Life, Mission and Works of Abhedananda

CHAPTER- II LIFE, MISSION AND WORKS OF ABHEDANANDA

The most important as well as everlasting epoch of Indian history is the one which is related to the life of Abh. This influence has been to a certain extent spread to the Western world too. He spent, seventy three years on the lap of mother earth bringing about many changes in the religious and thinking realms. One cannot guess the span of seventy three years of a man who had sacrificed his life for the well-being of the society, Abh. was such a bold and strong personality who very proudly toiled hard, that is spent each and every split of a second, changing the Indian and Western religion and also to some extent to channelize their thoughts. Before stepping into or penning down the life of Abh. the silken thread of his personal life along with the thread of history should be woven together.

The establishment of the Hindu college in 1817 was the second birth place of some of the excellent and dignified personalities of Bengal. There were persons who excelled in the intellectual and social reformation leaders like Rajaram Mohan Roy, Raja Ratha Kanto Deb, Dewan Ramkamal Sen etc. These personalities were practical to the core, substantial, self-made humans without knowing their own powers which they had gathered from the limited facilities which they had in their native land but their religious impressions is beyond expression.

The state of Bengal soon imbibed the novel ideas and thoughts which marked a new era in the fields of spirituality, politics and religion. The reins of reforming Bengal taken up by Devendranath Tagore, aimed at reforming Bengal by his intuitive, rational and spiritual mind whereas Rajaram Mohan Roy footed on the humanitarian values. Devendranath Tagore was a man who equalled the ancient seers in his calm and self-approach with the quality of intuitions.

The difference of creation between man and other things is in the fields of reason, emotions, willpower, the capacity of grasping knowledge and also the emotions of love and also the capacity of self- sacrifice and all these are possible and evolved in and also through the society. It can be deciphered that an individual can seek the supreme extent of his expression and realisation through the society. It is said that the bond of individual and society is like warp and walt. The individual can be thoroughly understood by going deep in to the social setting and also to understand the social values one has to go in and through the society as well as through the aspirations, the struggles, achievements and life of individual as a human unit.

Whatever be the history of an individual, noble or ignoble, great or small is just a manifestation a description and also an interpretation

of the currents of the history of the society which is revealed. This evolutes and is moulded and is led to the end of the universe. So this can be regarded that the value and the history of any human being and this is not his or her credit but it depends on the elucidation of the life in the society and all that surrounds it. Social Background

“The whole world is upheld by the veracity of good and great men; they make the earth wholesome. So they, who come in contact with great souls, find life happy and fruitful. Life is sweet and tolerable only in our belief in such society. Thus we see myriads of souls are carried aloft as if on the wings of a bird to undreamt of heights by the influence of the life and character of a great man.”1 When one deals or studies about the individuality and personality of Abh, one must go through the influence of compatriots, contemporaries, family, teachers, religious teachers etc. All these are the components which forms an individual’s personality. The popular belief is that when characters are born, the environment, parents, friends who grows along with him, moulds his/her character and individuality. These factors help to build a true and strong individual who is to the brim with moral, spiritual and refined values and a

personality of sublime character. Such personality will also be God fearing.

Long before the auspicious birth of K¡liprasad there was great chaos and confusion in the society. The causes which led to these disturbances led to the renaissance procedures the change that came about in the society, that is, the removal of evils and orthodoxy in the society was looked up on with shock by the parents. They could not adapt themselves to the change which their sons underwent, that is, living a life they liked and leaving, behind or freeing themselves from the social evils. Each and every beating heart in the society stood abreast to fight against the social evils like casteism etc. The major influence of Western life style penetrated in to the society. The educated class fell prey to the vices of Western life style. The moral and ethical values of the youth was a by-gone story and the religious Hindu teachers were all dumped to a corner. Life of Abhedananda and Transition to Spirituality

The life of Abh. is awe- inspiring and soul stirring. He was the spiritual son of SRK. and spiritual brother of SV. His life is the one which inspires generations after generations, that is the past as well as the present and future. The manifold activities, the multi splendored personality of Abh. cannot be regarded merely as the past. Each and

every incident in his life is like the burning furnace of the flaming up of spiritual fire. A glance into the life of Abh. proves his glory.

Rasiklal Chandra, who was the English teacher of Oriental Seminary in Kolkata and Smt. Nayantara Devi, who was a staunch devotee of K¡li and who was interested in Vedas and B.G., was blessed with a baby boy the second of October 1866. The baby was named Kaliprasad Chandra, later he was known as Abh., as it was the gift of Goddess K¡li. Thus one more member was added to the family of Ahoritola. Education

Abh. in his autobiography has stated that he had his elementary education in the neighbourhood school called Jadu Pandits School. Later on he joined the Oriental Seminary. This institute had cradled a lot of great personalities. Kaliprasad or rather Abh.’s father, Rasiklal was a veteran teacher of English in this institute. He was accepted by all for his scholastic abilities, characters and his attractive personality. Rasiklal had delved deep into the Holy books, the Bible, the Quran and the B.G. and came to the conclusion that God is only one and that too non-dual, even though, He has different names and forms.

Abh. came out with flying colours in curricular as well as extra- curricular fields. One notable thing was that he was very much

interested and attracted to the study of scriptures like the B.G., Yogadar¿ana of Patanjali, áivasaÆhita, Bha¶¶ik¡vya, RaghuvaÆ¿a, Kum¡rasambhavaÆ etc. He had memorised almost all these works. Besides Abh.’s father, his mother was also a great devotee. She used to read a chapter of the Mah¡bh¡rata and R¡m¡ya¸a daily. Abh. used to listen to it attentively.

