Tag Archives: Belur Math Pilgrimage 2015

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 7 Evening at Nilambar’s Garden House and Belur Math Arati

August 9, 2016Pilgrimages, Places Associated with Sri RamakrishnaBelur Math Pilgrimage 2015mahendrajani

August 9, 2015

(I am very happy to publish today the last post of the series of posts titled “Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015”. It is a coincidence that exactly one year ago we completed our last trip of the pilgrimage on this day. All of the 91 people felt that this pilgrimage was a life-long inspiring memory.)

Going to Belur Math:

Around 2:30 p.m. all of the pilgrims gathered, wearing the Vidyapith uniform, at the Hyatt entrance.

We were ready to once again get into the three buses for our last trip of this pilgrimage – going to the Belur Math. We were all both happy and thankful that everything in our trip had gone according to plan and had worked out successfully.

As the last part of the pilgrimage, all wanted to go to the Belur Math, attend the evening arati, and salute Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. We wanted to take their leave and also to take leave from Revered Manager Maharaj Swami Girishanandaji,Tapas Maharaj and Bhandari Maharaj. We also wanted to visit Nilambar Mukherjee’s Garden House, which we could not do it in the earlier visit.

Before we boarded the buses, each group took a picture in front of the Hyatt entrance to keep as a memory.

The groups in each bus loudly uttered “The Five Jai” – “Jai Shri Guru Maharajjiki Jai,” “Jai Mahamayiki Jai,” “Jai Swamiji Maharajjiki Jai”, “Jai Gangamayiki Jai, and “Jai Sab Santanaki Jai.” Once again, we were blessed with good weather. There was no rain. By this point, the buildings and the roads were more familiar than before as we had traveled this route quite a few times. During the ride, people were singing, chatting or trying to catch up the sleep.

Since this was our last visit during our trip, our buses were allowed by the Belur Math to park inside the campus, closer to the main building. Revered Tapas Maharaj had arranged a guide for our final visit. After getting off the buses, we all went to the Nilambar Mukherjee’s house. The road leading to the house was very pleasant. The various kinds of green trees were eye-catching.

The Ganga was filled with water up to both the sides of its banks. The waves were gently splashing. We could see a few boats traveling on the river. It was a serene atmosphere.

Holy Mother in Nilambar Mukherjee’s house:

$Sign - Old math$

This place is very special and holy because Holy Mother stayed here. There is a shrine room of Holy Mother on the second floor.

When entering, one can feel the serenity and divinity in the environment. Our group went to the shrine room upstairs in batches. Each pilgrim quietly offered salutations and did japa.

Those people who were not in the shrine room, sat outside in the open area of the house and enjoyed the view of the Ganga.

After we all had offered our salutations, we remembered that the following important events of Holy Mother’s life which took place here. (Swami Chetanananda’s book “Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play” describes all these events in great detail)

Holy Mother’s First Stay (May 1888 – October 1888):

After Sri Ramakrishna passed away in August 1886, Holy Mother lived in Kamarpukur and Jayarambati. Upon the request of devotees, Holy Mother came to Kolkata in May 1888.

She stayed in Balaram Babu’s house for a few days. After this, devotees rented Nilambar Mukherjee’s Gardan House for six months for Holy Mother’s stay. Holy Mother moved into the Garden House with two women devotees, Yogin-ma and Golap- ma. Swamis Yogananda and Adbhutananda were taking care of Holy Mother’s needs. During her stay in the Garden House, Holy Mother’s mind remained in God-consciousness and went into Samadhi quiet often.

Experiencing Nirvikalpa Samadhi:

Yogin-ma recalled, “One evening Holy Mother, Golap-ma, and I were meditating on the roof. When my meditation was over, I noticed that Mother was still absorbed in meditation – motionless in Samadhi. After a long time, she regained some consciousness and said, ‘Oh Yogin! Where are my hands? Where are my feet? I pressed her limbs and said: ‘Here are your hands and feet.’ It took Holy Mother a long time to regain consciousness of her body.”

Hymn on Holy Mother (Prakrutim Paramam…):

A direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna named Kali (Swami Abhedananda) had composed a hymn on Holy Mother in Sanskrit. One day, he approached Holy Mother and expressed his desire to recite the hymn to her. Holy Mother was startled and asked, “What kind of hymn? Whose hymn is it?” Swami Abhedananda humbly replied, “Mother, I composed a hymn on you.” Amazed, Holy Mother asked, “My son, what is the need for composing a hymn on me?” Upon repeated requests, Holy Mother listened to the hymn “Prakritim Paramam…” Swami Abhedananda said that when he recited the line “Ramakrishna gata pranam” (meaning whose soul is absorbed in Sri Ramakrishna), the Mother’s whole body became motionless as one seats in meditation. When he recited the lines, “Tan nama shravana priyam” (meaning who loves to hear Sri Ramakrishna’s name), tears of joy and love started rolling out from her eyes. When Swami Abhedananda recited the lines “Tad bhava ranjitakara” (meaning whose mind being absorbed in Sri Ramakrishna became one with Him), he saw that Holy Mother was completely absorbed in meditation and has become one with Sri Ramakrishna. Afterwards, Holy Mother blessed Swami Abhedananda saying, “May Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge) sit on your tongue.”

Devotees love this hymn and we see that all over the world, wherever there is worship of Holy Mother, they sing this hymn.

The First Chapter of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna:

On July 11, 1888 M. (Mahendranath Gupta) read a chapter of the Kathamrita (the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna in Bengali) to Holy Mother. M. had not told anyone about this chapter. He wanted to read it to Holy Mother first. After listening to the chapter, Holy Mother praised M. and encouraged him to write more.

Holy Mother’s Second Stay (July 1893 – October 1893):

Five years after Holy Mother’s first stay, devotees again rented the same garden house of Nilambar Mukherjee for Holy Mother’s stay. Holy Mother stayed there with Yogin-ma and Golap-ma. This time, Swami Trigunatitananda took care of Holy Mother’s needs. Holy Mother spent most of her time in worship, japa, and meditation. Swami Trigunatitananda used to pick flowers for Holy Mother’s morning worship. During her stay at this time, two important events took place in the life of Holy Mother.

Panchtapa Austerity:

For various other reasons, including doing some austerity, Holy Mother practiced the “Panchatapa” on the flat roof of this house.

“Pancha” means five and “Tapa” means austerity. On the flat roof of the house, four fires were set in a square not too far and not too near to Holy Mother. Holy Mother set in the middle of these fires from dawn to dusk under the blazing sun (the fifth fire) doing japa and meditation. This was not easy an easy practice for most people. This austerity is intended to keep the mind calm under the pressing circumstances. Holy Mother had kept her calm demeanor during the adverse family and social circumstances in Kamarpukur and Jayrambati for years. This austerity showed externally how Holy Mother kept her calmness within during all kinds of favorable and unfavorable circumstances. She later on said, “My child, I went through it for the sake of all of you. Can you practice austerities? This is why I had to do it.” Mother Sita had gone through the “fire test” when people questioned her purity. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, “Sa, Sa, Sa,” which had the same pronunciation in Bengali . These “sa’s” refer to the phrase “Sahan Karo” (in Gujarati), or “Shajhya” in Bengali. The phrase suggests that in this world the greatest austerity is to “endure, endure, and endure.” If we want to remain grounded in our true identity, Our Soul, or Our Atman, and live in the constantly changing world with a steady intellect, we have to learn “endurance.”

Holy Mother’s vision:

It was a moonlit night. Holy Mother was seated on the steps leading to Ganga. The soothing light of the full moon illumined everything around her including the river Ganga. The reflection of the full moon was dancing with the waves of the water. Suddenly, she saw Sri Ramakrishna come from behind and proceed swiftly towards Ganga. As soon as he touched the water, his body dissolved in it. Holy Mother sat in amazement. Then, from nowhere, Narendra appeared. He went to Ganga and while loudly chanting “Victory unto Ramakrishna!” started to sprinkle the Ganga water on innumerable men and women. Immediately, these people were liberated. This vision went so deep into Holy Mother’s mind that she could not bathe in Ganga for several days. This vision has significance. Sri Ramakrishna loved the Ganga and his life was pure like the Ganga. Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) elaborated on Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings and spread them everywhere. This helped (and is still helping) people attain the Knowledge of Ultimate Reality (Brahman) and destroy their ignorance and bondage.

We were fortunate enough to see the steps leading to Ganga from Nilambar Mukherjee’s house. Seeing the same house, the same roof, and the same steps, we felt the presence of Holy Mother and deep within we experienced a feeling of blessedness. Several youngsters later mentioned that by visiting these places, Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda became real to them. They were no longer legends and stories of imagination.

OTHER STAYS AND EVENTS AT THE GARDEN HOUSE

Holy Mother also stayed at this house for one day in April of 1898, one day in November of 1898, and five days in October of 1901.

Monastery at Nilambar Mukherjee’s Garden House:

In February 1898, the monastery was moved from Alambazar to Nilambar Mukherjee’s Garden House. It was then that the Belur Math land came into the possession of the Ramakrishna Math. There was a dilapidated building that existed on the northern side of the land, which was renovated under the supervision of Swami Vijnanananda.

Swami Vivekananda had stayed at the Garden House during this time. In the morning he used to take bath in Ganga, salute Sri Ramakrishna’s “padukas” (slippers) and then meditate.

Composition of “Khandan Bhava Bandhan…”:

The Nilambar Mukherjee’s Garden House was also the place where, in February 1898, Swami Vivekananda composed the famous Arati “Khandan Bhava Bandhan…” This aarti is sung all over the world in the shrines where Sri Ramakrishna is being worshiped. In November of 1898, Swami Vivekananda composed “Om Hrim Ritam..” here – a hymn on Sri Ramakrishna which Usually follows by the Arati “Khandan…”

The following are links to the lyrics and meaning of the Arati and hymn:

Khandana Bhava Bandhana

Om Hrim Ritam

Furthermore, Swamiji also composed the following hymn on Sri Ramakrishna in this location:

आचण्डालाप्रतिहतरयो यस्य प्रेमप्रवाहो
लोकातीतोऽप्यहह न जहौ लोककल्याणमार्गम्।

The Garden House was truly a blessed place to have been the setting of such influential moments.

Swamiji’s Mango Tree:

Afterward visiting the Garden House, we were guided to the Belur Math office buildings.

$Belur Math Map Modified$

During our previous visit, we had seen the Old Math and Swami Vivekananda’s room. This time, we learned more about the big mango tree in the courtyard. One of the favorite seats of Swami Vivekananda was under this mango tree.

In the morning, he would usually be found seated on a canvas cot under this mango tree. This is where he would attend to his correspondences, write articles, read, or engage in conversation. Devotees called it “Swamiji’s mango tree.” There are few striking incidences took place under this tree. Here are two such incidents.

Gayatri Avahan Mantra:

It was evening. Swami Vivekananda had just taken a bath in the Ganga and was returning to this place. On the way back, he chanted, “Gayatri Avahana Mantra” (Ayahi Varade Devi….)*. Swami Vivekananda’s soul-touching chanting made the surrounding people spellbound. He then came to the mango tree and stood under it as if he were in Samadhi. Then, he started pacing back and forth. With this divine inebriation, his steps faltered. All of those around him were deeply touched by his divine state and felt uplifted.

Many of us had attended Swami Adiswaranandaji’s talks at Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center, New York, USA. They remembered that Swami Adiswarananda used to recite this Gayatri Avahan Mantra before his talks.

Where will you go to seek God?

One day, Swamiji was sitting on the cot under this tree facing west. His eyes were luminous and he was filled with spiritual consciousness. Pointing to the Brahmacharis and Sanyasins, he said, “Where will you go to seek God? He is immanent in all beings. Here, here is the visible God!” All around him stopped and became motionless. At the time, Swami Premananda was coming from Ganga after his bath to go to the shrine for worship. He heard these words and became overpowered by spiritual consciousness. He just stood there in front of Swamiji being unconscious to the outer world. After a while Swami Vivekananda came back to a normal state, so did Swami Premananda. Swami Vivekananda then asked Swami Premananda to go for his worship.

Special Snack:

Thinking that we would not be at the hotel until late at night and to express their love for us, the Swamis of the Belur Math and Bhandari Maharaj arranged a special snack for all of us. We were guided to a dining area behind the offices. There, we found a small snack including tea, biscuits, dhokla, and chevda. Bhandari Maharaj made sure that all the items were delicious. We were overwhelmed with the Swamis’ love and enjoyed the treat.

Right next door to the room where we were eating was the Leggett House, which was nothing short of grand, with large pillars and doors.

The evening was descending. Just a few steps away from our location were the bank of the Ganga, where we could see countless Swamis walking around.

We still had some time before the Aarti began so few of us decided to visit the bookstore to buy books and other things. Others few walked on the grounds of the Belur Math. As we gathered again, we found that the time before evening aarti was very special at the Belur Math. Evening was entering. The rays of the sunset were falling on the Ganga, creating a colorful sight. Hundreds of birds were chirping. Many Swamis in ochre clothes were quietly walking around absorbed in the thoughts of God. Devotees were offering their salutations in the temples. Because the environment in the Belur Math campus was so serene and because it was the weekend, hundreds of families from the neighboring areas were either sitting or walking around enjoying the beauty of the place on the bank of the Ganga. We too enjoyed this serene environment.

Evening Arati:

As the arati time was nearing, we all went into the main Prayer Hall. We were again fortunate to have a reserved area just behind the Swamis and Brahmacharis of the Belur Math. We sat quietly and meditated in silence before the arati. One Swami blew a conch on all sides of the Prayer Hall. The long, continuous sound of the conch reminded all to think of God. The tanpuras and other instruments were fine tuned. The Prayer Hall was fully packed with several hundreds of people. The atmosphere in the temple was absolutely captivating. The Swami who was doing arati inside the shrine room stood up with a special lamp to offer arati and began to ring bell. With melodious voices, the leading Swamis started to sing arati “Khandan Bhava Bandhan…” Hundreds of people joined in the singing. The mridangam and other percussions lifted up the singing into another level. It was such a spiritually uplifting experience. Most of the Vidyapith people knew the arati by heart. They enjoyed singing with all. The arati was followed by the “Om Hri Ritam..” hymn and the “Sarva mangala mangalye…”hymn. The singing was tuneful, melodious and filled with devotion. Finally, all joined in two Jai’s: “Jai Mahamayiki Jai,” and “Jai Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna Devaki Jai.”

The following are links to the Belur Math Evening Arati:

Khandana Mp3 Link

Om Hrim Ritam Mp3 Link

Sarva Mangala Mangalye Mp3 Link

All of the Swamis and Brahmacharis offered their salutations. We were allowed to offer our salutations before other people. All of us offered our salutations and went out through the doors on the Ganga side. A Swami was giving “batasa” (“Patasa” in Gujarati) as Prasad. We took Prasad with great respect and went to the Belur Math offices to salute Swami Giritshanandaji and say “Good Bye.”

When we arrived, Revered Swami Girishanandaji came out from his office and blessed us all. He was very happy to see us. We all saluted him and took his leave. He said, “Come again.” We also saluted Revered Tapas Maharaj and took his leave. We then started walking towards our buses. Our minds were thankful to God for making our pilgrimage successful against all the odds of the weather and other unpleasant surprises.

A Surprise Meeting with Swami Tyagananda:

Yet, as we were walking towards our buses, we had another pleasant surprise. We ran into Swami Tyagananda, spiritual head of the Boston Vedanta Society, USA. We all knew him very well because he had visited Vivekananda Vidyapith. A few devotees had also visited him at The Boston Vedanta Society. What a coincidence! Among many unfamiliar faces, seeing a familiar face of someone whom we love and respect filled our hearts with great joy. We also saw joy on his face. He greeted and blessed us and joked about how we are so close in distance to each other in America yet our paths crossed in Belur Math.

After a brief conversation, we made our way back to the buses for our last ride together, a bittersweet moment as we concluded the final excursion of this enlightening trip. We all sat in the bus and recited our five Jai’s. To maintain the mindsets created by the beautiful aarti, we sang in the bus until our tired voices finally could not sing anymore. In one of the buses, the air-condition broke down. It was very hot and humid evening. People in that bus opened all the windows, but it was very uncomfortable. All realized that it was a blessing that this did not happened during all our previous travels on this trip. But even in such a circumstance, the pilgrims in that bus happily sang dhoons, bhajans and enjoyed the trip.

A Special Dinner:

We arrived at the hotel for our last dinner in the Hyatt Hotel. We had yet another pleasant surprise waiting for us. The dinner consisted of many delicious and popular Kolkata dishes including Kati Rolls, Pani Puri, Chaat, and much more. All of us enjoyed to our hearts’ content.

Thank You and Good Bye:

During the dinner, Krishnan Uncle took the microphone to give a more than well-deserved thank you to Uncle, Aunty, our doctors, and Deba Uncle for making our trip as exciting, educational, and smooth as it was.

As dinner ended, we took a photo of all the students and alumni of Vidyapith.

After that, a bittersweet series of goodbyes were said as we started to leave to our rooms for packing and to rest before our flights the next day.

Many of us had flights at different times, but the Club7 members took care of the airport transportation for all of our pilgrims with love and great care.

Our trip had ended, with new knowledge in our minds, with a refreshed love for India, with Thakur, Sri Ma, Swamiji in our hearts, and with invaluable spiritual progress for our souls.

(The original report was written by Kanchan Railker and Apurva Shah. Thanks to Ronak Parikh for editing this post and Deba Saha for providing some important information and photos.)

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 7 Morning Bus Tour and Lunch

August 8, 2016Kolkata Historical Places, PilgrimagesBelur Math Pilgrimage 2015, Kolkata Hostorical Placesmahendrajani

August 9, 2015

Club 7, with Deba Uncle’s help, arranged a bus tour that transported us back 200 years in time. We were going to attempt to cover two to three centuries of history in a couple of hours. Our general bus route took us through Chowringhee Road, then through the Maidan, and finally to Dalhousie Square. A map below highlights our bus route. You’ll also find below historical information about each landmark.

Uncle and Deba Uncle reminded us of how Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda must have wandered through some of these very streets, perhaps soaking in similar sites and sounds. Thanks to Mahendranath Gupta, we have an account of some of Shri Ramakrishna’s observations and experiences. With Deba Uncle’s help, we have tried to include some of these relevant conversations; they appear in italics.

* * *

The British ruled India for nearly two centuries. Calcutta was the central backdrop for the Company Raj and British Raj for nearly all of this time. During this period, Calcutta grew to become India’s first modern “metropolitan cosmpolis,” perhaps even the first in Asia. Calcutta was an important commercial center, and also the center of the Bengal Renaissance. The “Bengal Renaissance” referred to a period of revitalization of ancient philosophies and art, a period of social and religious reform and enthusiastic public discourse. Concurrently, western science, reasoning, and methodologies of scholarship highly influenced the Indian educated elite. It was in this social, political, and economic milieu that Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda came to be. In this context, it is rather confounding to understand how Shri Ramakrishna, an “illiterate man” from rural Bengal, found himself continually surrounded by the Calcutta intelligentsia – scholars, zamindars, doctors, lawyers, educationists, etc. Their skepticism and questions mirror ours today. Shri Ramakrishna challenged their worldview and brought them face-to-face with ideas that paradoxically upended their idea of “modernity.” Using simple metaphors and with refreshing humility he spoke of Vedantic ideals in daily practice…

As we explored the historical quarters of the city and drove past beautiful buildings with stately architecture, the scenes of the 19^th century came to life before us. The tour not only gave us a glimpse of that time, but it enabled us to better contextualize the phenomenon of Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.

Timeline of Important Events
1690 – Arrival of British East India Company
1757 – Battle of Plassey
1764 – Battle of Buxar – East India Company attains Diwani and Nizamat (right to collect land revenue and right to exercise criminal jurisdiction respectively).
1772 – 1850 – East India Company Raj
1772 – East India Company appoints Warren Hastings as 1^st Gov General
1784 – Asiatic Society of Bengal founded by Sir William Jones
1828 – Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded what later evolved into the Brahmo Samaj
1830 – Foundation of what later became the Scottish Church College (SV’s college)
1836 – Birth of Shri Ramakrishna
1854 – 1^st Railway line in India built (Calcutta to Hooghly)
1857 – Sepoy Mutiny/First War of Independence
1858 – End of control by East India Company. Power transferred to British Crown.
1861 – Birth of Rabindranath Thakur (Tagore)
1863 – Birth of Swami Vivekananda (SV)
1869 – Birth of Mahatma Gandhi
1877 – Queen Victoria declares herself “Empress of India”
1881 – SV first meets Shri Ramakrishna
1885 – Foundation of Indian National Congress (INC)
1886 – Shri Ramakrishna attains mahasamadhi
1893 – Swami Vivekananda comes to the US. Gandhi arrives in South Africa.
1902 – Swami Vivekananda attains mahasamadhi
1905 – Partition of Bengal under Lord Curzon’s (viceroy)
1911 – British move their capital to Delhi. Bengal Partition rescinded.
1913 – Tagore receives the Nobel Prize
1915 – Mahatma Gandhi returns to India.

Click on this link to open a larger map: Kolkata Bus Tour Map

1. Mother Teresa’s House (Nirmala Shishu Bhavan) – Please see previous post.

2. Rani Rasmani’s Jan Bazar Palace – Rani Rasmani founded the Dakshineshwar Kali temple, where Shri Ramakrishna served as the priest.

She was an exceptional example of woman leadership in the 19^th century. After the death of her husband, a wealthy zamindar and social reformer, Rani Rasmani oversaw and expanded her husband’s business with the help of her son-in-law, Mathur Mohan Biswas (Mathur Babu). She was a philanthropist and an outspoken champion of the poor, often challenging unfair British regulations.

Though a Shudra according to conventional social stratification, Rani Rasmani defied social norms by building the Kali temple at Dakshineshwar. At first, society shunned the temple making it difficult for her to find a priest. Finally, Ramkumar, the eldest brother of Shri Ramakrishna, was appointed as the chief priest. Ramkumar served the temple for several years and eventually brought along his younger brother Gadadhar, later Shri Ramakrishna, to train for the priestly profession. After Ramkumar passed away, Rani Rasmani handed the responsibility of worshipping Mother Kali—the principal deity of the temple complex–to Shri Ramakrishna.

Rani Rasmani’s palatial home still stands in Janbazar.

3. Metropolitan Building – Built in 1905 on of the busiest intersections of Chowringhee Road, the Metropolitan Building, with its neo-baroque architecture, epitomized fashionable shopping during the British Raj. It once housed Whiteways Laidlaw & Co., then Asia’s largest department store. With the help of World Monuments Fund, the building was restored beginning in 2003 and now is a commercial complex.

4. Chowringhee Road (now named Jawaharlal Nehru Road) – In the 18^th century, this road was referred to as the “road leading to the Kalighat” and was one of the fifty-one Shaktipeethas. Running through the heart of Kolkata, Chowringhee Road was one of the first modern roads built in the city. Because of its proximity to the Hooghly, the area around Chowringhee Road was referred to as the Esplanade. Most of the Kolkata’s heritage structures are located within the Esplanade, including the Metropolitan Building (described above), which was known as the “Queen of Esplanade Square.”

During British Rule, this “Paris-esque boulevard” became associated with opulent British real estate. The English built grand mansions and stately complexes on Chowringhee, because of which Calcutta was once referred to as the “City of Palaces.” Some of the prominent landmarks that dot Chowringhee Road are: Metropolitan Building, Oberoi Grand Hotel, Indian Museum, Asiatic Society of Bengal, Geological Survey of India, and various heritage Chowringhee Mansions.

5. Grand Hotel – The Grand Hotel, is among the oldest luxury hotels in India. It was often known for its lavish parties and elite clientele. During World War II, it was appropriated by the British army and used as a station for British soldiers, housing as many as 4000 soldiers.

6. Indian Museum – The Indian Museum is one of the “oldest such foundations in Asia.” In 1796, the Asiatic Society of Bengal announced its intention to found a museum. The Asiatic Society Museum was founded in 1814 within the Society building. Later known as the Imperial Museum, and more commonly the Jadughar or Ajabghar, the museum was moved to a newly constructed building in 1875. It has among its archives, a rich collection of Persian, Mughal, and Rajasthani paintings, status and bronzes from antiquity, and even the Great Rock Edicts of Asoka and pillar inscriptions. It also houses the largest Indian coin collection that date from 5^th century BCE to the present day. The Museum has recently partnered with the Google Culture Institute to make its exhibits available for 360-panaromic viewing online.

Shri Ramakrishna had visited the original Kolkata Museum, when it was housed within the Asiatic Society. Here are a few instances during which Shri Ramakrishna referred to the museum:

* * *

MASTER: “Once, a long time ago, I was very ill. I was sitting in the Kāli temple. I felt like praying to the Divine Mother to cure my illness, but couldn’t do so directly in my own name. I said to Her, ‘Mother, Hriday asks me to tell You about my illness.’ I could not proceed any farther. At once there flashed into my mind the Museum of the Asiatic Society, and a human skeleton strung together with wire. I said to Her, ‘Please tighten the wire of my body like that, so that I may go about singing Your name and glories.’ It is impossible for me to ask for occult powers.

In the context of Influence of company: MASTER (to the devotees): “I visited the museum once. I was shown fossils. A whole animal has become stone! Just see what an effect has been produced by company! Likewise, by constantly living in the company of a holy man one verily becomes holy.”

Geological Survey of India – (Located right behind the Museum.) The Geological Survey of India was established in 1851. It was the leading source of earth science information for the government and for industry. The institution can be traced to the 1836 Coal Committee and other organizations that lead coal exploration – coal was needed to power steam transportation in the empire.
Asiatic Society – Sir William Jones, the Chief Justice of Bengal and a well known “Oriental scholar” prior to coming to India, founded the Society in 1784. Sir William Jones recorded a memorandum of his plan of study and the subject of scholarship at the Society, “the laws of the Hindus and Mahomedans; the history of the ancient world; proofs and illustrations of scripture; traditions concerning the deluge; modern politics and geography of Hindusthan; Arithmatic and Geometry and mixed sciences of Asiaticks; Medicine, Chemistry, Surgery and Anatomy of the Indians; natural products of India; poetry, rhetoric and morality of Asia; music of the Eastern nations; the best accounts of Tibet and Kashmir; trade, manufactures, agriculture and commerce of India: Mughal constitution, Marhatta constitution etc.” The Asiatic Society became the first formal institution for “Oriental studies” and a pioneer for research in the field. For instance, “in [Sir William Jones’] 1786 presidential discourse to the Asiatic Society, he postulated the common ancestry of Sanskrit, Latin, and Greek, his findings providing the impetus for the development of comparative linguistics in the early 19th century.”

Some facts: The Asiatic Society library contains many rare archives including texts and manuscripts from Tipu Sultan’s library that the British acquired after they defeated the Mysore ruler. When the Indian Museum was founded, the Asiatic Society donated much of its archives to the Museum. …It wasn’t until 1829 that Indians were allowed membership. The Tagores were among the first members.

7. Birla Planetarium– The Birla Planetarium in Kolkata is Asia’s largest planetarium and the world’s second largest. It was the first of it’s kind in India and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962. The architecture is loosely based on the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi.

8. Victoria Memorial – The Victoria Memorial, which currently sits in the Maidan, was built in memory of Queen Victoria (UK Reign 1837-1901, Declared “Empress of India” in 1876). The memorial was built between 1906-1921.

The vision for the building was set by Viceroy Lord Curzon. Curzon wanted to build a grand public building, describing the idea as follows:

“Let us, therefore, have a building, stately, spacious, monumental and grand, to which every newcomer in Calcutta will turn, to which all the resident population, European and Native, will flock, where all classes will learn the lessons of history, and see revived before their eyes the marvels of the past.”

The cost of the construction amounted to one crore, five lakh rupees, all of which came from voluntary subscriptions from princes and the people of India. There is some distant resemblance to the Taj Mahal, which earned it the title of “Taj of the Raj.” Some say this was not entirely coincidental given Curzon led the restoration of the Taj Mahal.

Some facts: The memorial has historical artifacts such as a dagger belonging to Tipu Sultan, a cannon used in the Battle of Plassey, manuscripts by the famed Abu Fazal of Akbar’s court, and belongings of Warren Hastings, Dwarkanath Tagore, and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Lord Curzon had marble brought from the same Makrana quarries in Rajasthan that supplied Shah Jahan

9. Kolkata Race Course -The Race Course was laid out in the Maidan in 1812 during the Company Raj, mainly for army officers. Maintained by the Royal Calcutta Turf Club which was founded in 1847, it is one of the largest horse race venues in India. During the British Raj, it became one of the leading horse racing organizations in India, and at one time even served as the governing body for all such sports in the sub-continent. The races, opened by the Viceroy of India, brought together the upper echelons of society and were a major component of the British elite’s social scene.

Fort William – The old Fort William was constructed in 1696 at the site of the General Post Office. It was seized by Shiraj-Ud-Daulah, then the Nawab of Bengal. However, following the murder of Nawab during the Battle of Plassey in 1758, a new fort was constructed under the order of Robert Clive of the British East India Company. The area around the fort was cleared to form the “Maidan.”

