Sw. Advaitananda2

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NAMASTE

 

Here is the continuation of the inspiring article on the life of Swami

Advaitananda from " www.sriramakrishna.org " (By the way, it's an excellent

site)

 

When Swamiji returned to India and organised the Ramakrishna Brotherhood,

Swami Advaitananda, the name he was given when he became a monk, returned to

the Math at Alambazar. Afterwards he stayed mainly at the new monastery at

Belur Math, where he looked after the management of various affairs of the

monastery, specially the garden work. But all work he undertook or supervised

had to be done very systematically and with scrupulous care. The young

novitiates could hardly rise to his standard of perfection as regards work

and for that reason they had a very hard time with him. Many of them would

receive mild rebukes from old Gopalda, but they would take his criticisms

more as a token of affection than as any indication of bitterness. Gopalda,

however, wou ld say latterly, " The Master has shown me that it is He who is

manifested through all. Then whom to blame or whom to criticise? " After this

experience, Gopalda ceased from finding fault with anyone however great might

be the latter's errors. Even in his old age he was self-supporting. He would

not like anybody to take the trouble of attending to his personal needs.

Being the oldest in age, he was looked upon with affectionate regard by all

his brother-disciples. But they aIso enjoyed making fun with him . Swamiji

composed a comical verse in order to tease Gopalda, but that really indicated

in what great esteem Gopalda was held by all. Old Gopalda, too, had his

moments of humour, though it might be at the cost of others. Swami

Vijnanananda related one su ch incident.

" He (Gopalda) and Nityananda Maharaj were staying at Belur Math, with several

monks and Brahmacharins. Calling them, Nityananda Swami said, 'Well, look

here, come and dig up this plot of land. I shall raise brinjals and potatoes

here.' They started diggi ng up. Seeing this Gopalda said, 'Oh, what a hard

labour they are put to! Come away, all of you boys. Should they be made to

work so hard? Gopalda took them along with him. Then he told them quietly,

'You brothers dig up this plot for flower beds.' The s oil of the latter plot

was harder than the first. Swamiji and other monks had a hearty laugh' when

they heard Gopalda saying that. I am, therefore, always reminded of Gopalda

when someone takes pity on another and wants to make him comfortable. " In

those days of hard work, the monks knew how to lighten the burden through

humour. But Gopalda was not always successful with all. He disliked tea,

while Swami Subodhananda cherished it. Gopalda warned all that if they drank

tea, it would lead to dysentery. Bu t Swami Subodhananda asserted

emphatically that each drop of tea in the cup would produce a drop of blood.

After his return to the monastery, Gopalda's special duty was to look to the

levelling of the newly purchased land at Belur and the repair of the o ld

structures there. The land had been in use for repair of steamers etc. and

was hence full of pits and canals. All this meant strenuous work. When the

monastery became fully established there, Gopalda willingly took up the duty

of looking after the com forts of the monks and producing vegetables etc. for

offering to the Master. Gopalda made strenuous efforts to mould his life

according to the life and example of the Master, and would sometimes express

disappointment that he fell so short of the ideal. But this feeling of

disappointment indicated only his real spiritual height. Because of his age,

Gopalda did not engage himself in any public activity, philanthropic,

missionary, or other, so that his monastic life was quite uneventful. But so

long as he was in the physical body, he definitely set an example to all, and

he was the source of inspiration to many. His uniform steadfastness in

Sadhana till the last days of his life elicited admiration, if not reverence,

even from his brother-disciples. His love for truth was wonderful. He heard

the Master say that one should not twist truth even to make fun. Gopalda

obeyed this instruction in letter and in spirit and insisted on others doing

likewise. He travelled extensively and visited, at one time or ot her in his

life, sacred places like Kedarnath, Badrinarayan, and Hardwar in the north,

Dwaraka in the west, and Rameswaram and other places in the south. He kept

sound health till the good old age he lived to. After suffering for some time

from stomach t rouble, be passed away on 28th December 1909, at the age of

eighty-one.