Along with his academic studies, he attended the drawing classes too. He was very good at it and also came out in flying colours in the competitions he participated. The impressed drawing master began to train Abh. in the higher levels of paintings. A question arose in Abh.’s mind as to whether to become a world famous painter or a philosopher. He did not spend much time pondering on this as he was ordained to be a philosopher. He told his drawing master that he cannot pursue his drawing lessons as his mind is inclined to become a philosopher. The master advises Abh. to discard his foolish idea and to be a painter of renown. Abh. explains to his master that a philosopher is better than a painter because the painter can go only up to the surface of a painting where as a philosopher can dive into the depths of the inner realm to know and realise the cause of happenings. On hearing this the drawing master asked Abh. to be a painter as well

as a philosopher, the reply Abh. gave was that one can never serve two masters at a time. Inclination to Philosophy

At the age of eighteen he got through the entrance from the Calcutta Oriental Seminary. His longing desire to solve the problems of life led him to the path of philosophy. He happened to read the ‘History of India’ by Wilson which boosted up his desire to be a philosopher. In that book he came across the detailed explanation of Sankaracharya and his Advaita philosophy, which urged him to know more about other philosophies. This was a turning point in Abh.’s life as he ventured to read a lot on the philosophies of East and West. In his very youth he had read the ‘Logic’ and ‘Three essays on Religion’ of John Stuart Mill, ‘The Astronomy’ of Herschel, ‘The Physics’ of Ganot, ‘History of Philosophy’ of Lewis and ‘The Philosophy’ of Hamilton. He had also gone deep in to the works of Kalidasa, Bhavabuti, Banabhatta etc. which is the mark of his amazing intellect and the genius which can be named as extra ordinary.

Abh. never focussed his intellect and genius on any one philosophy. He had developed the remarkable quality of developing sympathy in all faiths. This made him to attend the lectures of

different teachers in various dar¿anas like Christianity, Hinduism and so on. He comprehended and analysed the basic principles of all philosophies.

In 1883, Abh. had the opportunity to hear the lectures on the ‘Six systems of Hindu Philosophy’ of Shashadhar Tarkachudamani. In this lecture he had explained the Yogadar¿ana of Patanjali and the benefits of practising it along with the infinite possibilities it effects up on human soul is also analysed. This lecture had an immense impact on Abh. and he then started to read the books which were based on Yoga. The strong interest which had begun to sprout up in the mind of Abh. became much more stronger. The immense interest of yoga had held Abh.’s mind in its tight clutches. He was in pursuit of a Yoga teacher for training in Yoga because it should be learned only from a trained teacher. In his search for a yogic teacher, he came to know about a real and sincere yogic, who is endowed with spiritual powers. Thus Abh. left in search of the yogi in the Dakshineswar, who was none other than SRK. Sri Ramakrishna- The Exploration and Inspiration

In 1884 Abh. reached Dakshineswar. The notion of monastic structure of Abh. was that an ascetic would be dressed in loin cloth with saffron robe and matted hair locks. The asectics body will be

covered with ash and he carries a chintha. He began to image SRK. in the above said ascetic form, but he was like child, filled with simplicity and of relaxed nature. Abh. entered the room met him and expressed his intention to learn yoga. SRK. by a glance came to know the soul of the boy. By diving deep inside him SRK. could make out the hidden spiritual capabilities in Abh. He knew that Abh. belonged to his disciples group and after listening to the boy’s request said, “You were a great yogi in your previous birth. I shall initiate you in the mysteries of yoga practices.”2

SRK. with the affection of a mother drew Abh. to his side and wrote a divine hymn on his tongue and placed his right hand on the chest of Abh. As struck by an electric shock, a streak of current passed through the mind of Abh. and he slipped in to deep meditation. From that moment Abh. began his religious practice with great sincerity and in a systematic and proper manner. This was possible because he was under the guidance of the great master, SRK. and was showered by his blessings and grace which paved way for spiritual experience. SRK. imparted the knowledge of meditation to Abh. SRK. says that when one sleeps in the divine chamber one will be accompanied by two wives-clean that is good and unclean that is evil. At the time of reconciliation of two wives, mother Syama will soothe

and comfort one to sleep. In other words when the acquisition of the knowledge removes the gap of difference between individual soul and universal soul, the realisation of the divine embraces one in the form of sleep. SRK. having realised the truth passed it on to his selective disciples to spread it all over the universe and to make it practical. His intention was to make the humanity realise the great truth of Ved¡nta by experiencing it in one’s life.

After the incident Abh. always ran to the lap of SRK. as he was in the pursuit to quench the thirst of his soul which was after the heavenly wisdom which gushed out of the lips of the Great Master, SRK. The words of SRK. was like the oasis in the desert, for the young thirsty aspirants who believed him. Abh. by these meetings with SRK. acquired the knowledge of universal religion. The conception of SRK.’s notion of universal religion, spreads over all the sects of religions which is seen in the world, like dualism, qualified dualism and monism which pertains to the thoughts of metaphysics. These thoughts are the ones which paves way to the highest thought or eternal truth. Besides these are complementary to each other and cannot be considered as contradictory. SRK., who had experienced that these thoughts led to the path of self-realisation or God realisation, passed it on to the hungry aspirants.