* * *

Once Ramakrishna went to see Fort William, the British fort in Calcutta. Just as he arrived by carriage, the Sikh regiment was marching there. When the soldiers saw him, they dropped their rifles on the ground and bowed down to him, shouting, “Victory to the guru!” The British commander‑in‑chief was nonplussed. When he asked the Sikh soldiers about their unusual behavior they replied that it was the custom of their religion to show respect for their guru in that manner. Thus Ramakrishna conquered the British fort by merely siting in his carriage. It was not even necessary for him to step out of the vehicle. This was truly amazing!

For the householders Sri Ramakrishna did not prescribe the hard path of total renunciation. He wanted them to discharge their obligations to their families. Their renunciation was to be mental. Spiritual life could not he acquired by flying away from responsibilities. A married couple should live like brother and sister after the birth of one or two children, devoting their time to spiritual talk and contemplation. He encouraged the householders, saying that their life was, in a way, easier than that of the monk, since it was more advantageous to fight the enemy from inside a fortress than in an open field. He insisted, however, on their repairing into solitude every now and then to strengthen their devotion and faith in God through prayer, japa, and meditation. He prescribed for them the companionship of sādhus. He asked them to perform their worldly duties with one hand, while holding to God with the other, and to pray to God to make their duties fewer and fewer so that in the end they might cling to Him with both hands. He would discourage in both the householders and the celibate youths any lukewarmness in their spiritual struggles. He would not ask them to follow indiscriminately the ideal of non-resistance, which ultimately makes a coward of the unwary.

10. Maidan – Similar to New York’s Central Park, the Maidan is the largest and oldest urban park in Kolkata. It was created by the East India Company military in order to clear the line of view for Fort William’s cannons. The park is located between the Hooghly (on the West) and Chowringhee (now Jawaharlal Nehru) Road.

Fort William, the Raj Bhavan (Governor’s House), Shaheed Minar, the Eden Gardens, Victoria Memorial, and the Kolkata Race Course are all located in the Maidan.

* * *

Master at the circus
Sri Ramakrishna, accompanied by Rakhal and several other devotees, came to Calcutta in a carriage and called for M. at the school where he was teaching. Then they all set out for the Maidan. Sri Ramakrishna wanted to see the Wilson Circus. As the carriage rolled along the crowded Chitpore Road, his joy was very great. Like a little child he leaned first out of one side of the carriage and then out of the other, talking to himself as if addressing the passers-by. To M. he said: “I find the attention of the people fixed on earthly things. They are all rushing about for the sake of their stomachs. No one is thinking of God.”

They arrived at the circus. Tickets for the cheapest seats were purchased. The devotees took the Master to a high gallery, and they all sat on a bench. He said joyfully: “Ha! This is a good place. I can see the show well from here.” There were exhibitions of various feats. A horse raced around a circular track over which large iron rings were hung at intervals. The circus rider, an Englishwoman, stood on one foot on the horse’s back, and as the horse passed under the rings, she jumped through them, always alighting on one foot on the horse’s back. The horse raced around the entire circle, and the woman never missed the horse or lost her balance.When the circus was over, the Master and the devotees stood outside in the field, near the carriage. Since it was a cold night he covered his body with his green shawl.

Necessity of spiritual discipline
Sri Ramakrishna said to M: “Did you see how that Englishwoman stood on one foot on her horse, while it ran like lightning? How difficult a feat that must be! She must have practised a long time. The slightest carelessness and she would break her arms or legs; she might even be killed. One faces the same difficulty leading the life of a householder. A few succeed in it through the grace of God and as a result of their spiritual practice. But most people fail. Entering the world, they become more and more involved in it; they drown in worldliness and suffer the agonies of death. A few only, like Janaka, have succeeded, through the power of their austerity, in leading the spiritual life as householders. Therefore spiritual practice is extremely necessary; otherwise one cannot rightly live in the world.”

MASTER (to the devotees): “I shall look upon them as the Blissful Mother Herself. What if one of them acts the part of Chaitanya? An imitation custard-apple reminds one of the real fruit. Once, while going along a road, a devotee of Krishna noticed some babla- trees. Instantly his mind was thrown into ecstasy. He remembered that the wood of babla-trees was used for the handles of the spades that the garden of the temple of Syamasundar was dug with. The trees instantly reminded him of Krishna. I was once taken to the Maidan in Calcutta to see a balloon go up. There I noticed a young English boy leaning against a tree, with his body bent in three places. It at once brought before me the vision of Krishna and I went into samādhi.

11. Red Road (Now Indira Gandhi Sarani) – The original Red Road was made in the 1720s. The name came from the color of the material that was used for paving. Construction for the current road began in 1820 under Colonel Watson. The road spans between the Raj Bhavan and Fort William. British used this road for state parades. Interestingly, during World War II, the road even served as a landing strip for fighter planes. Mother Teresa’s funeral procession by the Indian government made its way through historic thoroughfares of the city, including Red Road.

12. Shaheed Minar (loosely called the Monument, formerly known as Ochterlony monument) – The 158 ft minar or tower was originally built on the Esplanade by the East India Company in 1828 in memory of major General David Octherlony, the commander of the British East India Company, to commemorate soldiers that defended Delhi from the Marathas and also the British victory in the Anglo-Nepalese War (the result of the latter was that a third of Nepalese land was handed to the British, including present day Sikkim and Darjeeling).

The monument’s design was influenced by Egyptian, Syrian, and Turkish architecture. In 1969, the minar was rededicated to memorialize the Indian Independence Movement. It was then rechristened and called the “Shaheed (martyr) Minar (tower),” which means “martyrs’ monument”.

* * *

(To M. and Prankrishna) “Many people talk of Brahmajnāna, but their minds are always preoccupied with lower things: house, buildings, money, name, and sense pleasures. As long as you stand at the foot of the Monument, then so long do you see horses, carriages, Englishmen, and Englishwomen. But when you climb to its top, you behold the sky and the ocean stretching to infinity. Then you do not enjoy buildings, carriages, horses, or men. They look like ants…………………………………….

“The nearer you come to God, the more you feel peace. Peace, peace, peace-supreme peace! The nearer you come to the Ganges, the more you feel its coolness. You will feel completely soothed when you plunge into the river.

13. Akashvani Bhavan (All India Radio) – “Radio Broadcasting started in India in the early 1920’s. The first programme was broadcast in 1923 by the Radio club of Bombay. This was followed by setting up Broadcasting Services in 1927 with two privately-owned transmitters at Bombay and Calcutta. The Government took over the transmitters in 1930 and started operating them under the name of Indian Broadcasting Service. It was changed to All India Radio (AIR) in 1936 and it came to be known as Akashvani from 1957.” –Know India: Culture and Heritage, India.gov.In Website

It is obvious to us now that state control over all communication systems was certainly advantageous to the colonial government. Radio could also be used to “manufacture an illusion of political consensus.” Yet, just like with the development of the railway, telegraph, and postage system, the radio too played a role in sparking Indian national sentiment, “allowing latent ideas and attitudes to travel and ferment into broader political movements.” However, the development of the radio in India was deflected by turmoil on the ground and differences among organizing parties.

14. Eden Garden & Eden Garden Cricket Stadium – Eden Garden consists of the land between the Hooghly and the Raj Bhavan (Governor General’s House). In the 1840s, it belonged to the then Governor General Lord Auckland. Auckland’s sisters, Emily and Fanny Eden supervised the cleaning of the land, and opened it to the public as a recreational ground in 1841.

The Eden Gardens Stadium, located in Eden Garden, is the largest cricket stadium (in terms of capacity) in India, and the second largest in the world (second only to Melbourne) with a seat capacity of over 65,000.

15. Netaji Indoor Stadium (Eden Garden Cricket Stadium) – The stadium is the only indoor sports arena in Kolkata. It is a fully air-conditioned stadium and seats 12,000 people.

16. Babu Ghat – Babu means Bengali person of aristocracy or higher stratum of society. Babu Ghat was built out of the patronage of Babu Raj Chandra Das, Rani Rashmoni’s huband, in 1830. It is the second oldest ghat in Kolkata. Babu Ghat reminds us of an incident relating to Rani Rashmoni’s dealings with the British. British had imposed a tax on fishing activities on the Hooghly, threatening the livelihood of the local fisherman. The fisherman turned to Rani Rashmoni for help. In protest, the spirited Rani bought some land on the other side of the river and blocked river traffic with iron chains. The British were forced to concede with the Rani’s demands for her people.

17. Howrah Bridge (Now Rabindra Setu) – As far back as 1862, the Government of Bengal began researching the idea of building a bridge across the Hooghly. The Calcutta Port Trust was thus created in 1870, and the construction of the first bridge was completed in 1874. By 1905, it was evident that this bridge could not handle the load. Construction faced delayed because of WWI and WWII. As a result of WWII, steel that was supposed to be used for the construction was diverted; Tata Steel provided almost 90% of the necessary steel. Bridge construction was finally completed in 1942. The British did not open the bridge with much fun fanfare, fearing bombing by the Japanese. Howrah Bridge marked a engineering feat by the British Raj. The bridge is the 6^th longest cantilever truss bridge in the world.

18. High Court – The Calcutta High Courtis the oldest High Court in India. It was preceded by the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William, which hosted the judiciary system from 1774 to 1862. The Calcutta High Court, built in 1862, was the first High Court in India and one of the three chartered courts in India (the others were the High Courts of Bombay and Madras). These were the highest courts for all cases in India until the establishment of the Federal Court of India in 1935. The current court building was constructed in 1872 (the prior Court existed on the Esplanade.)
Swami Vivekananda, known as Naren in his youth, came from a family of lawyers. Naren’s great grandfather was a “Farsi lawyer” of the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William. Naren’s grandfather, Durga Prasad, worked in an Attorney’s office and was to become a partner in his father’s law firm, but he soon took up monasticism. Naren’s first cousin, Tarak Nath used to handle litigations for the famed Jorasankho Tagore family. Naren’s father too had a successful legal practice, and would travel to distant places such as: Lucknow, Lahore, Delhi, Rajputana, and Raipure. Even Naren was to complete his law studies, but was not able to due to the death of his father and the circumstances that this brought to his family.

19. Town Hall – The Town Hall was constructed in 1814 as a public meeting space for “elite European gatherings.” The ground floor was open to the public to view paintings and sculptures while the second floor was used to host state events for the East India Company along with other receptions and balls.

In 1898, Jagdish Chandra Bose’s famous experiment was carried out at the Town Hall in front of the public. In this experiment, Bose ignited gunpowder and rang a bell at a distance using electromagnetic waves. It was the first experiment that demonstrated how communication signals could be sent without wires.

Tagore’s 50^th and 70^th birthdays were also celebrated at the Town Hall in Tagor’e presence.

Today the library at Town Hall houses rare books, journals, and manuscripts from the colonial period. The Kolkata Museum is located on the ground floor and the first floor hall is often used for lectures, exhibitions, cultural events, etc.

20. Raj Bhavan – This grandiose structure was formerly known as the Governor’s House, and was the official residence of the Viceroy of India. Today it is the official residence of the Governor of West Bengal.

Construction for Raj Bhavan ran between 1799 and 1803. The Governor’s House was an imposing building, clearly built as a symbol of power and imperial success.
This is reflected in the type of social gatherings that took place at the House. The first major event hosted in the Governor’s House was in 1802 during the anniversary of the Battle of Seringapatam, the battle in which Tipu Sultan was defeated. “The Governor General gave a breakfast to ‘above seven hundred of the principal ladies and gentlemen of the settlement’ and ‘on this occasion, the great apartments of the new Government House were opened for the first time.’“ The throne of the aforementioned Tipu Sultan actually sits in a room in Raj Bhavan, aptly named the “Throne Room”. (Below are pictures of the Throne Room and Ballroom, respectively.)
To understand the importance of the role of the Governor-General of Bengal, it is important to understand the structure of the British Government in India and the appointment of the Governor-General office. In 1851, the British designated four presidencies (provinces):
Bengal – In Calcutta … this was once the largest presidency.
Bombay – In Bombay (Now Mumbai)
Madras – In Madras (Now Chennai)
North-Western Provinces – In Agra

Until 1857, the Director of the East India Company appointed a Governor General. In 1858, after the 1857 uprising, the East India Company territories came under the direct control of the British Crown. As a result, from 1858 to 1914, it was the King of England that appointed the Governor General, henceforth known as the Viceroy of India. A Governor headed each presidency; all Governors were to report to the Viceroy, the chief officer in India. The Viceroy was to report to Parliament. For many years, the Governor of Bengal was concurrently the Viceroy of India.

* * *

Mani Mallick and Bhavanath referred to the exhibition which was then being held near the Asiatic Museum. They said: “Many maharajas have sent precious articles to the exhibition-gold couches and the like. It is worth seeing.”

MASTER (to the devotees, with a smile): “Yes, you gain much by visiting those things. You realize that those articles of gold and the other things sent by maharajas are mere trash. That is a great gain in itself. When I used to go to Calcutta with Hriday, he would show me the Viceroy’s palace and say: ‘Look, uncle! There is the Viceroy’s palace with the big columns.’ The Mother revealed to me that they were merely clay bricks laid one on top of another.

21. St. John’s Church – The church, built between 1784 and1787, was one of the first public buildings constructed by the British East India Company. The site of St. John’s Church was originally the burial ground of Calcutta’s “founder” Job Charnock and his family. Maharaj Nabakrishnadeb donated the land to Warren Hastings, who wanted to build St. John’s at this location. Lord Cornwallis* was present at its consecration ceremony. The church contains plaques and tombstones dedicated to prominent people associated with East India Company as well as many interesting memorials that date to the early British colonial period. One of these include the gravestone of the Company doctor, Dr. Hamilton, who saved the Mughal Emperor, as a result of which the emperor granted the Company free trading license.

Trivia – Supposedly the floor of Gaur was made from ruins of Gaur and ancient city in Bengal.

(*Cornwallis, a famous British General in the American War of Independence, was appointed as Governor General of Bengal and Commander in Chief in 1786. He is known not only for his defeat of Tipu Sultan, but also for the many reforms he made in the East India Company operations that solidified British rule in India.

22. GPO (General Post Office) – The GPO is notable for its imposing high domed roof (rising over 220 ft or 22 storied building) and tall iconic Corinthian pillars. Located in what was originally a famous British outpost named Fort William, the General Post Office (GPO) is the central post office of both the city of Kolkata and the state of West Bengal. The GPO was constructed in 1868, 91 years after William Hastings introduced the postal system to Kolkata. The GPO signified the coming of age of the postal system – a system that introduced India to large-scale, streamlined mail/parcel delivery – and one that reflected the modernization of India. It was the same system that handled Swamiji’s inspirational letters and important colonial government correspondences among other historic conversations and negotiations. The popular landmark continues to handle most of the city’s inbound and outbound mail and parcels.

23. BBD Bagh – BBD Bagh was once known as Dalhousie Square, named after Lord Dalhousie who served as the Governor General of India from 1847-1856. (Lord Dalhousie was infamous for his “Doctrine of Lapse” which forbid Indian rulers from adopting an heir in the absence of a natural heir. This measure allowed the British to annex the territories of such rulers.)

Dalhousie Square is located at the site of the old Fort William, which was constructed in 1696. The Square surrounds what was locally called the “Lal Dighi” or Red Pool. Lal Dighi was a water tank that was the source of drinking water for the nearby European residents until the 19^th century. Its name referred to the reflection of the red bricks of the colonial buildings that were mirrored in the pool.Dalhousie Square was the seat of power during the British Raj. “In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Calcutta was the capital of British India and Dalhousie Square was the city’s financial, social, and political nucleus.”

In and around the square, you’ll find important administrative buildings such as:
Writer’s Building (1777)
St. John’s Church (1787)
Kolkata Town Hall (1814)
Currency Building (1833)
Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (1853)
General Post Office/GPO (1868)
Kolkata Port Trust (1870)
Central Telegraph Office/CTO (1876)
East Indian Railway headquarters (1879)
Calcutta Stock Exchange (1908)
Royal Insurance Building (1911)After India’s independence, the Square was renamed “BBD Bagh” after three the young martyrs Benoy, Badal, and Dinesh that were hung by the British for their protest against the partition of Bengal in 1905.

Many of the original buildings from the Square have been knocked down by developers to create office spaces. Recently, 55 buildings around Dalhousie Square have been declared to be heritage sites by the World Monuments Fund. Many of these offices are important political and commercial offices of Bengal.

24. Writer’s Building – By the time the East India Company arrived in Bengal, it was already in existence for nearly a hundred years and had presence in various cities in India. Under Governor Warren Hastings, the Company underwent many major reforms, one of which included an effort to consolidate the administration and staff. It was in this context that Hastings conceived of the Writer’s Building. By 1778 the building was ready for use.

The Writer’s Building was named after the labor force that essentially became the operating system for colonial rule. Employees of the Company were organized under a very strict layered hierarchical structure. “Writers” ranked just above the lowest position (that of the apprentice). They were junior clerks or scribes, and their job was to keep all the accounts and to correspond with London. It was tedious work to keep all the ledgers organized and updated and creating hand written duplications of important documents. The working conditions weren’t entirely pleasant, yet, there was no dearth of candidates for the job. The Company attracted young men, as young as 16, who saw the job openings as their key up the social and economic ladder. The Writer’s Building served as the training ground for these workers. In 1800, the College of Fort William, founded to train the writers in Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindi, was moved to the Writer’s Building complexes. Initially, the writers were expected to study, live, and work in the building during their probationary period of 5 years, after which they could earn the opportunity to slowly move up the ranks.

The operations conducted in the Writer’s Building, especially after the significant reforms introduced by Hastings, were exemplary of an efficiently managed colonial empire. Hastings laid the foundation for what later evolved into the Indian Civil Service.

25. Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque –Tipu Sultan’s youngest son, Prince Ghulam Mohammand Sultan Khan, built this mosque in 1832 in memory of his father, Tipu Sultan of Mysore.

Tipu Sultan was known for his fierce resistance to the British in the Anglo-Mysore Wars – battles in which Tipu Sultan allied with the French. There are controversial accounts of Tip Sultan’s rule, though modern scholarship attributes this to British historians from that era. In 1799, joint Maratha and British forces defeated Tipu Sultan in the fourth Anglo-Mysore War. After his death, his entire family was exiled. They were later brought to Calcutta by the British in 1806.

26. Bhim Chandra Nag’s Sweet Shop – This famous sweet shop dates back to 1826. Shri Ramakrishna especially loved Bhim Chandra Nag’s sandesh sweet.

“According to Haradhan Nag, an aged scion of Kolkata’s oldest sweet shop, Bhim Chandra Nag, [Rani Rashmoni] is said to have bought over a ton of SANDESH from the confectioner, for the celebration of its inauguration. …whenever, Rani Rashmoni, went to Dakshineshwar she invariably bought two big baskets of Bhim Chandra Nag sweets–one for the goddess Kali and other for Ramakrishna who would then apparently share them with his disciples.”

Birth of another Bengali Sweet dessert item “Ledikeni” – Lady Canning was the wife of the Lord Canning, the last Governor General of the East India Company, and later the first Viceroy when the British Crown took over in 1857. On the eve Lady Canning’s birthday, Lord Canning’s men came to Bhim Nag’s shop and ordered a special sweetmeat, which would be entirely different in shape and size than the existing range of sweets and would also outclass them in taste The Nags after pondering over it for days made a new kind of sweetmeat, much above the expectation of Canning’s men. It was partially a ‘Pantua’ and partially a ‘Lancha’. It resembled both to some extent but at the same time, was different from them. From the name of Lady Canning, this sweet came to be known in Bengal as “ledikeni” and is very popular even to this day.

Sources Include

Free Time / Shopping Time:
Many of our 91 pilgrims were coming to Kolkata for the first time. Kolkata is a big city and had many attractive things to offer in terms of shopping, etc. While we had kept no time for shopping as this was strictly a pilgrimage, our bus tour arrived at Hyatt one hour earlier than it was planned. Thus, everyone welcomed an hour of free time before our 12:30 lunch. People had choices to relax, to go for shopping, or start packing for our departure.

A group of about 20 uncles, aunties, and students went to a street market in Kolkata about 20 minutes away from our hotel to do some afternoon shopping. Surrounded by tea stands, purse vendors, and an array of saree stores to choose from, they walked around like tourists for almost an hour going from shop to shop, collecting bags of new outfits and souvenirs along the way.

Special Thanks to Club7 Members:
During our, once again, wonderful meal at Topaz and Sapphire, Mahendra Uncle came up to the podium and wished to express his, and our, thanks to Club7 for going above and beyond in making this trip the lifetime memory that it was.

Every aspect of Club7’s thorough work was shown during our trip, from the constant water bottles supplied at every corner, to the hotel booking, meal organizations, extremely skillful bus drivers, and comfortable buses. Club7 members expressed their joy for having us and gave us hearty welcome for whenever we wished to come back.

After this, we all went to our rooms to get ready to visit Belur Math one last time.

This blog claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, kindly contact us with a link to the said image.

(Thanks to Nisha Parikh for writing this post and Ronak Parikh for editing. Thanks to Deba Uncle for creating the Bus Tour Map and providing us the information that connected the incidences and conversations from Shri Ramakrishna’s life to the Bus Tour landmarks.)

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 7 Morning at Mother Teresa’s Place

August 3, 2016Mother Teresa, PilgrimagesBelur Math Pilgrimage 2015mahendrajani

August 9, 2015

On our final day of the pilgrimage, we had our breakfast at the Guchhi after getting to sleep in a little more than the previous days. Embarking on our penultimate excursion around 8 am, we boarded the buses and sang our morning prayer, which ended just as we reached our destination.

We arrived at Mother Teresa’s house which consisted of an exhibition, her tomb, and the room she stayed in while in Kolkata.

Agnes Bojanxhiu, later known as Mother Teresa, was born on August 26^th, 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia, which at that time was under the Ottoman Empire. Even during her very early years, Agnes was fascinated by the work of Missionaries, especially their service work in Bengal. At the age of 12, she committed herself to a religious life. At 18, she left her home to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland with hopes of becoming a missionary. She arrived in Darjeeling in 1929 and learned Bengali while teaching at a schoolhouse named St. Mary’s School. Teresa taught for almost 20 years and also became appointed headmistress of the schoolhouse. It was near the end of this time when Teresa witnessed the intense poverty around her through tragedies such as the Bengal famine and acts of Hindu and Muslim violence.

In 1946, Teresa received her second calling, this time to help the poorest of the poor. She requested the Church for permission to leave the convent and work outside the order. “Rare for any member of the clergy, in 1946 it was unheard of for a nun.” In 1948, after a few months of receiving basic medical training, Mother Teresa began her work in Calcutta’s slums. She was joined by a group of young women. Together, they formed a new religious community to help the poor. Although Mother Teresa’s help was tremendously appreciated by the local authorities, she was offered very little assistance and faced many difficulties early in her work in Calcutta, having to beg for food and supplies. However, Mother Teresa persisted and selflessly served those living in extreme poverty. In 1950, she finally received permission from the Vatican to start what would be the Missionaries of Charity to help the “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.” In the 1950s and 1960s, Mother Teresa’s work led to the creation of a leper colony, an orphanage, a nursing home, a family clinic, and a number of mobile clinics. In the 1970s, she established an American house of charity in New York City and also won the Nobel Peace Prize. In the 1980s, she secretly traveled to Beirut where she served both Christian and Muslim children. Mother Teresa passed away in 1997 – at that time there were more than 4,000 Missionaries of Charity with over 610 foundations in 123 countries.

As we walked through the house, we saw many aspects of Mother Teresa’s life. In one part of the exhibit, we could view some of her possessions such as combs, brushes, utensils, clothing, and her wheelchair.

In this room, there were posts of Mother Teresa’s teachings and writing, including The Greatest Injustice.

One of the most wonderful aspects of this exhibit was a voice recording of Mother Teresa herself. The displays here also contained many of her life works and accomplishments, such as the coveted Nobel Peace Prize that she received on December 11, 1979. Near the exit of the room was a notebook filled with pages of notes written by those who wish to convey a message to Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa’s tomb sits within one of the rooms of the the Missionaries of Charity building. Upon entering this room, we felt a serene yet somber atmosphere. Mother’s tomb was adorned with red roses in the shape of her rosary, a set of candles, and a statue of Mother Mary.

On the walls, there were three paintings depicting her life’s work and her image to the world. Each piece of art was paired with a beautiful quote expressing the essence of the work. Mother Teresa’s tombstone read:

“Love one another as I have loved you” St. John 15:12

Mother M. Teresa M. C.

26.8.1910 – 5.9.1997

Our Dearly Beloved Mother Foundress of the Missionaries of Charity

Next to her tomb were a few rows of benches where visitors paid their respects to Mother Teresa and her legacy. Many of us sat on these benches and either recited a
prayer or did japa.

On our way out of the room, one of the sisters handed us a photo of Mother Teresa, a specialized pendant, and an informative pamphlet on the Mother’s life.

After visiting her tomb, we walked up a set of narrow stairs to Mother Teresa’s room. The room was narrow and very small. In fact, it was built on top of the kitchen and the room would get very hot. Yet, Mother Teresa never used a fan!

In the room we caught a glimpse of Mother Teresa’s simple life. We saw a thin cot covered in a plaid blanket, a simple wooden table, and her desk where Mother Teresa answered letters sent to her. Also kept in the room was a glass case displaying her rosary, first cross, and a pendant.

As we were getting ready to leave, we came to know that Sister Gertrude, a direct Sister-nun to Mother Teresa herself, was present in the house. We learned of Sister Gertrude’s background much later. Sister Gertrude, an aspiring medical student, met Mother Teresa in 1946, at age 17, when she was a boarding student at Loreto. Soon after, in 1948, Mother Teresa had left the convent to begin Missionaries of Charity. Once Sister Gertrude returned from her medical course, she learned of Mother Teresa’s whereabouts and joined her, becoming the third woman to join Mother Teresa in founding Missionaries of Charity. It was at Mother Teresa’s urging that Sister Gertrude completed her medical studies. She dedicated her life to the Mission, becoming it’s first doctor, and was often said to be Mother Teresa’s “right hand.” She cared for Mother Teresa and was at her side at the time of Mother’s passing. We were so blessed to be in her presence! We quickly walked up the stairs to meet her. She lovingly and humbly received all of us and gave us her good wishes and blessings. A few of us had a small conversation with her about loving all, not discriminating against people of different faiths, and keeping family close to you. As she held our heads to bless us, we could feel the pure love and power behind her.

Visiting Mother Teresa’s house truly put into perspective the universal language that is service. We hurriedly returned to the buses to begin the bus tour of Kolkata.

Here are some of Mother Teresa’s quotes and teachings:

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

“Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, and kindness in your smile.”

“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

“The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family too small.”

“If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”

“Spread the love of God through your life but only use words when necessary.”

“Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”

“Prayer in action is love, love in action is service.”

“Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people.”

“The fruit of Silence is Prayer
The fruit of Prayer is Faith
The fruit of Faith is Love
The fruit of Love is Service
The fruit of Service is Peace”

(Report written by Apurva Shah and Kanchan Railkar, and edited by Ronak Parikh. Thanks to Nisha Parikh for adding photos.)

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 6 Visit to Shantiniketan

July 17, 2016Pilgrimages, Rabindranath TagoreBelur Math Pilgrimage 2015, Shantiniketanmahendrajani

August 8, 2015

Memories of Jorasanko:

On August 7^th, we visited Jorasankho, the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s house. He was born in this house and also had left his body here. His father, Debendranath Tagore, his grandfather, Dwarkananth Tagore, and many of his family members were well-known public figures and talented personalities. We were amazed to learn about the Tagore family’s contributions to Indian Culture and to the world. In this environment, while walking through Jorasankho, we felt that we were touching a part of history.

Today, on August 8^th, we were going to visit “Shantiniketan,” the place that brought Rabindranath Tagore’s vision of education and culture to life and practice. During our visit to Shantiniketan, we thought of the incidents in the lives of the Tagore family that connected them to Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Saradadevi, and Swami Vivekananda.

Connections of the Tagore Family and Swami Vivekananda:

Sri Ramakrishna had met Debendranath Tagore. Swami Vivekananda also met Debendranath Tagore, and as a young boy (Narendra), asked him, “Sir! Have you seen God?” Debendranath replied that Narendra had the eyes of a “Yogi” and that he should practice meditation.

Narendra was a member of the Brahmo Samaj where he was one of the lead singers in the choir. Rabindranath Tagore had written a few songs for the Brahmo Samaj and Narendra would go to Jorasanko for musical rehearsals.

Later, Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore’s mission in life took different turns. However, Rabindranath Tagore showed great respect for Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. Also, Swami Vivekananda’s disciple, Sister Nivedita, played a crucial role in making Rabindranath Tagore known to the Western World–catapulting him to fame and leading him to becoming the first Asian recipient of the Nobel Prize.

Rabindranath Tagore on Sri Ramakrishna:

To the Paramahamsa Ramakrishna Deva

“Diverse courses of worship
from varied springs of fulfillment
have mingled in your meditation.
The manifold revelation of the joy of the Infinite
has given form to a shrine of unity in your life
where from far and near arrive salutations
to which I join my own.”

