Lives Well Lived

Sunday, August 9, 2015

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.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

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.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Monks of Ramakrishna Mission - Swami Devadevananda ji (Chandan Maharaj), Swami Puranananda ji (Sunil Maharaj) and Swami Divyajnanananda ji (Uday Maharaj) - My Homage

Swami Devadevananda ji (Chandan Maharaj) had passed away on 7 February 2014. He was 86 and despite suffering from chronic kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension for quite some years, was so filled with the Spirit of service, that he was insistent on continuing to serve the people and to lead an active life. Some would say he was loath to give up the life of an active leader of men. It took some efforts from others to convince him that it was better for him and all, if he reduced his services a bit. Initiated by Swami Shankarananda ji, he joined the Order in 1954 at Karimganj centre and had Sannyasa from Swami Madhavananda ji in 1963. Besides his joining centre, he served at Saradapitha, Shillong, Kamarpukur and Silchar centres in multifarious roles. When finally people could convince him to retire, he lived a contented retired life for three years at Jayrambati and Belur Math. The Swami was a jolly man and people generally liked him. He was interested in music and could not only sing well but compose songs too. Among his compositions, the song beginning with words Jaya Jaya Ramakrishna, Ramakrishna, Bolo Badane, Emon Madhur Naam Aar Paabi Ne in Bengali has become quite popular. He continues to live in his songs.

Hari Om Ramakrishna.

Swami Puranananda ji (Sunil Maharaj) expired on 12 February 2014. He was 84 and had been living a full and, well- engrossed-in all day to day affairs-life, despite suffering from chronic kidney disease and diabetes for quite some years. Initiated by Swami Shankarananda ji, he joined the Order in 1951 at Belur Math and had Sannyasa from his Guru in 1961. Besides Belur Math, he served at Patna, Mumbai, Gol Park, Kanpur, Mauritius, Puri Mission, Cossipore and Barasat centres for varying periods at various roles. He had been living a lively though what we call retired life for about six years at Gol Park centre. The Swami was a good singer and an impressive speaker and had cultivated gentlemanly manners. He once promptly gave me a nice piece of woolen kurta when he found I needed one.

Hari Om Ramakrishna; Durga Durga

Swami Divyajnanananda ji (Uday Maharaj of Narendrapur centre) passed away on 12th February 2014. He was just like any one of us, ordinary, with flashes of competence, goodness and vainness. I took him for granted that he, like most of us, would give us company for major part of our lives and we could always be comfortable in complimenting and cavilling at each other. But Death has intervened to tell loudly that no human is to be taken lightly and indeed the task to take up is the one set to us by Holy Mother - to make the world our own - for none is a stranger and the way to go about it, is to find the good in each and every human being we come across and to try to worship the divinity within each and every person. Uday Mj. was a so-so acquaintance but it stumped me hard when I saw that he had been struck by serious kidney trouble. He was quite a pleasant person (a bit garrulous though) and I am sure he was of great service to the students he served. I can't yet believe he is dead. He, for sure, is not; and 'dead' is not an accurate word to describe the lively feeling that come to my mind when thinking of him. That Soul or Atma is Immortal, seems so palpably true even to puny unrealized persons like me.

So Dear Uday Maharaj, let me say Farewell to you here through this blog. Durga Durga

Friday, May 8, 2015

Swami Gitananda Ji - God's Name is All

More than an year back, Swami Gitananda ji passed away on 14th March, 2014, We were quite relieved that finally he was out of what seemed to us to be, a sort-of-vegetative state, for the last few years. Now-a-days, as medical sciences are improving and people get to live longer, rare types of old age ailments are beginning to get less and less rare. Gitananda ji seemed to have contacted some bug which would not leave the body and the body progressively slid into less and less active state.

It is easier to serve an actively sick person, There is a sort of romance about it, You get to feel that you are doing something noble, There is a bit of spiritual glamour or glow when you serve an eminent monk, like say, a President or Vice-president of Ramakrishna Order, when he is active in his spiritual ministry even though he might need medical attention now and then; but there is dullness like death when you serve a person in a vegetative state. All credit is due to the unsung glorious Jyoti-duos, Ramjyoti Maharaj and Devjyoti Maharaj. They served Gitananda ji till the end. One of them served as long as his own body could stand in health and the other till Swami Gitananda ji's body breathed. They kept up their fervor. They did not completely give up on their hopes of at least some partial revival in Gitananda ji's physical health condition. A few years before his passing away, when Gitananda ji had started to settle well into his medical stupor, Providence had it, that a leading Ayurvedic Physician came my way. I had to take him to Kankurgachi Yogodyan for sightseeing. I thought, like, `here is a leading physician and there, a suffering patient; why not try to arrange a meeting?’ The two Jyotis concurred and the good physician examined the patient; He opined that the best medical care was being given and excellent personal care was in place. He prescribed a supplementary medicine and advised some minor diet additions, all without conflict with the running medications. His recommendations could not be implemented fully, blame it on failed nerves of care-givers or on geruacracy, but anyway I was happy that the good doctor spoke highly about the care Gitananda ji was getting.

