Gems from a Swami's Notebook

GEMS FROM A SWAMI’S NOTEBOOK REMINISCENCES Gems from a Swami’s Notebook WILLIAM PAGE wami Sukhatmananda is an elderly Mission schools is to teach Hindu culture monk, now in retirement at the and traditions. Indians living in the United Sashrama in Ulsoor. Recently I was States, when asked about Hinduism, say they asked to look at some notes he had made have left it to their grandmothers! long ago from talks given by eminent People think that all they have to do is swamis. I found some of them very get initiated. It takes a lot more than that to insightful, and thought that devotees would get God-realisation. ‘Holy Mother used to benefit from them. I’ve paraphrased what I say, “He who can do 50,000 japas daily can thought were the best of them below, using see God.” Sri Ramakrishna has come and direct quotations where that seemed made things easy for all of us. The bolts of advisable. the door which were locked have been removed and [the door] remains shut. We Swami Vireswarananda have to push [it] just to open [it] and enter From night classes at the Madras Math, the realm of God.’ 1974-1984: [It is well known that Swami Swami Vireswarananda ‘advised Vireswarananda had a great sense of devotees not to keep so many gods and humour. The notes on him are enlivened by goddesses in the same place. To keep them several jokes. These are the best ones:] merely like that in cupboards and not offer The Drunkard and the Goat :A daily puja and offerings even for a day drunkard wanted to sacrifice a goat. Being would create more karma instead of drunk, he took his dog instead. As he was reducing it. It was more efficacious to offer about to chop off its head, the dog started simple worship of dhoop [incense], flowers barking. The drunkard said, ‘Oho, what a and japa.’ fine animal you are! You used to say Baa- M wrote The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna baa, but now you say Bow-wow.’ after deep meditation, ‘like a cow slowly The Magic Touch of Holy Water :A eating [chewing] its cud.’ Swami Christian priest went to a Hindu devotee’s Brahmananda said that reading The Gospel home for Sunday dinner. In deference to the every day results in brahmajnàna priest’s meat-eating habit, the Hindu devotee [knowledge of Brahman]. had cooked non-vegetarian dishes. The Swami Madhavananda coined the suffix priest protested at such deference, saying –prana for the names of the nuns of Sarada that vegetarian dishes would have been fine. Math. This is why they are named So the Hindu got a bowl of water and Bhaktiprana, Vrajaprana, Saradaprana, etc. sprinkled it on all the dishes, explaining, ‘An intellectual conviction of Advaita ‘You sprinkle water on people and make Vedanta has to come, and [the] rest of all sinners into saints. I’m doing the same with work is in Dvaita only.’ these meat dishes to change them into The purpose of the Ramakrishna vegetarian dishes.’ Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture January 2018 21 WILLIAM PAGE The Wrong Obituary : An American Shivananda as his attendant. Outwardly newspaper falsely reported a man’s death. Swami Shivananda looked stern and When the man objected, the newspaper reserved, but inwardly he was full of love. refused to publish a retraction. Finally they He was fond of cows, and was sympathetic reached a compromise. The newspaper to the poor Muslim labourers working at the agreed to publish the man’s name in the list Math. of births the next day. Once Swami Bhuteshananda offered On Vairàgya (Told by Swami Swami Shivananda a container of sweets Turiyananda) : A rich man invited a group after massaging his feet. Swami Shivananda of sadhus for a feast and asked them each to wouldn’t eat them because they were ritually give a definition of vairàgya (renunciation). contaminated: Swami Bhuteshananda had Each gave his definition. When the last been massaging Swami Shivananda’s feet sadhu’s turn came, he said, ‘If I knew what before offering them. Besides that, Swami vairàgya is, I wouldn’t have come to the Shivananda never ate anything without first feast.’ offering it to Sri Ramakrishna, and he couldn’t do that because the sweets were Swami Bhuteshananda ritually contaminated! Everything happens by God’s grace, and Swami Saradananda didn’t like rules. that comes only when we’re exhausted and He thought it was enough just to worship Sri have given up. It’s like a bird perched on Ramakrishna and revere Swamis the mast of a ship. It flies everywhere Vivekananda, Brahmananda, Yogananda, looking for land, and finally comes back, and Premananda. ‘Otherwise everything exhausted, and perches on the mast again. will become law, rules and regulations, and ‘When we begin to get exhausted from our mutual trust will go.’ efforts, religion begins.’ This is the religion Swami Bhuteshananda began his of the kitten, which depends entirely on its monastic life at Belur Math in 1918. There mother—not the religion of the monkey, were 30 sadhus, very little space, and great which relies on self-effort. austerity. Breakfast was just one cigarette- Swami Abhedananda found it hard to tin full of puffed rice (moori) per person. readjust to India after spending so much time On preaching, Swami Bhuteshananda in the West. He wanted changes. He said that you have to make sure you know wanted to have a centre in Kolkata, and to what you’re talking about, or people will promote vocational and technical training. laugh. People will try to pressure you to He thought each monk should be self- speak on various topics, but you have to supporting, with no begging for alms. resist this pressure if you don’t know much Although he started his own centre, he still about the topic. It’s best just to quote the loved his gurubhais and was loyal to them. teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Swamiji, and He grieved greatly at the death of Swami Holy Mother. Shivananda. When he went out, he dressed in a Western-style suit. Swami Ranganathananda Swami Brahmananda wouldn’t stay at Swami Ranganathananda’s premonastic Belur Math because the location was name was Shankar. He was born near malarial, and he had suffered from malaria Trichur, in Kerala. He was a disciple of when he was young. He stayed at Balaram Swami Shivananda, who probably gave Mandir in Calcutta. him the name Ranganathananda because he Swami Bhuteshananda served Swami was to be posted to Mysore, near a famous 22 Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture January 2018 GEMS FROM A SWAMI’S NOTEBOOK temple of Ranganàtha. He joined the Shivananda and became very fond of him. Order at age 17 and became President at He regarded him as his guru, even though age 90. Swami Shivananda died before they could While at Mysore, Swami meet. Swami Atmasthananda ‘had received Ranganathananda and the abbot, Swami his mantra in a dream from Sri Ramakrishna Siddheswarananda, were the only people in himself.’ [The notes emphasize this fact by the ashrama. So Swami Ranganathananda recording it in italics.] But elderly swamis at had to become an expert at doing Belur Math told him he should get formally everything: from doing the puja to initiated. Swami Nirvedananda advised him housekeeping, cleaning, gardening, fixing to take initiation from Swami Vijnanananda. things, cooking, and shopping in the Swami Atmasthananda had a dream in marketplace. which he was walking along a highway with Swami Ranganathananda believed that a Swami Shivananda, and Swami Shivananda monk should always be cheerful. Sannyasa kept changing into Swami Vijnanananda and requires a lot of energy. Roar like a lion, then changing back again. So he took don’t bleat like a goat. He used to quote a initiation from Swami Vijnanananda. verse that means ‘When the lion roars, the Swami Atmasthananda told a story fox hides. When a Vedantist speaks, about Swami Abhedananda, who had everybody else runs away.’ Hence the collected gold to make a statue of a golden expression ‘Vedanta Kesari,’ the lion of lion (simhàsana) for the image of Sri Vedanta! Ramakrishna to sit on at some future date, He mentioned a married couple who when the Ramakrishna Temple would be wanted their son to become a sannyasin dedicated. [There’s another story that because he was useless, unsuited for worldly Swami Vivekananda wanted an image of Sri life. Swami Ranganathananda protested that Ramakrishna seated on a swan.] Swami this was absolutely the wrong idea: only a Abhedananda wanted to take the gold to a person of great strength and self-control jeweller to make the statue of the lion, but should become a sannyasin. on the way he kept feeling that somebody Swami Ranganathananda looked strong was giving him a push and shouting, ‘Don’t and healthy. [Another source says he was you know I can’t touch metal? You idiot, I famous for his swimming ability.] But he told you I can’t touch metal, and you want to had had a stomach problem since 1936 and put me on a golden simhasana! Go back!’ had to restrict his diet. In 1968, doctors in Realising that this was Sri Ramakrishna’s Boston examined him and declared that he doing, Swami Abhedananda gave up the should be dead. He took the medicines they idea, and had the statue of the lion made prescribed, but to no avail. He used to joke, from sandalwood instead. [We are not told ‘My Himalayas (meaning his head) are fine, how this resulted.

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