There is no need of a teacher for a true aspirant to be a mediator between the one which is seen and that which is unseen. “Lucy learning humanity from the willow and sublimity from the grand moving masses of clouds in the heaven sitting in the lap of nature with both the law and impulse and sermons in stones books in the running brooks and good in everything.”3 Abh. says that SRK. is the only one who manifests in many forms to serve mankind and as a guru he is the one who is a true yogi in all senses. The yoga power of SRK. is seldom exhibited. The magnetic power of an Yogi in SRK. had attracted Abh. in to the world of spirituality.

SRK. had entrusted SV. to look after the disciples of SRK. and Holy mother. Abh. says that SV. was the chief command of SRK. and they obeyed SV.’s directions. They spend their days in constant meditation, worship, studies and prayers. SV. was the fulcrum around which all other disciples centered with hope, faith, comfort and consolation. The Great Master SRK., with his great spiritual genius, who gave birth to a group of monastics considered renunciation as their duty and comprehended the master’s desire to spread the love of humanity all over the universe. They sincerely took up the responsibility of realising the eternal truth, constructive genius and self-preparation.

The fire of spirituality of SV. inspired the other disciples in the field of thought and in the sense of unity. They had a feeling that they were all bonded together by an invisible thread which had created a sense of oneness. They started their new lives by spreading the greatest needed thing love and truth. They made the people aware of the need to accept the love for human kind because religion hugged the suffering humanity and gave the love and care. This was the motto of the Baranagar Monastery, that is love for humanity. Renunciation

Abh. had an opportunity to meet SV. who was a disciple of SRK. They had discussions on various aspects of Eastern or Oriental philosophy. It was during the period of 1885-86, SRK. succumbed to illness. All his disciples was with him and because of this Abh. left his ancestral home. He became a permanent resident of Cossipore to serve his spiritual guru with his heart and soul. After his passing, he renounced the world and became a sany¡sin with the monastic name ‘Swami Abhedananda’ which means the one who treads through the path of duality and non-duality and also through the difficult path of purity and impurity. He lived up to the vision of his guru and proved that the name given to him was apt.

The death of the spiritual guru made his disciples plunge in to darkness. In 1886 Abh. decided to undergo hard and rigorous penance at the new monastery of Baranagar. One peculiarity of Abh. was that he was indoors always and would shut the doors of his room for practicising the intense spirituality and also for studying the Ved¡nta and other philosophies, both Eastern and Western. This earned him a name ‘Kali Tapasvi’ or Kali Ved¡nti’. At this time he wrote a beautiful hymn on the Holy Mother, Sarada Devi, the hymn begins thus “+¦ÉªÉÆ ´É®únÆù”4 which is to the present day sung in all Ë¿ramas and also in households. Even to this day no other hymns excels this. It brings out his regard for the Mother, which is deep in conception and expression. The Mother after hearing this was deeply moved, to know how deep is her disciple’s love for her. She gave her blessings thus, “May the Goddess of Learning ever dwell in your throat.”5 Her words proved to be apt as Abh. lived up to it both in the spirit of word and its essence. Abhedananda- A Wandering Monk

One cannot categorize Abh. as a mere monk who wanders about because he had a keen interest for historical relics and also to dig deep in to the past of India. Abh. by being a wandering monk considered it as practice for getting first-hand knowledge of the social, cultural and

religious life of the country, that too his own motherland. An ascetic of this monastic order, that is the Sri Ramakrishna Mission, is not allowed to utilise their energies in the pursuit of mystic realisation or in the pursuit of inner life but also to love the humanity and to serve them. The disciples of SRK. had also a mission to spread the lofty message of their Master all over the world. The wanderings and the service to humanity opened new avenues of knowledge for the soul of this spiritual son of SRK.

Abh. started for the seeking of knowledge barefooted. The path he chose to tread on was not a bed of roses but it was a bed of thorns. He visited the Ganga and Yamuna and he was lost in contemplation there. Besides he went on foot to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Haridwar, Puri, Dwaraka and Rameswaram, with just a loin cloth to cover himself. In his wanderings he met some famous personalities like Paohari Baba at Ghazipur and in Benares he came across Trailanga Swami and Bhaskarananda. When he reached Hrishikesh he met the scholarly personality Dhanaraj Giri who was the one who had gone in to the depths of Ved¡nta and also the other six systems of philosophy and studied it to the core. The profound scholar, Dhanaraj Giri was awe-struck by the wisdom of Abh. and said that, “He is a wisdom that is supernatural, that is aloukikiprajna.” 6 The experience or rather the

vast ocean of knowledge and experience Abh. gathererd during his life as a pilgrim moulded him to be the apt person to talk about humanity and to propagate the spiritual guru’s messages all over the world in the later years.

