Sri Ramakrishna Math : The Vedanta Kesari, October 2003

Swami Vireswaranandaji was the tenth President of Ramakrishna Math & Mission. These reminiscences were recorded by Swami Sukhatmananda of Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Salem, and made available to The Vedanta Kesari for publication.

In 1915 as a student I used to play tennis with one of my friends. One day after playing tennis we went to a library where my friend took out a book by Swami Vivekananda which contained subjects like Raja Yoga and Chicago Addresses, and asked me to read it. I was not interested in it then. After three days, the friend enquired about that book. Only then I went through it. It inspired me to follow Swami Vivekananda and join the Order. I wrote to Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati. Then Bharat Maharaj was there. Advaita Ashrama advised me to go to Belur Math. I asked my maternal uncle (who was my guardian then) and aunt, their permission. They did not object, but advised me to go after writing my Law examination; otherwise, if I could not adjust there, I would not be able to settle down.

I was told by my uncle that when Swami Vivekananda was staying in Ice House, my uncle took me and placed me on Swamiji's lap and sought his blessings. I was perhaps then a child of four years; I do not remember it.

I joined Madras (now Chennai) Math in 1915 under Swami Sharvananda, after being advised by Swami Prajnananda, the President of Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati. When I was staying in Madras, the Math was at the entrance of the present site where a bel tree at present remains. This old building was damaged and the new one was built in 1917.

In those days all works had to be done by monastics. Everyone did all types of jobs. Pujari would pluck flowers, wash vessels, clean shrine, cut fruits, take bath and then sit for puja. At that time there was one gardener, one cook and one helper. But the cook would be out most of the time. I had cooked for two to three months.

The objective of Ramakrishna Mission was to introduce one and all to Hindu culture and tradition. We feel sorry to hear that some Indians, settled in U.S., when asked to say something about Hinduism, replied, 'We have left it all to our grandmothers.'

I stayed in Madras Math for three and a half years, working in various capacities like cooking, writing, proof reading, binding, despatch, postal work, etc. I was at Brindavan, Kashi, Mayavati, Kolkata (Advaita Ashrama). During war time, I was at Uttaramerur. Thakur was shifted from Madras Math to Uttaramerur. Shifting was done because of rumours of Japanese invasion of the port at Madras. Swami Ananyananda and two others were with me.

Once at Belur Math, after finishing my work in the garden, I went for a wash in the Ganges. Raja Maharaj was sitting in an easy chair in the lawn and Mahapurush Maharaj and others were sitting on a bench in the verandah. When I was returning after wash, Raja Maharaj suddenly asked me, 'Go and see if the Ganges water is salty or not.' I replied, 'Yes Maharaj, it is salty; I have seen just now as I am coming from there.' Raja Maharaj was not satisfied with the answer and told me 'No, you go and see and then tell me.' Then only I realised that I had forgotten to carry out the order, 'Go and see'; once I realised the meaning of the words used, I immediately went back, tasted the water and reported back to Raja Maharaj. This should be our ideal of implicit obedience.

Pashupati Maharaj (Swami Vijayananda of Argentina centre) once came to see Raja Maharaj at Benares. He was very stout. He did pranam. Maharaj asked him, 'Have you seen Til Bhandeshwar.' Instead of enquiring about the famous temples like those of Viswanath or Annapurna he humourously asked about the Shiva Linga image which grows yearly the size of a sesame implying that Pashupati Maharaj was also growing fat every year.

Raja Maharaj once refused to meet two persons who had come with a selfish motive. In one case he refused to come out of the room and in the other, he appeared as if he had caught severe fever and slept with a blanket covering him.

After two months of my stay at Belur Math, I heard about Holy Mother for the first time from a Dandi Swami. Then I had a desire to get initiation from her. I did not know how the Mother looked like. During those days there were no photos of Mother.

I went to Jayarambati for the first time with a devotee. Swami Satprakashananda joined us at Champadanga station. Three of us started in a bullock cart and came to Arambagh where Swami Satprakashananda developed dysentery. He said he would not go to Jayarambati in that condition as it would inconvenience Mother. After spending the night in the cart we came to Kamarpukur where Shivaram (Shibudada) received us. Then we went to Jayarambati.

