Sw. Adbhutananda: part II

[Guest guest]

NAMASTE

Todayt is Swami Adbhutananda's birthday and a full moon day. I hope you

enjoy the second part of his biography.

 

Hari Om!

-OM LALA

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. . . continued from part I

Latu served the Master until he passed away in 1886. After that, he

renounced the world and took the name Swami Adbhutananda. This name was

given by Swami Vivekananda and was appropriate since " Adbhuta " means wonder

of wonders. At the Baranagore Monastery, Latu spent his time in the most

rigorous austerities. He was very unmindful about his food and his brother

disciples had to take caution for his body. He thus lived a very irregular

life and had no set time in taking food since he was constantly absorbed in

spiritual practices. He would pretend to go to sleep with all of his

brother-disciples, but when they were all asleep, he would rise and spend the

night in sadhana.

After some time, he made a pilgrimage to Vrindavan. When he came back to

Calcutta, he did not live with anyone, but would pass his days wandering, and

with no shelter, absorbed in God-consciousness. He would sometimes stay in a

room at the basumati press belonging to a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, or

without any shelter on the banks of the Ganga. He would always be entirely

dependent on the Master for everything. Since his way of living was very

irregular, he chose not to live with his brother disciples at the Belur Math,

even though he frequented the Math.

For a period of about eight years, from about 1895 to 1903, Latu-Maharaj

made several pilgrimages to holy cities. Swamiji took him in the party on

his tour in Rajputana and Kashmir. In between his pilgrimages, he would

visit his brother disciples. Though he did not have much affiliation with

the Ramakrishna Mission he had a profound love for Swamiji whom he lovingly

referred to as " Loren-bhai " . He once said, " I am ready to take hundreds of

births if I can have the companionship of Loren-bhai. " The closeness between

the two brother disciples can be shown from the following incident: When

Swamiji returned from the West to Calcutta, he was given a grand reception

with many anxious people waiting to see him. at the reception, one of the

very first things Swamiji did was inquire about Latu-Maharaj as he was not at

the reception. After Latu Maharaj was brought, Swamiji took his hand and

asked him why he had not come for so long. Latu-Maharaj, with his frankness,

said that he was afraid that he would be a misfit in the aristocratic company

which the Swami was welcomed by. At this Swamiji said with utmost affection,

" You are ever my Latu bhai and I am your Loren bhai. " Saying this, Swamiji

dragged Latu with him to eat their meals together.

In 1903, Swami Adbhutananda took his residence at the house of Balaram

Bose and spent all his time absorbed in God-consciousness and in the joy of

resignation to Sri Ramakrishna. Here many people came to him for spiritual

guidance. He never felt himself to be in the position of a teacher but

rather as a friend helping other friends. His frankness, directness and

clarity in guidance benefited many people's spiritual lives. He kept a stern

attitude so that only sincere people would come to him, but he was very

playful inside, often playing with little kids or putting them on his

shoulders. People came to him to clear up intricacies in the scriptures and

he solved everyone's problems through the power of his own spiritual

illumination. Many sinful people used to come to him with queer demands or

insincere questions. Once a drunk man came to him and asked him to eat some

food he had brought so that the man could take it as prasad. Latu-Maharaj

ate it without questioning and when later asked why he did so, he said, " They

just want a little sympathy. Why should one grudge that? " Another time, a

devotee came to him drenched from the rain, and Latu-Maharaj gave up his own

clothes to give him warmth.

Latu-Maharaj stayed at Balaram's house until 1912 after which he went to

Varanasi to spend his last days. There, besides performing austerities, he

talked with great delight to devotees about the Master and Swamiji.

Soon, his neglect of the body took its toll, and Latu-Maharaj contracted

dyspepsia as well as other ailments. Eventually he got a blister on his leg

that had to be operated on several times a day. But throughout the great

pain of the body, he was all the while deeply absorbed in the bliss of God.

His condition began to worsen. At the last moment, his eyes remained fixed

between his eyebrows, and he entered into Mahasamadhi, gave up his body, and

was united with God. The date was April 24, 1920. His brother disciples as

well as people from far and near, Muslim and Hindu, came to pay their

humblest respects to him. Such was his great influence.

Swami Vivekananda once said, " Latu is the greatest miracle of Sri

Ramakrishna. Having absolutely no education, he has attained to the highest

wisdom simply at the touch of the Master. " Through the simple grace of Sri

Ramakrishna, a poor illiterate orphan, was transformed into a great sage that

is revered and respected greatly even today.