 pm on 18 June and was kept in the Cultural Hall behind President Maharaj’s quarters. A large number of our monastic brothers from branch centres, and thousands of disciples, devotees, admirers and friends, estimated at 50,000, thronged the Math premises throughout the night and the next day to pay their last respects and homage. On the 19th at 8.10 pm, the body of Revered Maharaj was taken in a procession to the courtyard in front of the Math Office and kept on a high platform in a decorated pandal till 9 pm. It was then carried in a procession to President Maharaj’s quarters stopping on the way for a short time in front of each temple at the Math. When the procession reached President Maharaj’s quarters, the body was kept there for a while and a 21-gun salute was accorded by the West Bengal Police as a mark of respect to Revered Maharaj, at the instance of West Bengal Chief Minister. The last rites of cremation started at 10 pm and were over by 1.30 am. Despite showers in the evening which continued up to late night, a large number of monks and devotees stayed till the end of cremation rites. Condolence messages were received from many dignitaries and institutions, among them the following may be mentioned: Sri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India; Sri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India; Sri Tathagata Roy, Governor of Tripura; Ms Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal; Sri Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Tripura; Sri H Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka; Sadhu Keshavjivandas, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad; Sri Mohan Bhagawat, Chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; Divine Life Society of South Africa, Durban; ISKCON, Mayapur; Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari; Brahma Kumaris, Kolkata office; and Sivananda Ashram, Ahmedabad. Special worship and bhandara in memory of Revered Maharaj were held at Belur Math on Friday, 30 June. Devotees thronged the Math in large numbers from the early hours of the day. Prasad was served to about 52,000 devotees. Swami Smarananandaji presided over the memorial meeting held in the afternoon. An estimated 85,000 people visited the Math that day. Memorial Meeting Photo Gallery.
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http://media.belurmath.org/news-bulletin-01-july-2017-1209#sthash.2SKhNXen.dpuf
Known in his pre-monastic life as Satyakrishna Bhattacharya, Swami Atmasthanandaji was born on the holy Buddha Purnima day in May 1919, at Sabajpur, near Dhaka. He received mantra diksha from Swami Vijnananandaji Maharaj in 1938 and joined the Ramakrishna Order at Belur Math on 3 January 1941 at the age of 22 years. In 1945, he received from Swami Virajanandaji Maharaj, the sixth President of the Order, Brahmacharya vows, and in 1949, Sannyasa ordination. After serving the Order at Belur Math and the branches at Deoghar (Vidyapith) and Mayavati (Advaita Ashrama), he got the opportunity to serve Swami Virajanandaji Maharaj, the then President of the Order, for a long time. He spent several years in his holy company in the solitude of Shyamla Tal Ashrama in the Himalayas. In 1952, he was posted to Ranchi TB Sanatorium where he served as its Assistant Secretary. He worked hard to expand the Sanatorium’s services in many ways. He was sent to Rangoon (Yangon) Sevashrama as its Secretary in 1958. He developed the Sevashrama hospital, and it soon became the best hospital in Burma (Myanmar) at that time. When military rulers took over Rangoon Sevashrama, he returned to India in 1965. He was posted to Rajkot branch as its head in 1966. The beautiful temple of Sri Ramakrishna at Rajkot Ashrama was built during his tenure on his initiative. He was elected a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and Member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission in 1973. In 1975, he was appointed an Assistant Secretary of the twin organizations. He became the General Secretary of the Math and Mission in 1992 and continued to be in that post for five years till 1997 when he became a Vice-President of the Order. He was elected President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission on 3 December 2007. Swami Atmasthanandaji travelled extensively in various parts of the country and visited many branches of the Order and some unaffiliated centres. In 1998, he visited various places in the USA, Canada, Japan and Singapore. He also went to Malaysia, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at different times. In all those places, he spread the message of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and Vedanta. Among his several contributions to the development of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission’s service programmes the following deserve special mention. The Integrated Rural Development Project, known as “Pallimangal” which introduced the ideas of self-employment and women’s self-empowerment in rural areas in and around Kamarpukur and Jayrambati, owes its existence to his initiative and persistent effort. The “Samaj Sevak Sikshana Mandira”, attached to Saradapitha, is another project started by him to impart training to village youths in various trades, rural development and leadership skills. It was his initiative which saw the birth of Pre-Probationers’ Training Centre (PPTC) at Belur Math as a potential joining centre for novices. With the construction of “Arogya Bhavan” in Belur Math he fulfilled the longstanding need for a monastic home to take care of old and ailing sadhus. He was the Secretary in charge of Relief & Rehabilitation department at the Headquarters for 17 long years. During his tenure he reorganized the department and transformed its ad hoc mode of functioning into a permanent institution with its own funds and infrastructural facilities. Under his stewardship, massive relief and rehabilitation operations were conducted in various parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. He will be remembered for his dynamic leadership, efficiency in administration with a capacity for making quick and daring decisions, and above all, for his deep concern for the poor and the underprivileged. Manliness, openness and love were the hallmarks of his personality. His wit and humour and contagious positive energy won him the love and admiration of all those who came in contact with him. His devotion and dedication to the Divine Cause of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda were exemplary and a great inspiration to the followers of the Ramakrishna Ideal. His mahasamadhi has left a huge void that is difficult to fill. In him the Order has lost an inspirational leader.
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http://media.belurmath.org/news-bulletin-01-july-2017-1209#sthash.2SKhNXen.dpuf
