Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna

SWAMI ASESHANANDA

Swami Aseshananda (1899-1996), a disciple of the Holy Mother and the personal secretary of Swami Saradananda, was the Head of the Vedanta Society of Portland, Oregon, from 1955 till his passing away in 1996. He is the author of Glimpses of a Great Soul--a biography of Swami Saradananda. This is an abridged and edited version of one of his lectures and is being published with the kind permission of Swami Shantarupananda, the present Head of the Vedanta Society of Portland.

Swami Brahmananda is known in our Order as the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna. He may be compared to St. John, the most beloved disciple of Christ. I've heard from one of our senior swamis, when I joined the order, that Sri Ramakrishna brought Swami Vivekananda entirely for the sake of the world, but brought Brahmananda for himself. Though I did not see Swami Vivekananda, I did see Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda). It is due to his influence that I joined the order in 1921.

The Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi was my teacher, my guru. Once she was very sick. But one day during her illness, she asked one of her nieces, Radhu, to buy some puffed rice and fried brinjal (beguni) from a shop nearby. It was just an ordinary shop, where the fishermen used to go and buy things. Now, Holy Mother was suffering from a disease called kala-azar or 'black fever' and this kind of irregular food was very harmful for her. Her attendant (I think it was Sarala, the nurse) called Swami Saradananda to intervene. He begged for the cup with folded hands from Mother, because he was not willing to allow her to eat it. But she was behaving like a child. Because Swami Saradananda was very dear to Holy Mother, she reluctantly gave that cup of puffed rice and fried egg plant to him. It would have been like poison to her--a kala-azar patient. Swami Saradananda, out of a sense of duty and responsibility took it from her and thought that Holy Mother would become all right. But she did not live long after that. So Swami Saradananda was very sorry. One day he went to Balarambabu's house, where Maharaj used to stay, and requested him to come to Udbodhan and explained the cause of his anguish to him. So Maharaj came and sat down on a chair, and the same thing was brought--puffed rice and fried brinjal. These were given in a cup to Maharaj and Maharaj ate it with great relish and satisfaction. Swami Saradananda felt the presence of the Holy Mother in the form of Maharaj, and his mental anguish was removed.

Maharaj was the spiritual son of Thakur and Mother. Once Holy Mother went on pilgrimage to Benaras, and stayed in a house very close to Advaita Ashrama. One day she gave a bhandara, a feast. Swamis Turiyananda, Saradananda, Subodhananda--many direct disciples were there. It is a custom to gift a cloth after feeding. All the direct disciples were given a cotton cloth each; but Maharaj was given a silken cloth. Rashbehari Maharaj (Swami Arupananda) was very forthright with Holy Mother and considered her as his own mother. He had the temerity to ask Mother, 'Why this kind of discrimination? All of them are disciples of Thakur. Then why have you given ordinary cotton cloths to all of them but a silken one to Raja Maharaj?' Mother simply replied, chhele je, chhele--he was their son, he was her own son, very dear, very close to her.

Let me confess that when I came to America, I had to face many problems in the beginning. But the Holy Mother always told her disciples to endure. Swami Brahmananda called the same virtue patience and used to ask us to cling to the feet of Sri Ramakrishna, in the midst of all problems and difficulties. Then only would one find the way out. There may be clouds, but sunshine is bound to come. When I speak of Maharaj, I think of those days and it gives me some inspiration, a certain kind of upliftment and inner satisfaction: gunakathanaparinama. The memory of Brahmananda Maharaj comes up and along with it, his image, his presence, and also his love, his divine love, which helped this Order stand on its feet, made the Order so noble, so strong. To me, Maharaj represents what we call 'meditation', just as Swamiji represents jnana-yoga. So Swamiji is like the sun, very bright and benevolent; but Maharaj is like the moon, very refreshing, and very soothing. Swamiji is a speaker from an elevated platform, but Maharaj is a more personal spiritual force, not for public speaking, but the very embodiment of spirituality. I remember those days when we used to go to Balaram Bose's house--Swami Yatiswarananda who set up a centre in Philadelphia, Swami Pavitrananda who set up a centre at New York, and many others--who were all attracted very much by the spirituality of Maharaj.