Rabindranath Tagore on Swami Vivekananda:

Swami Vivekananda’s Gospel:

“Some time ago Vivekananda said that there was the power of Brahman in every man and that Narayana (God) wanted to have our service through the poor. This is what I call real gospel. This gospel showed of infinite from man’s tiny egocentric self beyond the limits of all selfishness. This was no sermon relating to a particular ritual, nor was it a narrow injunction to be imposed upon one’s external life. This naturally contained in it protest against untouchability— not because that would make for political freedom, but because that would do away with the humiliation of man— a curse which in fact puts to shame the self of us all. Vivekananda’s gospel marked the awakening of man in his fullness and that is why it inspired our youth to the diverse course of liberation through work and sacrifice.

Swami Vivekananda’s Message:

“In India of modern times, it was Vivekananda alone who preached a great message which is not tied to any do’s and don’ts. Addressing one and all in the nation, he said: In every one of you there is the power of Brahman (God); the God in the poor desires you to serve Him. This message has roused the heart of the youths in a most pervasive way. That is why this message has borne fruit in the service of the nation in diverse ways and in diverse forms of sacrifice. This message has, at one and the same time, imparted dignity and respect to man along with energy and power. The strength that this message has imparted to man is not confined to a particular point; nor is it limited to repetitions of some physical movements. It has, indeed, invested his life with a wonderful dynamism in various spheres. There at the source of the adventurous activities of today’s youth of Bengal is the message of Vivekananda—which calls the soul of man, not his fingers.

Study Vivekananda:

“If you want to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative.”

Bus Tour to Shantiniketan & a break

Early in the morning, at 5:30 a.m., we began assembling in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel in preparation for our departure to the university town of Shantiniketan. Once more, the Club7 staff had graciously put together lunch boxes for each of us to take on the bus ride. Like our visits to Jayrambati and Kamarpukur, the trip to Shantiniketan was a long drive, and we traveled in two big buses instead of our usual three. We left the Hyatt shortly after 6:00 a.m. and sang morning prayers as we drove through Kolkata.

We took a short break along the way. As a result of some construction, a part of the road was blocked from all sides with huge trucks, buses, vans, cars and other vehicles. Our bus drivers and their helpers used all of their skills and experience to avoid our delay. They even drove safely on the opposite side of the road when needed. The helpers stood on the road to stop other vehicles in order to make the way for our buses. The total journey took us four and a half hours. Without the bus drivers’ skills, we would have probably arrived hours later, in the afternoon.

Traveling in Totos:

At Shantiniketan, the path was inaccessible to our huge buses. So we boarded around twenty four-passenger, battery operated toto rickshaws to drive us to our destination. This was an exciting experience for the young and old. As we rode down the dirt road in the open totos, we could begin to feel Shantiniketan’s peaceful natural aura.

Special Lunch:

After a brief ride, our caravan of totos arrived at the Hotel Camelia Restaurant, where we were greeted with cold bottles of Thums Up and a buffet lunch of mutter paneer, dum aloo, naan, and the famous Bengali rasgulla. Club7 members had made all the arrangements for our lunch. The place looked like a royal palace with the impressive red colored furniture and excellent paintings on the walls.

Chhatimtala: After lunch, we boarded the totos once more and rode to Chhatimtala.

The Chhatim tree is also known as the Devil’s tree. However, in Sanskrit it is called “Sapta Parni,” Sapta means seven and Parni means leaves. The tree has clusters of beautifully arranged 7 leaves.

Chhatimala is considered the starting point of Shantiniketan. Debendranath, and later Rabindranath, would sit under these Chhatim trees in meditation. It was here, under a tree of Chhatim, that Maharshi Debendranath Tagore found peace of mind and soul. The original tree is no longer there. Another such tree has been planted and it is growing well. The green surrounding with the sacred ‘bedi’ made us feel at peace.

Shantiniketan:

In 1863, on a seven-acre plot at the site of the present institution, Debendranath Tagore, Rabindranath’s father, built a small retreat for meditation, and in 1888 he dedicated the land and buildings towards the establishment of a Brahmavidyalaya and a library.

Shantiniketan Griha– Very near Chatimtala, we find the oldest building where ‘Shantiniketan’ was founded in 1863. We were fortunate to have the Principal of the school “Patha Bhavan” as our guide.

In front of this building, there is a sculpture known as the ‘Anirban Shikha’– made by the genius sculptor Ramkinkar Beij, a renowned ‘Shantinikatani’. The sculpture depicts burning flames of fire. Yet the astonishing thing about this sculpture is that in the early morning light, it generates a shadow of a ‘mother and child’.

Amro-Kunj and Patha-Bhavana – Institute of Primary and Secondary Education:

We learned that Debendranath used to bring young Rabi (as Rabindranath was affectionately called in his young age) here. Rabi loved to immerse himself in the natural beauty of Shantiniketan. He hated traditional book learning and believed that education should be a part of life and carried out in nature instead of separately inside schools. With this ideal in mind, he established a school which later became the Visva Bharati University.

Its unique feature is open-air classes. We found a park with many huge mango trees. This is known as the Amro-Kunj. Under the mango trees, in this serene environment, we found a teacher’s seat made out of stone and in front of it, circular round stone seating for students.

The atmosphere adds something to the learning experience that is missed in walled classrooms. Just imagine learning under the shade of a tree instead of sitting at a desk within the confines of a conventional classroom!

Rabindranath’s school Brahmacharyasrama which started functioning formally from December 22, 1901 with no more than five students on the roll, was, in part, a fulfillment of the wishes of his father who was a considerable figure of his time in the field of educational reform. From 1925 this school came to be known as Patha-Bhavana. It is partly a residential co-educational school for elementary and secondary education, preparing students for the School Certificate Examination. Our tour guide informed us that Shantiniketan was the first co-ed school in India, where boys and girls studied the same curriculum.

The teachers among our Vidyapith family were particularly interested in the institution’s progressive curriculum. Rabindranath Tagore’s legacy lives on through the school’s educational program which encourages children to engage in singing, dancing, writing, painting, and various other creative fields. From 9th grade onwards, the university adopts a more traditional curriculum so that students can take standardized exams and seek employment after graduation.

Visva-Bharati:

Rabindranath founded a school for children at Shantiniketan and it was around this nucleus that the structure of an unconventional university called the Visva-Bharati was developed through careful planning. On December 23, 1921 Rabindranath formally started the college with proceeds from the Nobel Prize that he received in 1913 for his work, Gitanjali.

After India’s independence, in 1951, the college was given the status of a university and named Visva-Bharati University. It grew to become one of India’s most renowned places of higher learning. Its list of alumni consists of many renowned personalities including the Nobel Prize Winner economist Amrtya Sen, the world renowned film-maker Satyajit Ray, India’s leading art historian Shri R. Siva Kumar, and others.

The university’s 1,150 students are taught by around 80 teachers with a relatively small class size of approximately 25 students per class. Although few in number, international students from Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Spain, Russia and other countries attend this university. We were told that many Visva-Bharati alumni pursue their careers in research and art.

Rabindranath himself said the following about Visva-Bharati:

“Visva-Bharati represents India where she has her wealth of mind which is for all. Visva-Bharati acknowledges India’s obligation to offer to others the hospitality of her best culture and India’s right to accept from others their best.”

The Entrance of Visva-Bharati:

The main gateway to the Visva-Bharati complex is called “New Ghanta Ghar” Or “Simha –Sadan”. Simha is used to denote the main entrance. There is a beautiful bell and clock tower on both sides, which regulate the timing of the daily routine for the ashrama inmates. The square-looking gateways flanking the Simha-Sadan are known as the Purva-toran and the Paschim-toran. The Simha-Sadan was built out of a donation by Satyendra Prasanna Simha of Raipur. It was in this building that Oxford University conferred its honorary doctorate to Rabindranath.

UTTARAYANA COMPLEX:

The Uttarayana Complex is the enclave of Rabindranath’s own houses, built over the last three decades of his life (1919-1941), where he lived at different times. The entire complex is divided into many buildings with varying architectural styles. Tagore’s five houses inside the Uttarayan Complex are: Konarka, Shamali, Punascha, Udichi, Udayana.

The gardens of Uttarayana were planned and laid out by the Poet’s son, Rathindranath, a horticulturist by training. He planted exotic plants and trees in the Uttarayan complex and in the surrounding area. The African Tulip from Equatorial Africa, the Sausage tree and Rhodesian Wistaria from Tropical Africa, the Baobab tree from Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean Trumpet tree from Latin America are some of the trees that have survived in Shantiniketan. They are a testament to the ideas and research studies produced by foreign scholars who came to Shantiniketan.

(1) Konark:

Originally a mud house, this was the earliest dwelling that Rabindranath built for his own seclusion from activity and as a place for his own work. It contained an east-facing verandah with rows of pillars used as a stage for plays and dance-dramas composed by the Poet. Natir Puja was first staged here. Since there were no walls in the central large room, nature was the effective backdrop. The Konark verandah was used for poetry readings by the Poet. The Mrinmoyee Patio is a beautiful cemented floor with seating arrangements. This was built on the foundation of the other mud house when it was pulled down. Rabindranath would sit in this open patio and write.

(2) Shyamali:

This house was an experiment in mud house construction. Rabindranath wanted to see if instead of a thatched roof, which was always vulnerable to fire hazards, a permanent mud roof could be built. It was to be a low-cost structure and would serve as a model house for villagers. The walls were heavily built so that the weight of the mud roofs could be borne. One of the rooms was constructed by using earthen water-pots arranged inside plaster-casings as its roof and walls. Rabindranath believed that when hot air would pass through the earthern pots, it would lose some of its heat, and thus keep the rooms cool. Keeping Rabindranath’s ideas in mind, Surendranath Kar prepared the architectural plan and Nandalal Bose prepared the visual perspective based on the Borobudur style. The entire outside wall was decorated with beautiful relief work by Kala-Bhavana students under the guidance of Nandalal Bose. The Santals on either side of the main door and on the eastern corner were made by Ramkinkar Baiz. Mahatma Gandhiji and Kasturba stayed as guests in this house. Rabindranath loved this mud roofed house very much. On the wall there are also works of Ramkinkar Baij.

(3) Punascha:

Punascha means “P.S.” postscript–an afterthought after a letter has been written and signed. The chosen name suggests the Poet’s change of mind. This house was built on the eastern side of Shyamali. Rabindranath lived in this house for a short time, but it was here that he created most of his paintings.

(4) Udichi:

This was the last house built for Rabindranath. He felt claustrophobic, he said, and wanted a room to be constructed on four pillars. However, changes were gradually made according to the owner’s needs. Rabindranath held poetry classes on the ground floor.

(5) Udayan:

The most imposing house in Uttarayana, is Udayan.

Udayan, unlike the other houses, was conceived by Rathindranath, son of Rabindranath. When Rabindranath came to live in Konark, Rathindranath and his wife lived in an outhouse by its side. Starting from these modest and functional rooms, the elaborate structure of Udayan was gradually evolved. Udayan has many suites of rooms─ each on a different level which gives this house its individuality. Distinguished visitors who have stayed here are Stella Kramrisch, Margaret Milward, Sir Maurice Gwyer, S. Radhakrishnan (later, President of India) and Jawaharlal Nehru.

A Special Talk:

We were fortunate that with the help of Club7 we were invited by Dr. Tapati Mukherjee, the Director of Culture and Cultural Relations and Prinicipal (Adhyaksha) of Rabindra-Bhavana, the institute of Tagore Studies and Research, Visva-Bharati. We entered the historical building as a group, and were asked to sit in the main hall. The main hall was nicely decorated with important photographs and paintings. It appeared as though this hall was used for major gatherings.

Dr. Tapati Mukherjee welcomed us and talked to us about the history of the Visva-Bharati and its current programs and activities. We all felt honored to have been invited to this place and to have the opportunity to listen to one of Visva-Bharati’s top-ranked persons.

Famous Sculptures:

Opposite the Udayan, is the immortal larger-than-life sculpture ‘Santal Family’ by Ramkinkarl Beij (Baij).

Another famous sculpture in the Udayan complex by Ramkinkarl’s Beij’s student, KS Radhakrishnan:

Rathindranath’s studio is also known as Guha-ghar/Chitrabhanu:

Within the Uttarayan complex of houses that Rabindranath built for his own work, we visited the Rathindra Museum, which commemorates Rabindranath Tagore’s son Rathindranath. We also visited Chitrabhanu, which was a studio built for Rathindranath’s wife, Pratima Devi, near a beautiful Japanese-style garden with a small pond.

The studio or Chitrabhanu was built on a higher level on the ground and later the space below was converted into a room to be used as a workshop for Rathindranath. The workshop is a low-ceiling room; its entrance wall is embedded with rough stones and has creepers growing over it, giving it the resemblance of a cave-dwelling or Guha-ghar.

Here is a photograph of Rabindranath Tagore with his son Rathindranath and his daughter-in-law Pratima Devi.

The attractive gateway below is a part of the Uttarayan complex.

The Rabindra Bhavan:

Rabindra Bhavana is an Institute of Tagore Studies and Research. Founded in July 1942, just a year after the Poet’s death, Rabindra Bhavana is an important component of Visva-Bharati. It is, in fact, the focal point of the University. Rabindra Bhavan houses a museum which is called The Bichitra Bhavan.

The Bichitra Bhavan (The Rabindra Bhavan Museum):

In Sanskrit Vaichitra means “diversity”. The diverse collection of Tagore is displayed in The Bichitra Bhavan, including the replica of Tagore’s Nobel Prize medal. This Bhavana includes among its treasures a very major part of Tagore’s manuscripts, correspondences, paintings, and sketches. It also has the poet’s personal library, various objects used by him, his musical instrument the Esraj, his voice-recordings, and thousands of photographs taken of him at different times and places. Along with these things, the many gifts and honors that he received from different parts of the world enrich the Bhavana’s archival holdings. The following is a photo of one side of the Bichitra Bhavan.

The following Tagor’s saying engraved on the wall of The Bichitra Bhavan’s (museum’s) wall.

Still, every day, the dawn

Brings a blessing

To whatever is growing

Towards the sun.

Here, Tagore says that every morning the sun brings a blessing in the direction of all that is still a mere sprout or sapling, growing, not fully grown. A sprout or sapling signifies hope or peace. This is why the tree planting ceremony is of high significance at Shantiniketan.

Rabindranath’s car and a letter-press treadle machine were beside Konark, one of Tagore’s five residences in Shantiniketan.

In 1917, the citizens of Lincoln, Nebraska presented to the boys of Shantiniketan, a letter-press treadle machine. The gift initiated the Shantiniketan Press from whIch the Shantiniketan Patrika newsletter was printed.

Upasana Griha

In 1863, Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, Tagore’s father, constructed a Prayer Hall where Bramho prayers were conducted. The prayer hall opens on Wednesdays and for occasional meetings. Prayers at Shantiniketan are non-denominational. Yet, major holidays of various faiths are celebrated here including Christmas and Buddha Jayanti. This concept of harmony of religions along with the ashram style seating arrangement and general open-minded attitude reminded us of our own Vidyapith in many ways.

Beside the Prayer Hall is a massive Banyan tree – it is said Rabindranath loved to sit under this tree.

Because we were short on time, we were unable to visit the Kala Bhavan, the Institute of Fine Arts, a noted institution of education and research in visual arts, founded in 1919. It is the home of the Fine Arts faculty of the Visva-Bharati University, Shantiniketan.

Vriksharopan Celebration (Planting Trees Celebration):

As we made our way back to our totos, we caught a glimpse of Shantiniketan’s school girls dressed in colorful saris. They were assembling for the tree planting ceremony presentations. Rabindranath Tagore himself had started the “Vriksharopan Celebration” (Planting Trees Celebration). We could see that this was a major Shantiniketan festival. There were so many nicely dressed students, and people were walking to the ceremony. The traditional dance makeup, colorful costumes, and classical tones drifting into the air from the direction of the open stage were reminiscent of our own Annual Function.

The girls above are from Santoshalaya, the girls’ hostel. Santoshalaya, a single-story house, is named after Santoshchandra Majumdar, one of the first students of the Santiniketan Vidyalaya. The walls of this house have frescoes prepared by artists of the 1920s. It includes other hostels.

With a long bus ride back to Kolkata ahead of us, we were not able to stay and watch the program, but we left feeling a resonating sense of familiarity.

Bus Ride Back:

The bus ride back was filled with devotional singing. Reflecting on the day’s experiences, it was evident that Rabindranath Tagore had created in Shantiniketan, an oasis that upheld the poet’s spiritual and educational ideals. This can be understood from the lines of Poem “Let My Country Awake!” from his most renowned book of poems, Gitanjali (“Song Offerings”):

Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action–

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

(I would like to thank Sneha Shah for writing the original report, Deba Saha for providing important information and photos and Nisha Parikh for editing the blog.)

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 5 Evening Bus Tour of Special Places

June 2, 2016Pilgrimages, Places Associated with Sri RamakrishnaBelur Math Pilgrimage 2015mahendrajani

August 7, 2015

Bus Tour:

(Deba Saha Uncle had planned the whole tour with the help of Club7 members. Many thanks to Deba Saha Uncle for writing this post, and providing the map and several photos.)

From Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral house (A), we went on a short bus tour to glance a few places where Thakur’s footprints remained as silent witnesses of his divine play.

A. Jorasanko Thakur Bari: (Click here to see previous post for details)

From our drop off point for our visit to Tagore’s house, our bus started going north on Central Avenue and made a right turn on Vivekananda Road by Girish Park. Our first stop was at Ramtanu Bose Lane on Vivekananda Road. From the bus we looked to our left to find 7 Ramtanu Bose Lane (B). The significance of this point was as follows:

B. 7 Ramtanu Bose Lane:

Here once stood Narendranath’s (Swami Vivekananda) maternal grandmother, Raghumani Devi’s house. Naren used to spend most of his time studying in an attic (‘Tong’ in Bengali word) of this house as his house was quite noisy because of the constant presence of guests.
For quite some time Narendranath (Naren) didn’t go to Dakshineshwar and Ramakrishna was very anxious to meet him. Thakur, accompanied by Ramalal, visited Naren here who was staying in this house with his friends. Thakur met Naren in an emotionally choked condition and fed Naren the sandesh that he had brought for him with his own hands. After feeding Naren, Thakur asked him to sing a song for him. Naren then sang the song “Jago ma Kulakundalini”. As soon as he heard the song Thakur went into Samadhi. Narendra continued singing for a long time. After he stopped singing Ramakrishna came out of his trance and asked Narendra to visit him at Dakshineswar.
Swamiji’s family took shelter in this very house, after being removed from his ancestral house due to a family feud, with the help of his grandmother.
In this house Bhupendranath Dutta, Swamiji’s youngest brother received news of Swami Vivekananda’s mahasamadhi by Nadu, Swamiji’s attendant at Belur Math. Subsequently his mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, got the news and immediately ran to Belur Math.

While we were proceeding on Vivekananda Road towards our next stop, we peeked at Swamiji’s ancestral house which is in the vicinity of the house of his grandmother. We then crossed over the main street that led to his college, the Scottish Church College which was also in the vicinity of his house. The bus took a right turn on Amherst St. (currently renames as Raja Ram Mohan Sarani) and we stopped at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Memorial Museum (C) which was on the right side of our bus. The highlights of this place is summarized below:

C. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s house (converted to museum):

Raja Rammohan Roy was a great social reformer, instrumental in abolishing age old Sati Daha (burning alive the widows) practice
He was also a founder of the Brahmo Sabha that eventually inspired the conception and establishment of the Brahmo Samaj.
This was Ram Mohan Roy’s garden house built for his family. However, he never lived in this house. The house was converted to a museum.

Our bus moved forward towards the next stop (D). We looked to the left and we saw a park, locally known as Hrishikesh Park. The area behind the park is known as Badur Bagan. In this area Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, also known as दयार सागर or the ocean of kindness once lived. His Kolkata house was on 36 Vidyasagar Street and some highlights about the house are given below:

D: Vidyasagar’s house in Kolkata: (now called Vidyasagar Smriti Mandir):

This is the very house where Shri Ramakrishna came here to meet him. This incident is referred to in the Kathamrita or Gospel. An excerpt is given as follows:

“……………..On the afternoon of August 5 the Master left Dakshineswar in a hackney carriage, accompanied by Bhavanath, M., and Hazra. Vidyasagar lived in Badurbagan, in central Calcutta, about six miles from Dakshineswar. On the way Sri Ramakrishna talked with his companions; but as the carriage neared Vidyasagar’s house his mood suddenly changed. He was overpowered with divine ecstasy. Not noticing this, M. pointed out the garden house where Raja Rammohan Roy had lived. The Master was annoyed and said, “I don’t care about such things now. ” He was going into an ecstatic state………………………………”

“………..After taking some of the sweets, the Master, with a smile, began to speak to Vidyasagar. Meanwhile the room had become filled with people; some were standing and others were seated.

MASTER: “Ah! Today, at last, I have come to the ocean. Up till now I have seen only canals, marshes, or a river at the most. But today I am face to face with the sagar, the ocean.”(All laugh.)

VIDYASAGAR (smiling): “Then please take home some salt water.” (Laughter.)

MASTER: “Oh, no! Why salt water? You aren’t the ocean of ignorance. You are the ocean of vidyā, knowledge. You are the ocean of condensed milk.” (All laugh.)………………….”

The house is now converted to the Vidyasagar Girls College as well as the Vidyasagar Smriti Mandir (museum).

We then advanced to our next stop at the point (E). We looked to the right and saw a building that houses three colleges: Ram Mohan College for Girls (the morning session), City College (the day session) and Ananda Mohan College (the evening session). The importance of this area is given below:

E. City College area:

The area behind this college is known as Jhamapukur. In 1850, Ramkumar, Ramakrishna Dev’s elder brother, opened a Sanskrit school in this area. He rented a room with a tiled roof in the house of Govinda Chattopadhyay on 61 Bechu Chatterjee Street behind this college. He brought Thakur, then the young Gadadhar or Gadai, there in 1852 when he was 17 years old. Thakur lived there for over two years after which he stayed sometimes at ‘Nather Bagan’ in Beniatola area of northern Kolkata. As Thakur was averse to a bread-winning education, Ramkumar engaged him in performing rituals in some of his clients’ houses. He used to perform puja to Radha-Krishna deity in Govinda Chattophadhyay’s house and Nayaran in a nearby local king’s palace, known as Jhamapukur Rajbari (king’s palace). Currently the Radha-Krishna’s image of Govinda Chattophadhyay’s house had been moved to a nearby temple locally known as ‘Shyam Sundar Tola’ on Bechu Chatterjee St.

We advanced a little further south on Amherst St. towards our next stop at the point ( F ) where we looked to the left at a red dilapidated girls’ school, the Hindu Academy. Some highlights of this building are given below:

F: Morton Institute (currently a dilapidated school, Hindu Academy):

This unimpressive red 4 storied primary school was once known as The Morton Institution. Mahendranath Gupta or M, the author of Kathamrita, was the headmaster or principal of the institute. He also used to meet his own devotees upstairs. In 1905, 3 years after Swami Vivekananda passed away, he retired from the active life of a principal and devoted his remaining 27 years exclusively to the preaching of the life and message of Ramakrishna. He bought this school from its original owners and moved to this place permanently. Under his management this institute turned out to be one of the most efficient schools in Kolkata. He occupied a staircase room at the top, and used to cook his own meal that consisted only of milk and rice without variation. His dress also was the simplest possible. It was his conviction that limiting one’s personal needs to a minimum is an important factor to holy living. For about an hour in the morning, he would inspect the classes of the school. He would then come back to his staircase room to write his diary. He continued to live in a divine atmosphere as long as he lived, unless devotees and admirers had already gathered in his room seeking his holy company. However, just to clarify– the Kathamrita was written in his previous residence, not in this institute. You can also visit his room upstairs in this red building.
Paramahansa Yogananda (Mukunda Lal Ghosh), a 20th century Yogi popular in the USA, was a student of M and he was taught in the Morton Institute with Ramakrishna’s teaching. In fact this red house is Paramahansa Yogananda’s ancestral house and M bought from the family.

Our bus went further down to an intersection of Amherst St and Keshab Sen St for us to have a glance to our right at the two points ( G ) and ( H ); the significance of these two places is given below:

G: Jhamapukur Rajbari (Jhamapukur local king’s palace)

This was once a local king, Digambar Mitra’s palace. Mitra family was a client of Ramkumar and Ramakrishna Deva, then Gadai, used to come and perform puja to their family deity, Narayan every day during 1852/53-1855/56. Currently many parts of the palace were sold except one part where Thakur used to come and stay. This part of the palace is currently owned by Jhamapukur Ramakrishna Sangha.
There is a marble plaque that validates Thakur’s stay in this area during the above time frame and it says:

“Bhagavan Shri Ramakrishna lived in Jhamapukur area for a little over two years. In Bengali calendar, 1259-1262. In English calendar, 1852/53-1855/56. At that time King Digamabar Mitra’s palace was one of the places for his divine play.”

Underneath the paper poster says:

‘Shri Ramakrishna Sharanam, Jhamapukur Ramakrishna Sangha, No. 1, Jhamapukur Lane (Jhamapukur Rajbati), Kolkata 700009, etc.’

In 1905, M quit his post as the headmaster (principal) and bought the Morton Institution. At that time, the institution was located at Jhamapukur Lane. M later moved this Institution to 50 Amherst Street, (the red dilapidated building that was our previous stop point), the ancestral house of Paramahamsa Yogananda. He would bow down to the place on Bechu Chatterjee Street where Thakur’s elder brother, Ramkumar had once run a school, as well as bow down to house of the Mitra family at Jhamapukur Rajbari, where Thakur had once worked as a priest. M. used to say, “Do you know that anyone who walks through this street will become a yogi?”

Also in the Jhamapukur (27 Jhamapukur Lane) area Ramakrishna dev’s Brahmo devotee, VIJAY Krishna Goswami, once the leader of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, lived in a rented house. Thakur visited him when he was sick

H: Bharatvarshiya Brahmo Mandir (Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj)

On the right corner of Keshab Sen Street, close to the intersection, one can find Bharatvarshiya Brahmo Mandir, established by Keshab Sen. It was through Keshab Sen that Ramakrishna became known to the elite class of Kolkata. At an early age, Keshab Sen came under the influence of Christ and he strove to introduce Christ to the first Brahmo Samaj (Adi Brahmo Samaj). This created great tension in the organization. In 1868, Keshab Sen broke with the original organization and founded the Brahmo Samaj of India (Bharatvarshiya Brahmo Mandir). The leadership of the first Brahmo Samaj, currently called the Adi Brahmo Samaj, (the original Brahmo Samaj), was retained by Devendranath Tagore (Rabindranath Tagore’s father). However, at about the time of his first contact with Sri Ramakrishna, he began to discover the harmony of religions, became sympathetic toward the Hindu gods and goddesses, and preached God’s newly revealed law, the New Dispensation (Navavidhan). Pertaining to Keshab’s new organization Thakur commented, as referred in Gospel:

“Ramakrishna: I was talking with Keshab Sen of this Brahma-Jnana. Keshab asked me to say more about the Absolute. I replied: “If I say more, your sect and creed will vanish.” Keshab answered: “Revered Sir, then I do not wish to hear more.” Still, I said to Keshab: “‘I, me, mine,’ this is ignorance; ‘I am the doer,’ ‘I am the actor,’ ‘This is my wife, these are my children, my property, wealth, fame,’ all these arise from ignorance.” Keshab replied: “Revered Sir, nothing will be left, if the sense of ‘I’ be abandoned.” The unripe and ripe “I. “I answered: “Keshab, I do not ask you to abandon the whole of the sense of ‘I’; but leave out the unripe ‘I’—’I am the doer,’ ‘my wife, my children, I am the teacher,’ abandoning this sense of ‘I,’ retain the ripe ‘I’—’I am His servant, I am His devotee,’ ‘I am not the doer, but He is the Actor.'”

Devotee: Can the ripe “I” make a sect?

Ramakrishna: I said to Keshab: “I am the leader of a sect, I have founded a sect, I am teaching others, all these proceed from the sense of the unripe ‘I.'” Therefore I asked Keshab to abandon this “I.” I also said to him: “You talk of your sect, many members of your sect have resigned.” Keshab replied: “Revered Sir, after remaining for three years under my instructions, they have now joined another sect, and at the time of leaving, they criticised and slandered me.” I said to him: “You do not understand the inner nature of your disciples. You must study their predominant traits and you must not make disciples indiscriminately.”

Ram Babu : Bhagavan, I do not see what good has been done by the New Dispensation of Keshab Sen. If Keshab himself had realized God, the condition of his disciples and followers would have been different. In my opinion he has had no realization.

Srî Ramakrishna: Oh yes, he must have some realization; otherwise why should so many people honor and respect him? Why do they not honor and respect the leaders of other branches of the Brahmo-Samaj in the same way? Without Divine will no one can command such respect from the masses. A spiritual leader must renounce the world. A man cannot become a true spiritual leader unless he practises absolute renunciation. Without this people will have no faith in him. “

Although it’s not clear if Ramakrishna Dev visited Keshab Sen’s Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj, it is known that he visited the Adi Brahmo Samaj. It was at the Adi Brahmo Samaj where Thakur saw him for the first time on a podium in deeply meditative state. Thakur once said,

” Many years ago I went to Adi Brahmo Samaj, where I saw everyone sitting silent with eyes closed. It appeared to me that internally they were all fighting. But seeing Keshab I found that his float had sunk”, i.e. he was near God-realization.

