Guest guest Posted August 8, 1999 Report Share Posted August 8, 1999 NAMASTE Tomorrow, Monday the 9th (according to the moon calendar), is Swami Ramakrishnananda's 136th birthday anniversary. In honor of that, below is a summary of a speech given by revered Swami Ranganathananda in his earlier days on Swami Ramakrishnananda. The speaker is now president of the world wide Ramakrishna Mission and Order. The speech is from the 2nd volume (Great Spiritual Teachers) of his four volume series entitled 'Eternal Values for a Changing Society' and the speech is entitled: " Swami Ramakrishnananda: An Appreciation " page 172 (All added ideas from other sources are in parentheses; none of the ideas are my own) Among the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Ramakrishnananda holds a unique position; he bears the Master's name, and he, among all the disciples may be considered as a specially commissioned apostle chosen to work in one part of the world, namely, South India. He was born in Calcutta in the same year as Swami Vivekananda, 1863 and his boyhood name was Sasi. He grew up to be a cheerful, energetic, inquisitive, and intelligent boy. From his boyhood he had a passion for purity. He excelled in his studies but his fire for knowledge could not be satisfied from school and books. It needed to be quenched, and like many other youths who were hungry for spirituality at that time, joined the Brahmo Samaj with his younger cousin, Sarat (later known as Swami Saradananda) and was in the company of its leader, Keshab Chandra Sen, and others. this however could not quench the boy of his thirst for the deeper life. Howvere, it is through the Brahmo Samaj that at the age of hardly 18, he made his way to Dakshineswar and met the Divine Lord Sri Ramakrishna. One day, Sri Ramakrishna asked him, " Well, Sarat, what aspect of God would you like to meditate on, God with form or God without form? " The young and inquisitive Sasi answered frankly to this query of the Master, " I do not know whether God exists at all or not, so how should I decide whether I should worship God with form or without form? " The mood behind this frank answer in religion is very significant. There is a deep meaning behind this apparent agnosticism. Great souls do not look to religion for ensuring them a life , cozy, comfortable, and secure. They approach religion as an adventure, and want to realize it to its utmost depths instead of just accepting it like the masses and never making it real. This is why many disciples of Sri Ramakrishna had much doubt initially. But look how they turned out! (Christopher Isherwood says when referring to Swami Vivekananda's doubt, " A lot of us after Reading the 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' perhaps think: 'Well he [Narendra] is being very tiresome. Heavens, if I had met Ramakrishna, I would have got his number in a minute. I would have said, " Oh, that is God. " I would have bowed down and my doubts would have disappeared.' But Vivekananda's doubt was the very measure of his greatness. If I say, 'All right he is a saint, I believe,' the heavens do not fall. But when a being like Vivekananda is converted, then the whole of the nineteenth century is altered . . . a great man has great doubts and a great conversion and there are tremendous effects from that conversion. " Such was the case with Swami Ramakrishnananda as well) Sri Ramakrishna understood and slowly shaped his spiritual life and made it blossom. When Sri Ramakrishna's earthly body had throat cancer and was being treated at th Cossipore Garden house, it was Sasi alone who stayed always by his side and served him. All the other disciples went home now and then and served the Master frequently, but Sasi was by the master's side ready to serve him constantly, sacrificing everything and not caring for himself in the least. That spirit of service and dedication during that time earned him the name 'Ramakrishnananda' after the Master's passing. Swami Vivekananda wanted this name for himself but chose to bestow it on his brother disciple for his self-effacing love and service for the Master. When all the young monks came together at the Baranagore monastery, it was Swami Ramakrishnananda who took care of everyone. All the young monks had an intense force of renunciation on them and took practically no care of the body. Though the same feeling of INTENSE renunciation came on Sasi, it occured to him that the bodies of all the apostles should be preserved for the good of the world. He made sure everyone took enough food and took care of everyone silently. The young monks were constantly going to different places living the live of wandering monks and occasionally coming back to the monastery. But Swami Ramakrishnananda never took this luxury and acted as a " mother to the infant order. " He always stayed at the monastery, keeping it clean, maintaining it, performing the daily worship of Sri Ramakrishna and his relics. Without his silent dedication the whole monastery would have fallen apart. ---------------------- Swami Ramakrishnananda's life story will be continued in an e-mail that will be sent out tomorrow, on the anniversary of his birthday, summing up his later years and the very important roll he played in the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission and Order and spreading his beloved Master's message. Hari Om -Om Lala Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 8, 1999 Report Share Posted August 8, 1999 I am immensely grateful for the wonderful first account of Swami Raamakrishnaanandaa. Eagerly awaiting the second part relating to his later life. Vidya123 <Vidya123 ramakrishna <ramakrishna > Sunday, August 08, 1999 6:38 PM [ramakrishna] Sw. Ramakrishnananda >Vidya123 > >NAMASTE > >Tomorrow, Monday