In those days, there was the non-violent, non-cooperation movement of Gandhiji. He created some kind of conflict in our mind. He thought, as it were, that the salvation of man was more important than the salvation of the soul. But with Maharaj, God was a fact, God-realization was the purpose of life. 'Swamiji came for the whole world, so that you can rectify your character and renounce the vanities of the world and join this Order. I too must first spiritualise you, by making your inner life strong. You have to work hard and then the life of contemplation and meditation will become the locus of God's being, the source of all felicity', Maharaj used to say.

Once I was in Udbodhan. I went to Balaram Bose's house. It was early morning, 8 o'clock or thereabout. Sital Maharaj and Dwijen Maharaj were there. I wanted to meditate in Maharaj's presence. It is something like sitting close to a fire. If you are physically close to a man of God, one who has realised God, you feel a kind of upliftment. Meditation does not make a person dry, but makes a person very strong, and then comes upliftment. That is what the Dakshinamurti Stotra says. The guru remains silent but silence is more eloquent than the spoken word, and the most precious thing--realisation--follows. So while you sit and meditate in the presence of such a soul, you get a kind of inner contentment, an inner joy and upliftment; it comes spontaneously, or with just a little effort.

Since Maharaj was the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna, we used to think that Sri Ramakrishna is alive in the form of Maharaj. Yogin-ma used to say the same thing about Maharaj, the spiritual son of Thakur, who had assimilated the latter's divine qualities. Some of the divine qualities make a man introspective and calm, and also make him very pleasant, sweet and charming. Maharaj had that kind of power, not eloquent, but silent-- silently talking, silently communicating, as it were. Maharaj did not just communicate with God, he communicated with Supreme Consciousness, the consciousness of a higher realm. If one lives in the company of such a great one, the feeling one gets is like that of a strong helpful arm, which will lead one to the goal.

Once, I had to undergo an operation in a hospital. Swami Premananda used to come and see me in the hospital. I was much worried about what was going to happen as it was a major operation. I even thought that it would perhaps be the end of my life, and I would be finished. But then the Holy Mother appeared to me in the form of Abhaya--fearlessness personified--gave me courage and said, 'Don't be afraid, everything will be all right.'

This faith in the guru is a tremendous asset in man--I call it gurushakti. Gurushakti comes in the form of an inner vision; otherwise, one blind man cannot lead another blind man. So in order to lead, one must have good vision, inner vision. But for a vision to be good, clear and perfect, purity is needed. I learnt this lesson from Swami Vijnanananda. He and I had gone to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on pilgrimage, then after the pilgrimage he came to Madras. There people are very fond of lectures. You can lecture in English, Sanskrit or whatever language you want. They love to listen. We said to Vijnananandaji, `You must give a lecture on Sri Ramakrishna.' He said, `I am not a lecturer.' `Then give us a message.' `I am not a messenger,' `Then tell us something which will do us good.' `I don't know anything, nor can give anything, which will do any good to anybody.' Then he said, `In North India, the custom is that one monk will keep company with other monks. That purifies the vision.' Vijnananandaji was very reticent about playing the role of a preceptor.

When the vision is clear, then you can see the essence of being, that essence is the spirit, and you can see that everything is peace and everything is perfect, like the divine spirit, and to make the vision clear is the purpose of life. To see God one needs vidya--purity of vision. For a man of realization, name and form are grounded in the reality of Brahman, in the form of Shakti, in the form of the Divine Mother, or in the form of life and death, in the form of pleasure and pain, and other such dual pairs. Your vision is enveloped in the spirit of God. Intense spiritual light is the vision--the vision of the Divine Mother, in the form of Holy Mother, or in the form of Swami Vivekananda.

One day I dreamt that I was in Allahabad, thinking I want this, I want that, and so on. I was feeling like a bird hopping from branch to branch. Maharaj told me to go to America and blessed me in my dream. Then I thought, I must be very strong when I go to America, both mentally and spiritually. I agreed to a certain extent to Maharaj's proposal and said 'Maharaj, what will happen if I die a premature death?' 'Whom are you talking to?' he said with some annoyance. 'You should always listen to the word of God.' I was overwhelmed and said 'Maharaj, please forgive me. I'll carry out your order. It was sheer audacity on my part to speak in that way. Please forgive me and please bless me.' Then my dream broke. I cannot express how great the feeling was, but more than that was the love, adoration and spiritual joy that flowed from Swami Brahmananda.