The Adi Brahmo Samaj (follow the west ward lavender arrow in the map) is located close to Jorasanko Thakurbari ( point A ). Because of our time limitation, we couldn’t make it to this place.

On the west ward of Keshab Sen Street, close to Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj and Jhamapukur palace, another Thakur’s devotee, Ishan Mukerjee once lived (19 Keshab Chandra Sen St). Thakur came to his house twice and also met Ishan’s second son, Shirish on 25^th June, 1884. Also from this house Thakur went to meet Pundit Shashadhar of nearby Thanthania area where the famous Thanthania Siddheshwari Kali temple is located . As excerpt from Gospel is given below:

“ It was the day of the Rathyatra the Car Festival of the Hindus. At Ishan’s invitation Sri Ramakrishna went to his house in Calcutta. For some time the Master had a desire to meet Pundit Shashadhar. Tarkachudamani, who had been staying with one of Ishan’s neighbours. So it was decided that he would visit the pundit in the afternoon.

A few devotees, including Hazra, accompanied the Master to Ishan’s house. Ishan had invited one or two brahmin scholars and a devotee who followed the Tantrik method of worship. Shrish and Ishan’s other sons were also present.

The Master noticed that the Tantrik worshipper had a vermilion mark on his forehead, and smilingly said, “I see he is branded.”

After a while M. and Narendra arrived and bowed before Sri Ramakrishna. The Master had previously informed M. that he would be at Ishan’s house.

The Master joked about the delay in serving their meal. One of the scholars quoted a Sanskrit verse about the anxiety created in people’s minds by the pangs of hunger. Proceeding to explain the verse he said: “The study of philosophy is indeed edifying, but poetry is more fascinating than philosophy. People listening to good poems think of the study of philosophy-Vedānta, Nyaya, Samkhya, and so forth as dry and insipid. Again, music is more attractive than poetry. Music melts even a heart of stone. But a beautiful woman has an even greater attraction for a man’s heart than music. Such a woman, passing by, diverts a man’s attention from both poetry and music. But when a man feels the pangs of hunger, everything else poetry, music and woman appears as of no consequence. Thus, hunger is the most arresting thing.”

The Master remarked with a smile, “The pundit is witty.”

Soon Narendra began to sing. A few moments later the Master went upstairs for a little rest. M. and Shrish accompanied him. M. introduced Shrish to the Master, saying: “He is a scholar and a man of peaceful nature. We were fellow students in our boyhood. Now he is a lawyer.”

MASTER: “It is a pity that such a man should practise law.”

M: “Yes, sir. It was a mistake on his part.”

MASTER: “I know a few lawyers. One of them shows me great respect. He is a straightforward man. (To Shrish) What is your idea about the most essential thing in life?”

SHRISH: “God exists and He alone does everything. But the attributes we ascribe to Him are not the right ones. How can a man conceive of Him? His nature is infinite.”

MASTER: “What need is there of your counting the number of trees and branches in an orchard? You have come to the orchard to eat mangoes. Do that and be happy. The aim of human birth is to love God. Realize that love and be at peace.

“Suppose you have entered a tavern for a drink. Is it necessary for you to know how many gallons of wine there are in the tavern? One glass is enough for you. What need is there of your knowing the infinite qualities of God? You may discriminate for millions of years about God’s attributes and still you will not know them.”

Keshab Sen’s house, known as Lilly Cottage (Kamal Kutir), can be reached if one walks east ward on Keshab Sen St. following the lavender arrow as shown in the map. Inside the house there was a lily pond that was used to be decorated and illuminated during fair and attracted by the children and hence his house was named. Currently the house is completely converted to a full scale Girls’ college known as Victoria Institution. In this house the famous standing picture of Thakur, who was in the deep state of SAMADHI and supported by his nephew, HRIDAY was taken. Also Thakur came to this house for his last visit to Keshab on 28^th Nov, 1883 as illustrated in Gospel:

“ At two o’clock in the afternoon, M. was pacing the foot-path of the Circular Road in front of the Lily Cottage, where Keshab Chandra Sen lived. He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sri Ramakrishna. Keshab’s illness had taken a serious turn, and there was very little chance of his recovery. Since the Master loved Keshab dearly, he was coming from Dakshineswar to pay him a visit.

On the east side of the Circular Road was Victoria College, where the ladies of Keshab’s Brahmo Samaj and their daughters received their education. To the north of the college was a spacious garden house inhabited by an English family. M. noticed that there was a commotion in the house and wondered what was going on. Presently a hearse arrived with the drivers dressed in black, and the members of the household appeared, looking very sad. There had been a death in the family.

“Whither does the soul go, leaving behind this mortal body?” Pondering the age-old question, M. waited, watching the carriages that came from the north.

About five o’clock a carriage stopped in front of the Lily Cottage and Sri Ramakrishna got out with Latu and several other devotees, including Rakhal. He was received by Keshab’s relatives, who led him and the devotees upstairs to the verandah south of the drawing-room. The Master seated himself on a couch.

After a long wait he became impatient to see Keshab. Keshab’s disciples said that he was resting and would be there presently. Sri Ramakrishna became more and more impatient and said to Keshab’s disciples: “Look here, what need is there of his coming to me? Why can’t I go in and see him?”.
…………………………………………………………………………………………

“ MASTER (to Keshab’s mother): “Please pray to the Divine Mother, who is the Bestower of all bliss. She will take away your troubles.

(To Keshab) “Don’t spend long hours in the inner apartments. You will sink down and down in the company of women. You will feel better if you hear only talk of God.”

The Master uttered these words in a serious voice and then began to laugh like a boy. He said to Keshab, “Let me see your hand.” He weighed it playfully, like a child. At last he said: “No, your hand is light. Hypocrites have heavy hands.” (All laugh.)

Umanath again said to the Master from the door, “Mother asks you to bless Keshab.”

MASTER (gravely): “What can I do? God alone blesses all. ‘Thou workest Thine own work; men only call it theirs.’

God laughs on two occasions. He laughs when two brothers divide land between them. They put a string across the land and say to each other, | ‘This side is mine, and that side is yours.’ God laughs and says to Himself, ‘Why, this whole universe is Mine; and about a little clod they say, “This side is mine, and that side is yours”!’

“God laughs again when the physician says to the mother weeping bitterly because of her child’s desperate illness: ‘Don’t be afraid, mother. I shall cure vour child.’ The physician does not know that no one can save the child if God wills that he should die.” (All are silent.)

Just then Keshab was seized with a fit of coughing, which lasted for a long time. The sight of his suffering made everyone sad. He became exhausted and could stay no longer. He bowed low before the Master and left the room, holding to the wall as before.”

Victoria Institution then adjacent to Lily Cottage, was originally named as ‘The Native Ladies Normal and Adult School’ and it was founded on 1st February, 1871, by Keshab Chandra Sen for building a scheme of education that suited to the female mind and women’s position in the society.

From the intersection we advanced a little on Amherst St (now known as Raja Rammohan Sarani) and saw a church on our left ( I ); its significance is detailed below:

I: Holy Trinity Church:

On the left by St. Paul’s School one can see this little church known as Holy Trinity Church. The Church was known as ‘Long Saheb-ka girja’ for a long time due to the fact that the famous Rev. James Long was associated with this Chapel and St Paul’s College and School. Rev. James Long is still remembered and revered by the people of Bengal for his association and active participation in siding with the Indians in the anti-indigo plantation movement in Bengal even though he was a British citizen.
After Shri Ramakrishna had a vision of Jesus Christ in the Panchabati of Dakshineshwar, he wanted to visit a church to see how Christians performed worship. This is the church he visited while the service was being conducted after his vision of Christ. He also visited another church in Kolkata during its service. This church is known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church, located on S. N. Banerjee Rd in central Kolkata.

Our bus then proceeded to the intersection of Raja Rammohan Sarani and Mahatma Gandhi Rd. From the intersection, we made a right and another right at College Street to go north on a tram road. Although it was very difficult, we tried to glance at point ( J ) to our left. Thakur’s divine play around this place is detailed below:

J: Geratala Mosque:

The area on the left is known as Kalabagan. There was a very old Mosque, locally known as, ‘Geratalar Masjid’ (or Geratala Mosque) in this area.
According to Manmatha Nath Ghosh’s reminiscience (Sri Ramakrishna as we saw him by Swami Chetanananda):

“One evening as I was passing by the Geratala mosque, I heard the loud prayer of a Muslim fakir (holy man): “प्यारे आ जाउ, आ जाउ “ (Oh my beloved please come, please come)” He was repeating this prayer with love and longing as tears rolled down his cheeks. Suddenly I saw Sri Ramakrishna climb down from a hired carriage and rush up to the Fakir. The two embraced each other. This incident happened when the Thakur was returning from Kalighat after visiting the Divine Mother there. What a wonderful sight it was! Two other people were in the carriage. One of them was Ramlal, a nephew of Sri Ramakrishna.”

We further proceeded north towards the point ( K ) where a very old Kali temple was located by a tram stop.

K: Thanthani Kalibari (Thanthania Kali temple):

Thanthania Kalibari, founded by Shankar Ghosh in 1803, is a revered Kali temple in Kolkata. The idol of the presiding deity Siddheshwari is made of clay and it is replaced every year by a new one. Tuesdays and Saturdays are considered auspicious for a visit to the temple.

On our left we saw Kali temple that is more than 300 years, known as the Siddheswari Kali Temple, popularly known as Thanthania Kali Temple. While Shri Ramakrishna, then young Gadadhar was living in this area from 1852/53 to 1855/56, he used to walk down the Bechu Chatterjee St. (as mentioned before, from our previous point of stop at E ) to visit this Kali temple and sing for Siddheshwari Kali every now and then.
M according to Thakur’s advice brought the Prasad from Siddheshwari Kali and walked about 1.5 miles barefoot to Shyampukur. The incident is also referred to in the Kathamrita/Gospel; see the excerpts below:

“ Friday, November 6, 1885 It was the day of the Kali Puja, the worship of the Divine Mother, Sri Ramakrishna’s Chosen Ideal. At about nine o’clock in the morning the Master, clad in a
new cloth, stood in the south room on the second floor of his temporary residence at Syampukur. He had asked M. to offer worship to Siddhesvari at Thanthania, in the central part of Calcutta, with flowers, green coconut, sugar, and other sweets. After bathing in the Ganges, M. had offered the worship and come barefoot to Syampukur. He had brought the Prasad with him. Sri Ramakrishna took off his shoes and with great reverence ate a little of the Prasad and placed a little on his head.

At the Master’s request M. had purchased two books of songs by Ramprasad and Kamlakanta for Dr. Sarkar.

M: “Here are the books of songs by Ramprasad and Kamlakanta.

MASTER: “Force songs like these on the doctor.”

Thanthania Siddhesvari Kali temple is owned by the family of Thakur’s direct disciple, Swami Subodhananda (Khokha Maharaj).

We advanced a little towards the north and stopped at the front of a narrow street and glanced to our right for the points ( L ) and ( M ). The significance is elaborated below:

L: Shankar Ghosh Lane:

The narrow street on our right is Shankar Ghosh Lane. This lane was named after a person named Shankar Ghosh who established the Thanthania Kali temple in 1703. Shankar Ghosh was great grandfather of Ramakrishna’s one of the direct disciples, Swami Subodhananda (Khoka Maharaj). More than 300 years ago, the devotee, Shankar Ghosh replaced the clay image with a stone image of Kali. Ramakrishna used to tell Swami Subodhananda that he used to visit his great grandfather’s house before he was even born. The house is still there and located at 41 Shankar Ghosh Lane.
In this narrow lane, we find even today the Vidyasagar College (previously named Metropolitan College) where another one of Thakur’s devotee, Swami Ramakrishnananda (Shashi Maharaj) took admission for his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) study. His special subjects of study were Sanskrit, English literature, Mathematics and Philosophy. While studying in this college, he and his cousin brother Sharat (Swami Saradananda) who was attending Calcutta Medical College, the premier medical school, heard about ShriRamakrishna through Keshab Sen and finally went to Dakshineshwar to visit Thakur.

M: M’s house (newly named Kathamrita Bhavan):

Through the narrow, Shankar Ghosh Lane and by Vidyasagar College one can reach Mahendranath Gupta or M’s house at 13/2 Guruprasad Chaudhury Lane. He used to live in this house and wrote a substantial portion of Kathamrita, the original gospel of Ramakrishna in Bengali here before he moved to live in the staircase room of Morton Institute that we’ve visited before. M came back to this house 3 months before his Mahasamadhi on completion of the final volume (5^th volume) of Kathamrita in 1932.
Thakur visited this house more than once. Swami Vivekananda, Swami Ramakrishnanda, and their brother disiciples visited this house on multiple occasions. M’s shrine was installed by Holy Mother. The slipper of Thakur, bundles containing holy hair and nails of Thakur and Holy Mother, the Rudraksha Mala of Holy Mother, etc. are preserved here.

Within stone’s throw of Shankar Ghosh Lane is the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj at point ( N ) on our left.

N: Sadharan Brahmo Samaj:

The Sadharan Brahmo Samaj was founded by Thakur’r Brahmo devotees, Shivanath Shastri and Vijay Krishna Goswami. Their followers split from Keshab Sen’s Navavidhan Brahmo Samaj.
The Samaj is close to Narendranath’s (Swami Vivekananda) ancestral house. Young Narendranath frequently visited the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj before he met Ramakrishna Dev.
Shri Ramakrishna Dev also visited the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj as illustrated in the Gospel:

“Friday, September 26, 1884

A little after three the Master’s carriage drove up. As soon as Sri Ramakrishna stepped out he saluted the temple of the Brahmo Samaj with folded hands. Hazra and a few other devotees were with him. M. bowed before the Master and took the dust of his feet. The Master told him that he was going to Shivanath’s house. A few minutes later several members of the Brahmo Samaj came and took him to Shivanath’s. But Shivanath was not at home. Shortly afterwards Vijay Goswami, Mahalnavish, and several other Brahmo leaders greeted the Master and took him inside the Brahmo temple.

Sri Ramakrishna was in a happy mood. He was given a seat below the altar. There the Brahmo devotees sang their devotional music. Vijay and the Brahmo devotees sat in front of the Master.

MASTER (to Vijay, with a smile): “I was told that you had put up a ‘signboard’ here that people belonging to other faiths are not allowed to come in. Narendra, too, said to me: ‘You shouldn’t go to the Brahmo Samiij. You had better visit Shivanath’s house.’”

We moved further ahead and stopped at the point ( O )and looked to our right.

O: Arya Samaj Mandir:

On our right stands Arya Samaj Mandir, a branch of Arya Samaj. The greater organization was founded by Swami Dayanand Sarasvati. Once Swami Dayananda Sarasvati, the founder of the Arya Samaj, came to Bengal on a tour and lived for some time in a gentleman’s garden (currently became Indian Statistical Institute, the premier Institute for Statistics in India) in the village called Sinthi in Baranagar, located in the north of Kolkata. Although he was very well-known for his scholarship, he had not then begun to preach his own doctrine, nor had he founded his organization, Arya Samaj.

“On hearing of him, one day the Master went there to pay him a visit. In the course of a conversation on Dayananda, the Master said to us on one occasion, ” I went to see him in the garden of Sinthi; I found that he had acquired a little power; his chest was always red. He was in the state of Vaikhari, speaking on scriptural subjects night and day; by the application of grammar, he was twisting the meaning of many words. He had in his mind the egoism , ‘I will do something, I will preach a doctrine.’ “

Dayananda saw Sri Ramakrishna and witnessed him in the state of samadhi, he lamented,

” We people have just studied so much of the Veda and Vedanta but in this great man we see its manifestation. On seeing him it is proved that the learned only take buttermilk when they churn the scriptures. Such great men as he only eat butter. “

We further went ahead and stopped at Machhua bazar area, our final point ( P ) of the tour. Thakur’s divine play in this area is summarized as follows:

P: Machhua bazar area:

After Thakur completed about 4 years of intense Sadhana, a doubt came to Rani Rasmoni and her son-in-law Mathur Babu’s mind since Thakur was not acting in a normal way. They thought that he was dwelling on a very high plane and living an absolute life of continence that appeared abnormal to the regular people. They felt he should be brought down to the normal plane by breaking his vow of continence. They came up with a plan to tempt Thakur initially through sending an ill-famed woman to his room at Dakshineshwar. Then Thakur was further tested with Lachhmibai (Lakshmibai) and other women of lowly characters in a house of Machhua Bazar in Kolkata. Thakur immediately saw divine mother in these women of ill-fame and cried ‘Mother, Mother’ and went into ecstasy. Thakur’s astonishing reaction led to the emergence of Vatsalya Bhava (loving God as one’s child) in these women who then asked him for pardon and left.

We were mesmerized by learning the divine plays and imagining and feeling the footprints of Thakur within such a little perimeter of Kolkata. Having such an experience that would reverberate in our memory for a long time, we finally proceeded towards our hotel for dinner.

(Thanks to Nisha Parikh for editing this post.)

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 5 Special Lunch and Afternoon at Jorasanko

May 22, 2016Pilgrimages, Rabindranath TagoreBelur Math Pilgrimage 2015, Jorasankomahendrajani

August 7, 2015

Special Lunch and Afternoon at Jorasanko (Rabindranath Tagore’s House)

At Cossipore Garden House there was a peaceful environment. A couple of devotees questioned, “Why are we going back to the hotel? Can we stay here and then go to Jorasanko?” But most of the people wanted to go to hotel, eat lunch, and relax for a bit before we began the busy schedule of the afternoon.

Special Lunch:

When all pilgrims got down from the bus at the Hyatt, a surprise was waiting for them. They were told that today there was a special “Italian Lunch” for everyone and it was going to be hosted in the other restaurant La Cucina in the hotel. It was a surprise arranged by the CEO Aprana Didi of Club7. Everyone was happy to have Italian food in India. The youngsters were extremely delighted and they almost rushed to the restaurant. We had always had a great variety of dishes during our lunches, but this was a special treat.

The restaurant was soon filled with the joyful noise of youngsters as they enjoyed freshly cooked Italian dishes with an Indian touch. The dishes included appetizers like salads, Carprese, and Funghi trifoltai. The main dishes included various kinds of pastas and hot brick-oven pizzas served with minestrone soup and freshly made bread.

After the first serving—the various pastas were brought to our tables—people had to wait because they were specially preparing fresh dishes for us. But everyone felt that it was worth waiting for the freshly cooked Italian food.

The delicious deserts included Tiramisu and chocolate cakes, ice-creams, and melting chocolate tart served with homemade vanilla ice cream. We had a sumptuous feast!

Jorasanko Visit:

After some rest, everyone got onto the three buses. Those who were familiar with Rabindranath Tagore’s life and his great contribution to literature, music, paintings, and other fields, were thrilled to see his house. Rabindranath Tagore is only person to have written national anthems for two countries for India and Bangladesh.

Since the big buses could not go to the gates of Jorasanko (Rabindranath Tagore’s house), everyone was dropped off at a far distance. We all started walking in organized groups, enjoying the city shops, people and the traffic. The youngsters had a good experience of what life was like in Kolkata.

After a long walk, we arrived at the Jorasanko gate. As soon as we entered the gate, we were surprised by the beauty of the building and its surrounding. There was a spacious green lawn in front of the building, thoughtfully planted trees and shrubs. At one place, construction work was going on. All of the groups wanted to have group photos in the front of the beautiful structure.

When we went close to the building, we saw Rabindranath Tagore’s statue surrounded with decorative plants. While thinking about the glory of the Tagore family and enjoying the aesthetic of the architecture around us, we entered the building through a gate.

Wow! We saw a huge open ground encircled by beautiful and impressive colonial style buildings. We were told that this was called “Thakur Dalan.” We were sure that several important gatherings with important people must have taken place here, including with British leaders. On one side there were steps and a large corridor, and on the other side there was a stage where various dramas had taken place in the past. It seemed like a good size open air theatre. In fact, this was known as “Permanent stage.”

An exciting thing happened when we were there. The organizers were playing Rabindra Sangeet on the speakers as a background music. All of a sudden the youngster’s faces were lit up and a few of them said loudly, “Oh! They are playing the song “Ekla Chalo Re…” In Vivekananda Vidyapith these students had learned this song and had presented it on a few occasions. They were excited and started singing with the tune.

In that excited mood, everyone wanted to take group photos. First, we took a group photo of the first groups that had arrived. Once all the groups were present, we took a memorable group photo in this very special place.

We were soon allowed to go and see the inside of the building.

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take our cameras inside, but thanks to Deba Saha Uncle’s research, we have pictures of the inside of the building. Inside Jorasankho, we saw: various photographs of Rabindranath Tagore and his family members, a room where he was born, a room filled with gifts he had received from other countries, his paintings, and the room where he passed away. We learned that Rabindranath Tagore passed away on August 7^th and we were in that room on August 7^th! It was a divine coincidence. They had special function for this special day and we saw some of the preparation that was going on for this.

Rabindranath Tagore’s father, grandfather, and many family members were celebrities. We were able to see photographs of the family and were amazed to learn about their many achievements. The Tagore Family made great contributions to Indian Culture and to the world. We felt that we were touching history in that environment.

After visiting all the rooms, we came outside of the building and saw a car that was used by Rabindranath Tagore and his family. It was interesting to see the model of the car.

We were all happy with this visit. We all joyfully started walking to our buses and were ready for the next thing on our itinerary–a bus tour of a part of Kolkata, guided mainly by Deba Saha Uncle and the Club7 guides.

(Thanks to Arundhathi Johri and Kanna Pichappan for writing the original report, Deba Saha Uncle for providing the necessary information including photos needed to write this post and Nisha Parikh for editing.)

Biography of Rabindranath Tagore

Upon my request, Deba Saha Uncle was kind enough to write the following brief biography of Rabindranath Tagore and his notable work:

Rabindranath Tagore or Rabīndranāth Ṭhākur [in Bengali] was a Bengali poet, novelist, essayist, short-story writer, lyricist, composer, singer, actor, playwright, playwright for dance, inventor of a new dance style, inventor of new Tālas (rhythmic cycle of beats) for Indian drums, painter, patriot, philosopher, educationist, critic, humanitarian, social and religious reformer as well as constructive worker.

Rabindranath was born on 7 May 1861 in Jorasanko (Tagore House), Calcutta, India. He was the fourteenth child born to Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi. He was nicknamed ‘Rabi’. Tagore was just 14 years old when his mother died. Tagore’s grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore was a social reformer and wealthy landowner. The Tagores were a progressive family; their home served as a hub of social activity and culture. They often hosted theatrical and musical performances in their mansion. Many of the Tagore children became respected authors, poets, musicians, and civil servants. His father, Devendranath, traveled widely during his career and was a proponent of the Brahma Samaj faith, a social and religious movement also known as the Bengal Renaissance. Rabindranath had also embraced its philosophy.

After failing to flourish in the conventional school system, Rabindranath obtained his early education with tutors at home where he studied a wide array of subjects including: art, history, science, mathematics, Bengali, Sanskrit, and English, Hindu Scriptures Upanishads, Romantic poetry like that of Shelley, and classical poetry, notably that of Kālidāsa..

At a very early age, Tagore was writing his own poetry. He wrote his first play, ‘Pritthvīrāj Parājay’ at the age of 12 and first poem, ‘Abhilāsh’ at the age of 13. At the age of 17, he moved to Brighton, East Sussex, England, to study Law. He attended University College of London for some time, following which he started studying the works of Shakespeare. He returned to Bengal with no degree; however, after two years from his return he wrote one of his most acclaimed poems, ‘Nirjharer Swapnabhanga’ [The Fountain Awakened from its Dream]. Some poems, popularly known as ‘Bhānusimha Thākurer Padābali’ were published anonymously or under his pen name, “Bhānusimha” (Sun Lion), but he was soon a regular contributor to various magazines.

At the age of twenty-two, on 9 December 1883, Tagore married Bhabatarini (later known as Mrinalini) Devi, with whom he had five children: three daughters Madhurilata (eldest), Renuka, and Mira (youngest), and two sons Rathindranath (eldest) and Samindranath (youngest). However, within a span of 5 years (1902-1907) he lost his wife (1902), daughter Renuka (1903) and son Samindranath (1907). His deep sadness was reflected in the compostion of Gītāñjali (1910) in Bengali.

As a patriot, he composed the music and lyrics for India’s national anthem “Jana-Gana-Mana” (Thou Art the Ruler of All Minds) and when Bangladesh became independent in 1971 they chose Tagore’s song “Āmār Sonār Bānglā” [My Golden Bengal] as its national anthem. Thus he is the only poet to have composed national anthems for two nations. The book, Gītāñjali, Song Offerings (1912) in English contains Tagore’s English prose translations of religious poems from several of his Bengali verse collections, including Gītāñjali in Bengali. The book was introduced to the West, and was hailed by W.B. Yeats and André Gide and it won him the Nobel Prize in 1913 in literature. Thus he became the first non-European Nobel laureate.

Tagore introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into Bengali literature, thereby freeing it from traditional models based on classical Sanskrit. However, he was not just a mere poet or writer, he was the harbinger of an era of literature which elevated him to the stature of the cultural ambassador of India.

In 1901, Tagore founded an experimental school in rural West Bengal at Śhāntiniketan (“Abode of Peace”), on part of the family estate lands near Bolpur, West Bengal. Here he sought to blend the best in the Indian and Western traditions based on the ashrama model with pioneering emphasis on learning in a harmonious and natural setting. He felt that a well-rounded education, using all the five senses and not relying on memorizing by rote, was the better way to teach children. He settled permanently at the school, which became Viśva-Bhārati, an open air university in 1921. It has claimed many notable figures among its alumni including Indira Gandhi (past prime minister of India), Amartya Sen (Nobel laureate in Economics, 1998), etc.

In 1915, Tagore was awarded a knighthood by the British Crown but he repudiated it in 1919 as protest against the Jalianwala Bagh (Amritsar) massacre which took place in Punjab, India. During the massacre British troops barbarically and cowardly killed some ~1000 Indian innocent demonstrators, including women and children, who were protesting colonial laws.

As a traveler of the world, both literally and poetically, Rabindranath turned out to be a global citizen. He travelled more than 30 countries, over all the continents except Australia. In 1920s and 1930s he travelled extensively in different countries of Europe, North and South America as well as Asia and delivered lectures in universities and public meeting on education. In 1924 Rabindranath first went to China, and then to Japan. While in Japan he delivered an anti-imperialist address in Tokyo. The Poet was also invited by the Peruvian Government but he fell ill in Argentina while on his way to Peru. There he earned the friendship of the Argentine writer, Victoria Ocampo and enjoyed her hospitality for three months. In 1926, Rabindranath went to Italy on an invitation from Mussolini. Afterwards, the poet completed a tour through Central Europe. He met many illustrious figures including Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, Thomas Mann, H.G. Wells, etc. Then he visited Greece, Turkey and Egypt and came back to India. The Poet then travelled the South-East Asian parts such as Singapore, Malay, Java etc. in a bid to know better the heritage of what is traditionally looked upon as outer India. In 1930, the Poet was invited to Oxford in England to deliver the Hibbert lecture. Next he went to Germany, and then to Russia, via Switzerland. His 1932 trip to Iraq and Iran happened to be his last ever trip to foreign countries.

Rabindranath was an admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and was the one who gave him the name “Mahatma”. Together with Gandhiji, he thought of the welfare of the people of India.

In 1940, Oxford University awarded him with a Doctorate of Literature in a special ceremony arranged at Śhāntiniketan.

During the last five years of his life, he did manage to keep writing in spite of much physical suffering. Many have said he produced his finest work then. Rabindranath Tagore died on 7 August 1941 at the family estate Jorasanko, where he was born.

Rabindranath Tagore’s Notable Works:

Tagore wrote successfully in all literary genres. His poems are virtually untranslatable, as are his songs, popularly known as Rabindrasangeet among all classes of Bengali society.