[When a sadhu asked Swami Vireswaranandaji, 'Maharaj did you see the divinity in her (Holy Mother) face when you looked at her for the first time' Maharaj, with joy flashing across his face, said, 'How can I tell that?' He could not express his impression in words.] I used to speak to Mother in English. An interpreter translated it into Bengali. Mother replied in Bengali which I could somehow follow as there is some similarity between Tulu (Maharaj's mothertongue) and Bengali. I asked her whether I should stay in Belur Math itself. She told me, 'Oh Child, You continue there.'

[One day, Swami Vireswaranandaji spoke to devotees touching on the following incidents about Holy Mother:] 1. The vegetable vendor who sold vegetables to Mother used to come to Mother's house even after the Mother's passing away just to revive the holy memories. 2. A boy, who was a good singer, left his home once without anybody's knowledge, and returned after three years. Mother welcomed him with all affection and love when the whole village despised him. 3. Mother saw a young girl sweeping the floor at Jayrambati. When Mother asked her why she is doing that, the girl replied, 'I am sweeping all rubbish and sprinkling Amrita.' So now we see that the rubbish is being really swept off and the Amrita (the Life and Message of the Holy Trinity) sprinkled. 4. Whenever Swami Vivekananda went to meet Mother, he used to go as if he was going for worship. 5. Mother used to send dhotis to all direct disciples and special ones to Maharaj, saying 'Raja is my son.' 6. It was a privilege to see how Mother helped in solving problems in spiritual life. She also had a good sense of humour.

Everyone should read completely Swami Saradeshananda's reminiscences about Holy Mother. In Holy Mother one did not see anything extraordinary outside. Whenever she appeared in a group it was difficult to recognise her. Only when we stayed near her or sat near her we could understand her greatness and uniqueness. Her ways of initiation were also different from the orthodox method. Once Swamiji took Sudhir Maharaj to Mother. He asked Sudhir Maharaj to bow down to Mother and said, 'Mother, make him like me.' Mother replied, 'If Thakur's will is there it will be so. Does anything happen without his will?' Swamiji then said, 'Mother, then it means that there is no Thakur's will.' He asked Sudhir Maharaj to bow down to Mother again. When Sudhir Maharaj bowed low before her, Swamiji said , 'Are beta (foolish child), this is not the way to offer salutations to the Mother.' Then he showed him how to do it, by doing a sâshtânga pranam and rolling over three times. After Swamiji's passing away she did not come to the Math for ten to eleven years.

Mother was asked when India would be free. She replied that when the rulers would quarrel among themselves India would be free. How true were her words! The result of the two world wars made the rulers quit. At the same time Mother was compassionate towards all including foreigners.

When Mother passed away her body was brought to the courtyard and kept for darshan of devotees. Mahapurush Maharaj then said, 'Now have a last look at the Mother. From now onwards you will see Mother very rarely in deep meditation for a few seconds.'

Once Mahapurush Maharaj while hearing Vireshwara Stotra asked the reader to stop at the stanza where Shiva is described as so many lingas. When questioned Mahapurush Maharaj said: 'On hearing this I remembered the vision I had about Swamiji; while once sleeping by his side, I saw that Swamiji's body consisted only of many Shiva lingas.'

It is the book of the age. M wrote it after deep meditation (like a cow slowly chewing its cud). Herein is found the solutions to the problems faced by the modern man. Raja Maharaj once said, 'If you want to define Brahmajnana in one word, read the Gospel daily.' He pointed out how Sri Ramakrishna himself often used to correct M asking him to repeat his words and also drawing M's specific attention to some words so that M could remember them well and thoroughly.

To keep many gods and goddesses in the shrine is not advisable. One should offer daily puja and bhoga (food-offering). It is more efficacious to offer simple worship with incense, flowers and japa. Spiritual life is a hard one, but people think it is very easy. By merely taking initiation they think everything needed is done; and they expect every type of results the moment they do a little sadhana. Abhyasa and Vairagya are required. Abhyasa is regular practice of sadhanas for God-realisation. Vairagya is renunciation of worldly attachment. What Rishis got by thousands of years of tapasya, we cannot expect to get in a day. The mind has to be purified. It has to be brought back again and again to the object of meditation. This is a long and continuous effort. Holy Mother has said that he who can do fifty thousand japa daily can see God. This gives an indication of the effort needed. Sri Ramakrishna has come and made things easy for us. The bolts of the door have been removed and it remains merely shut. We have to push open the door and enter the realm of God. He who understands the divinity of Sri Ramakrishna attains peace and liberation.