the 9th (according to the moon calendar), is Swami >Ramakrishnananda's 136th birthday anniversary. In honor of that, below is a >summary of a speech given by revered Swami Ranganathananda in his earlier >days on Swami Ramakrishnananda. The speaker is now president of the world >wide Ramakrishna Mission and Order. The speech is from the 2nd volume (Great >Spiritual Teachers) of his four volume series entitled 'Eternal Values for a >Changing Society' and the speech is entitled: " Swami Ramakrishnananda: An >Appreciation " page 172 (All added ideas from other sources are in >parentheses; none of the ideas are my own) > >Among the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Ramakrishnananda holds a unique >position; he bears the Master's name, and he, among all the disciples may be >considered as a specially commissioned apostle chosen to work in one part of >the world, namely, South India. He was born in Calcutta in the same year as >Swami Vivekananda, 1863 and his boyhood name was Sasi. He grew up to be a >cheerful, energetic, inquisitive, and intelligent boy. From his boyhood he >had a passion for purity. He excelled in his studies but his fire for >knowledge could not be satisfied from school and books. It needed to be >quenched, and like many other youths who were hungry for spirituality at that >time, joined the Brahmo Samaj with his younger cousin, Sarat (later known as >Swami Saradananda) and was in the company of its leader, Keshab Chandra Sen, >and others. this however could not quench the boy of his thirst for the >deeper life. Howvere, it is through the Brahmo Samaj that at the age of >hardly 18, he made his way to Dakshineswar and met the Divine Lord Sri >Ramakrishna. > >One day, Sri Ramakrishna asked him, " Well, Sarat, what aspect of God would >you like to meditate on, God with form or God without form? " The young and >inquisitive Sasi answered frankly to this query of the Master, " I do not know >whether God exists at all or not, so how should I decide whether I should >worship God with form or without form? " The mood behind this frank answer in >religion is very significant. There is a deep meaning behind this apparent >agnosticism. Great souls do not look to religion for ensuring them a life , >cozy, comfortable, and secure. They approach religion as an adventure, and >want to realize it to its utmost depths instead of just accepting it like the >masses and never making it real. This is why many disciples of Sri >Ramakrishna had much doubt initially. But look how they turned out! >(Christopher Isherwood says when referring to Swami Vivekananda's doubt, " A >lot of us after Reading the 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' perhaps think: 'Well >he [Narendra] is being very tiresome. Heavens, if I had met Ramakrishna, I >would have got his number in a minute. I would have said, " Oh, that is God. " >I would have bowed down and my doubts would have disappeared.' But >Vivekananda's doubt was the very measure of his greatness. If I say, 'All >right he is a saint, I believe,' the heavens do not fall. But when a being >like Vivekananda is converted, then the whole of the nineteenth century is >altered . . . a great man has great doubts and a great conversion and there >are tremendous effects from that conversion. " Such was the case with Swami >Ramakrishnananda as well) Sri Ramakrishna understood and slowly shaped his >spiritual life and made it blossom. > >When Sri Ramakrishna's earthly body had throat cancer and was being treated >at th Cossipore Garden house, it was Sasi alone who stayed always by his side >and served him. All the other disciples went home now and then and served >the Master frequently, but Sasi was by the master's side ready to serve him >constantly, sacrificing everything and not caring for himself in the least. >That spirit of service and dedication during that time earned him the name >'Ramakrishnananda' after the Master's passing. Swami Vivekananda wanted this >name for himself but chose to bestow it on his brother disciple for his >self-effacing love and service for the Master. > >When all the young monks came together at the Baranagore monastery, it was >Swami Ramakrishnananda who took care of everyone. All the young monks had an >intense force of renunciation on them and took practically no care of the >body. Though the same feeling of INTENSE renunciation came on Sasi, it >occured to him that the bodies of all the apostles should be preserved for >the good of the world. He made sure everyone took enough food and took care >of everyone silently. The young monks were constantly going to different >places living the live of wandering monks and occasionally coming back to the >monastery. But Swami Ramakrishnananda never took this luxury and acted as a > " mother to the infant order. " He always stayed at the monastery, keeping it >clean, maintaining it, performing the daily worship of Sri Ramakrishna and >his relics. Without his silent dedication the whole monastery would have >fallen apart. > >---------------------- >Swami Ramakrishnananda's life story will be continued in an e-mail that will >be sent out tomorrow, on the anniversary of his birthday, summing up his >later years and the very important roll he played in the formation of the >Ramakrishna Mission and Order and spreading his beloved Master's message. > >Hari Om >-Om Lala > > >--------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- > >Congrats to our GROW TO GIVE winners, ZENtertainment & ROTInews! > >Check out ONElist's latest program, FRIENDS & FAMILY. See homepage. > >------ >Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah >Vivekananda Centre London >http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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