Poetry: Among his fifty and odd volumes of poetry collections, notably are
Kabi Kahini (1878 ) [Tale of a Poet, his first book of poems]
Nirjharer Swapnabhanga (1882) [The Fountain Awakened from its Dream]
Bhānusiṃha Ṭhākurer Paḍāvalī (1884) (Songs of Bhānusiṃha Ṭhākur)
Mānasi (1890) [The Ideal One],
Sonār Tarī (1894) [The Golden Boat],
Smaran [In Memoriam] (one year after the death of Tagore’s wife)
Naivedya (1901)
Kheya (1906)
Gitānjali (1910) (consisting of 157 poems) [Song Offerings],
Gitimālya (1914) [Wreath of Songs],
Balāka (1916) [The Flight of Cranes].
Lyrics and Music compositions (Rabindrasangeet) : Tagore composed 2,230 songs.
Tāla (rhythmic cycle of beats) composed by Tagore:
Ardha Jhaptaal (5 beats, 2/3)
Jhampak (5 beats, 3/2)
Shasthi (6 beats 2/4)
Rupakra (8 beats 3/2/3)
Navataal (9 beats 3/2/2/2)
Ekadashi (11 beats, 3/2/2/4)
Navapancha (18 beats, 2/4/4/4/4)
Plays (major):
Valmiki Pratibha (1881) [The Genius of Valmiki]
Visarjan (1890) [The Sacrifice]
Raja (1910) [The King of the Dark Chamber]
Dak Ghar (1912) [The Post Office]
Achalayatan (1912) [The Immovable]
Muktadhara (1922) [The Waterfall]
Raktakaravi (1926) [Red Oleanders]
Dance Drama (musical drama) or known as Rabindra Nritya Natya (major):
Tasher Desh (The country of cards)
Chitrāṅgadā (1892; Chitra)
Shyama
Chandalika (The untouchable)
Mayar Khela (A game of illusions)
Shapmochan (The redeemed curse)
Autobiographies/Memoirs:
Jivansmriti (1912) [My Reminiscences]
Chhelebela (1940) [My Boyhood Days]
Novels (notable):
Nashtanirh (1901) [The Broken Nest]
Gora (1910) [Fair-Faced]
Ghare-Baire (1916) [The Home and the World]
Chaturanga (1916)
Chokher Bali [Grain of sand]
Yogayog (1929) [Crosscurrents]
Shesher Kabita (1928) [The last poem]
Short stories in Bengali (the book Galpaguchchha, 3 volume has collection of 84 stories), the notable include:
Bhikharini (1877) [The Beggar Woman]
Kabuliwallah (The fruit seller from Kabul)
Kshudita Pashan (1895) [The Hungry Stones]
Atithi (1895) [The Runaway]
Haimanti (1914) [Of Autumn]
English short stories (notable):
Giribala
The Parrot’s training
Essays (Bengali), the notable are:
Mahatma Gandhi
Chhanda
Dharma/Darshan
Atmashakti
Essays (English), the most notable are:
Creative Unity (1922)
Nationalism (1991)
Sadhana: The Realisation of Life (1913)
Other works (notable):
IIngraji Sahaj Shisksha Pratham o Dwitiya Bhag (Bengali)
Sahaj Path Pratham o Dwitiya Bhag (Bengali)
Oupanishad Bramha (Bengali)
Mantra Abhishek (Bengali)
Thought Relics (1921, English)
Travel diaries (notable)
Java-Jatrir Patra
Parashye
Japan Jatri
Europe Jatrir Diary
Paschim Jatrir Diary
English rendition of his works (do not generally correspond to particular volumes in the original Bengali):
Fruit-Gathering (1916)
The Fugitive (1921)
The Gardener (1913)
Gitanjali: Song Offerings (1912) (in spite of its title, it contains poems from other works besides its namesake)
Glimpses of Bengal (1991) [Selected from the Letters of Sir Rabindranath Tagore (1885-1895]
The Home and the World (1985)
I Won’t Let you Go: Selected Poems (1991)
My Boyhood Days (1943)
Chitra (1914)
My Reminiscences (1991)
The Post Office (1996)
Selected Letters (1997)
Selected Poems (1994)
Selected Short Stories (1991)
The Crescent Moon (1913)
The Cycle of Spring (1919)
Fireflies (1928)
The Hungry Stones (1916)
The King of the Dark Chamber (1914)
Letters from an Expatriate in Europe (2012)
The Lover of God (2003)
Mashi (1918)
Songs of Kabir (1915)
The Spirit of Japan (1916)
Stories from Tagore (1918)
Stray Birds (1916)
Vocation (1913)
Drawings and Paintings: In the late 1920s, at nearly 70 years of age, Tagore took up painting and produced numerous drawings and paintings that won him a place among India’s foremost contemporary artists.
Film direction: The only film directed by Rabindranath Tagore:
Natir Puja (1932)

Rabindranath Tagore’s signature:

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 5 Morning at Baranagore Math

April 17, 2016Baranagore Math, Pilgrimages, VivekanandaBelur Math Pilgrimage, Belur Math Pilgrimage 2015mahendrajani

August 7, 2015

Going to Baranagore Math

On Friday, all the pilgrims woke up around 5:30 am, got ready and went downstairs for a lovely breakfast at the Gucchi. Breakfast consisted of a vast array of foods from “dosas” to cereals. Over the breakfast table, everyone was happily talking about the inspiring pilgrimage they had experience thus far. With the grace of Mother Nature and God, we had nice weather and were able to carry out the pilgrimage without many problems. After having a good breakfast everyone gathered at the entrance of the Hyatt Hotel, ready to board our buses. After getting onto buses according to our groups, the buses left around 7am. Today, we had planned to visit the Baranagore Math and the Cossipore Garden House in the morning, and after lunch we were going to visit Jorasanko. While coming back from Jorasanko we had planned a bus tour of Kolkata. Everyone was excited about the scheduled program.

As usual in each bus, after “five Jai’s” everyone did the Morning Prayer including the “Sri Ramakrishna Suprabhatam.”

After about an hour, we arrived at the Baranagore Math. It was a bright morning.

$2 going to Math$

As we entered the Math, we saw two pillars on the two sides of the gate.

We were told that these were the last of the remaining historic pillars from the old Baranagore Math building. As we entered, we were told to go upstairs to the shrine room to offer our salutations.

We placed our shoes on a rack, went upstairs, and quietly sat in the prayer hall.

The environment was very serene. We were thinking of Sri Ramakrishna’s young disciples who had observed intense spiritual practices in this Math. It was this important period that established the foundation of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. We were very happy to learn that it was Shri Nag Mahashay’s birthday on the day of our visit. Shri Nag Mahashay was a great household devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. He was a living example of a householder who had absolutely no ego. He had inspired many people, and all the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna had great reverence for him.

After our salutations, we recited the pranam manras, offering our salutations to Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. Then we sang “Jaya Vireshwara Vivekabhaskar..,” as an offering to Swami Vivekananda. After singing, we spent a few minutes doing japa.

Around the perimeter of the prayer hall, there were photographs of all the original disciples and the original Baranagore Math as well as quotes of Swami Vivekananda .

$Old math- disciples-writing$

While looking at all the pictures, we thought of the disciples’ days at the Baranagore Monastery. We were given some Prasad. After looking all the pictures, we came downstairs and went into the backyard.

Swami Snehamayananda pointed to the grounds that marked the location of the original Baranagore Math. We took in the sight of the old grounds, paid our respects, and enjoyed the beautiful garden. The weather was great and environment was serene and peaceful. It filled our minds and hearts with joy and uplifting power. We were given refreshments arranged by the Swamis of the Math.

We were greeted by three Swamis, Swami Bamanananda, Secretary Maharaj, Swami Snehamayananda and Swami Devatattowananda, who were very happy to see all of us. As we prepared to leave, they lovingly stood at the gates to see us off. Before boarding our buses, we saluted the Swamis and took their blessings. As we sat on the bus, we remembered the hardships and austerities of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Soon we were off to another important place, the Cossipore Garden House, where Sri Ramakrishna spent his last eight months.

The following information and incidents show us the real importance of the Baranagore Math. They truly inspire us to better ourselves in our spiritual path.

Baranagore Math:

The Baranagore Math was established in October 1886 and then the Math was moved to the Alambazar Math in February 1892. The Baranagore Math is a very important place for the Ramakrishna Math and Mission and for its activities. It was the first headquarter for the monks of the Ramakrishna Order.

Sri Ramakrishna passed away on August 16, 1886 at the Cossipore Garden House. Several youngsters had given up their homes and studies to serve their Master (Sri Ramakrishna). Tarak, Latu, and Elder Gopal (Budho Gopal) had renounced their homes and family-life. After Sri Ramakrishna passed away, most of the youngsters had to go home because the lease of the Cossipore Garden house was ending in August. Narendra was worried about the spiritual future of all the youngsters, including him. Sri Ramakrishna had told him to take care of his young disciples and to make sure that their spiritual urge to realize God and to serve humanity continued.

One evening, early in September 1886, while Surendra Mitra was meditating in front of his shrine, he had a vision of Sri Ramakrishna who told him, “What are you doing here? My boys are roaming about without a place to live. Attend to that before anything else.” Immediately, Surendra rushed to Narendra’s house and asked him and other young disciples to rent a house. Surendra said that he would pay the rent of the house.

Narendra and the other disciples rented a house in Baranagore at eleven rupees per month. This was the first Ramakrishna monastery. Tarak, Kali, Shashi, and Elder Gopal lived in the Baranagore Math. Narendra used to come in the evening, and other disciples visited whenever they could.

The Baranagore Monastery was an abandoned, dilapidated two-story building, infested with snakes and said to be haunted by ghosts. The rooms on the ground floor were dark, damp, and unfit for habitation, so they were used as kitchen and for storage. Shashi was once bitten by a snake in one of those dark rooms.

$Old math$

The monks set up a shrine in an upstairs room. The relics of the Master were brought from Balaram’s house, and a picture of Sri Ramakrishna was placed on the altar. The articles that the Master had used at Cossipore were also preserved in the shrine room. Shashi kept the memory of the Master ablaze in the Monastery with his wholehearted dedication and devout service to the Master. His scrupulous precision and regularity of service made everybody feel the living presence of the Master.

Narendra devoted himself–heart and soul–to the training of the young brother disciples. He spent the daytime at home, supervising a lawsuit that was pending in court and looked after other family affairs. Since his father had passed away, he was responsible for taking care of his mother and siblings. During evenings and nights, he was always with his brother disciples at the monastery, encouraging them to practice spiritual disciplines. His presence at the monastery was a source of unfailing delight and inspiration to all.

The following incident played an important role in shaping the future of the young disciples.

Antapur Incident:

Baburam’s mother, Matangini Devi, invited–through her eldest son Tulsiram–all the youngsters to her house in Antpur towards the end of December. Narendra and the other youngsters decided to go to Antpur. From Howrah nine youngsters, namely, Narendra, Baburam, Sarat, Shashi, Tarak, Kali, Niranjan, Gangadhar and Saradacharan, boarded a train going to Tarkeshwar. They had a tanpura and tabla with them. In the train they sang “Shiva Shankar Bum Bum Bhola” and other songs. They got off the train at the Haripal station and with horse carriages travelled eight miles to Antpur. Matangini Devi was extremely happy to receive them and made all arrangements for their stay and meals.

In the quiet and green natural surroundings, they all spent their time singing bhajans, doing prayer, japa, and meditation, discussing the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, and remembering his infinite love.

One day, all the youngsters were discussing spirituality until late in the evening under the open bright starlit sky. Upon Narendra’s suggestion, they lit a “dhoony” (a friendly fire) which Sadhus (renounced people) light before meditation. Around the fire, they meditated for a while. At that time, Narendra was inspired to talk about the life of Jesus Christ and about his penances and sacrifices. His moving speech was filled with the fire of renunciation; it touched everyone’s hearts. He then talked about the sacrifices made by St. Paul and other disciples of Jesus Christ. Narendra concluded his speech saying that they had learned so much from their Master. Following the Master’s teachings, they must renounce the world for God realization and the service to humanity. Narendra’s speech infused everoyone’s spirit with burning renunciation. They all touched the fire and took a solemn vow to renounce the world for the goal of “God-realization and service to humanity.” As they took their vow in front of the fire, their faces glowed even brighter. When their minds came down to a normal plane, they were astonished to realize that it was “Christmas eve”.

Later recalling the incident Swami Shivananda said, “It was at Antpur that our resolve to become a group grew more intense.”

If we look into the lives of great personalities, we find that they have built the foundation for their lives’ goals from a young age. These youngsters also prepared themselves for the great, positive, historical, and everlasting impact they had left in the world. In 1886 Narendra’s age was 23, Kali was 20, Sarat and Sarada Prasanna were 21, Gangadhar was 22, Shashi was 23, Niranjan was 24, Baburam was 25 and Tarak was 32.

After spending a week in Antpur, all the brother disciples came back to Kolkata. In 1887 Rakhal and Elder Gopal went to Antpur with Narendra. In January 1887 at the Baranagore Math, these eleven people (10 youngsters and Elder Gopal) took “Sanyas” (renouncing the world for God-realization and service to humanity) by performing the “Viraja Homa.”

Monastic Names of Sri Ramakrishna’s Disciples:

With the “Viraja Homa” completed, all of the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna renounced everything and took monastic names. Narendra took the name Swami Vividishananda. During his pilgrimages to different places in India, he assumed the name Swami Satchidananda. It was before going to America, that he assumed the name Swami Vivekananda, upon the request of Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri.

The other disciples took the following names:

Rakhal….Swami Brahmananda Hari……Swami Turiyananda

Jogin……Swami Yogananda Sarat…..Swami Saradananda

Niranjan…..Swami Niranjanananda Shashi….Swami Ramakrishnananda

Latu……Swami Adbhutananda Kali…….Swami Abhedananda

Baburam…..Swami Premananda Gangadhar….Swami Akhandananda

Tarak……Swami Shivananda Elder Gopal….Swami Advaitananda

Sarada Prasanna…Swami Trigunatitananda Subodh……Swami Subodhananda

Life at Baranagore Math:

The young brother disciples lived an intense austere life at the Baranagore math. They spent day and night in japa, meditation, worship, studying scriptures, and devotional music. They used to forget to eat their meals. At such times, Shashi, who had constituted himself as their caretaker, literally dragged them to the dining room. Often, there was no food at all in the monastery. At that time without complaining, they would simply spend their time in prayer and meditation. They lived for months on boiled rice, salt, and bitter herbs. Sometimes they had only rice and no salt at all. But, no one cared about these inconveniences. At night, they slept on straw mats spread on the hard floor.

Narendra studied with them. They would study world history and various philosophical systems. They had a library that contained about a hundred books. They discussed and compared the philosophies of Aristotle, Plato, Kant, Hegel, Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhavacharya, Chaitanya, Nimbark, Buddha and many. They also studied the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and the four yogas. They could reconcile many apparent contradictions in light of Sri Ramakrishna’s life and teachings. The dryness of the discussions was removed by devotional music. There were many light moments, sometimes indulging in innocent laughter. Among all these activities, Narendra kept reminding them that their goal was to have complete control of their lower nature and God realization.

Some of the household disciples of Sri Ramakrishna did not approve of the austerities of the young men. One of them teasingly asked whether they had realized God by renouncing their homes. At that Narendra said sharply, “What do you mean? Suppose we have not realized God; must then we go back to the life of senses and deprave our higher nature?”

Swami Vivekananda’s reminiscences of Baranagore Monastery:

“After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, we underwent a lot of religious practices at the Baranagore Math. We used to get up at 3:00 a.m. and after washing our faces etc. we would sit in the shrine and become absorbed in japa and meditation. What a strong spirit of dispassion we had in those days! We had no thought of even as to whether the world exists or not…There were days when the japa and meditation continued from morning till four and five in the afternoon. Ramakrishnananda waited and waited with our meals ready, till at last he would come and snatch us from our meditation by sheer force….There were days when the monastery was without a grain of food. If some rice was collected by begging, there was no salt to take it with! On some days there would be only rice and salt, but nobody cared for it in the least. We were then being carried away by a tidal wave of spiritual practices. Oh, we had those wonderful days!”

Description of Baranagore Math in “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna” by M:

“The members of the (Baranagar) Math called themselves the ‘danas’ or ‘daityas,’ which means the ‘ghosts’ and the ‘demons,’ the companions of Shiva. They took these names because their indifference to worldly pleasures and relationships….Narendra and other members of the Math often spent their evenings on the roof. There they devoted a great deal of their time to discussions of the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Shankaracharya, Ramanuja, and Jesus Christ, and of Hindu Philosophy, European Philosophy, the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Tantras.”

(I believe M. visited the monastery mainly in the evenings.)

Interesting Incidents at Baranagore Math:

(1) Swami Advaitananda (Elder Gopal Maharaj):

At the Baranagore Math, Swami Advaitananda helped his brother monks with household work and played the tabla when Swami Vivekananda sang.

Sometimes the young monks would tease him or make him subject of practical jokes. Most of the disciples slept in one large room as they did not have many rooms. One night when Advaitananda went to the bathroom, Akhanadananda replaced his pillow with a brick. When Advaitananda returned, he discovered his brick-pillow. He smiled and said to Akhanadananda: “Ganga (Akhanadananda), I know you have done this mischief. Brother, I shall use your precious gift tonight as my pillow.” Akhandananda was touched by these words. He immediately threw away the brick and brought back his pillow. With an apology, Akhandananda said, “Brother, you are a real monk – free from anger and ego.”

(2) Swami Abhedananda (Kali ‘Tapasvi’ Maharaj):

The southernmost room of the second floor was used for meditation and study. Kali secluded himself in this room for most of the day and that is why this room was known as ‘Kali Tapasvi’s Room.’ ‘Tapasvi’ means one who performs severe austerities. He was an ascetic by nature. He ate vegetarian food, did not wear shoes, and shunned the company of people. He spent his time in meditation, studying scriptures and composing hymns on Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother.

He composed the famous hymn of Holy Mother, namely “Prakrutim Paramambhayam Varadam…” One day Kali visited Holy Mother at her residence at Nilambar Babu’s house in Belur and read this hymn to Holy Mother. After listening this hymn, Holy Mother blessed him saying, “May, Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, reside on your tongue.”

When someone in the Baranagore Monastery complained that Kali was not taking any responsibility for the household work, Vivekananda said, “Let one of the brothers be a scholar and I will do the dishes myself.”

One day, Mahendranath Datta, one of Vivekananda’s brothers, was shocked when he saw Kali lying like a dead person in the sun on the dusty floor of the veranda. Jogin told him with a smile, “He is not dead. The rascal meditates that way.” The young disciples used to tease and make fun of each other. Ramakrishna gave a taste of true spirituality to these young disciples and made their spiritual practices filled with joy. Poverty and hardship could not dampen their spirit.

The brother disciples had deep love for each other. One night, Kali was shivering with cold and could not sleep; none of them had warm clothing or sufficient blankets. They were sleeping on the floor of a large room under a single mosquito net. When Kali told Narendra about his suffering, Narendra got up at 2:00 a.m. and made hot tea for his brother. He told Kali, “Enjoy this hot cup of tea and get rid of the cold.” He also teased Kali saying, “This hot cup of tea seems to me more concrete than your blessed theory of Advaita, don’t you think so?”

Kali was well versed in both Eastern and Western philosophies and enjoyed discussions with Narendra.

(3) Swami Adbhutananda (Latu Maharaj):

Latu Maharaj’s story is one of the miracles stories of Sri Ramakrishna. Latu was a servant of Ramachandra Datta. Sri Ramakrishna saw him when Latu came for some work. Sri Ramakrishna liked him and asked Ramachandra to keep him at Dakshineswar. Ramachandra agreed to it. Sri Ramakrishna made Latu a saint out of a servant. That is why Swami Vivekananda suggested the name Swami Adbhutananda for him. “Adbhuta” means wonder of wonders.

When Latu Maharaj came to the Baranagore Monastery some disciples had already taken monastic vows. Narendra Asked Latu Maharaj to do the same. Latu Maharj agreed immediately. During the “Sanyas ceremony” Latu Maharaj offered his own unconventional simple prayers instead of Sanskrit mantras. After he became Sanyasi, he stayed at the Baranagore Monastery for a year and a half. In later years he told many stories about the early days at the monastery.

Love of brother disciples:

Latu Maharaj said, “Shashi’s performance of the vesper service was something worth seeing. Everyone could palpably feel the Master’s presence….In those days we loved each other so dearly that if perchance someone got angry with someone else, that anger did not last long. Very often our topic of conversation would be the Master’s transcendent love. If one person said, “He used to love me most,” another would contradict him and say, “No, he loved me most.” One day during such a discussion I told them: ‘The Master did not leave any property behind and still your squabbling seems unending. The Lord alone knows whether you would have gone to court if he had left any property.’ There was outburst laughter at my remark.”

Why study scriptures?

Latu Maharaj said, “I noticed that everyone at the (Baranagore) Math was studying hard. One day I asked Brother Sharat (Swami Saradananda): ‘Why do you read so many books? All of you are finished with school, yet you study so hard! Are you to appear for an examination?’ Sharat replied, ‘Brother, without serious study how are we to understand the subtle matters of religion?’ I rejoined that the Master had talked so much about these subtle matters, and I had never seen him reading books. Sharat said: ‘His case was completely different. He himself said that the Divine Mother used to provide him with heaps of knowledge. Have we reached that stage, or can we hope to reach it? We have to read in order to acquire such knowledge.’

I (Latu Maharaj) did not leave the matter there, but replied, ‘The Master said that we get one conception of the truth through studying books and quite another by spiritual experience.’ Then Sharat said: ‘But didn’t he say that those who would be teachers will have to study the scriptures as well?’ Then I realized that men understand differently according to their mental constitutions and that the Master taught each one according to his own nature. From then on I kept quiet.”

Swami Ramakrishnananda on Latu Maharaj at Baranagore:

“We often had to call Latu back to normal consciousness and virtually force him to take food. There were many days when we called him again and again but no response, so we would place his food in his room and leave. The rest of the day passed. When we went to call him for supper, we would find the noon meal still there where it was placed, untouched and stale. We found Latu lying down in same straight posture as before, completely covered with a thick cotton chadar. We had to resort to many tricks just to force a little food down his throat.”

Swami Saradananda on Latu Maharaj at Baranagore:

Swami Saradananda jokingly said, “You see, at night that rascal Leto (Latu) dos not sleep at all. During the first part of the night he pretends to be asleep and even snores; but he keeps his rosary with him, and when the others are asleep he sits up and starts counting his beads (doing japa). One night I heard the ticking of beads and thought a mouse might have come in the room. When I gave a rap the sound stopped. A little later the ticks began again. This went on for a while, and I began to suspect that it might not be a mouse. The next night I stayed awake and was very watchful. The moment I heard the first tick, I struck a match and found Leto sitting up, counting his beads. Then I laughed: ‘Ah, you mean to surpass us all! While we are sleeping you are counting your beads!’”

Swami Turiyananda on Latu Maharaj at Baranagore:

Swami Turiyananda said, “Many of the brother monks were leaving the monastery at Baranagore to practice austerity. I too felt an urge to meet holy men in other places of India. As I was thinking this over, a voice said from within me, ‘Where will you find such a sadhu as he (meaning latu)?’ Startled, I turned my gaze and saw Latu Maharaj lying down covered with a thick cloth, deep in meditation….The very same moment Latu Maharaj spoke out: ‘Where will you go? It is better to engage yourself in tapasya (austerity) here.’ That time I stayed at the monastery.”

(4) Swami Turiyananda (Hari Maharaj):

At the Baranagore math, after taking the monastic vows Swami Vivekananda read and explain to his brother disciples two chapters from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, namely Antaryami Brahman 3.7 and Maitreyi Brahman 4.5. In these chapters renunciation and the greatest truths of Vedanta are discussed. They all plunged into achieving the highest goal of human life, realizing the Supreme.

After joining the monastery Swami Turiyananda passed through a dry spell. He described it later on: “When I was young and living in the Baranagore math, once I had a very despondent mood. I could not meditate. I was then pacing back and forth on the roof. Then suddenly there was a rift in the cloud, and out came the full moon in all its majesty. All darknesswas dispelled, and the whole landscape was flooded with light. As soon as I saw that I thought: ‘See, the moon was there all the time but I could not see it. So the Atman is also ever present, shining in its own glory, but I did not see it. The cloud of ignorance stood between the Atman and me. My intellect overshadowed my mind. And at once I felt strong again, my doubts were all gone.’”

In 1889 Swami Turiyananda left the Baranagore Math and went to Rishikesh and in summer of 1890 he went to Gangotri with Swami Saradananda.

(5) Swami Saradananda (Sharat maharaj):

After Sri Ramakrishna’s passing away on August 16, 1886, Sharat returned to his home. Sharat’s parents were happy to have him back, but his mind was not at peace. He could not concentrate his mind in his studies. Every now and then the blissful form of his Master would appear to him and he would cry.

When the Baranagore Monastery was established, Sharat started visiting it whenever he got a chance. Sometimes he stayed overnight at the monastery. Sharat’s father was alarmed that he would quit his studies and would go to the monastery, so he locked Sharat in a room. Sharat was waiting for the right moment. One day his brother Prakash unlocked the room and Sharat quietly walked out of the house and went to the monastery and stayed there. Later when Sharat’s parents found that their son was determined to dedicate his life to realize God and service to humanity, they went to the monastery and gave their blessings to him.

After the “Viraja Homa,” Swami Vivekananda gave the name Swami Saradananda to Sharat. At the Baranagore Math, Sharat Maharaj became absorbed in spiritual discipline. Sometimes Vivekananda and Saradananda would go to the Cossipore cremation ground where the Master’s body was cremated and spend the whole night in japam and meditation. Sometimes, they used to go to Dakshineswar and meditate at the Panchavati Grove. On April 9, 1887 Vivekananda said to M.: “The Master has given me charge of Sharat. He is now yearning for God. His kundalini has been awakened.”

At the monastery, Saradananda used to help with the household duties like cleaning the rooms, washing dishes, and so on. Saradananda learned from Vivekananda how to sing and play tabla. He had a sweet melodious voice, which from a distance could be mistaken to be a female voice. One night, while Saradananda was singing, some neighbors thought that a woman was singing. To find out what was going on, they scaled the wall and entered the monastery. After finding out that Swami Saradananda was singing they were ashamed of themselves and sincerely apologized to the monks. His singing and recitations of Chandi were very inspiring.

After Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday celebration, Saradananda went on a pilgrimage to Puri with Swami Premananda and Swami Abhedananda. When he returned to the monastery his body was emaciated but his face was a glow with devotion. He became more indrawn.

(6) Swami Premananda (Baburam maharaj):

Baburam’s mother had invited all young brother disciples to her house in Antpur. After the “Viraja Homa,” Swami Vivekananda gave the name Swami Premananda to Baburam Maharaj. Swami Vivekananda said that according to Sri Ramakrishna, a part of Srimati Radha had incarnated in Baburam since he was very pure and filled with unselfish love.

At the Baranagore Math, Premananda used to help with the household work as well as the Master’s worship. One day he fell from a tree while picking flowers for the master’s worship. He fractured his right wrist.

Later Premananda told a touching episode. He said, “After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna Swami Vivekananda used to cry secretly at night remembering him. He used to cry so much that his pillow would get fully wet and I would put it in the sun in the morning to dry.”

During his stay at the monastery Premananda went on several pilgrimages with his brother disciples.

(7) Swami Brahmananda (Rakhal Maharaj):

After the “Viraja Homa,” Swami Vivekananda gave the name Swami Brahmananda to Rakhal Maharaj. Shortly after this, Rakhal Maharaj’s father went to the monastery to persuade him to return home. But, he calmly and firmly said to his father: “Why do you take so much trouble to come to me? I am quite happy here. Now bless me that I may forget you and you may forget me.”

At the Baranagore Math, Brahmananda became so absorbed in japa and meditation the he almost forgot the world.

In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna M. recorded his conversation with Rakhal Maharaj in the Baranagore Monastery:

Rakhal (earnestly): “M., let us practice spiritual discipline. We have renounced home for good. When someone says, ‘you have not realized God by renouncing home; then why this fuss?’ Narendra gives a good retort. He says, ‘Because we could not attain Rama, must we live with Shyama and beget children?’ Ah! Every now and then Narendra says nice things.”

M.: “What you say is right. I see that you too have become restless for God.”

Rakhal: “M., how can I describe the state of my mind? Today, at noontime I felt great yearning for the Narmada (a holy river in Central India).

During his stay at the Baranagore Math, Brahmananda went on pilgrimages of places like Puri, Kamarpukur, Jayrambati, Varanasi, and Omkarnath situated on the bank of Narmada.

(8) Swami Shivananda (Tarak Maharaj):

Tarak Maharaj was one of the three youngesters who started staying in the Baranagore Monastery from the first day. After the “Viraja Homa,” looking at his Shiva-like nature, Swami Vivekananda gave the name Swami Shivananda to Tarak Maharaj.

Swami Shivananda remarked during their stay at the Baranagore Monastery: “We had so much deep love for each other (among the brother disciples) that we were ready to sacrifice our lives for each other.”

Swami Shivananda lived at Baranagore for about two and a half years, developing his own spiritual life and helping to consolidate the new monastery. He nursed monks who fell ill, and did household work, such as cutting vegetables for cooking, carrying water from the Ganga, sweeping and dusting the rooms, and even cleaning the toilets.

(9) Swami Trigunatitananda (Sarada Prasanna Maharaj):

When the Baranagore Math started, Sarada Prasanna started visiting his brother disciples at the Math. His parents strongly did not approve of these visits. When Narendra and other brother disciples decided to go to Antpur, he secretly sent a message of this trip to Sarada Prasanna. Sarada immediately left home and joined the group.

One day in Antpur, Sarada went to take bath in a pond. He did not know how to swim. Suddenly he slipped from a step and fell in deep water. Immediately Niranjan dove into the water and rescued him.

