Ramakrishna Keralam - His Master's Tool - Swami Parananda

Ramakrishna Keralam

(The Story of How Sri Ramakrishna made Kerala His Own)

His Master’s Tool

Trivandrum (1)

From time before Time,

there was this God, doing this same play.

God has been at it and is at it,

this game of pulling strings;

Strings unseen to which are attached puppets,

me, you and all who are here with us.

Do I have a say in my own affairs,

as I very often think I have,

                        But sometimes doubt?

What about others?

Do they have a say in their own affairs?

Are we all playing to a script?

Maybe we all have some freedom,

to do a little improvisation

for good or for bad...

Well, God is surely always up to something.

Once upon a time, not too far back, sometime in 1904-05, there was an honest officer of the Travancore Kingdom, by name Padmanabhan Tampi.

He had an equally good brother who was a doctor too, Dr Raman Tampi.

In their midst came one Kalipada Ghosh, an able executive of M/s. Dickinson’s & Co. of Calcutta. Perhaps they talked business first and then Tampi mentioned to Ghosh that he had heard a lot about one good man in Calcutta, by name Keshab Chandra Sen. This touched a deep chord in Kalipada’s heart.

Kalipada had been a deeply drenched drunkard who had been made into a saintly man by the touch of Sri Ramakrishna. He burst forth into a moving description of his Great Guru, from whom Keshab Sen himself, had derived inspiration. His passion and fervour moved deep strings in the hearts of his listeners.

Remember the string-puller above?

Kalipada Ghosh then informed them that a disciple of Ramakrishna, by name Swami Ramakrishnananda, was residing in South India at Madras.

His Master’s Tool

Trivandrum (2)

Little Padmanabhan, it is obvious, learnt Truthfulness and about the value of honest labour at his mother’s knee and under his father’s gaze.

The Tampi brothers were well educated too and the elder one was in a responsible position in Travancore when a potential social conflagration was forming as Sri Narayana Guru set up a Shiva temple at Aruvipuram, telling belligerent orthodox Nambudiris not to bother since he was worshipping a lower caste, Ezhava Shiva and not their Nambudiri Shiva. From reliable accounts, we come to know that Padmanabhan played quite a significant role in keeping the situation in check.  This shows his courage of conviction as well as ability.

This sincere soul was in a state of readiness to catch any living spark. Kalipada Ghosh’s fervent talk about Sri Ramakrishna lit this enthusiasm. Ghosh and Tampi wasted no time in inviting Swami Ramakrishnananda to Trivandrum.

The Swami came, stayed for about a month in 1904 and held classes, which kindled the fire and spread it around. Padmanabhan Tampi went to Madras sometimes and when he asked to be initiated by Swami Ramakrishnananda, he was advised to go to Puri and get initiated by Swami Brahmananda. Sri K. Padmanabhan Tampi is held to be the first person from Kerala to be initiated by Swami Brahmananda. More were to follow.

The Spiritual counsel of Swami Ramakrishnananda and Swami Brahmananda and proximity with them kept the Tampi brothers and a group of people around them aflame with spiritual fervour and devotion. And it was not an idle devotion. They formed societies in different places. Today we know only about three places. Trivandrum, Tiruvalla and Haripad

.

His Master’s Tool

…. In Waiting for 1911 (3)

Now some quiet times come. Not much seems to have happened till 1911, when Haripad sprang forth in exuberance with graceful and grand sounds and light.

But, was there really a vacuum? Did 1911 spring up from a void? No. Many things were happening. Padmanabhan Tampi was the livewire in every place. There were enthusiastic and enterprising people in Trivandrum, Tiruvalla and Haripad but things moved where Padmanabhan was. He was the President of Trivandrum Society (of Devotees of Ramakrishna Mission). He was the prime mover in bringing Swami Ramakrishnananda to Trivandrum. We may take it that the Swami had left clear instructions to the devotees as to how to meet often and keep up their devotion. That the instructions were followed with fervour is also clear from the formation of Societies in various places in Travancore.

But Padmanabhan Tampi had to go away from Trivandrum on transfer Order from the Government. He became the sub-magistrate in Haripad. Now Haripad became the place where things were happening more. Trivandrum did not lag behind much, though. The younger Tampi, the Doctor, became the President and he did what he could. In between we see Swami Ramakrishnananda visiting Alleppey near Haripad and starting a school. Padmanabhan Tampi might have played some role in this visit. Devotees started to gather in Haripad and Tiruvalla. We mention some, Seshadri Iyer, Venkita Subrahmanya Iyer, Subbaraya Iyer, Neelakantan Namboodri, etc.

During these years Padmanabhan Tampi visited Puri and had initiation from Swami Brahmananda. He spread the message to others about Swami Brahmananda and Swami Ramakrishnananda.

Sri Ramakrishna was just sitting content in His devotees’ hearts, savouring their great love. 

(will be continued, God Willing ..)

(I am thankful to many unknown good souls who have put these pics. out in the World wide Web. I propose to give their links and say a few words of appreciation about them later)

My Musings on a Musical Monk - Our Beloved Karthick Maharaj (Swami Tadgatananda)

Karthick Maharaj had many musical instruments with him. He sang Bhajans, could play Harmonium, Tarshehnai, Sitar, Violin, Mouth-organ and what-not; he was Jack-of-all (master-of-none, some would add).