Abh. and other disciples considered the stage of sany¡si as the personal liberation and to know the supreme Ëtman by practising the spiritual austere to its extreme limit by rigorous penance and meditation. Besides this, they tried to be in their own compartment which is prescribed in the Hindu ideology laid down by the tradition as well as the sages from the ancient periods onwards. SV. who had greater and wider view of monasticism exhorted the Gurubhai’s that it was a great mistake on the part of SRK.’s disciples just to consider sany¡sm as the path of personal liberation. A sany¡si should sacrifice their lives to human service and to propagate the messages and sayings of the great master all over the world. Abh. along with other disciples of SRK., obeyed the advice of SV., as they thought it was the words of their Great Master. Thus it opened a new view of the monastic life of Abh. Abhedananda’s Mission in the West

Abh., a man of great personality, the one who could discriminate the pure and impure, followed the path of SRK. pointed

out in the realm of love, service, sincerity and so on. He took it as his responsibility to spread the message of his master all over the world. He was a member of the Ramakrishna Mission, gave public messages, lectures on spirituality as well as on the importance of practising yoga. He gave lectures in schools, public places etc. Besides he ventured to spread the lofty messages of his master, the ethics and moral values which is traditional as well as the culture of India in United States of America. SV. laid the foundation of the Ved¡nta Society in New York in 1894. Abh. used books, lectures and classes for the spreading of ethical, moral and rational aspects in the west. The lectures delivered were on various subjects. By basing on the concept of Ved¡nta, that is, unity in variety, he analyses other religions like Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and so on and also concludes that the essence of all religions are one and the same and the cardinal points of all religions is the benevolence of human and salvation.

The support of the educated people was a must for Abh. to propagate Advaita Ved¡nta in New York, as the majority of the population were Christians. To have footage in New York he made many friends. He wanted the friends to spread the news of his lecture and also the media to report it and by that means he was able to fulfil his dream in New York.

In August 1896, accepting the invitation of SV., Abh. reaches England as brother disciple. SV. entrusts him with the task of making the population of West understand the philosophy of Ved¡nta. The Westerners when came to know that Abh. was going to deliver a lecture, were doubtful, whether a young man like Abh. who had non formal education, or had any knowledge about the West, or Western life and society was delivering a speech on Indian culture, would be effective or not. SV. knowing, this took Abh. with him to all the public meeting he attended and also boosted Abh.’s self-confidence by giving him ample chances for public speaking. He was on his toes during this period delivering lectures and speeches in America and Europe. He became very popular there and was invited to various Universities, Colleges and even churches where the audience were great dignitaries as well as layman who were eager to hear the golden words of this renowned and excellent orator and scholar of extreme intelligence and a man of pleasing, charming and noble personality. Lectures of Abhedananda

The very first lecture Abh. delivered, at the venue of Christo- Philosophical society at London, was on the Advaita philosophy of Paμcada¿i. It was a great success. The words of Mr. Eric Hammond, English disciple of SV., proves that, “The Master, Swami

Vivekananda was more than content to have effaced himself in order that his brother’s opportunity should be altogether unhindered. The whole impression had in it a glowing beauty quite indescribable.”7 After listening to the first lecture of Abh., everybody accepted him as a gifted orator and a religious teacher. SV. said of Abh. thus, “ Even if I perish on this plane, my message will be sounded through these dear lips and the world will hear it.”8

The success of Abh. can be numbered as many but the very important among them is the hard work and effect he had put in to it. His long hours of concentration, the sincerity and faithfulness in the monastic life, and his lust to know more about Indian scriptures and other sciences and to compare them and also to know more about literature and metaphysics. He was blessed with great intellect, clear and quick power of reasoning, a neat, tidy clear rearranging and also collecting the ideas along with the immense and strong will for hard work made Abh. become a matured personality at a very young age. It is said that a lot and lot of people aspire for scholastic acquisition and maturity, but only a few achieve it, and Abh. is one among them. He could acquire it because of his Master’s blessing and his brother disciple SV.’s viewpoints on different philosophies and schools of thought particularly of Eastern as well as Western. Both Abh. and

SV. were experts in expounding these systems and also very competent enough to argue and countering the attacks in debates.

SV. and Abh. can never be laid down only as messengers. They were more qualified than the messengers, both intellectually and spiritually. They were ever matured than their age because they were the disciples of the Great Master SRK. They spent their time not only in lecturing or preaching but also among the people or rather laymen. They, like Jesus Christ, preached the religion of their motherland with great clarity.

Abh. proved by his first lecture that he had the inherent quality of being a preacher and the charioteer of the movement of Ved¡nta. SV. was also impressed by Abh.’s performance and believed that Abh. would work hard in London and that it would be successful. So he entrusted the classes of Ved¡nta and R¡jayoga in London to Abh. and left for India in1896. Abh. with great sincerity took up his responsibility. He made his Master, SV. and also the motherland proud of his work with every speech and work he took up. He soon became the apple of eye of the English.

The topic of his second lecture was ‘What is Ved¡nta’. It was delivered in the Mort Memorial Hall in September 29, 1897 in the city of New York in front of forty audiences. He started his speech with a

Sanskrit sloka, He gave the English translation of this. Once two birds which had beautiful feathers came and perched on same tree. One among them eats the most delicious fruit and the other just looks on. Through this Abh. stated that the bird which ate the fruit is called j¢v¡tman in Ved¡nta and this j¢v¡tman enters the circle of life and death. The other bird which does not eat the fruit, is the Param¡tma and it does not fly itself in to the cycle of life and death or karma bandha.9 This illustration was so simple and the language and the gesticulation, in a very dignified and calm manner, made the audience awe- struck.