When they returned to the Baranagore Math, Sarada went with the brother disciples instead of going home. Sarada’s elder brother Binay secretly arranged a sacrificial ceremony to try to change the mind of Sarada. Twelve brahmins performed the ceremony for one month and twelve days. Binay had spent four thousand rupees for the ceremony. After the ceremony the brahmins said that it was not possible for them to change the mind of Sarada as his desire was very intense to realize God. Then, Binay went to the Baranagore Monatery and asked the brother disciples to send Sarada home, but the brother disciples refused to do that. They said let Sarada himself decide what he wants to do. Sarada became disgusted with all these attempts and he stopped visiting home completely.

With the “Viraja Homa,” Sarada took the monastic vows and Swami Vivekananda gave him the name Swami Trigunatitananda. Swami Vivekananda used to tease him saying that his name was too long, so he would call him “Tirgunatita.”

One day, Swami Vivekananda asked Saradananda to visit Navadwip, the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya, on foot. Saradananda immediately prepared to walk sixty miles to Navadwip without any money. Swamis Shivananda and Trigunatitananda found out about it and they went along with him.

An amusing incident happened. Trigunatita’s eating habits were unusual! Once he had stomach ache. Swami Brahmananda sent him to Dr. Bepin Ghosh, a cousin of Swami Premananda, for a treatment. The doctor was a devotee and knew Trigunatita very well. He wanted to serve him before proceeding for the examination. He asked Trigunatita, “Please tell me what you would like to eat?” Swami said, “Rasagoollas,” (an Indian sweet – cheese balls soaked in syrup). Dr. Ghosh offered him two rupees’ worth of “Rasagollas,” more than two dozen. Trigunatita ate them all. Then, Dr, Ghosh asked, “Please tell me your trouble for which you had come to me?” Trigunatita replied, “I have a stomach problem.” Dr. Ghosh was shocked and asked, “My goodness! Why then did you eat these rasagollas?” Swami said that he offered him with love, so he ate them. The doctor than gave a medicine. Swami Trigunatitananda had tremendous self-control. He could eat an enormous amount of food and he could also fast for few days at a stretch.

During his spiritual practices at the Baranagore Math, Trigunatita had a great desire to perform some tantric rituals at midnight on the cremation grounds. He knew Vivekananda would not give him permission to do this. One night, when all brother disciples slept, he prepared to leave for the cremation ground. To his utter astonishment, he heard Swami Vivekananda, “Where are you going?” Trigunatita stood speechless. Vivekananda said, “Sri Ramakrishna appeared to me and told me where you are going. You should not go there. Sri Ramakrishna had given us everything and it is sufficient to keep our minds on him.” This was the end of his desire to do any tantric ritual.

Another amusing and touchy incident happened. Trigunatita decided to repeat his mantra 24/7. His goal was, “God-realization or starve to death.” Swami Shivananda was concerned about him. He persuaded him to come out from his room. Trigunatita did come out, but he refused to eat as his repetition of mantras would stop. Shivananda found a way out. Shivananda touched him and repeated the mantras on his behalf while Trigunatita hurridly ate some food.

Trigunatota’s father was trying to bring him back home. Trigunatita refused and he went to Puri on a pilgrimage.

In the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, M. mentioned the state of Trigunatita’s mind when he was at the Baranagore Math. On May 7, 1887 he wrote: “Narendra was in charge of the members of the monastery. Sarada Prasanna had been practicing austere sadhana for the past few days. Once, Narendra had told him his desire to fast to death for the realization of God. During Narendra’s absence in Kolkata, Prasanna had left the monastery for an unknown destination.

Narendra (to M.): “You see what a lot of trouble I am in! Here, too, I am involved in a world of Maya. Who knows where this boy had gone?”

Prasanna had left a letter for Narendra. He had written: “I am going to Vrindavan on foot. It is very risky for me to live here. Here my mind is undergoing a change….The Master once told me, ‘Your people at home are apt to do anything; never trust them.’”

(10) Swami Ramakrishnananda (Shashi Maharaj):

After Sri Ramakrishna passed away, Shashi reluctantly went home. But as soon as Narendra and other disciples rented the Baranagore Math with the help of Surendranath Mitra, Shashi joined his brother disciples.

Shashi Maharaj’s Service to Sri Ramakrishna:

From 1886 to 1897 Shashi kept a constant vigil over the Master’s relics, seldom visiting any holy place or leaving the monastery overnight. Because he came from an orthodox Brahmin family, he performed the Master’s worship as one serves a living human being. He would get up at 4:00 a.m., and after washing would enter the shrine to rouse the Master from his bed. He would then offer a twig for a toothbrush and water to rinse the mouth. Next he would offer some sweets made from coconut and a glass of water for breakfast. He never allowed his brother disciples to help him. Afterwards he would pick flowers, sweep the shrine, wash the worship vessels, and make the necessary preparations for the worship. He would then go to the nearby market to buy groceries. Shashi always bought the best product for the Master; although he did not have much money, he had a rich heart. After returning from the market he would help the cook cut vegetables, and then he would go to bathe in the Ganga and bring holy water for worship. Afterwards he would perform rituals and offer cooked food to the Master.

In the evening, he would conduct the vesper service, waving a light, fanning the Master, and singing with the disciples the vesper song of Vishwanath in Varanasi:

Jai Shiva Omkara, Bhaj Shiva Omkara,

Brahma Vishnu Sadashiva

Hara Hara Hara Mahadev!

Swami Virajananda’s (Swami Vivekananda’s disciple) reminiscences of arati:

“Oh, how wonderful was the ararti of Shashi Maharaj! It was really a sight for the gods. Enveloped within the dhooni of the incense and drowned in the music of drums and cymbals, he would wave a chamar (fanning to Sri Ramakrishna) towards the end of the arati. Intoxicated with God-consciousness he would repeat, “Jai Gurudev! Jai Gurudev!”, in a crescendo of divine abandon and would dance from one side of the hall to the other rhythmically pacing the floor. What a unique feeling of ecstatic love would course through the hearts of men witnessing it can better be imagined than described….The spectators would watch from the adjoining room and join him, all repeating in chorus, “Jai Gurudev! Jai Gurudev!”

After the Viraja Homa, Swami Vivekananda, knowing Shashi’s love for Sri Ramakrisha, gave him the name “Swami Ramakrishnananda.”.

Shashi Maharaj’s efforts to support the monastery:

To meet the expenses of the Baranagore Monastery, Shashi Maharaj worked as a teacher at the Baranagore High School for two hours daily after lunch, foregoing his rest. He continued this for three months to support the monastery.

Ramakrishnananda’s love:

One day four monks went out for alms, but unfortunately did not receive any food. The monastery store was empty. Ramakrishnananda was anxious and disturbed with the thought that the Master would have to starve that day. Giving up the desire for food, the brother disciples became absorbed in devotional singing. Ramakrishnananda then quietly went to the house of a friendly neighbor and said to him, “Brother dear, today nothing has been obtained from begging. Could you give me a handful of rice, some potatoes, and a little ghee?” Although other members of his family were not sympathetic, he gave a half a pound of rice, some potatoes, and little ghee. Ramakrishnananda gladly cooked that food and offered it to the Master. Then, he mixed it together and made small balls, which he carried to the hall and put one ball in the mouth of each brother disciple. That small amount of sanctified food appeased their hunger, and they were touched by Ramakrishnananda’s love and concern.

A heated exchange:

Swami Adbhutananda reminisced: “Once there was a heated exchange of words between brother disciples in connection with the shrine. It began when a household devotee said, “You fellows do nothing but act as priests to the photograph of the Master, burning incense and waving lights before it, just as orthodox priests do before the stone image of Goddess Shitala.”

This remark upset Brother Shashi very much and he said sharply: “The money of such a householder should not be touched with a barge pole! It is cursed.”

Brother Loren (Vivekananda) used to be amused when he saw Shashi angry. He told him, “All right, then go and beg food for your Master.” “Very well,” responded Shashi, “and I will not touch a bit of your money either! I will beg food in order to feed my Master.” Loren said with a smile, “And I suppose you will offer him luchis that you get by begging?” Undaunted Shashi replied, “Yes, I will offer him luchis; and moreover, I will serve those offered luchis to you to gulp down afterwards.”

Then Loren pretended to get angry: “No, by no means will I allow luchis to be offered to him while we have nothing to eat! Such a Master should be thrown out. If you won’t do it, I am going to throw him out myself!” Saying this, he sprang up and started towards the shrine. Shashi said something in English and ran after him.

When I saw what was happening, I tried to intercede. I told Loren, “Brother, why are you opposed to Shashi’s desire to serve luchis to the Master? Let him go his own way and you yours.” Loren returned, “Keep quiet, you fool.” A harsh retort was about to come out of my mouth, when Brother Loren laughed in such a way that Shashi too began to laugh. A few minutes later, we all were sitting together making arrangements for the Master’s worship.”

Shashi Maharaj’s sincerity in serving Sri Ramakrishna:

Swami Adbhutananda told this incident. “One day Brother Shashi asked an elderly Swami Satchidananda to put a fresh twig stripped of leaves and bark, in the shrine early in the morning to be offered to the Master for use as a toothbrush. The elderly swami did not know that one end of the twig was to be gently beaten to soften the fibers and make them like a brush….During the breakfast Shashi saw this, and he rushed to the elderly swami and scolded him saying, “You rogue, you have caused the Master’s gum bleed today. I will teach you a good lesson.” I cried out to the elderly swami, “Don’t just stand here looking at Shashi. Run away!” He fled and the situation calmed down immediately. Shashi got another twig, prepared it properly and threw away the old one.”

(11) Swami Niranjanananda (Niranjan Maharaj):

Niranjan took monastic vows after the “Viraja Homa” at the Baranagore Monastery. Swami Vivekananda gave him the name “Swami Niranjanananda.” he continued his spiritual discipline and austerities at the monastery.

Swami Niranjanananda helped performed the worship service and other household responsibilities. He thought that the altar for the Master must be better. He had heard about an elderly expert carpenter in Kolkata. He contacted him and have him made a beautiful altar for the shrine. With the help of the devotees Niranjan Maharaj collected a bed and proper utensils for the Master and a Japanese gong for vespers. He planted a bel tree on the spot where the master’s body was cremated on the bank of Ganga and made a marble altar around the tree.

Holy Mother’s recollection:

Holy Mother recalled: “What an austere life they led at the Baranagore Monastery! Niranjan and others often starved themselves. They spent all their time in japa and meditation. One day they resolved among themselves: “Well, we have renounced everything in the name of Sri Ramakrishna. Let us see if he will supply us with food if we simply depend on him. Neither will we tell anyone about our wants, nor will we go out for alms.” Saying so, they covered themselves with their chadars (shawls) and sat down for meditation. The whole day passed. It was late at night. They heard someone knocking at the door. Naren left the seat and asked one of his brother monks: “Please open the door and see who is there. First, check if he has anything in his hand.” What a miracle! When the door opened, they found a man had come from Laha Babu’s Krishna Temple near the Ganga with various delicacies in his hand. They were overjoyed and became convinced of the protecting hand of Sri Ramakrishna. They then offered that food to the Master and partook of the Prasad. Such things happened many a times.”

(12) Swami Subodhananda (Subodh Maharaj):

Subodh Maharaj was the youngest disciple among the brother disciples. When Sri Ramakrishna passed away he was just 19 years old. He felt emptiness within without his Master. When Holy Mother moved to Balaram Babu’s house from the Cossipore Garden house, Subodh Maharaj visited her almost every day. He also visited Kamarpukur and Jayrambati when Holy Mother was there. He was not finding peace within. So, one day he just walked away from home on a pilgrimage.

Later he himself described his experiences: “For the sake of my mental peace I left home. I began my journey heading towards the western part of India on foot without carrying any money with me. If anyone wanted to talk to me on the way, I would talk only of God. As a result, no worldly thought enter my mind. Sometimes I stayed at night under a tree or in a meadow or on the bank of a river. At noon I ate whatever I got by begging from door to door like the mendicants. I had no extra clothing or shoes or umbrella. In the rain my clothes would get wet and they would eventually dry from my body heat.” Thus, he reached to Varanasi, visited Lord Vishwanath and Mother Annupurna’s temple and received their blessings. There, his relatives found where he was and brought him back to home.

He could not live at home. He joined the Baranagore Monastery. After performing “Viraja Homa,” Subodh took final monastic vows and became known as Swami Subodhananda. As he was the youngest among the disciples, he was known as “Khoka Maharaj.” “Khoka” means the youngest.

About his days in Baranagore Math, Swami Subodhananda said, “Swami Vivekananda and others were engaged in deep meditation and japa. I used to wash the dishes, sweep the floor, and do all sorts of household work.”

Along with severe austerities these boys used to play tricks on each other and had fun. When everyone was asleep, Latu Maharaj used to get up and do japa under a mosquito curtain. With the intent to do some mischief, one night, Subodhananda put a wet cloth on the mosquito net. Latu Maharaj woke up to do japa and found that water was dripping on him. Since the house was considered to be haunted, Latu Maharaj was frightened. When he found out about the mischief, he complained to Saradananda that Khoka was frightening him.

(13) Swami Yogananda (Jogin Maharaj):

After Sri Ramakrishna passed away, Jogin Maharaj went for pilgrimage with Holy Mother and her devotees. They went to Deoghar, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Vrindavan. One day in Vrindavan, Holy Mother had a vision of Sri Ramakrishna in which he told her to initiate Jogin with a certain mantra. Holy Mother thought it was a hallucination. But, the vision repeated. Holy Mother asked Sri Ramakrishna how she could initiate Jogin; out of shyness she was not talking to any men including Jogin. Sri Ramakrishna said that she should initiate him in presence of Yogin-Ma. Shortly after Holy Mother initiated Jogin and he became the first initiated disciple of Holy Mother.

After the pilgrimage, Jogin went to Baranagore Math. He took his monastic vows there and became Swami Yogananda. His family members requested him to return home. Yet, Jogin Maharaj was determined to live a life of renunciation to realize God and do service to humanity. His father-in-law, Madhusudan Roy, was a pious man. He understood the mental state of his son-in-law. He accepted it as God’s command. He built a ghat on the bank of Ganga and adjacent to it a Kali temple. Madhusudan Roy spent last part of his life worshipping the Divine Mother. His daughter helped him in his worship and she spent the rest of her life in meditation and performing austerities.

At the Baranagore Math, Yogananda was not much interested in studying scriptures. He loved to be in solitude, and would practice japa and meditation for several hours. Sometimes he would leave the monastery and practice austerities on the bank of the Ganga. Due to his intense fasting, his body became lean, but his eyes were bright and luminous.

A funny incident happened. As sadhus go for alms, one day Yogananda went out for alms. He arrived at a thatched cottage in Alambazar. A poor woman was sweeping the house. Seeing the young monk begging for food, she angrily said: “Get away from this place! You are a young man, why don’t you work and make money? You come in disguise of a monk at daytime to check the houses and will return at night to steal.” Saying this she hit her broomstick on the ground. Yogananda suppressed his laughter; but when he returned to the monastery, he mimicked the woman and took the whole incident lightly. His acting was so good that the brother disciples rolled on the floor with laughter. Yogananda had a good sense of humor.

Few devotees visit to Baranagore Math:

Gopaler- Ma occasionally visited the Baranagor monastery. At their request she would cook a couple of dishes and offer them to the Master.

One day Swami Niranjanananda told Girish Chandra Ghosh, “The Master made you a monk. There is no need for you to stay at home.”

Girish took this advice as an order from the Master. He left home barefoot, wearing only a single cloth, and went to the Baranagore Monastery. However, the brother disciples sent him home because they knew that Girishbabu would not be able to bear the austerities of a monk’s life.

regularly visited the Baranagor Monastery and supported the monastic disciples in every possible way. He used to join them in practicing spiritual disciplines, and he was never tired of speaking of their spiritual fervor to others. To him the monks were the full time lovers of God, while the householders were part-time because of their worldly obligations.

Balarambabu visited Baranagore Monastery regularly. One day he noticed that the monks were eating only rice and spinach. After returning home he told his wife that he would have only rice and spinach for his meal. When she found out the reason for this she immediately sent food and other articles to the monastery. Afterwards Balarambabu started giving one rupee per day for the food offering to the Master.

Akshay Kumar Sen was inspired by Swami Vivekananda to be a poet. He started writing Bengali verses in 1887. After he finished the early life of Sri Ramakrishna, he read it to Swami Vivekananda at the Baranagore Monastery. Swami Vivekananda was deeply moved by this writing. This book was published in four parts between 1894 and 1901.

The following is the future restoration plan for the Baranagore Math.

$Restoration plan for Baranagar Math showing marks for two original pillars$ (Thanks to Arundhathi Johri and Kanna Pichappan for writing the original report and Deba Uncle for providing the necessary information needed to write this post.)

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 5 Morning at Cossipore Garden House

March 20, 2016Pilgrimages, Sri RamakrishnaBelur Math Pilgrimage, Belur Math Pilgrimage 2015, Cossipore Garden Housemahendrajani

August 7, 2015

We were happy that by the grace of God and Mother Nature, we had completed four excellent days of pilgrimage and everything had worked out much better than we had expected. Everyone had a good night of sleep in the Hyatt Hotel after the long day journey to Jayrambati and Kamarpukur. At the breakfast tables the next morning, no one looked tired, including the children. The joyful noise of greeting each other filled the breakfast room. After breakfast everyone was ready for another day.

In the morning, we first went to Baranagar Math and then to Cossipore Garden House. But, I will talk about the Cossipore Garden house first because in the sequence of events, the events at Cossipore Garden House happened first. Also, It was because of the events at the Cossipore Garden House that the Baranagar Math came into being.

Cossipore Garden House:

Sri Ramakrishna’s illness brought his disciples together during his stay in the Shyampukur House. Sri Ramakrishna’s stay at the Cossipore Garden House:

(1) Molded Narendra’s (Swami Vivekananda’s) spiritual personality and made him the leader of all younger disciples

(2) Intensified the spiritual loving bondage among the younger disciples

(3) The younger disciples’ renunciation became stronger under the leadership of Narendra

(4) Set up the foundation of a great spiritual movement, later shaped as the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, to uplift and guide millions of people in spirituality in India and all over the world, and to help millions of poor and neglected people by providing for them means for their living, medicine, and education. Thus, the Cossipore Garden House is of great historical importance.

Sri Ramakrishna moved to the Cossipore Garden house on December 11, 1885 and lived there until he passed away on August 16, 1886. Sri Ramakrishna liked it here much more than the Shyampukur house. The Cossipore Garden House was quiet, had beautiful garden full of various flowers, fruits and vegetables. There was also a bricked garden path decorated by beautiful flowers and convenient facilities.

The house had four rooms on the ground level. Holy Mother was very happy to see that she could stay in one of these four rooms and could serve Sri Ramakrishna. She was also happy to find more freedom in moving around compared to the Shyampukur house.

Younger devotees and other attendants were able to use one spacious room on the ground floor, while another room was used as their bedroom. Sri Ramakrishna stayed in one of the two rooms upstairs. The second room upstairs was used by Sri Ramakrishna for bathing and also by some attendants who would stay overnight to take care of Sri Ramakrishna’s needs.

Narendra as a guide to the younger devotees:

Narendra encouraged younger devotees to stay at the Cossipore Garden House and serve their Master (Sri Ramakrishna). The parents of the younger disciples were not happy about this. But, because of their love for their Master and Narendra’s encouragement, they did not listen to their parents. While they were not serving Sri Ramakrishna, Narendra kept them engaged in meditation, devotional singing, study and discussion of the scriptures and spiritual conversations. Sri Ramakrishna’s pure and unselfish love and Narendra’s spiritually uplifting company and love developed a strong bondage among them and this helped them later to renounce everything to realize God and to do unselfish service to humanity.

Taking care of the expenses and other needs:

The rent for the house was Rs. 80 per month, which was considered very high in those days. Sri Ramakrishna was worried about the devotees. How would they be able to pay such a steep rent? But a devotee, Surendranath Mitra, came forward and agreed to pay the whole rent. Other householder devotees shared the other expenses including that for food and other things. Latu Maharaj took care of the physical needs of Sri Ramakrishna. Once all these things were settled, Sri Ramakrishna was relieved from these earthly worries.

Dispute and Girish Chandra Ghosh’s Solution:

One incident is noteworthy. The young disciples of Sri Ramakrishna took the responsibility of serving the Master–buying groceries, almost every day reporting to doctors, running errands, and helping Holy Mother. The householder disciples saw that the expenditure was increasing. A few of them accused the young disciples for their carelessness and asked them to maintain an account book properly. The young disciples were hurt and decided not to take any more money from the householders. When the situation became tense, Girish Chandra Ghosh came up with a solution. In front of everyone, he burnt the account book! Then, he told the householder disciples to give whatever they could and he would make up for the deficit. He told the young disciples not to worry and assured them that if needed, he would sell his house to pay for the expenses.

Initially, Sri Ramakrishna’s health improved a little, but later on his health deteriorated. His robust body began to break down, becoming emaciated as a skeleton. Yet, his mind remained in high spiritual realm and he continued to guide Narendra and others in their spiritual path.

Transformation of Kalipad Ghosh:

Kalipada Ghosh was born in 1849 in Calcutta to a pious family devoted to Mother Kali. As a boy Kalipada was full of energy and had many interests–ranging from music and singing to drama and even cooking. Due to the family’s poverty, his father was forced to take him out of school when he was in the eighth grade and found him a job as a shop assistant in the British paper firm of Messrs. John Dickinson and Company. Uneducated, his career prospects thus appeared unimpressive. However, his innate intelligence, diligence, and dedication soon captured the attention of his superiors, and with time Kalipada rose to a high position at the paper firm. His importance can be gauged from the fact that the watermark of the papers printed by the firm carried his bust as an imprint. As a result of falling into bad company, he developed a drinking habit, and began to mistreat his family.

He was a close friend of Girish Chadra Ghosh. By seeing a great transformation in Girish Chandra Ghosh as a result of the company and grace of Sri Ramakrishna, Kalipad had a desire to be blessed by the Master.

On December 23, 1885, Sri Ramakrishna, being in a spiritual mood, touched Kalipad’s chest and said, ‘May your inner spirit be awakened.’ Then, stroking Kalipad’s chin, he said, ‘Whoever has sincerely called on God or performed his daily religious devotions will certainly come here (meaning to him).’ The Master’s blessing and unrestrained love that day made Kalipad a new person. He gave up his bad habit of drinking and all interest in worldly things.

Holy Mother Narrate an Incident:

“I was once climbing the steps, carrying a big bowl of milk. I felt dizzy and fell down. The entire milk spilt on the ground. One of my ankles was badly sprained. Naren and Baburam ran there and took care of me. There was a great inflammation of the foot. The Master heard of the incident…..I had then a ring on my nose. The Master touched his nose and made a sign of ring by making a circle with his finger and said, “Baburam, can you put her in a basket and carry her on your shoulder to this room?” Naren and Baburam were convulsed with side-splitting laughter. Thus he used to joke with them. After three days the swelling subsided. Then they helped me to go upstairs with his meals.”

Yogin-ma narrated one incident about Holy Mother and Sri Ramakrishna:

“One day Holy Mother carried the Master’s food to his room, which was on the upper floor. The Master asked her, ‘Do you know how to play asta-kaste?’

Holy Mother said, ‘No.’

Sri Ramakrishna said, ‘If one can pair two checkers, the opponent cannot take them. Likewise, one should unite oneself with the Chosen Deity and thus be rid of fear. Otherwise, a ripe checker (one that is near the goal), if it is still single can be turned back. If a person can move in this world with the Chosen Deity, like a paired checkers, he will be saved.’

As Holy Mother listened she continued with a small household task in which she had been engaged. Suddenly the Master said jokingly, ‘Are you listening to me or not?’ Holy Mother was embarrassed.”

Molding Spiritual Character of Narendra:

Sri Ramakrishna told Narendra, “The Divine Mother has brought you into the world by force to do Her work.”

On another occasion Sri Ramakrishna told Narendra, “I leave them (the young disciples) in your care. Love them intensely and see that they practice spiritual disciplines even after my death, and that they do not return home.”

Burning of Desires:

Swami Saradananda wrote this incident in his book, “Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play.” One night Narendra could not sleep. He found Gopal and couple of young devotees awake. He asked them to go for a walk with him in the garden. As they walked Narendra said, “The Master’s disease is extremely serious. May be he has decided to give up his body. Make your best effort to achieve spiritual enlightenment through service to him, and prayer and meditation while there is yet time. If you do otherwise, there will be no end to your repentance after he passed away. We waste our time with the foolish thought that we shall pray to God after finishing this duty, or practice spiritual disciplines after doing that. Thus, we entangle ourselves in a net of desires. Those terrible desires lead to destruction-death. Shun those desires! Uproot them!”

He then sat under a tree and asked all to collect twigs lying around so that they could set a friendly fire (Dhoony). He said that at this moment all the sadhus (renounced people) set up a dhoony and meditate. Narendra told them to burn all their desires in this dhoony fire. The younger devotees did this and they actually felt that their desires had been burnt and experienced a wonderful bliss within. Around 4:00 a.m. they went to their beds.

During this time, Narendra was experiencing great turmoil in his personal life. He had to study law to support his mother and siblings and had to fight in court against his own relatives who were trying to take away their ancestral house. In spite of all that, Narendra kept his spiritual level high and helped the younger disciples to do the same.

Narendra’s Spiritual Power and the Master’s scolding:

One night, on March 1886, Narendra asked his brother disciple Kali to touch his right knee, and then entered into deep meditation. Kali’s hand began to tremble; he felt a kind of electric shock. Afterwards Sri Ramakrishna rebuked Narendra for frittering away spiritual powers before accumulating them in sufficient measure. He told Narendra that he had injured Kali’s spiritual growth. After talking to Kali, Sri Ramakrishna found that the damage was not serious.

Narendra’s Desire for Samadhi & Sri Ramakrishna’s Guidance:

At the Cossipore Garden House, Narendra’s longing for the vision of God knew no limit. One day, he asked Sri Ramakrishna for a boon to remain merged in Samadhi (complete absorption in God). He wanted to mediate for three or four days at a stretch, interrupting his meditation now and then only for a bite of food to preserve the body. Sri Ramakrishna said, “You are a fool. There is a stage higher than that. It is you who sing: ‘O Lord! Thou art all that exists.” Sri Ramakrishna wanted him to see God in all beings and to serve them with the spirit of worship.

One day, Narendra was meditating under a tree with Girish Chandra Gosh at the Cossipore Garden House. The place was infested with mosquitoes. Girish tried in vain to concentrate. Casting his eyes on Narendra, he saw that Narendra was absorbed in meditation even though his body was covered by a blanket of insects.

Once, Narendra spent an entire night walking in the garden loudly repeating Rama’s name.

Narendra had special affection for Lord Buddha. One day, he suddenly felt an intense desire to visit Bodh-Gaya, the place where Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment. He left Cossipore with Kali and Tarak, two of his brother disciples. After they meditated for long hours under the Bo-tree where Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment, Narendra was overwhelmed by emotions and wept profusely. He embraced Tarak and told him that he had felt the presence of Lord Buddha and he had seen how Buddha’s noble life and teachings had influenced India. When Narendra came back and talked to the Master, he realized that Sri Ramakrishna’s life and teachings were even more appropriate for the present-time.

On another occasion when Narendra repeated his desire for uninterrupted Samadhi, Sri Ramakrishna said, “Shame on you! You are asking for such an insignificant thing. I thought that you would be like a big banyan tree, and that thousands of people would rest in your shade. But, now I see that you are seeking your own liberation.” Realizing the greatness of Sri Ramakrishna’s heart, Narendra shed profuse tears.

One day the master, unable to speak even in a whisper, wrote on a piece of paper: “Narendra will teach others.” Narendra protested. Sri Ramakrishna said, “But, you must. Your very bones will do it.”

One day while absorbed in meditation, Narendra felt only his head and not the rest of his body. He asked Gopal where his body was. Gopal was afraid that Narendra was dying. He went upstairs to Sri Ramakrishna and told him everything. Sri Ramakrishna said, “Let him stay in that state for a while; he has teased me long enough for it (Samadhi).” After a long time, Narendra regained his normal state. After that, when he entered Sri Ramakrishna’s room, Sri Ramakrishna said to him, “Now the Mother has shown you everything. But, this realization, like the jewel locked in a box, will be hidden away from you and kept in my custody. I will keep the key with me. Only after you have fulfilled your mission on this earth will the box be unlocked, and you will know everything as you have known.”

A short while before Sri Ramakrishna passed away, he called Narendra to his room and asked him to sit by his bedside. Then he intently looked at Narendra and went into deep meditation. Narendra felt a subtle force, resembling an electric current, entering his body. He gradually lost his consciousness. After some time he regained normal consciousness and found that Sri Ramakrishna was weeping. Sri Ramakrishna said, “O Naren! Today I have given you everything I possess. Now I am no more than a fakir, a penniless beggar. By the power I have transmitted to you, you will accomplish great things in the world, and not until then will you return to the source whence you have come.”

