Achalananda

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Swami

Achalananda
Kedarnath Moulik
Swami Achalananda.jpg
Achalananda, the direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda
Born
Suraj Rao

Varanasi
Died(1947-03-11)11 March 1947
Varanasi
NationalityIndian
Other namesKedarnath Moulik, Kedar Baba
Citizenship India
OccupationMonk
Known forSpiritual work

Achalananda (born Kedarnath Moulik in 1876, died 1947), popularly known as Kedar Baba, was a direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda and the founder of Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service, in Varanasi. He initially worked as a policeman, but was then influenced by the ideology of Vivekananda. [1]

Contents

Pre-monastic days

Kedarnath Moulik was born in the year 1876, though the date is not known. He was born and educated in Varanasi (Benares). His father's name was Shambhu Chandra Moulik and his ancestral home was situated in the area called Sonarpura. He lost his mother in early childhood and was brought up under the care and guidance of his grandfather, Ramachandra Moulik. Although he was a Bengali by origin, he could not write in Bengali, though he spoke and understood the language. He had a good command over Persian. [2] : 274 

Kedarnath had a large library in his house and subscribed to various journals on different subjects. He joined the police force after finishing school. About the same time, he came in contact with a group of young men who were very inspired by the ideals of Vivekananda. One of them was Charuchandra Das, who later joined the Ramakrishna Order and became a direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda and became known as Shubhananda. The group used to study religion and philosophy, and Girish Chandra Ghosh was one of their favourite authors. [2] : 274 

Charuchandra had his friend subscribing to Udbodhan, the Bengali magazine of Ramakrishna Order. Kedarnath was inspired after listening to Vivekananda's prologue in the first issue of Udbodhan. [2] : 275 

Niranjanananda, a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, was then practicing spiritual discipline in Benares. He was invited to the study circle. Kedarnath, as per his own version, was greatly inspired by seeing the photograph of Ramakrishna which he installed in his library on the occasion of Niranjananda's visit and which he saw for the first time. [2] : 276  Niranjananda during the course of his stay in Benares would often visit and inspire the young group towards selfless service and renunciation. Under his guidance Kedarnath began his spiritual practice and since his service posed problem in spiritual path, he resigned and devoted his time fully to meditation and silent contemplation. [2] : 277  The young group also celebrated the birthday of Ramakrishna in the company of Niranjananda, who delivered a lecture on the life and message of Ramakrishna. [2] : 277  The study circle participants would also read the works of Vivekananda. Kalyanananda, a direct disciple of Vivekananda, who had dedicated himself to service for humanity, visited Benares at this time. From him Kedarnath learnt about the philosophy of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, of serving the God in humanity. [3] The service work by the group began with the treatment of a poor old lady on the verge of death lying on the roadside, who was given proper medical attention and other care. The money was obtained by begging. [3] Kedarnath next traveled to Haridwar to be with Niranjananda who was leading an austere life. Niranjananda had to return to Calcutta and Kedarnath continued his spiritual practices in Haridwar. [4] He used to beg his food from an alms house and spent two and half months in solitude. [4] Next he went to Calcutta upon request from Niranjananda to take his care during his illness. There he met Brahmananda, another direct disciple of Ramakrishna and the first president of the Belur Math. Brahmananda had told him that slight spiritual practices would fetch results for him. [5] He also met Saradananda, the writer of the magnum opus Ramakrishna, the Great Master, and a direct disciple of Ramakrishna in the house of Balaram Bose. He also met Mahendranath Gupta or M, the chronicler of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

After returning to Benares, Kedarnath, on advice from Niranjananda went to Jayrambati to meet Sarada Devi and spent about two months with her. He also went to Kamarpukur, the birthplace of Ramakrishna. [5] Sarada Devi had told him that he was going to become a monk. [5] He then returned to Benares on 12 June 1900. In his absence the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service was established by his friends Charuchandra Das (Shubhananda) and Jamini Ranjan Majumdar, both disciples of Vivekananda. [6] They took care of the hapless pilgrims who were often exploited by local priests and landlords and treated the sick, who otherwise had to die on the roadside. [6] The organization's motto was serving God in every human being selflessly, in line with the practical Vedanta philosophy propounded by Vivekananda. [5] In the beginning the organization was named as Poor Men's Relief Association, but later the name was changed to Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service under request from Vivekananda himself. In 1902 Vivekananda had come to Benares and had inspired the group of young men further to dedicate themselves to serve the poor and needy sans any ego and desire. [7] On 13 September 1900, a house for the hospital was rented for Rs 5/- per month and all activities were conducted from this house. The group of young men including Kedarnath did all the work, including cleaning the toilets, themselves. A working committee, of which Kedarnath was also a member, was established under the presidency of Pramadadas Mitra, a great benefactor and well-wisher of Vivekananda.