The period between the nineteenth and twentieth century exhibited the dominance of Christianity in the United States of America. Abh. had to face his first and great problem in seeking solutions to the issues faced by modern world and also practical and unified answers for the problems and this was the first and foremost problem. The second problem was whether he could be able to carry out his task, entrusted by SV. and mission to propagate his Master’s message, to the fullest and flawless manner. Abh. included in his Ved¡nta philosophy the aspirations, efforts and achievements to make the people understand the universality of his Master’s life and teachings. Abh. knew the importance of establishing the friendship

and support of broad- minded religious leaders, because they wielded great influence up on the educated and cultured Christian community. His goal was to arouse the interest of the good people of the city and to persuade them to help in making the Ved¡nta society a powerful religious organisation in a Christian country. Abh. was in great need of a help to spread the messages of SRK. and also the cardinal point of Ved¡nta movement, the universal harmony as the society a larger part, belonged to the Christian faith. At that moment, the blessings of God was showered on Abh. in the manner of Reverend. Dr. R Herber Newton who came to help Abh.’s work. On March 7, 1898 through the letter of introduction from the Rev. Mr Haweies of London, Abh. visited Rev. Dr.Rainford and the respected liberal Episcopal Minister duly impressed with Abh.’s universal religious views promised to support him his mission.

The Shaping of Ved¡nta Society in New York

In the lecture delivered by Abh. on the religious ideals of the Hindus at the venue of liberal congress of religions at Boston on January 25, 1989, Rev. Dr. R. Herber Newton who was the Dean of divinity, of all Souls Episcopal church in New York had been there to give an address. Herber extended an invitation for Abh. for a dinner. Herber was a liberal Christian reformer yet he was interested in the

SRK.’s philosophy and practical Ved¡nta. He helped them to set foot in New York city by introducing them to the Christian leaders and preachers in the city Religious Conference.

After a successful series of lectures Abh. started to pioneer for the Ved¡nta Society. Abh. during this period, that is, almost for five months in New York and England was conducting lectures. The progress, that too the foremost was that it had a permanent quarters at the ahead office as well as a library was established in 1899 with the help of many generous mind. This paved way to the hard work into the novel arena. The library was the treasure house of many rare books on metaphysics, philosophy and religion of India. Abh. also set up rooms for Ved¡nta Society on October 15, 1899 to conduct regular classes which was commenced from October 22nd. There were regular classes and there was also the sale of literature and other business from October to April. On every Sundays Abh. spoke at Tuxedo Hall which was the venue of Sunday Services.

Abh.’s lecture of 1901 was attended over by six hundred people. This shows the interest of Americans in Ved¡nta. Abh. toured all over the country delivering lectures, taking classes and also travelled East Coast and Europe, including England, Scotland, France and Switzerland. In 1903 Swami Nirmalananda reached New York to

help Abh. and he was entrusted with various work. The Ved¡nta society changed to 62 West 71 Street and there Abh. arranged an exhibition of Ved¡nta literature.

Abh. had put tremendous effort in setting up new centres in America and abroad. Sister Avavamia set up in Australia a Ved¡ntic centre. The Ved¡nta Society of New York was the centre of Ved¡nta teachings which can be compared to the sun radiating its rays far and wide. The New York centre had three capitals in Washington, London, Paris and the West Coast, was the local regional centre. The Ved¡nta society of New York being the headquarters was the inspiration behind the setting up of many branches and also for publishing and distributing books and pamphlets for spreading the Ved¡ntic teachings and SRK.’s philosophy and teachings. Thus the Ved¡nta society became the seat of Ved¡nta in the Western part of the world.

Abh. between 1907 and 1908 had travelled to London many times. A famous artist Frank Dvorak Czechoslovakian artist from Prague came to meet Abh. At the Ved¡ntic Centre. Abh. had presented him, the portrait of Holy mother and SRK. Dvarak painted it within a few seconds which was the replica of the portraits shown Abh. This was published in Calcutta Dailies in 1928.

Abh. 1907 June 26th went to London and held classes for Yoga and Ved¡nta and in 1908 Ved¡nta Society was established in London. He delivered a speech on the history of Ved¡nta and its aims, on the day of the opening of the centre. Sister Nivedita who was present there also spoke. Sister Nivedita whenever visited Abh. had discussed about Ved¡nta, the missionary work and so on with Abh.

Abh. was really on toes delivering speech all over London in 1908. In America there was wave of Ved¡nta among the citizens. Abh. acquainted himself with the preacher Rev. Dr. J.T Sanderland of the Unitarian Church. In 1908 toured to Chicago, Denver, Western cities and so on. The younger of SV., Mr. Bhupedra Nath Dutt had once visited Ved¡nta society. In 1909 an Indo-American club was formed by Abh. with a purpose of giving an opportunity for Indian students to come in to contact with and mingle with American friends. Ved¡nta Society was of great help to the victims of earthquake in Italy as it had sponsored some amount of money. Abh. lectured at Duryeas Hall and the remarkable thing was that the Hall was crowded and the publications of Ved¡nta Society was sold off as hot buns. Initiation by Abhedananda

Abh. took a great step by initiating six Brahmac¡rins on the 2nd April 1899. The ceremony was very simple. Abh. detailed to them the

life which their new state offers them and the dedication and also the duties they have to follow. They should be their masters, follow the universal divinity and love, ahiÆsa, truth and above all service to mankind and self-sacrifice. The six of them repeated the vows and Abh. smeared the sacred ash on their forehead, offered them ochre robes, sprinkled holy water on them and gave them names. The six of them being Westerners, their names were changed thus- Miss Linguist- Satyakama; Mr. Heijbolm- Gurudasa; Miss Coulston- Sevaputra and Miss Kohlsaat-Premakama, Miss Mulford-Muktikama, Dr. Kate Stanton- Shaktikama. This Gurudasa when initiated to sany¡sas by Abh. at Belur Math became Swami Atulananda on Feb. 18, 1923. After coming to India he initiated Swami Prajnananda into sany¡sa and it was this Swami whose brain had worked to put all the works of Abh. into one, as the critical volume the philosophical ideas of Swami Abhedananda. Publications

In order to propagate Ved¡nta philosophy Abh. resorted to publishing the literature of Ved¡nta. The summer of 1899 was an year of lecturing and visiting the New England. He met many influential personalities and professors from Cornell, Iowa and so on. He met the writer Ralph Waldo Trine while lecturing on the Comparative Study

of Religion at Green Acre School. Abh. had written his book ‘Reincarnation’ and it was printed, under the support of the Ved¡nta Society New York and an American. Mr. Vanderbilt had donated two thousand copies for Abh. to distribute.