Sri Ramakrishna’s Highest State:

Because of his throat cancer, Sri Ramakrishna could not eat anything. Narendra asked Sri Ramakrishna to pray to Mother Kali so that he could eat some food. Sri Ramakrishna told Narendra that he could not do this; he had never asked Mother Kali for any worldly favor. Narendra told him his devotees want his body to be alive, so he had to ask Mother Kali on behalf of his devotees and not for himself. Sri Ramakrishna could not refuse his beloved disciple’s request. A little later in a sad voice Sri Ramakrishna told Narendra, “Yes, I told Mother Kali that I could not swallow any food on account of the sore in my throat, and asked Her to do something about it. But the Mother said, pointing to you all, ‘Why, are you not eating enough through all these mouths?’ I felt so humiliated that I could not utter any word.” This was the highest example of realizing “Oneness of Existence”.

Caring for young disciples:

Once, a few young devotees decided that they would tap a date palm in the garden and drink its fresh juice. Before the young devotees approached the date tree, Sri Ramakrishna swiftly got out from his bed and ran downstairs to the tree. Holy Mother was surprised to see Sri Ramakrishna doing this since he could hardly walk in the room. When Sri Ramakrishna returned Holy Mother asked the reason for him going downstairs. Sri Ramakrishna said that there was a cobra living under the date tree. He went there and asked the cobra to leave the garden. He made sure that the cobra left before the young devotees went near the tree.

January 1^st Incident:

On January 1, 1886 the Master felt better and expressed a desire to walk in the garden for a while. Because of the holiday, the householder devotees began arriving at the Cossipore Garden House after midday–individually and in groups. The Master came down around 3:00 p.m. There were more than 30 people talking among themselves inside the house and sitting under the trees in the garden. When they saw Sri Ramakrishna coming down, they all stood reverently and then bowed down to him.

Before anyone had spoken a word, the Master addressed Girish Chandra Ghosh, asking him, “Girish, what have you seen and understood (about me) that makes you say all these things (that Sri Ramakrishna is an Incarnation of God) to everyone and everywhere?” Girish Chandra Ghosh knelt down at the Master’s feet. Then with folded hands he looked at Sri Ramakrishna and said in a voice choked with emotion: “What more can I say of Him? Even the sages, Vyas and Valmiki, could find no words to measure His glory!” Girish Chandra Ghosh’s sincere faith expressed in those words touched the heart of the Master. While looking at Girish he said: “What more can I tell you? I bless you all. May you all be illumined!” Sri Ramakrishna went into ecstasy.

The selfless and profound blessing touched the devotees deep within their hearts, and with great joy they said, “Victory to Sri Ramakrishna!” One by one they bowed down to Sri Ramakrishna and he in return blessed all of them with his divine touch. The devotees felt that they were spiritually uplifted by his blessings.

The householder devotees felt that on that day (January 1, 1886) the Master became “Kalpataru” (wish fulfilling tree). The monastic disciples who were busy cleaning up Sri Ramakrishna’s bed and room felt that on that day the Master manifested his divine nature and made everyone fearless.

Incarnation of God:

Two days before Sri Ramakrishna left his body, Narendra was standing by his bedside. A thought flashed in the mind of Narendra, ‘Was the Master really an Incarnation of God?’ He told himself that in this excruciating pain of the throat cancer, if the Master declared himself as an Incarnation of God, then only would he would believe it. Sri Ramakrishna read his mind and said, “O my Naren, are you still not convinced? He who in the past was born as Rama and Krishna is now living in this body as Ramakrishna-but not from the standpoint of your Vedanata.”

Holy Mother’s Austerities for Sri Ramakrishna:

Since Sri Ramakrishna’s health was deteriorating quickly, Holy Mother decided to seek divine help. She went to the famous Tarakeswar Shiva Temple with Sri Ramakrishna’s niece and a maidservant.

Holy Mother described her experience in her own words, “I went to Tarkeswar and lay myself down before Lord Shiva without food and drink for two days. I prayed and kept vigil, but got no response from the Lord. On second night I was startled by a sound – a cracking sound as if someone were striking a heap of baked earthen pots with a heavy cudgel. I got up and this thought came to my mind: “Who is one’s husband? Who are your relatives? For whose sake am I about to give up my life? All my attachments were completely cut asunder, and my mind was filled with renunciation. I groped my way through the darkness to the back of the temple, where the holy water offered to Shiva was accumulated in a basin. I splashed that water on my eyes and face and drank it. My throat was dry because I had been fasting. I felt refreshed. Next day, I returned to Cossipore. The moment the Master saw me, he asked, “Well, did you get anything?” Then flexing his right thumb, he said, “Nothing is real. Isn’t that so?””

Last Instructions to Holy Mother:

(1) How to live: A few days before his passing, Sri Ramakrishna told Holy Mother, “Let me tell you something. Do not stretch out your hand to anyone, even for a penny. You will not lack simple food and clothes. If you hold your hand out to anyone, remember, you will sell him your head also. If it is absolutely necessary, you may beg your food, but never live in anyone else’s house. Devotees may welcome you in their houses with great respect and affection, but never allow your hut in Kamarpukur to fall into despair.

Please stay in Kamarpukur. Grow some spinach and eat that spinach with rice. Chant name of God.”

(2) You have to do many things: One day Holy Mother knew that there is something in Sri Ramakrishna’s mind. She asked, “Please tell me what is in your mind?”

He pointed to his body and said, “Wouldn’t you do anything? Must this person (meaning himself) have to do everything?”

Holy Mother said, “But, what can I do? I am a mere woman.”

Sri Ramakrishna said, “No, no. You have to do many things.”

(3) Siddha Mantras: One day, Sri Ramakrishna taught Holy Mother eight mantras and said, “These are all siddha mantras (mantras for attaining illumination). Please teach these mantras to those who come to you for initiation. Those who receive one of these mantras will have the vision of their Chosen Deities during their life time or at least at the time of death. Later many people will come to you for initiation.”

Last Minutes of Sri Ramakrishna:

On August 15, 1886, Holy Mother had some bad omens. She recalled: “On that day everything was topsy-turvy beginning in the morning. I was cooking ‘khichuri’ for the Master’s disciples and it burnt at the bottom. I served the top portion to them and we ate at the bottom portion. After my bath, I hung my red-bordered sari outside to dry in the sun and someone stole it. I tried to lift the earthen water jar and it slipped from my hand and broke into pieces.” We can understand Holy Mother’s state of mind during that time.

At the end of the day when Holy Mother and Lakshmi went to Sri Ramakrishna’s room, he said in a feeble voice: “I am glad you are here. I feel as if I am going to a faraway country across water-very far away.” Holy Mother burst into tears. The Master consoled her, saying: “Why should you feel troubled? You will live as you are living now. They (meaning Narendra and others) will do for you as they are doing for me. Look after Lakshmi and keep her with you.”

At midnight he summoned Naren to his bedside and gave him the last instructions. The disciples stood around him. On August 16, 1886, at two minutes past one in the early morning, Sri Ramakrishna uttered three times, in a ringing voice, the name of his beloved Mother Kali and gave up his body.

After the cremation ceremony when Holy Mother was putting on the signs of a Hindu widow, Sri Ramakrishna appeared to her and said, “I am not dead. I have just moved from one room to another.”

Beginning of Ramakrishna Order of Monks:

Every year during “Makar Sankrinti” (an auspicious day for Hindu when sun is in a certain position -usually it is around January 14^th) monks and pilgrims from all over India go to Gangasagar, the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal, for a holy bath. A disciple of Sri Ramakrishna known as “Elder Gopal” (Senior Gopal) wanted to acquire virtue by offering clothes to holy people on this day. He bought 12 pieces of ochre clothes and 12 rosaries for this purpose. When Sri Ramakrishna heard this, he told Senior Gopal: “You will attain a thousand times more virtue if you offer these to my children (the young disciples who wanted to renounce the world)…Where else will you find such all-renouncing monks?”

Senior Gopal was convinced. On January 12, 1886 (Makar Sankranti) senior Gopal gave 12 ochre clothes and rosaries to Sri Ramakrishna, who after blessing them, distributed them to the 11 young disciples, namely Narendra, Rakhal, Niranjan, Baburam, Shashi, Sharat, Kali, Jogin, Latu, Tarak, and Gopal. He kept the 12^th set for Girish Chandra Ghosh. Thus, Sri Ramakrishna initiated these eleven young disciples into monastic life, and thus himself laid the foundation of the future Ramakrishna Order of the monks.

In order to have an experience of being monks, Sri Ramakrishna asked young disciples to go out and beg for their food from houses as the traditional monks did. It was tough for these youngsters who were born in upper or middle class families and had never begged for anything. Narendra and a couple of youngsters decide to follow the command of Sri Ramakrishna. First, they went to Holy Mother and begged their food. Holy Mother was taken by surprise and then she gave them handful of cooked rice. When they begged for food outside the Cossipore Garden House, they had mixed responses. Some gave food with reverence while some became angry on them for begging. Thus, in all possible ways, Sri Ramakrishna trained them to be monks.

(Thanks to Arundhathi Johri and Kanna Pichappan for writing the original report, Nisha Parikh for editing this post and Deba Uncle for providing the necessary information needed to write this post.)

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 4 Afternoon and Evening At Kamarpukur

February 13, 2016Kamarpukur, PilgrimagesBelur Math Pilgrimage 2015mahendrajani

At Kamarpukur

August 6, 2015

(1) Resting and refreshing ourselves:

From Jayarambati we arrived at Kamarpukur around 2:00 p.m. The Swamis of the Ramakrishna Mission at Kamarpukur were so kind as to arrange a place for our rest. Since we had breakfast at 5:30 a.m., had gotten up very early in the morning and were traveling and walking around till now, this resting place had come as a blessing to us. It was amazing to see that there was a facility that could accommodate 91 people. The ladies had a room downstairs and the men had a large room upstairs that was filled with beds and also had fans. Many lied down and were soon fast asleep. The boys and youngsters wanted to chit-chat and they just sat and enjoyed this friendly time. Uncle sat with few alumni and told them many interesting stories related to Vivekananda Vidyapith.

After 40 minutes it was time to visit the places of Kamarpukur. Everyone used the facility to freshen themselves and were ready to go. The Ramakrishna Mission of Kamarpukur sent a woman devotee as our guide.

With the help of the guide we visited Bhutir Khal, Sri Ramakrishna’s Elementary School, Laha Babu’s temples, Sitanath Pyne’s house, the Shivaratri Stage, Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth Place, the Jugi Shiva Temple, and Haldarpukur. I will combine a reflection about these places with the stories and incidents of Sri Ramakrishna’s childhood as Gadadhar.

Here are the important places of Kamarpukur:

(2) Kamarpukur:

Kamarpukur, the birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna is about sixty miles from Kolkata. Kamarpukur was prominent in the early nineteenth century because many landlords and the family of the guru of the King of Burdwan lived in that village. A major road from Burdwan to Puri was going around Kamarpukur. Thus, Kamarpukur was visited by many travelers and Sadhus going to Puri. Today, Kamarpukur is known all over the world as the birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna.

We find the following remarks in the book “Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play,”

written by Swami Saradananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna: “It is remarkable how the Master (Sri Ramakrishna) had bound himself to the people of Kamarpukur with a wonderful color of love. He was tied with a loving and reverential relationship to all the neighborhood men and women, from the wealthy Lahas to the brahmins, blacksmiths, carpenters, goldsmiths and others. We were moved when the Master at different times told us with delight about the love and devotion of the simple-hearted and devout Prasanna, the widowed daughter of Dharmadas Laha; the Master’s childhood friend Gayavishnu Laha, the son of Dharamda; the sincere faith of Srinivas Sankhari; the devout women of the Pyne family; the blacksmith woman Dhani, his godmother; and others….The Master was always in a god-intoxicated mood when surrounded by his relatives and enjoying the loving care of the villagers.”

(3) How Sri Ramakrishna’s parents came to Kamarpukur:

Sri Ramakrishna’s father’s name was Kshudiram and his mother’s name was Chandramani Devi. Kshudiram was living in the village named Dere. He inherited property from his father and was living happily there. He was well respected in the village as a pious and honest person. The landlord of the village, Ramananda Roy, wanted Kshudiram to give a false statement in court in his case against a person. Kshudiram refused to do it. Ramananda Roy was angry and found a way to take away all of Kshudiram’s property through a false case in court. Kshudiram’s friend, Sukhlal Goswami, invited Kshudiram and his family to Kamarpukur. He gave Kshudiram a couple of thatched houses and a rice field to live off in order to support his family. Thus, Kshudiram and his family settled in Kamarpukur.

The place where Kshudiram and his family lived and Sri Ramakrishna was born has become an ashrama of Ramakrishna Math and Mission of Kamarpukur.

$RK Math Entrance - 1$ $RK Math Entrance - 2$

$RK Math Entrance - 3$

The following photos of the ancestral home of Sri Ramakrishna, Jugi Shiva Temple and temple of the birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna were taken several years ago:

(4) Kshudiram (Father of Sri Ramakrishna):

Kshudiram was a great devotee of Lord Ramachandra and spent most of his time in spiritual practices. Once, he was coming back from a nearby village and was exhausted by the walking. So he sat under a tree to take some rest. A cool breeze was coming from the open meadow, and he soon fell asleep. Lord Ramachandra appeared in his dream and said that he wanted to come to his home. When Kshudiram said that he was poor and he could not take care of him very well, Lord Ramachandra said that he would be happy with whatever way he could take care of him. When he woke up and searched around the tree, he found a Shaligram (an emblem of Lord Vishnu) was lying in front of a snake’s hole. With courage he went and picked up the Shaligram. He brought it at home, and with reverence and joy, worshipped it as his beloved deity, Lord Ramachandra. Both Kshudiram and Chandramani Devi performed their duties piously. They completely surrendered themselves to Lord Ramachandra, whom they called Lord Raghuvir.

Around 1824, Kshudirama went on a pilgrimage to Rameshwaram by foot. He returned after visiting many holly places in south India. Almost after one year he returned home. From Rameshwaram he brought a Banalingam (emblem of Lord Shiva). In the Kamarpukur shrine, one can find this Bamalingam (named Lord Rameshwara), a stone image of Lord Raghuvir, and a consecrated water pot which Kshudiram worshipped as a form of Mother Shitala. The following photo show the deities which were worshipped by Kshudiram and his family including Sri Ramakrishna.

Once Kshudiram did not hear for a while from his nephew and his family. He wanted to inquire if everything is okay with them, so he sat out on foot around 10:00 a.m. for a long journey to his nephew’s town Maidnapore. He arrived at the village and found a bel tree with fresh bel leaves. Since he had not worshipped God with bel leaves for quite some time, he collected the bel leaves, washed them, and returned home walking around 3:00 p.m. He took a bath and with the bel leaves did his worship and got absorbed in meditation for a long time. The next day he again set out on foot to his nephew’s town for the inquiry! Such was Kshudiram’s devotion for God!

(5) Vision at Gaya:

In the winter of 1835, Kshudiram went to Varanasi and Gaya on a pilgrimage. One night in a dream, Lord Gadadhar told him, “Kshudiram, I am very pleased with your sincere devotion. I shall incarnate Myself as your son and accept the loving service you offer to Me in your cottage.” Kshudiram was worried and said, “I am a poor man. How would I be able to serve you properly?” Lord said, “Don’t be afraid, Kshudiram. Whatever you offer, I shall accept it with satisfaction.” Kshudiram returned to Kamarpukur in April of 1835.

(6) Chandradevi (Mother of Sri Ramakrishna):

Sri Ramakrishna’s mother Chandradevi was an embodiment of love and simplicity. She captivated the villagers’ affection and respect through her love and compassion. Villagers felt that she was their own mother. She was happy with them in their happy moments and truly sympathetic when they were going through miseries. Poor people knew that if they would go to Chandradevi, then they would get food and loving care. Chandradevi was very pious and was sincerely doing worship of Lord Raghuvir and the other deities that were in her home altar. She had many visions of gods and goddesses.

(7) Vision at Jugi Shiva Temple:

Chandradevi said, “Another day, I was standing in front of Yogi (Jugi) Shiva Temple and talking with Dhani (a blacksmith woman friend living in the neighborhood). Suddenly I saw a divine light emanating from the image of Shiva. It filled the temple and rushed towards me like a wave. Overwhelmed, I was about to tell Dhani about it, but suddenly the light engulfed me and entered my body. I fell unconscious. …From then on I have had the feeling that the light is still in my womb and that I am pregnant.”

The following are pictures of Jugi Shiva Temple taken long ago which give us better glimpse of the original temple:

(8) Sri Ramakrishna’s Birth:

When Chandradevi felt that the birth of the child was near, Kshudiram asked Dhani to stay overnight with her. Both of them started sleeping in a small thatched shed where there was a husking machine on one side and a wood-burning stove for boiling rice on the other.

The following is a photo of three huts: the left one was a family shrine, the middle one was the residence of Sri Ramakrishna’s family and the right one is where Sri Ramakrishna was born:

On Thursday, February 18, 1836 twelve minutes before the sunrise, Chandradevi gave birth to a boy. After providing the necessary help to Chandradevi, Dhani looked for the baby. She could not find the baby where she had left him. Dhani turned up the flame of the oil lamp and looked around. She found that the baby had rolled down to the wood-burning stove and his body was covered with the ashes of the stove. The baby looked to her like the Lord Shiva. Dhani carefully picked him up, washed him and looked him near the lamp. She saw he was handsome and big like a six-month-old boy. The neighbors gathered and shared this joyful news. Kshudiram and Chandradevi’s cottage reverberated with the sounds of joyful conch shells and the laughter of people.

Right now there is a temple of Sri Ramakrishna at the place where he was born.

(9) Sri Ramakrishna’s Siblings:

Sri Ramakrishna had two elder brothers named Ramkumar and Rameswar, and an elder sister named Katyayani. He had one younger sister whose name was Sarvamangala. Ramkumar was the first one who accepted Rani Rasamani’s offer to be a priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. After Ramkumar passed away, Sri Ramakrishna and Rameswar worshiped Mother Kali and served as priests.

(10) Walking on the Streets of Kamarpukur:

We walked from Bhutir Khal’s to Laha Babu’s temples and came back to the Ramakrishna Math. It was a great pleasure to walk on the streets of Kamarpukur, imaging that Sri Ramakrishna, as the young boy Gadadhar, was roaming around these very village grounds.

Looking at few young boys we tried to imagine what Gadadhar might have looked like. We also enjoyed the greenery and imagined that perhaps some of it may have been around to witness Gadadhar’s presence in the village!

The students from the US had great pleasure in seeing what rural life looks like while walking on the streets of Kamarpukur.

$Walking from Bhuti Khal to Math -1$ $Walking from Bhuti Khal to Math -2$ $Walking from Bhuti Khal to Math -6$ $Walking from Bhuti Khal to Math -3$

$On Way to Math -1$ $On Way to Math -2$

(11) Sri Ramakrishna’s School:

Gadadhar had great memories from his childhood. When his father Kshudiram taught him various stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata and hymns, Gadadhar remembered all of them even after he had heard them only once. Kshudiram sent Gadadhar to Laha Babu’s Pathashala (Elementry School) when he was five years old. The school was in the morning and in the afternoon. Gadadhar made many friends at school and received affection from his teacher. First, he had Jadunath Sarkar as his teacher. After Jadunath retired, Gadadhar had Rajendranath Sarkar as his teacher. Gadadhar made fair progress at school. He was able to read and write in Bengali. He was not comfortable with arithmetic. Some parts of the school are the same when Gadadhar attended it.

After his father passed away, Gadadhar spent most of his time at home helping his mother. During this time he would often wander around the cremation ground at Bhutir Khal, reflecting upon the reality of life. After some time he went back to school, but he was more interested in the recitals of the stories of the Puranas, drama performances, and sculpting clay images of gods and goddesses. He was losing interest in traditional education. He saw that most learned people craved money and many even abandoned moral conduct to acquire money. He realized that the craving for money and desires for worldly enjoyments created suffering in human life. He did not see any purpose in money-making education. Gadadhar decided to be content with “simple food and clothing.”

Gadadhar did not regularly attend school, but he was very sharp and knowledgeable. Once a group of Kamarpukur Pundits had a dispute over a complicated theological question. Gadadhar was listening to their arguments and reasoning. After a while, he gave the pundits a sensible solution of the problem. They were amazed that they had not seen the problem in the way this boy could see it. They praised Gadadhar and blessed him.

In Kamarpukur, Gadadhar often visited the village sculptors to watch how they made the images of gods and goddesses. He would then make the images at home. He would also watch village painters as they made their paintings. He too tried his hand at painting. It is said that once Gadadhar went to his youngest sister Sarvamangala’s house. There he saw how cheerfully his sister was serving her husband. Afterwards Gadadhar painted that scene and the portrait was excellent. He was an expert at impersonating various people and making everyone laugh. Since women were not allowed to go and see plays, Gadadhar used to perform the whole play for the women of his family friends. He would perform all the characters and the scenes of the play, and occasionally added his own comments and dialogues, enhancing the play. Those who had seen the play said that Gadadhar’s versions were better than the plays!

In 1852, when Ramkumar came back to Kamarpukur, he found that his younger brother Gadadhar was not interested in studying and was not doing anything. He was concerned about him. So with his mother’s permission, he decided to take Gadadhar with him to Kolkata. Gadadhar also did not protest with this proposal and left Kamarpukur.

(12) Sacred Thread Ceremony and the Beginning of Revolution:

When Gadadhar was nine years old, Ramkumar made arrangements for his Upanayan (sacred thread ceremony). After the sacred thread is given to a boy, one of the rituals of this ceremony is that the boy asks and receives food from his mother, as Sadhus ask for alms in India. The blacksmith-woman Dhani was a good friend of Gadadhar’s mother, Chandradevi, and Dhani was the first one who had held Gadadhar in hands after he was born. Dhani had great affection for Gadadhar. She had once expressed her wish that when Gadadhar had a sacred thread ceremony, he would address her as mother and ask and receive food from her. Gadadhar had promised her that he would fulfill her desire. Despite being very poor, Dhani had even saved some money from her savings to give to Gadadhar at this ceremony.

During the preparation for the sacred thread ceremony Gadadhar expressed his desire to ask for alms from Dhani after he received his sacred thread. However, Ramkumar told him it was not possible since Dhani was from a lower cast. Gadadhar told him that he had given a promise and if he could not fulfill that promise he was not fit for the sacred thread. Ramkumar was at a loss because he thought that village brahmins would create a big uproar on this matter and would not allow it to happen. Yet, Gadadhar was adamant on this matter. Dharamdas Laha came to know about the problem. He told Ramkumar that such things had happened in Brahmin families and it should not be a problem. Gadadhar was extremely happy to receive permission. Gadadhar asked for alms from Dhani; she was overjoyed by the opportunity. The following scuptor from Laha Babu’s temple courtyard gives a glimpse of Gadadhar asking alms from Dhani.

Note: Reflecting upon this incident, I realized that this was not a small thing at that time. Sri Ramakrishna broke many barriers of society, dismissed baseless popular ideologies, and revolutionized the spiritual path. I can list a few of these things here:

– He did not go through the routine education system to be educated.

– He asked Dhani for alms during sacred thread ceremony, making love surpass all cast barriers.

– He realized God only through self-effort and intense desire and longing.

– He accepted Bhairavi Brahmani, a woman, as his guru

– He practiced both Dualistic and Non-dualistic spiritual practices. He said that God with form is true and God without form is also true.

– He married but with the permission of his wife lived a celebate life

– He worshipped his wife, Sri Sarada Devi, as the Mother of the Universe, thus giving the highest honor to women

– He washed the toilet of an untouchable to rid himself of the ego of a Brahmin.

– He transcended the gender-consciousness by identifying himself with Radha or a dasi of the Universal Mother

– He lived simple life with minimum needs, especially finding him wearing only one cloth

– He asked Mathurbabu to provide food and blankets to suffering poor people with the money kept aside for the pilgrimage.

– He forgave the person who insulted him by kicking him on his back

– He, through his personal practices, realized that all sects of Hinduism and all religions lead to the same God.

– He helped and inspired people of all levels – from Sadhus to sinners.

(13) Laha Babu Family’s Role in Sri Ramakrishna’s Family Life:

Dharamdas Laha was a landlord of Kamarpukur. He and his family members had great respect for Kshudiram and his family. Both the families had a loving relationship with each other.

Laha Babu’s daughter, Prasannamayi or Prasanna, was a friend of Chandradevi. There are numerous examples that Chandadevi shared her personal things with Prasanna. Immediately after Sri Ramakrishna’s birth, Laha Babu’s family was informed about this joyful news. Prasanna came immediately and joined in the celebration of the newly born child. Prasanna loved Gadadhar as her own son. She was with Gadadhar when he had his ecstasy while going to the Vishalakshi temple. We saw Shiva Temple of Prasanna.

After Gadadhar was born, Kshudiram wanted to have a rice-feeding ceremony (the first time a baby is given food) with a few close relatives. On this occasion, Dharamdas Laha wanted to feed all the leading brahmins after the ceremony. He secretly told all the leading brahmins to go to Kshudiram’s house and asked him to feed them all after the ceremony. Kshudiram was in fix. He did not know what to do. He consulted Dharamdas Laha as a friend to handle this situation. Dharamdas Lala told Kshudiram not to worry and said he would arrange the ceremony. Thus, the rice-feeding ceremony was done with a great pomp. With the help of Dharamdas, all of the people of the village enjoyed a great feast at Kshudiram’s house.

Laha Babu had built few temples. One was Durga Temple.

We visited Laha Babu’s Vishnu Temple.

The Vishnu Temple had beautiful carvings on the temple and in the courtyard we saw few very artistic sculptors. One sculptor was Sri Ramakrishna’s vision of Mother Kali.

We visited a “Raas Temple” remembering the divine raas of Sri Krishna, Sri Radha, and the cowherd boys and girls.

Dharamdas Laha supported Gadadhar’s decision to take alms from Dhani after his sacred thread ceremony. Gadadhar went to Laha’s Pathashala (school). Laha Babu established the school and provided for the salary of the teacher.

Dharamdas Laha also built a rest house for pilgrims who were on their way to visit the Puri temple of Lord Jagannath. There, Gadadhar came in contact with many sadhus and learned lots of things from them.

(14) Sri Ramakrishna as Lord Shiva:

Gadadhar used to worship the family deities: Lord Raghuvir, Lord Shiva and Mother Shitala. Many times Gadadhar experienced Bhava Samadhi or Nirvikalpa Samadhi during his worship.

On one Shivaratri day, Gadadhar fasted for the day, and in the evening he started his worship of Lord Shiva. He was absorbed in contemplation. At that time, his friends came to inform him that he had to perform the role of Shiva in the play which was to be performed near Sitanath Pyne’s house.

The boy who was supposed to play the part of Shiva had become sick and they needed to find a substitute at the last minute. Only Gadadhar could do full justice to the role. Yet, Gadadhar declined it since he was in the middle of his worship. The boys tried to persuade him, telling him that if he played the role of Shiva, he would think of Shiva all the time. Also, many people had fasted for the day and they had taken a vow to have nightlong vigil. The play would help them to think of Shiva and also aid them in their vigil. Gadadhar agreed to play a role of Lord Shiva. But, as soon as he stepped on the stage with matted hair, body smeared with ashes, wearing a rudraksha mala and holding a trident, his mind became completely absorbed in Shiva and he experienced Bhava Samadhi.

Those who were not inclined to spirituality might have thought that Gadadhar ruined their play. But I am sure many who were present felt that they had a direct vision of Lord Shiva, himself. What more one can ask for on the day of Shivaratri?

(15) Pyne Family’s Role in Sri Ramakrishna’s Family Life:

Sitanath Pyne was a rich merchant of Kamarpukur. He had a large family and they all lived together. Many of his relatives also lived around him.

Sitanath Pyne was fond of Gadadhar. He used to invite Gadadhar to his house to tell stories of Prahlad, Dhruva, and other epic tales from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Pyne’s family members enjoyed Gadadhar’s stories. In April 1892 when Swami Saradananda and Swami Ramakrishnananda, direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, went to Kamarpukur, Sitanath Pyne’s daughter, Rukmini, told them interesting stories about Gadadhar. She told them about how Gadadhar used to come to her house and how happily the family members enjoyed his company.

In India, many devotees of Vishnu and many devotees of Shiva did not get along with each other very well. Each group believed that their deity was the best. However, in Kamarpukur devotees of Vishnu and devotees of Shiva lived happily together. Sitanath Pyne was a devotee of Vishnu and also a devotee of Shiva. It was in his courtyard that the Shiva play took place in which Gadadhar played the role of Shiva.

There is an amusing incident about the Pyne family’s “Merchant Quarters.” Durgadas Pyne was living in these quarters. He strongly objected to Gadadhar visiting Sitaram Pyne’s family’s inner apartments, and allowing him to talk to the ladies, especially the young daughters. Durgadas used to boast that no man had ever entered the ladies’ apartments of his house. Gadadhar did not like how Durgadas belittled Sitaram by boasting about his restrictions to the ladies of his house. Gadadhar told Durgadas that keeping ladies in purdah did not protect them, instead they could be protected by moral education and devotion to God. Gadadhar said that if he wanted, he could enter the ladies’ apartments and talk to them. Durgadas challenged him to do so at his own risk. He was asking for trouble –Sri Ramakrishna always did what he said and thought sincerely about it.

