Swami Ashokananda.....

[Guest guest]

Last night, at our prayer meeting in London someone read material

from Swami Ashokananda's 'Spiritualising everyday life'.

I mentioned this in an email to Prakash in Singapore who has

sent me the following: ( I am enclosing part of his email).

I am sending this on to various people who were associated with

Swami Ashokananda like Swami Yogeshananda to see if they

can respond to Prakash.

I understood from Sister Gayatriprana that Sister Gargi is

indeed writing a book about her guru Swami Ashokananda....jay

 

-------------------------

Sri Ramakrishna Charanam Saranam; Sri Sri Ma

Dear Jay,

 

I am happy to read that you spoke on Rev Swami Ashokanandaji. I need

your assistance on a particular issue. When I visited Belur Math last

December, Gargi Ma (MARIE LOUIS BURKE) was also there staying in the Guest

House. She told me that she was in the midst of writing the biography of her

Gurudev Swami Ashokanandaji (Rev Jogesh Maharaj).

 

Two devotees, (one from Malaysia and the other from States) were also

sitting next to us and they asked us who this Ashokanandaji was. Perhaps,

out of my over-enthusiasm I gave a short description of him mentioning the

unique initiation he got from Swamiji (without seeing Swamiji in person).

Gargi Ma listened to the narration carefully and ratified all the

descriptions

except some of the details of my descriptions on the initiation.

 

She asked me where from I got that version, which is slightly different

from the version she directly heard from her Gurudev. I answered that I read

it somewhere. But, without much delay, the Venerable Mother told me an

incident: When Ashokanandaji was bed-ridden, she was standing next to him.

The Swami, out of blues, asked her, " Do you think that I told you everything

in my life? " The disciple in a bewilderment, answered, " No Swamiji "

 

She continued her narration: " When I was staying in Belur Math Guest

House, a few years ago, I met an elderly Devotee, who was a class-mate of

Ashokanandaji. He told me that one day Ashokanandaji confided with him that

Ashokanandaji had a vision of Thakur when he was in the Old Shrine of the

Belur Math. This piece of info, definitely, was new to me and my Gurudev did

not reveal it to me. I believe its correctness now. I am including this

incident in his biography. So, if you can show me the record where you saw

the version you mentioned and who wrote it, I shall consider its

authenticity

and include in the biography " .

 

She even suggested me to get special permission to use the Belur Math

library, (which allows only male members authorised by the Manager) to

produce the document. But, due to the sickness of my son, I could not do it

there. I promised her that as soon as I reach Kerala (either Kalady or

Trichur), I would search for it at the Mission Centres. I failed in that

also as I had to cut short of my Kerala trip.

 

After reaching Singapore, myself, another devotee and the monks here

including the President Maharaj, searched for the details of Rev

Ashokanandaji. All the versions are similar in nature as narrated by Gargi

Ma. Her version was that when Jogesh Maharaj was in Dacca one evening,

he had a strange experience where Swamiji poured spiritual energy into his

being like pouring water from one full jar to an empty one. The direct

Disciples, Raja Maharaj, Baburam Maharaj, Hari Maharaj and Mahapurush

Maharaj ratified it either by letters or by direct conversation with him.

 

My version, which I read somewhere is this: " Jogesh Maharaj was sitting

on a bench in a park and Swamiji appeared before him and blessed him and

also gave a mantra to him. Later, he went to the Belur Math and narrated

hesitatingly about this to Mahapurush Maharaj (Shivanandaji). Shivanandaji

forbade him to reveal the mantra and went upstairs to the old-shrine and

came back after a long time and assured him , " Yes, you are a disciple of

Swamiji. Is this the mantra you got from Swamiji? " Ashokanandaji was

delighted as it was the same mantra he heard from Swamiji. " This is the

version I read somewhere.

 

Gargi Ma never heard of any mantra in the initiation process on that

first instance. But, she knew that her Guru got a mantra later from Swamiji.

Then she asked how he could confirm that it was the right mantra. Her

Venerable Guru replied emphatically to her, " YES, I KNEW THAT IT WAS THE

RIGHT MANTRA "

 

None of us here in Singapore could find any document supporting my

version in our library. I talked to the Editor of the Udbodhan, who was a

friend of my friend about it over phone and he directed me to write to

Revered Hiranmayanandaji Maharaj, who is nearing 96 and still alive at the

Belur Math Arogyabhavan. Hiranmayanandaji was very close to Ashokanandaji.

Somehow, I did not write to him so far.

 

Dear Jay, have you ever come across anything in any publications

supporting my versions? This is not to claim that my version was correct.

But to give additional material to the venerable Mother, who spent her

lifetime for Swamiji's cause. I did not write to her so far on this issue. I

love and respect her very much due to her constant communion with Swamiji.

She herself told me all about that. I shall write to you at some other time.

Are you in a position to help us in this matter? Atleast I should write to

her with an apology and to stick to her version which tallies with the

available records if nothing could be found otherwise.

 

Sincerely yours

Prakash

" P.S.KAMANAT " <kamanat