SV. reached New York in 1899 Nov 7th and Abh. greeted him. The Brahmav¡din, had received a letter stating that “In New York, the most difficult city in the United States in which to reach the spiritual nature of people, Abh. has made a profound impression. Two years of patient, persistent, loving service has established Ved¡nta in a consecrated body of earnest students who are devoted to the continuance of the work.”10 The interest of the Ved¡nta philosophy had been sparked out in every minds of the New York. Two articles were published and the Brahmav¡din has reported it. One of the articles was written by the student of Ved¡nta, named Miss. Anna. J. Ingersoll, with the title ‘ The Swami’s in America’. This article gave a deep insight in to the vigorous work carried out by the Ved¡nta Society and it also acknowledged the teacher in Abh. who had delivered about eighty lectures in the Winter session. The Ved¡nta Society was now recognised as the movement which kindled thoughts of spirituality in the minds of the New York. The second article was written by Boston W dresser titled “An Interpretation of Ved¡nta”

has noted that the Ved¡nta is a very notable philosophy and was the need of the hour.

Abh. decided to print the teachings of SRK. for the benefit of faithful and attentive students of his. As the first step he translated in to English, the manuscript ‘Ramakrishna Kathamrita.’ In 1907 it was published by adding many handy and useful notes and also the manuscripts were remodelled by dividing it in to fourteen chapters. In the year 1907 the Gospel of SRK. by Abh. was published by Ved¡nta Society. In the preface of the American edition Abh. wrote thus, “The completed work is now offered to the western world with the sincere hope that the sublime teachings of SRK. may open the spiritual sight of seekers after truth and being peace and freedom to all souls struggling for realisation.”11The book enjoyed a wide popularity and tremendous enthusiasm.

In 1909 Abh.’s Gospel of SRK. was translated to Spanish ‘Ei Evangelio de Ramakrishna’ and published by the editorial Kier in Buenos Aires. Many foreign editions of the Gospel was published in many languages like Portuguese, Brazilian, Danish, French, English and other European languages. The famous Gospel “Child and Servant of Sri Ramakrishna” is the guide which paved the way for the SRK. movement in the West.

Youngmen’s Yoga Association and a Class for Children

The next step taken by Abh. to increase the mass popularity was to start a yoga class for the youth especially men, it was set up in New-York. The main aim of this was to teach the basic principles of Yoga to the young boys through disciplined life. By yogic practices the physical and mental development was possible which in turn resulted in the development of total personality. A class for children was set up in 1900, to catch and train the young and nascent mind to the higher level of thinking. The parables and stories of Indian philosophy was the things taught there. Abh. was helped by Swami Turiyananda in this task. The class and its progress was reported in the New York Herald of March 4, 1900 edition. The same was reprinted in the Prabuddha Bharata in May 1900 and the title was; New York Juvenile Ved¡ntists: Little ones who Are Learning Brahmanism. ‘‘Not the least among the extra-ordinary things of these times, is the realisation that India, the land of the heathen and benighted according to popular impressions among our people is sending missionaries of the Hindu religion in to the very core and heart of our Western civilisation. Here in New York a few pictures- que monks of the Br¡hmin faith have banded together a society for the propaganda of their religion and philosophy, which is taking such

deep root and spreading so rapidly that children in this city are being reared and trained in the faith of Brahma, and are sent every week to sit at the feet of the Eastern Mahatma to learn wisdom and grace.” 12

All Saturdays in the evening in the Ved¡nta Society room, Abh. conducted class on Hindu philosophy for an hour. The class was made as attractive and fascinating as it could be. The children were highly attentive and were attracted to the handsome Abh.’s class and oration. He always had in his hand either an ancient Sanskrit text usually ‘Hitopadesa’ or a book of good counsels. These books are the treasure house of literature that too world, fables of animals Indian tales and fairy stories. Abh. knew that children like the moral stories, and so he first started with it. Secondly he started ‘The Life and Teaching of Jesus’ and lastly he took up the moral lessons. This was the strategy he adopted to teach the kids.

Abh. weaved in to these the doctrines of Vedas such as reincarnation, karma and Yoga. These wise tit bits will hang out in the minds of these young lives. Abh. after narrating the stories analyses it and asks each and every student to speak out their opinion or comment of the story. The children are very quick to give their comments as they are very quick to understand it and also safeguard it all through their life.

The young minds are quick to grasp the calmness of this philosophy more than the older people and it is with great zeal they absorb it. One of the child discarding his weekend holiday, from Brooklyn comes to Ved¡nta Society to attend the class of UpaniÀads. He was very interested to learn the sublime doctrines of the UpaniÀads rendered out by Abh.