I joined the Mission in 1980, when I was 20. The Gitananda ji, that I knew, was then already a ripe, senior monk, known for his scholarship, kind manners, meditative habits and disinclination to dash into things; a sort of what Swami Srikarananda ji might have ripened into, had he lived a little longer. I did not have too many interactions with Revered Swami Gitananda ji but whatever little I had was enough to take it for sure that he is somebody close to me and one of my own.

Here's a lengthy quote from The Bulletin of the Institute of Culture about Swami Gitananda ji :

`He felt immensely attracted to places of pilgrimage like Jayrambati, Varanasi, Vrindavan and Puri. His brilliant discourses on the Bhàgavatam filled with divine fervour went far beyond the dry interpretations given by the Pandits. His ‘Bhàgavat Kathà’ (in Bengali) bears the stamp of his extraordinary understanding of the Bhàgavatam. Another book, ‘Sri Ràmer Anudhyàn’, is a standing example of his unalloyed devotion to Sri Ràma. Gitanandaji was an embodiment of humility and simplicity. He liked to do all his work himself. He always liked to keep himself in the background and project before humanity the bright lives of the Holy Trio.

Another notable trait in him was his love and empathy for the common man. Endowed with this he made everyone his own. His special characteristic was that he always remained absorbed in japa despite his tremendous involvement in work. ‘Work’ and ‘Japa’ had the same meaning to him. Japa was his rest. He never wasted time. Once he told a group of sannyasins from abroad: ‘You only need one thing: God’s Name. Keep it with you always. You may not see Him, but you can be close to Him (through His Name). There are many other things in the books that may help some people, but I do not know about these things. I just know God’s Name.’

Even I, a doubting Thomas if there ever was one, am not able to catch any note of exaggeration in the above quote.

‘Naked came I out of my mothers wombe, and naked shall I returne thither: the Lord gaue, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the Name of the Lord’

Hari Om Ramakrishna

For further Reading or viewing go to :

http://www.belurmath.org/news_archives/2014/03/14/passing-away-of-revered-swami-gitanandaji-maharaj/

http://www.belurmath.org/news_archives/2014/03/27/srimat-swami-gitanandaji-maharaj-memorial-meeting-photo-gallery/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYgPRwGn3Q8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvlfu6MjB0M

http://www.sriramakrishna.org/admin/bulletin/_bulletin_c5b6923b8e8564d66daa1a4ade8d328a8b51144a.pdf

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Swami Kshemananda - A simple soulful songster

`oi je de kha jai anandadham’ – ‘Ho, see thou yonder, the Abode of Bliss’ –

Thanks to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvlfu6MjB0M

His slightly rasping and quivering voice optimistically guided the departing souls, of those disciplined sadhus, who liked to see things thoroughly to a resplendent saffron glow of a finish as their mortal remains were lit up. Most of us opined that the singing voice of Swami Kshemananda ji (our dear own Ramesh Maharaj) will be enough to speed up the departing even if the souls find it a bit hard to spot the Blissful Abode. We young sadhus and brahmacharins, held to the sure belief that every evening, Sri Ramakrishna took to walking and having a little time out at Nilambar Babu’s House just as our Ramesh Maharaj started his singing during Evening Vespers.

He didn't mind too much, our pulling his legs. He was a sort of indulgent Grandpa to the Dennis the Menaces, in us. Unfortunately for him, we met him when his glory days as sought-after-singer was ending and he had to seek after listeners. We respected him though, because we had heard how he had kept up the musical traditions of the Order and we could see how faithfully he was doing his janitor job – the Belur Math's second most important place, if not the most important one, was in Kshemananda ji keep - the room where Swami Vivekananda decided to leave his body or ‘spat it out’ as Vivekananda himself said in his disembodied form to a brother disciple in Madras’. Kshemananda ji cleaned this room for decades, up to quite an advanced age and was proud of it.

He was a simple soul and did not put on superior airs. He was accessible to all monks and others, young and old, and had his frailties. He chanted verses and popular wise saying at Bhandaras with as much gusto and zeal and he did the evening Aratis. Now-a-days such uninhibited zest is less forthcoming from amongst us monks. We seem to be becoming more and more self conscious and image conscious. We forget Sri Ramakrishna is not all officiousnesses; He works through a lot of unofficial channels too. Rather it seems to me, he likes to work more and more through unofficial channels, though He does give the Offices their dues, for it was He who had set them up. Ramesh Maharaj together with his junior friend Subodh Maharaj, used to do a lot of what I call, ‘local Bhava Prachar’ which consist of going to devotees’ places to fulfill their need of the presence of sadhus for their little functions. Both these sadhus used to call many of us too to go along with them. This activity plays no little role in the great Ramakrishna Movement. Right from beginning, these Home visits have been quite significant and I have found authoritative references to such activities. I have had some pleasing experiences accompanying these two great souls. I hope somebody or other in Belur Math has now taken it upon themselves, this vital activity of the Ramakrishna Movement.

Thanks http://sweetclipart.com/cute-pink-bird-clip-art-15

A simple soulful songster he was, our Ramesh Maharaj. He must have been, despite our jokes, a Hovsångare in Sri Ramakrishna’s eyes.