He played them well?

Yes, I presume. He could play them on-stage and win repeated invitations. He could speak on-stage in English, Hindi and Bengali (and perhaps in Oriya too, that being his mother language). I think, he sometimes sang in the middle of his talks, like I do.

    

I asked him why he does his music in this varied way. He replied he cannot keep his thoughts on God and goodness if he does not keep trying different things.

Well, Sri Ramakrishna, sure, was fond of him.

I too am, except for one thing, for which I am yet undecided if I should excuse him.

King Ashoka of Pataliputra wore two hats, one as secular Emperor and the other as  religious head. I would say, Kartick Maharaj inherited the latter headship.

He wore it all right. He ably controlled the usual tendency of hatted heads to grow and wobble with alarming top heaviness, scaring their sacred hats into jerking off from atop heads, the head finally falling off amidst confusion and clamor.

His Headship avoided that and surrendered calmly to cancer.

He was the most musical monk of the Order. Most people have no complaints about him, but not me. He half-promised me  a good Scale-changer Harmonium but has gone away last night at 1.30 a.m. during the seven scoreth (140^th) anniversary  of the communion of Shodashi Sarada Devi with Sadhaka Ramakrishna.

Maybe I will forgive him when I get that Harmonium.

Hari Om Ramakrishna

Posted in the late morning of 21st May 2012

See http://www.belurmath.org/news_archives/2012/06/08/obituary-may-2012/
for official obituary

See also
http://islamicstudiesassociation.blogspot.in/2008_02_01_archive.html

Passing away of Swami Jagannathananda ji and Swami Jnanarupananda ji and Swami Shuddhavratananda ji

My pranams to these noble souls. For details go to

http://www.belurmath.org/news_archives/2012/05/18/obituaries-april-2012/

Br. Nitya Chaitanya

American Vedantist pays tribute to Br. Nitya Chaitanya

http://americanvedantist.org/2010/news-reports/nitya-chaitanya-passes-away-in-hollywood-at-age-80/


                                          Nitya 1930-2010
                                   Brahmachari Nitya Chaitanya
Early Life

Brahmachari Nitya Chaitanya, known affectionately as “Nitya” by his friends, passed away on Nov
21st 2010 at 3:00 PM PST. Born James Edward Smith to Major and Mrs. Robert Smith in Washing-
ton D.C. on Jan 31st, 1930, he graduated from Battle Creek High School in Michigan. He worked as a forest ranger and a bank executive before joining.

Spiritual Path

When he was 19 he moved to New York where he came into contact with the Quakers and began
meditating or “sitting.” After a year in New York, he continued with a prayer group in Colorado,
which was about 50% Quaker. It was while he was with this Colorado group that he first came
across books on spiritual life and met Mary Enholm, who had lived at Trabuco College when Gerald
Heard was there. This led to an interest in the writings of Gerald Heard and Vedanta. He moved to
San Francisco in the 50_s. He attended the Vedanta Society of Northern California at the San Francisco temple and periodically would come to Los Angeles to attend services here.

Life in Vedanta

He joined the Ramakrishna Order at the Vedanta Society of Southern California in Jan 1965 and initiated by Swami Prabhavananda. He took Brahmacharya vows on Aug 14, 1971. He spent most of his monastic years at the Hollywood center doing work in Vedanta Press and Vedanta Bookshop along with the usual monastic routines. He regularly lectured on Sundays for
many years and continued as a back-up speaker for several more. Until very recently, he was the substitute presider for the Gospel classes on Wednesday evenings.

Br. Nitya Chaitanya - Immersion of his ashes

Swamis and Brahmacharins of Ramakrishna Mission

Swamis of the Ramakrishna Mission - we are about two thousand today. Every year on the average more than forty keep entering into our midst. A few leave and some, say about ten, disappear into death. We rejoice on their entry, and sorrow a bit when they leave the fold. But when the last ten go, we do both,  grieve. and rejoice. - grief at their going and a  sensation of happiness over a life well-lived.

I pay my respects to five of them now. I knew them in varying degrees ranging from little to nothing. Mind you, I said, we number about two thosand, and we stay dispersed all over the globe. We are each immersed in our business but there is a common blood coursing through all our bodies and minds and that goes by the name of Ramakrishna Vedanta. This blood is no inert physical blood but a living energy  bringing pulsating news of one to another.

This group of monastic brothers has been declared to be the present physical body of Sri Ramakrishna.

When you look at somebody you almost always look at his face, other parts just a bit, and many parts not at all. There are many well-known names in our group who are like the face of this body, but there are many, many others who form the most of the body, the heart, brain and other vital organs. And these  are the ones hold the face forward. They are all called the Swamis and Brahmacharins of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Today I salute Swami Jnanaghanananda,  Swami Anuktananda, Swami Jagannathananda, Swami Jnanarupaanda and Brahmachari Nityachaitanya of Hollywood

Passing away of Swami Jnanaghanananda and Swami Anuktananda

Read here http://www.belurmath.org/news_archives/2012/04/10/obituaries-march-2012/



for details of Passing away of 
Swami Jnanaghanananda ji (Sisir Maharaj) and 


Swami Anuktananda ji (Sudhangshu Maharaj)