When the classes for the children began, the children were accompanied by the elders. Soon it was evident that it was the older folk who were more interested in listening to the class and also get special care of Abh. The little ones had no chance of getting turns to interact with Abh. All the grown-ups were excluded and the children had their own capacity to understand and be one with Abh. He encouraged the children to celebrate Christmas and Christmas tree was erected and it was illuminated with candlesticks which made it beautiful. Abh. became one with the community of New York and people were very much attracted to him for accepting their faith. A Great Call for Ved¡nta Literature

There was a great demand for the Ved¡nta literature in the form of books, pamphlets etc, and the library had to function even during summer in the year 1900-1906. The Society busied itself in the publication of the journal that too, on its own, named the Ved¡nta

Monthly Bulletin. The purpose of this bulletin was described in its first issue. The dual purpose of bulletin is to spread the awareness of the universal message of the Ved¡nta philosophy all over the country and abroad and also to attract the individuals and groups who had been working on this project in to closer units or societies. The result of this was to bring about solidarity, power and strength among the members of the entire movement. They had appealed to the masses to take part in this movement and also to spread the truths of Ved¡nta all over the universe.

The books published by the Ved¡nta society were in great demand and in 1905 about 1563 books were sold. From other countries, like Philippines, Austria, Italy, and France etc. the demand for books began to flow in.

According to Swami Atulananda impression of Abh. “He was a man of reserved character. He did not mix freely with his students as the other Swami’s did. Abh., yet had held meetings with the students and gave one hour to talk with him. Abh. insisted on having some privacy. This was because he wanted some time for his own to prepare himself for the lectures and the classes which he rendered.”13 Besides all these he was always available to whoever wanted him and he was sympathetic towards the needy and was full of encouragement.

He made it a point that no one went empty handed, that is, who approached him. Abh. was honoured by the West by conferring an honorary Ph.D degree by the University of California. Besides he was also offered the chair of Sanskrit by this University, which he denied. This really proves the honour, love, affection the West had for him.

The work of Abh. in New York began in the year 1900-1901. As his part of the work he started classes and giving public lecture, even on Sundays. The words of Abh. attracted the American people, like magnet attracting an iron piece. This is evident in his speeches in the church, society halls and the like. For example to speak at the Cremation Society, spiritualistic Societies, The council Board of unity Church, California asked Abh. to conduct the Sunday service. In short all these above said statements shows that Abh. was accepted in the West and the Ved¡nta philosophy was accepted. At the time of farewell, the Maharaj of Baroda and his Queen was present there. Some quotations of people who adored Abh.

“For nine years you have laboured tirelessly among us enduring hardship, opposition, even enmity, yet pushing on your course undaunted and unchecked. When you came to New York, out of all those who had gathered so eagerly around SV. you found scarcely a

handful of earnest students. With these you began your labour. True to your Sany¡sin spirit, in the heart of this commercial metropolis, asking aid of no one, and with the infinite wisdom, patience, courage and tenacity which have characterised your efforts at every step, you began to build, stone by stone, the solid structure of the Ved¡nta Society as it stands today. Only those who know the conditions of New York can appreciate how great have been the difficulties and how noble is your achievement.”14 “You are now returning to India bearing with you the fruits of many years experience in this new and more vigorous country, and we believe that your visit will prove rich in results, both for India and America. It is this alone that makes it possible for us to look forward with some degree of courage to the long months of separation which lie before us.”15

Abhedananda in India

Abh. returned to India in 1906 and was given a warm welcome. Various newspapers and magazines like Indian Mirror, The Bombay Chronicle, The Brahmav¡din, Prabhuddha Bharata and so on had reported or rather set up columns to report the lectures and welcome address of Abh. His first public appearance was in 1896, as a preacher of Ved¡nta, until then he was a stranger to all Indians. He walked from Himalayas to Rameswaram, barefooted and penniless. He had

no concern of the future. His life turned in to a new leaf in London when he interpreted Ved¡nta. He resorted to the life of severe austerity, constant meditation and also studies.

The first lecture of Abh. that is when he set his foot in India was at Columbo. He was addressed in the function as the one who had spread the message of Ved¡nta philosophy, humanitarian considerations, social service, a faithful disciple of SRK., a brother disciple of SV., one who had spread through his personality the culture of Sri Ramakrishna Mission and Math and also the one who had brightened up and upheld the values of Indian culture by putting in to practice what he preached.

Abh. in his speech, as a reply to the above said praises said that he was really filled with pride as to be known in connection with SRK. and SV. It was their tutoring, their instructions and above all their power of reasoning which moulded him. He quoted the ¿loka, the meaning is that there is only one thing which exists and men call it by different names, as Vishnu, Siva etc. They are one and the same but are named differently. Even Islam, Christ, Buddha etc are thought of differently but their essence is one and the same. All religions are based on one truth and that is welfare of humanity. All are God’s

children and the God resides in all.16 By saying this he concluded his speech.

He delivered a lecture in1906, July at Kandy, Dharmaraja College hall, on, Reincarnation and a series of lectures at various places in India like Tinnevelly, Madura, Sreerangam, Pudukotta, Madras, Banglore and so on. In India two centres were established by him, one was at Calcutta and the other at Darjeeling which were named as Ramakrishna Ved¡nta Math and Ved¡nta Ë¿ram respectively .To facilitate the missionary activities, a Bengali magazine was published called Viswavani.