Before dusk Gadadhar dressed himself as a poor weaver woman and went to Durgadas’ house. Durgadas was talking with his friends. Gadadhar knew exactly how to play the role of any character. He was properly dressed up. He kept his face covered and, in the voice of a young girl, he said that he was a poor weaver girl who had come from a far distance to sell yarn. It was now too late to go back to her village. He pleaded with the helplessness of a girl who needed shelter at night. Durgadas asked a few questions and was satisfied with the answers. He then said to go inside the house and asked the women to make arrangements for her stay. Gadadhar, as a girl, went inside and told his story. The women of the family served him some refreshments. He talked to the women and passed the evening with them without them suspecting a thing! On the other side of the village, since Gadadhar had not come home that evening, his brother Rameswar was looking for him everywhere, shouting his name. When Gadadhar heard this, he came running out exclaiming, “Brother, I am coming!” Durgadas realized that Gadadhar had in fact done exactly what he said he would do. Initially, Durgadas was embarrassed and angry, but later he laughed at Gadadhar’s excellent acting. When Sitanath and his family members heard this story, they were delighted that Gadadhar had crushed the ego of Durgadas. From that day on, Durgadas’s women family members had more freedom to move around, especially in going to Gadadhar’s house.

(16) Bhutir Khal (or Bhutir’s Canal) Cremation Ground:

At the age of seven years Gadadhar lost his father, Kshudiram. This loss had a deep impact on him. Worrying about his mother, he did not express his grief openly. But, he used to wander around alone in the cremation ground at Bhutir’s Canal and other solitary places in Kamarpukur. He became more reflective and began to love solitude. As a memory of the Bhutir Khal cremation ground right now there is a huge tree and a small cremation place with woods. We could see a huge soccer ground in front of the Bhutir Khal.

Later when Sri Ramakrishna returned to Kamarpukur from Dakshniswar, after having a vision of the Divine Mother, he used to spend much of his time in Bhutir’s Canal and Budhui Moral – the two village cremation grounds. He used to spend a long time practicing japa and meditation there under an old peepal tree. From the testimonies of his relatives it was found that during this time Gadadhar had wonderful visions of Divine Mother and many spiritual experiences.

(17) Sri Ramakrishna’s Spiritual Practices and Ecstasies:

Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual foundation was built in Kamarpukur. His parents were completely dependent on God. His father, Kshudiram, had traveled on foot to various places of pilgrimage. He walked from Kamarpukur to Rameswaram which is 1300 miles one way! His siblings were devotees. Gadadhar himself was devoted to God, and whenever anything brought with it a suggestion of God, his mind would become absorbed in God-consciousness.

Once when he was roaming through a Kamarpukur field, Gadadhar saw a thick black cloud and then a flock of white cranes flew in front of the cloud. The contrast and the beauty reminded him of God and he completely lost his outer consciousness. People thought that it was an epileptic seizure. This also happened when he was visiting Vishalakshi Temple and again when he was dressed up as a Shiva to play Shiva’s role on Shivaratri night. The joy and bliss Gadadhar was experiencing showed that they were not seizures.

Gadadhar’s spiritual search was genuine. When Gadadhar’s father passed away he was wandering through the cremation ground of Bhutir Khal and reflected upon the transitory nature of life. He also was searching for the meaning of life, if there was any. It is as though that he had understood in an early age that the goal of life is nothing but God-realization and it is only this that could give one peace and satisfaction.

Serving sadhus who were staying at the rest-house on the path of Puri, Gadadhar intensified his desire to realize God. He even dressed up as a sadhu and knocked the door of his own house to ask for alms as sadhus did. Kamarpukur played a great role in building up the life of a God-man who brought a unique spiritual upsurge in the world with his own spiritual experiences and teachings. Through Sri Ramakrishna’s life and teachings, millions of people were helped and are currently being helped spiritually. His life and teachings also helped remove many so-called religious conflicts of ideas and brought to the world a unifying message that “All religions are various paths leading to the same God.” He said that no one can say that ‘my watch is the only one that is correct.’ All watches give an approximate time. God cannot be described in words. Thus, all religions are trying to describe the same God. The goal of our life is to realize this God which religions are trying to describe. Once we realize God, then we do not fight with each other in the name of religion.

(18) Haldar Pukur:

There are three or four big ponds in Kamarpukur. Haldar Pukur is the largest among these ponds. Gadadhar used to swim in this pond with his friends. Holy Mother also bathed in this pond.

Haldar Pukur reminded us of one of Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings. He said that one day he saw a man go to Haldar Pukur, remove the scum, and drink the clean water lying underneath the scum. Within a few minutes, the scum came dancing back with the waves of the water and covered the clean water again. Thus, the Brahman (or God) is hidden behind our imaginary world. When this imaginary world is removed, the Reality or the Ultimate Truth, or Brahman appears to us as clean water. But, unfortunately, the imaginary world comes back and covers the Reality.

(19) Prasad:

After visiting many places in Kamarpukur, we gathered around 5:00 p.m. in a big dining room. The Ramakrishna Mission of Kamarpukur was so gracious to us to feed us delicacies of Bengal as a token of their loving welcome. We all sat down and under the loving supervision of Swami Titikshanandaji (Pradip Maharaj), we were served murmure and jilebies in leaf-plates. Both the muremure and jilebis were tasty and delicious. Swami Jnanamritanandaji (Jayant Maharaj) welcomed us and gave us a nice short lecture on the life of Sri Ramakrishna in Kamarpukur. We all enjoyed listening to it, thinking about how fortunate we were to visit such a holy place.

We learned later that our dear friend Mr. Prakash Chakraboty of “Vivekananda Study and Philanthropic Group USA” in New York had requested and made arrangements for us to get the Bengal’s famous jilebies and murmures. We heartily thanked the Swamis of the Ramakrishna Mission and Prakashji for such a memorable treat.

Sri Ramakrishna enjoyed love for God and renunciation, but on the mundane level one of the things he liked was jilebies. Once after a heavy meal, a devotee was offering him sweets. Sri Ramakrishna told him that if you have jilebies, then he would have some because jilebies are like the viceroy’s horse carriage. As viceroy’s carriage makes its way through any heavy traffic, the jilebies could make their way in the stomach even if it is full. Our stomachs were not full, so we ate lots of jilebies. The Swamis even packed us jilebies to eat on our way home.

(20) Returning to Hyatt Hotel:

After Prasad we all sat in the buses to go back to the Hyatt Hotel. We had a journey of roughly four hours. Everyone was physically tired, but mentally we were happy to have been able to visit two birthplaces of great souls –Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa. People in the buses did not want to sleep. We did evening prayer in the bus and then one by one, people who could lead a dhoon, bhajan, or hymn came in to front seat which had microphone, and led the singing. We sang many varieties of dhoons, bhajans and hymns. In between, we enjoyed the jillebies which had been packed for us.

By the grace of God, the whole day was enjoyable and passed by without any problem. The rain did not bother us, the buses ran pretty well, the roads were without problems except for some local traffic, and everyone was in good health. We were exhausted when we were dropped off at the entrance of the Hyatt. Everyone was supposed to come for the dinner after they leave there things in their rooms. We thought that after such a long day, many would not show up for the dinner, especially the small children. But, to our surprise, everyone came down and enjoyed the delicious dinner. The Club7 organizers had prepared an excellent menu during the week so that we have varieties of items including local delicacies. We went to bed remembering all the places we had visited.

(Thanks to Khush and Khushbu Patel for writing the original report, Nisha Parikh for editing this post and Deba Uncle for providing the necessary information needed to write this post.)

Belur Math Pilgrimage – 2015, Day – 4 Morning at Jayrambati

January 22, 2016Jayrambati, PilgrimagesBelur Math Pilgrimage 2015mahendrajani

At Jayrambati

August 6, 2015

Excitement:

Today there was extra excitement among all the pilgrims, and there were several reasons for this. During the first three days, August 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th we had visited places of pilgrimage in Kolkata. Today we were going to go to Jayarambati and Kamarpukur, outside of Kolkata. Also, we were going to travel in two big Volvo buses instead of our usual three smaller buses. Thus, there was going to be a mixing of groups. Everyone, especially the students, were happy that more Vidyapith families were going to be together for a long ride. We made sure that in both the buses, families were together and each bus had doctors and people who could lead in singing. However, later we realized that we hadn’t account for one important thing! All the four photographers were in one bus and there was no photographer on the other bus.

Because we had to leave early, we had breakfast at 5:30 a.m. We were worried about the little children, but to our amazement they were among those who had gotten up early and were ready for breakfast. Everyone finished their breakfast before 6:30 a.m. and gathered at the main entrance of the Hyatt Hotel to get onto the buses. Until now, since our buses had been smaller, they would come to the entrance where we would board. Yet, since our Volvo buses were too big, they were parked on the streets. So we all walked down the hill, outside the gate, and get onto our assigned buses.

In each bus, we had plenty of snacks, water bottles, and books of bhajans and dhoons. With cheerful and loud “five Jais” – Jai Shri Mahamayiki Jai, Jai Shri Gurumaharajjiki Jai, Jai Shri Swamiji Maharajjiki Jai, Jai Gangamayiki Jai and Jai Saba Santanki Jai” the two buses started on their way to two very special places of pilgrimage.

To drive these big Volvo buses, we had special drivers and their assistants. We found that on the paved roads the ride was very smooth. The buses were so big, that it was a long walk to get to the last few seats. Everyone was excited to be riding in these Volvos. After our five Jais, we all sang the Pranam Mantras, Sri Ramakrishna Suprabhatam and Vidyapith’s Morning Prayer. We had kept seats in the second row for people to lead a bhajan or a dhoon. There was a microphone so that everyone could hear those who were leading prayer. One by one, students, teachers and parents came forward and to lead various bhajans and dhoons. In between we looked out the windows at the early morning activities in Kolkata, its suburbs, and finally we were on the highway. We also had a car following us with a Club7 organizer in case of an emergency.

Route:

We took Kaji Nazrul Sarani (previously called VIP road) from hotel to Kolkata airport and then we took Durgapur expressway (majority of our road) to Burdwan. Kaji Nazrul Islam was a renowned poet, writer, and composer. He had written “Jay Vivekananda” in praise of Swami Vivekananda. Club7 people had planned to stop at a nice rest area on the way at Singur for tea/coffee and a bio break. People were happy to come out to stretch, get a breath of fresh air, or to have tea and coffee.

After the break, we went to the Matri Mandir at Jayrambati via Kamarpukur.

In the Buses:

Throughout the journey from Burdwan to Jayrambati, everyone sang enthusiastically. Since we were going to visit the birthplaces of Holy mother and Sri Ramakrishna, we sang bhajans and dhoons about them and the mood was full of love and devotion. In one bus all learn how to sing the hymn “Bhabvasagar tarana karana he…” People were excited to see the places about which they had read in the books.

On the way, some parts of the road were bumpy. Students sitting on the last few seats were swaying side to side. Because of the bumpy road and/or various reasons, a few people experienced an upset stomach. Luckily, we had doctors and medicine with us! The doctors dissolved the medicine into the water and everyone (sick and healthy) were encouraged to drink the small dose. We also transferred those with an upset stomach into the car so that they may have an easier journey..

Matri Mandir at Jayrambati:

We arrived at Jayrambati at around 10:45 a.m. almost 45 minutes later than our expected time. Since the big Volvo buses could not go near the Matri Mandir, we were dropped off at the nearest place possible. From there, the walk was long and the sun was hot. The extreme heat was baking our skin. Everyone opened up their Club7 umbrella to protect themselves from the sun. There were brick buildings, but there were many houses with thatched roofs and mud structures. The streets were peaceful. Men and women in bikes with small metal bells traversed the narrow streets of Jayrambati. Every now and then we heard the ringing of the metal bells of the bikes.

After a few minutes walk, we laid our eyes on a majestic green and lush garden that exuded a brilliant, golden glow. It was as if God had shined His light on this divine place. In the middle of the garden were circular rows of a multitude of flowers that were fresh and purely beautiful. Right behind it was a peach colored temple with marble and granite floors.

Since the temple was going to be closed around 11:30 p.m., we practically ran to the temple and sat down inside the prayer hall. Two Swamis were doing worship of the Holy Mother. This is the most sacred place as Holy Mother was born here and it was here that she married to Sri Ramakrishna. That is why this place has been made into a temple.

We can feel Holy Mother’s presence in this temple. We all sat down and sang “Jaya Shree Sarade Jnana dayini….” We had some time, so we started singing “Prakrutim Paramam…” as an offering to Holy Mother. During the singing, the clock struck 11:30 p.m. and one of the Swamis began to close the windows. We tried to catch one last glimpse of the Holy Mother before the window before us was closed, and continued to sing until we finished the hymn. One could feel the genuine devotion of the devotees in their singing. We felt that when the windows and doors were closed, Holy Mother came out of her temple and was enjoying our singing. We sat there for few minutes to do japa. Then, we offer our salutations and left the temple thinking about how lucky we had been to arrive just in time to get at least a glimpse of Holy Mother.

Holy Mother’s Parents and Birth:

Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi was born on December 22, 1853, on a Thursday evening. Holy Mother had said about her parents: “My father (Ramachandra Mukhopadhyay) was a righteous man, a sincere devotee of Ramachandra……My mother (Shyamasundari Devi) was kind and guileless and loved to feed people. She carefully managed every detail of the household and collected things that were necessary for the whole year. She would say, “my household is for God and His devotees.’”

Another time Holy Mother said that, “How could I have been born in that family if my father and mother had not practiced religious austerities?”

Holy Mother’s siblings:

Holy Mother had one sister and five brothers. Unfortunately, her sister Kadambini, and two brothers Umesh and Abhay, died at an early age. Three brothers, Prasanna, Kalikumar, and Barada, settled in their own separate homes in Jayrambati after they had grown up.

Holy Mother’s Childhood:

Holy Mother, as a little girl, Sarada, was active in helping her mother cook and in looking after her young sister and brothers. She took the children to bathe in the Amodar River. She used to pick cotton in the field and with it made sacred threads used by the brahmins, thus adding slightly to the family income. Sometimes Sarada would wade neck-deep into the water to cut grass for the cattle, and often she carried refreshments to the field for the workers. No one had to remind her of her responsibilities. Using her intelligence she anticipated her responsibilities and performed them cheerfully.

She was friendly with her playmates. She loved her dolls. Her favorite two dolls were Kali and Lakshmi. Even though she wanted to educate herself, her relatives did not encourage her to go to school. But, she acquired spiritual culture from her parents and learned from them about religious festivals and activities. Also, the simple life of Jayrambati, its spacious field, the open sky, the trees and birds expanded Sarada’s outlook on life. This prepared a ground good enough to imbibe the profound spiritual knowledge and experiences from her husband Sri Ramakrishna.

Holy Mother’s Marriage and Life at Jayrambati:

Little Sarada was married to Sri Ramakrishna in May 1859. This was more of an engagement. Then, between 1860 and 1867, Sarada Devi visited Kamarpukur about five times whenever Sri Ramakrishna came there from Dakshineswar.

In 1872, Sri Sarada Devi first time went to Dakshineswar when she was eighteen years old. Between 1872 and 1886 Sri Sarada Devi went to Jayrambati about nine times, almost every year. Around 1878 she lived in Jayrambati for more than two years. Going to Jayrambati from Kolkata was not easy in those days. Even later, when Yogin-Ma was going to Jayrambati with Swami Saradananda, she remarked: “It is easier to go to Gaya and Varanasi than to go to Jayrambati.”

After Sri Ramakrishna passed away in 1886, she lived in Kamarpukur and Kolkata, visiting Jayrambati often. However, in her later years, she made Jayrambati her country-side permanent residence.

Sri Sarada Devi loved Jayrambati. Every particle of dust of Jayrambati was sacred to her. As daughter-in-laws feel more relaxed in her parents’ house, Sri Sarada Devi felt freedom in moving around and talking to people in Jayrambati. She was lovingly known in Jayrambati as “Saru” or “Sari” or “Sarada.” She did not have to put on veil to cover her face. Even though there was a problem of malaria, unclean water, and lack of city comforts in Jayrambati, Sri Sarada Devi enjoyed her freedom more there than the comforts of Kolkata.

In Jayrambati, Holy Mother stayed with her brothers, Kalikumar and Prasanna, until 1915 and helped them financially. Her brothers used to quarrel with each other. Holy Mother was a peace-keeper. Holy Mother took care of her brothers’ children. Devotees from Kolakata used to give some money to Holy Mother for her expenses, but her brothers were constantly demanding money from her and she used to give away the money. Once in a while, Holy Mother’s brothers realized the divine nature of Holy Mother, but again they went back their own ways.

On one occasion Prasanna remarked, “Our sister is a veritable goddess! She did everything to keep us alive.” To Holy Mother he said, “Do I understand how precious you are? I understand it all, but I cannot be nice to you for fear of arousing brother Kali’s jealousy. Please bless me so that we may have you as our sister in future births…I want nothing else.” Holy Mother said, “Catch me coming to your family again! I have had enough of it this time. What a thought – to come to you again!”

On the other hand Holy Mother said, “I must look after my family in which I was born. That is why I feel intensely for my parents, my brothers, sister-in-law, and nephews and nieces. I owe them debts which I must pay. Why, otherwise, should I bother about them?”

An Ideal Karma Yogi:

Seeing Holy Mother surrounded by family members and engaged in her family problems, many people did not realize her divine nature. They saw her as an ordinary person, deeply attached to the world. People did not know that even though she was engrossed in her family responsibilities, within a moment she could pull her mind out from the world and lift it up to her divine nature. That is how she could spiritually inspire many devotees and Sannyasins in Jayrambati. Holy Mother showed that one can be in the world surrounded by family responsibilities and still one can keep one’s mind calm and serene. Thus she showed that one could live in the world like a “Sthitaprajna” (a person with steady intellect) as described in Bhagavad Gita. She was an ideal Karma Yogi.

Holy Mother often said, “One must be patient as the earth, which always puts up with people’s transgressions. Men should behave likewise.”

Attachment to the World:

All great souls when they realize their true identity as their “Infinite Soul,” which is Existence – Knowledge – Bliss Absolute, would like to remain absorbed in meditation, being one with that Soul in order to enjoy that Infinite Bliss. But, Mother Nature or the Mother of the Universe keeps a few great souls superficially attached to a few people or to work for the good of the humanity. These souls can cut their attachment at any moment, but they chose not to do it in order to serve humanity. Holy Mother’s attachment to the world was one such example.

Jagaddhatri Puja:

One of the important things in Jayrambati was Holy Mother’s love for the Jagaddhatri Puja. Holy Mother herself told about the beginning of the Jagaddhatri Puja. She said, “Once during the Kali Puja in Jayrambati, Nava Mukhopadhyay did not accept our rice because of village feud. My mother had sincerely prepared rice and other things as our contribution to the public worship, but he refused to take those from our home. As a result, my mother wept bitterly whole night. She lamented with great agony: “I mad rice for Mother Kali and he has rejected it. Who will eat this rice now?” That night she had a vision of Jagaddhatri (the Mother of the Universe)….Motyher Jagaddhatri woke up my mother from her sleep by patting her and said. “Why are you crying? I shall eat Kali’s rice. You need not worry.”…My mother was very excited and resolved to worship Jagaddhatri…..My brother Prasanna went to Dakshineswar to invite the Master (Sri Ramakrishna) for the celebration. …the Master said, “The Mother will come…the Mother will come. It is very good that you are celebrating. Oh, your family has suffered so much poverty!….My approval is as good as going to your place. Go home and perform the worship. It will bring you prosperity”…… The Jagaddhatri Puja was performed nicely on November 14, 1877, and all the villagers were invited and fed…….From then on I have been coming to Jayrambati every year during Jagaddhatri Puja.”

After 12 years, Holy Mother thought that it was not necessary to continue the worship. But on that very night, Mother Jagaddhatri appeared in her dream and said that, “Sadu, Madhu Mukhopadhyay’s aunt wants to worship Me. Shall I go there?” When Mother Jagaddhatri asked three times, “Shall I go there?,” Holy Mother held her feet and eagerly said, “Mother, I won’t let you go. I shall worship you at our house every year.” Later devotees bought three and a half acres of rice fields in the name of the deity, so that the worship of Mother Jagaddhatri could continue.

Holy Mother’s Old House:

We were told by our guide that “Holy Mother’s Old Cottage House” will be closed soon. We ran to the “Holy Mother’s Old Cottage House.” We were happy to see this house and again felt the presence of Holy Mother. We had read in the books many touching incidences in which infinite love of Holy Mother for the devotees was manifested. The environment around the house was serene, peaceful and purifying. Holy Mother lived in the “Old Cottage” during 1863 – 1915.

Swami Saradeshananda’s eyewitness description of Holy Mother gives us a very good picture of Holy Mother living in her house in Jayrambati:

“The Mother used to live in Jayrambati like a daughter of her father’s house. She wore no veil or purdah here and she talked with people without hesitation. For that reason, her children flocked there to meet her. In Udbodhan, the monks and devotees served and looked after her; whereas in Jayrambati, the Mother was busy taking care of the monks and devotees. She collected the groceries, cooked the meals, fed the devotees, cleaned their eating plates, and made arrangement for their rest. Those who came from far away, she gave them her place at least for a couple of days. She was always anxious to make them comfortable. She enquired about their home and family, listened to their tales of joys and sorrow, expressed her sympathy and empathy, and gave them spiritual advice. She acted as a mother-a true mother. When the devotees were about to leave, she became sad and tears trickled from her eyes. She continued watching them till they were out of her sight. The picture of the Mother remained engraved forever in the hearts of those devotees.”

Holy Mother’s old house was located on her brother Prasanna’s portion of the family land. Although she bore almost all of the household expenses, she lived with her brother’s family with great hesitation. Listening to family members’ sharp comments about the inconvenience created by many devotees’ visit, she once lamented: “I feel that I should take my children and live under a tree.” Once her brother Prasanna said, “Sister, it will not be possible for you to continue staying in this cottage. You had better arrange another dwelling place.” As soon as Swami Saradananda and M. heard about this, they quickly started making arrangement for her new home. Holy Mother also wanted to live independently and have a house nearby for her niece Nalini and a cottage for the devotees.

Holy Mother’s new House:

In 1915, with the help of Swami Saradananda, M. and other devotees, a piece of land was purchased from her brothers and a plan was made to construct four cottages with thatched roofs. Construction of Holy Mother’s new house began on April 15 and was completed in May 1916. The cost of the construction was Rs. 1,900. M. donated Rs. 500 and Swami Saradananda collected the remaining funds. Swami Arupananda and other monks of Koalpara supervised the construction.

The inauguration ceremony for the house was held on May 15, 1916. After the residence was built, Holy Mother and Radhu lived in the main cottage, which was also used as the shrine. In this cottage, Holy Mother initiated many devotees and gave monastic vows to brahmacharis and sannyasins as well. The hut adjacent to Holy Mother’s cottage was her kitchen and the opposite cottage was for her niece, Nalini. Another cottage, facing west, was for the monks and devotees,

We found that Holy Mother’s new house had a comparatively higher ceiling and better flooring. Here too we found the same serene and peaceful environment. We quietly sat in front of the house for a short time, remembering Holy Mother and mentally saluted Her. Having love for Holy Mother in our hearts, we felt her presence in that house.

Simhavahini Temple:

After seeing Holy Mother’s house, we went to see the Simhvahini temple. Goddess Simhavahini is the presiding deity of Jayrambati.

The following incidents showed that Holy Mother had great faith in the goddess, Simhavahini.

Once, Holy Mother suffered from severe dysentery. With the help of her brother Umesh, she went to the temple and took a vow to fast. Holy Mother said that Mother Simhavahini appeared as a twelve year old blacksmith girl to her mother and gave her a medicine. Holy Mother was cured by that medicine.

A boy named Ramendra who was taking care of Holy Mother’s cows. He was bitten by a snake. A doctor cut the bitten spot and tied his wrist so that poison would not spread. Holy Mother asked Ramendra to go to the Simhavahini temple. She then put a little earth of the temple on the wound and in his mouth and asked someone to prepare a paste from the earth and smear that all over his body. Later Ramendra was cured.

One year there was a drought in the Jayrambati area and the rice fields were almost dry. After bathing in the pond, Holy Mother went to the Simhavahini temple, bowed down and prayed, “Mother, if there is no rain, my children will not have any food. How can I watch my children starve?” Holy Mother then came home and began to worship Sri Ramakrishna. Afterwards torrential rain came and the crops were saved.

Holy Mother would not sit in a palanquin in the village out of respect for Mother Simhavahini. She would ask the palanquin people to stay outside the village and then she would walk to the palanquin. Holy Mother always carried with her a little earth from the temple in a small box.

Prasad:

Eating Prasad at Holy Mother’s place brings great joy. One feels that Mother is happy to see children eating joyfully. Whenever I ate at Holy Mother’s house I could see so much love in the eyes of Swamiji who is in charge of serving food and the servers.

We had been told to come to the dining room to take Prasad after visiting the Holy Mother’s house and the Simhavahini temple.. There was a big group already taking Prasad before us on one side of the dining room. We were given the other side of the room. Most people sat on the floor to eat while a few sat on the benches with tables.

The Prasad was served on paper-plates. A few youngsters wanted to eat on the leaf-plates as most people eat there. They were given the leaf-plates. The Prasad consists of rice, vegetables, and rasgulla was delicious. Water bottles were given to all of us. Everyone enjoyed the meal. Revered Samar Maharajn was lovingly taking care of our prasad. A picture of Holy Mother was on the wall. Looking at the picture, we all felt that Holy Mother was very happy to see her children coming from the far-off land of the USA and were enjoying the meal.

Meeting Swamis near the bus:

After having the Prasad, Deba Uncle, Rajan Uncle and Uncle went to meet Swami Viditananda (Ashok Maharaj)to give donations from all of us to the Sri Sri Matri Mandir and Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Sevashram, Joyrambati.

It took us a little longer than expected while talking to the Swamiji. The rest of the group was waiting outside for quite some time. It was very hot. After some time, they all decided to go to the bus to be in the shade. It was quite a walk, especially for the children.

Deba Uncle and Uncle requested Swami Viditananda (Ashok Maharaj), Swami Devalokananda (Samar Maharaj) and Swami Shaktirupananda (Hemanta Maharaj) to come to the buses to meet all the Vidyapith people to bless them.

All three Swamis lovingly agreed and came to the bus in Club7 car. Everyone was happy to meet and salute the Swamis and have a group photo with them. The Club7 car then took the Swamis back to the Matri Mandir.

Amodar Ghat:

We all got into the bus. Our next stop was Amodar Ghat. It was called “Sarada Kanan.”

The Amodar River runs along a meadow north of Jayrambati. Holy Mother, as a little girl, considered it to be the Ganga and bathed there with her brothers during the rainy season when there was sufficient water. After bathing, they used to sit on the bank of the river and eat puffed rice before returning home.

Between Holy Mother’s house and Amodar Ghat, there were rice fields. At a far distance one can see Holy Mother’s house and can imagine how Holy Mother, little Sarada, must have come here with her brothers. The atmosphere still had the charm of quiet village life, away from the city life’s hustle-bustle. We can imagine why Holy Mother loved this village life more than the city life.

Holy Mother suffered from malaria many times. Swami Parameswarananda thought that it was due to the polluted water she was drinking. So when he used to go to take bath in the Amodar River, he would bring a pitcher of clean water from the river. Holy Mother used to get angry on him for bringing the water, but afterwards she used the water. This continued for a few days. Swami Parameswarananda kept bringing the water. Later Holy Mother admitted that she liked the water, but she did not want the Swami to carry the heavy pitcher from such far distance.

Many times the Amodar River gets flooded and this would stop the mail delivery.

Once Holy Mother said to her devotee, “It would be wonderful if a dam could be built on the Amodar River to divert some water to a big lake Aher. That will help the farmers to irrigate their fields during the drought.”

We saw Holy Mother’s parents’ cremation ground.

There was a Vishwanath Temple and a Mother Shitala and Mother Kali’s temple.

Students were very happy to see familiar quotes of Sri Ramakrishna and of Holy Mother.

After visiting the Amodar Ghat, students were amazed to see how farmers were growing rice in the rice fields. The farmers had to stand in the water under the hot sun.

Students remembered Vandana Aunty’s class in which she was teaching students how to develop ”mindfulness.” She said that when you see cooked rice on the dining table, think about how many people worked to get that rice on the table starting from the farmers who grow the rice plants. Many farmers are even bitten by snakes while they are planting the rice plants standing in the water. All of us watched for a while how these farmers put all the plants in precise straight lines.

Thinking about Holy Mother’s life in Jayrambati, we all sat in the buses to go to Kamarpukur, the birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna.

This pilgrimage prepared our minds to be able to really imagine Holy Mother’s childhood life and the days she spent in Jayrambati.

(The original report was written by Khush and Khushbu Patel. Thanks to Deba Uncle for providing few necessary details and Nisha Parikh for editing this post.)