At this time, the spiritual and the service work of Kedarnath had earned displeasure of his relatives and his father disowned him. [8] As a result, Kedarnath renounced worldly life. Kedarnath went to help Swami Kalyanananda in the latter's famine relief work in Kishangarh, but his health suffered under the strain of the work. [8] When the relief work ended, Kedarnath returned to Benares after visiting Jaipur, Virndavan and Allahabad. [9] At this time Swami Vivekananda had returned to India and Kedarnath went to Belur Math to meet him in October 1901. Swami Brahmananda introduced him to Swami Vivekananda. [10] He also witnessed the first Durga Puja in Belur Math. He stayed in Belur Math in the company of Vivekananda for about nine months. [11] Vivekananda told Kedarnath, You will not have to do any spiritual practice. You will attain spiritual realization spontaneously. [11] He used to call him affectionately as Kedar Baba. [12] Vivekananda initiated Kedarnath on the occasion of the birthday celebration of Buddha. He was given the name of Achalananda. He was the last monastic disciple of Vivekananda. [13]

Monastic life

Swami Vivekananda had received a grant of Rs 500/- from Raja of Bhinga to be used for dissemination of Vedanta. He gave the amount to Swami Shivananda and Swami Achalananda to start an Ashrama in Varanasi in June 1902. On 4 July 1902, they established the Sri Ramakrishna Advaita Ashrama in Benares. On the same day, Swami Vivekananda died in Calcutta. [14] In 1904 Swami Achalananda was sent to the Ramakrishna Math in Madras to work under Swami Ramakrishnananda. He worked there for eleven months and then returned to Benares. In 1908, the new sevashrama hospital commenced in Luxa. Achalananda supervised the construction of the hospital. The buildings were consecrated by Swami Brahmananda in 1910. Swami Brahmananda then set Swami Achalananda free to pursue his spiritual practices, shunning active work. [15] Achalananda was also in Kothar, in company of the holy mother Sri Sarada Devi. He stayed in Puri in company of Swami Brahmananda and in 1912 he visited Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama Kankhal. [15] When the holy mother Sri Sarada Devi visited the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service, Achalananda showed her the hospital. [16] On 24 August 1910, Achalananda was elected as one of the trustees of Ramakrishna Order.p291. He retired from active life in 1914. [17] The rest of his life was spent in spreading the ideals of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda and in pursuing spiritual austerities. In February 1916 he accompanied Swami Visuddhananda to Jayrambati to meet Sri Sarada Devi. [17] His health was shattered by severe austerities, despite the instructions of Swami Brahmananda to the contrary. [13]

In November 1938 Swami Achalananda became the vice president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. However, he maintained the same austere lifestyle. He was respected as a great spiritual figure among the devotees and monks, and he guided them towards spiritual life. [18] He entreated young men to dedicate their lives for living the ideals of Swami Vivekananda. [19] In his speech delivered at the Monk's conference held at Belur Math in 1946 he urged the monks to embrace love in performing all their work as it is one of the strong foundations of Ramakrishna Order. He also emphasized on spirituality as the life force of Ramakrishna Order and therefore strongly urged the monks to follow serious spiritual practices along with the regular work. [20] He would address even junior monks and young men as "brother" even when he was the vice president. [21]

The repayment of debt that Belur Math had incurred for the construction of Sri Ramakrishna temple was of great concern, and he would even give away a part of the money given to him by devotees to the purpose of repayment of the debt. [22]

He suffered much from physical ailments during his last few years. [22] He developed asthma and other ailments, and died in Benares on 11 March 1947.[ citation needed ]

Further reading

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Nirmalananda

Nirmalananda, born as Tulasi Charan Dutta in Calcutta, was a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, the 19th-century mystic and Hindu saint from India, and took Sanyasa from Vivekananda along with Brahmananda and others. He was initiated by Sri Ramakrishna, on which fact a few latter-day antagonists tried to cast doubt in the Bangalore Court, but into which question the Court refused to get into. Nirmalananda played a key role in establishing Ramakrishna Math and Mission chiefly in South India, in Kerala and Bangalore and Tamil Nadu and also in the USA, Burma and Bangladesh.

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Kalyanananda

Kalyanananda (1874–1937) was a direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda, who had set up the Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama at Kankhal, near Haridwar. As a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, he took up service to the humanity as the most important philosophy in his life and practiced it for the benefit of the local population and the pilgrims. He spent thirty six-years in Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama Kankhal to serve the poor and afflicted. He was one of the pioneers to set up a hospital in a remote location for the poor, needy and the itinerant monks who did not have access to healthcare.

Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kankhal Hospital in Haridwar, India

Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kankhal (RKMS) is in its present form is a 210-bed multi-specialty charitable hospital in Kankhal, Haridwar in Uttarakhand. It is a branch of Ramakrishna Mission, and was established in 1901 by Swami Kalyanananda, one of the direct monastic disciples of Swami Vivekananda. The hospital serves the treatment needs of poor patients in and around Uttarakhand. Since its inception it has treated more than 10 million patients. From a modest beginning in a rented two room dilapidated building it has grown to be a multi-specialty hospital for treatment of impoverished and needy people, under the supervision of the monks of Ramakrishna Order. The hospital is located in an 18 acres campus, and houses Gynecology and Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Intensive Care Units, Pathological laboratory, Blood bank, Operation Theaters etc. in addition to dairy and agricultural land whose products are used for the consumption of poor in patients.

Nischayananda

Nischayananda was a direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda. He, together with Kalyanananda was responsible for setting up and running the Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kankhal. He was inspired by Vivekananda's philosophy of serving man as God and dedicated his life to serve poor and downtrodden in the remote areas where no healthcare facility existed. He worked in military service before joining the Ramakrishna Order as a direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda. He met Vivekananda in Madras and decided to become his disciple. After Vivekananda's death, he went for pilgrimage and by chance came to Haridwar where he met his brother disciple Kalyanananda and joined him in carrying out the works of Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama Kankhal.

Dhanraj Giri

Dhanraj Giri (1811–1901) was the abbot of Kailash Ashram, an ashram, which he established in 1880 at Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh. It was one of the first large ashrams to be established in Rishikesh, prior to which it was mostly as a place for individual seekers, or pilgrims to stop over on way to Char Dham temples pilgrimage. He was a famous monk in Northern India and was a scholar in Vedanta philosophy. He was well acquainted with spiritual luminaries of nineteenth century India like Swami Vivekananda.

Prakashananda

Prakashananda (1874–1927) was a direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda and a swami monk of the Ramakrishna Order who played a major role in propagating and promoting the Vedanta philosophy and Vivekananda's message in India and America. He worked closely with Trigunatitananda, a direct disciple of Ramakrishna for Vedanta Society of San Francisco, later renamed as Vedanta Society of Northern California, and later became its president.

Vimalananda (1872–1908) was one of the monastic disciples of Vivekananda and an early monk of the Ramakrishna Order. He was involved in the publication of Prabuddha Bharata. He was actively involved in running day-to-day operations of the Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati during the early days of the Ashrama. He also inaugurated the Ramakrishna Math at Ulsoor in Bangalore in 1906. He died in 1908 at the Mayavati Ashrama.

Sri Sarada Math is named after Sri Sarada Devi, the consort of Sri Ramakrishna, and founded on 2 December 1954. Built by a group of eight sadhavis, as per the instructions given by Swami Vivekananda, it serves as a monastic order for women. Headquartered at Dakshineshwar, Kolkata, the organisation has branch centres all over India, in Sri Lanka and Australia. The nuns of this order use the title "Pravrajika" before their ordained name, and are usually addressed as "Mataji" meaning 'revered mother'.

References

  1. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 273. ISBN   9788175052468.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. ISBN   9788175052468.
  3. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 278. ISBN   9788175052468.
  4. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 279. ISBN   9788175052468.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 280. ISBN   9788175052468.
  6. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 281. ISBN   9788175052468.
  7. ↑ Mukherjee, Manishankar (Shankar). Abiswasya Vivekananda. Kolkata: Sahityam. p. 324. ISBN   8172670486.
  8. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 282. ISBN   9788175052468.
  9. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 283. ISBN   9788175052468.
  10. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 284. ISBN   9788175052468.
  11. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 285. ISBN   9788175052468.
  12. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 286. ISBN   9788175052468.
  13. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 288. ISBN   9788175052468.
  14. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 290. ISBN   9788175052468.
  15. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 291. ISBN   9788175052468.
  16. ↑ Ramakrishna Mission Varanasi
  17. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 292. ISBN   9788175052468.
  18. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 293. ISBN   9788175052468.
  19. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 294. ISBN   9788175052468.
  20. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 295. ISBN   9788175052468.
  21. ↑ Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 297. ISBN   9788175052468.
  22. 1 2 Abjajananda, Swami. Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Mayavati: Advaita Ashrama. p. 299. ISBN   9788175052468.


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