Another time, Swami Akhilananda was not well. He had to give up his studies in the college because of his poor health. He was under the treatment of some Indian physician, and he had to come to Allahabad. Somebody told him to go to Swami Vijnanananda, the gupta brahmajnani, the incognitio knower of Brahman, and fall at his feet. He was supposed to cover his body with the mud of the Ganges at Triveni, and when that mud dried up, apply another layer of mud, then another layer and so on. After that kind of treatment, he was supposed to go and visit Swami Vijnanananda, who was very fond of him. The latter told him that he would be all right, and Swami Akhilananda believed those words--the words of a man with satya sankalpa. I personally heard those words, 'You will be all right in a few days', and he got well within a couple of months. In fact, the moment he heard that he would become all right, he started his studies again. Though this is a simple miracle, one can say that a holy man sees truth; and God is always there with such a person.

For our Brahmacharya initiation, Maharaj came early in the morning. He was so kind. He said, 'It's not good for you to fast completely, you should take some prasad from Thakur's bhandar.' Sudhir Maharaj was our acharya. He was repeating the mantras, and we were expected to know the meanings and pour oblations into the fire. It began to dawn--one of the most beautiful days in my life. It was very pleasant, and we were allowed to wander about. Those were days of great charm, of great spiritual upliftment. As if we were participants in a majestic drama, without any kind of sadness or any kind of pain or anguish in our hearts.

Maharaj was escorted into the big hall. He said, Mara hati lakh taka referring to himself. That means that even if an elephant dies, its value after death is still a fortune. He was very strong, so the people had to work a little hard in order to keep up with him. At the time of our Brahmacharya initiation, he said, 'Of gold and silver have I none--may we live in Brahmajnana, may we live in dhyana.'

So, we find these great souls leave behind in our hearts their memory, and their love. Wherever Maharaj was, the place would vibrate with his presence. Maharaj opened my eyes and brought me close to Sri Ramakrishna and during the last sixty years of my life since I joined the order, He has not failed me. I can say, with certitude that Sri Ramakrishna came for the whole world.

I want to convey to you what I was blessed with--the relationship between the guru and the disciple. What I have learnt at the feet of Holy Mother as well as at the feet of Raja Maharaj, preliminary as it was, is the shining light dispelling darkness. The bond between the guru and the disciple is the mantra, the sacred word. The mantrashakti is the truth, or the spiritual potency of the mantra discovered by the Rishis. The guru in Vedanta is he who has attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi, who has realised that the Atman and the Brahman are identical. The Tantras deal with the Ishtadevata. Cultivation of devotion to the Ishta is taught. The guru in Vedanta is the symbol of the universal soul, and the Ishta of the Tantras is the symbol of a special individual soul; and that is why, the Ishta of the Tantras, which is the chosen personal ideal, is a symbol of Shakti, i.e., the Divine Mother. Sri Ramakrishna's chosen ideal, for instance, is Mother Kali; Shankara's chosen ideal is Annapurna and so on. The Divine Mother is seen through sadhana along with Her grace. Hence realization in the Tantras is through sadhana kripa samanvaya. Vedanta on the other hand is called a siddhanta shastra, the ultimate realisation.

But sadhana is the domain of the Divine Mother, the symbol of all shakti, power. All the sciences also have power but that shakti is achit shakti, which means unconscious power, while spiritual power or kundalini shakti means chit shakti, conscious power. The Holy Mother was the embodiment of this power. Although we start with the worship of Mother, the ultimate realisation is the identity of the devotee and God. Sri Ramakrishna represents Shiva, the Absolute, and Holy Mother represents Shakti. Shakti is also called karunamayi, the gracious one, because without her grace or kripa, we cannot do anything. Grace is very important. I have learnt this from my association with the Swamis of the order. Once Maharaj asked Swami Premananda, 'Baburamda, have you seen the real nature of Sri Ramakrishna?' Baburam Maharaj meditated a little intensely, then said 'Kripa, kripa, kripa!'--It is only through His grace, it is only through His grace, it is only through His grace!

At a more personal level, Mother gave us inspiration, and not only inspiration, but liberation and siddhi too, through the grace of the Great Master--the embodiment of all noble qualities of the Divine Spirit. He has left behind his compassion and heartfelt love. His life was the epitome of perfection, and he has left it behind for the good of all, for the happiness of all.