Abh. became a member of Pan-Pacific educational conference at Hawai Islands. He then visited Japan, China, and Singapore and so on. He went to Tibet from Kashmir, on foot, by crossing the Himalayas. This he did to study the life, culture, behaviours, traditions and heritage of Buddhism and Lamanism. He went to the monastery of Himis. From there he got the valuable manuscript regarding the unknown life of Jesus Christ and this was first recorded by a Russian called Nicholas Notovich. Abh. seeking the help of a senior Lama, translated it into Bengali, named ‘Kashmir O Tibet.’

He laid the foundation stone of Ramakrishna Home. The words of Abh., “The work which was started by our illustrious brother SV.

is a national work, and the whole nation is interested in it. The whole world is now beginning to appreciate what SV. has done and what Ramakrishna Mission is doing.”17 According to Abh. “The life of a sany¡sin is not a bed of roses, and in spite of all the difficulties and dangers that awaited him he boldly unfurled the banner of his illustrious Guru, SRK. and poured the nectar of Ved¡nta into the hungry and thirsty souls of the most materialistic and commercial nation of the world freeing their minds from the thraldom of false religious beliefs.”18

Abhedananda’s View of the Future of India

Abh. said that the future of India depended on the youth and so there should be a strong base for the growth of the youth. There should be all-round development in the moulding of youth. “According to Abh. our civilisation is not based upon commercial ideals, nor up on material principals as we find the civilisation of Europe and America. Our civilisation is based up on moral principles.”19

The first duty of the youths should be to devote and surrender one’s life to the practising of virtue and also to realise the ideals of spirituality. The students aim should be to attain spirituality, obey moral laws and also to realise the magnificence of one’s own soul.

The aim of Indian students was to earn money to lead a life, support their families and to beget children; this should change to the above said means.

The must life of every individual is to practice self-control. By self-control it means the control of senses, passions and desires which sprouts up in one’s mind. With will power and discrimination one can easily control one’s senses. This very self-control is the leading step to spirituality and ethics in life. The limbs of self-control or the things tagged with self-control are self-sacrifice, absolute love, charity, social service and humanity. There should be unity among youths which lacks in this present day. One should realise the Ëtman which resides in all is the same. One should know or realise that the Ëtman is immortal and it is also infinite, without beginning or an end. The same Ëtman is seen lighted up in all human beings then one can see variety in unity.

There should be ample facilities for the students to research. The universities are still backward. The need of the hour is to wake up and set up such universities or institutions where there is enough scope for discoveries, investigations and researches in all branches of knowledge. The lack of technical and industrial schools has made India stand aloof. This should be promoted and encouraged to the

core. Free education is also a must in India. The status of education in America is that it is made compulsory. There are inspectors who enquire whether any child is denied education. Free education should be the motto because it makes each and every one go for it. Moreover it is the right of very citizens as they are tax-payers. The wealthy should donate some of their wealth for education and the government should have its own institutions. The most pathetic condition of India is that about eighty percent of Indians are illiterate. By educating the masses one can impart the knowledge of ideals of life. They can also be made aware that they belong to a nation and also enables one to know the greatness of Hindu religion and the Ved¡nta philosophy’s splendour. Abhedananda and Vivekananda in the Panorama of Modern Culture and Civilisation

India had three strong personalities or a trio like SRK., SV. and Abh. who strived hard to amalgamate all the religions which was the need of the hour. SRK. stood firm to make this ideal a reality and this was fulfilled by the endeavour of SV. and Abh. Their personalities following their master, spread the lofty message of cosmic humanism through the medium as well as the base of scientific humanism.

The comparison of SV. and Abh. is like drawing a line on water and it can be asked whether the comparison is possible. This question is relevant and the answer given to this question is still more relevant. Both these great personalities were able to fulfil their aims or goal of life, one had only a short span of life that is only thirty nine years and the other had a span of seventy three years to fulfil the mission that had been assigned. There was difference in their personalities too, that is one had a very dazzling glow and the other was sovereign and calm and there are some dissimilarities in their outlook and also in the forefront of facing a problem.

SRK. had predicted that both SV. and Abh. had a great renowned future. SV.was a man who was a born sceptic and had an opinion of his own. He was a daring adventurist and he has a part of his journey had gone to Dakshineswar. On the other hand Abh., was born yogi and a great lover or had great adherence to Hindu scriptures and his pilgrim spot was also Dakshineswar. The spark of these two were put together in illuminating the pure monism of the Ved¡nta philosophy, the Great Master SRK. had prophesised that both of them had a great zeal of spirituality, eloquent speakers, pure at heart and flawless character, energetic and sonorous. They had fervour of passion of responsibility which never had a slow down.

As said earlier, SV. was an inherent iconoclast and his childhood had shown signs of it. It is found that he was combative but that was just a short lived one. His inner feel was longing for truth. He preferred pure reasoning but still had an inclination to mystic science and had a mystic temperament. He was well-versed in Western philosophy, science, history and literature. He would not believe anything without properly understanding it. He was never attracted to theological principles and he believed only the truth and he had the spiritual urge which yearned for truth. He was in the pursuit of eternal and not what had said was truth.

Abh. from the very infancy was a seeker of truth or had a great hunger to know and understand the universal truth. He was a voracious reader and read almost all the scriptures that too the original ones in Sanskrit and also the translated English version by many authors. He had gathered immense bookish knowledge. He was always in the pursuit of knowing whether God existed or not.

Both SV. and Abh. had great immense knowledge in the principles and doctrines of Christianity they were familiar with the historical events of this religion and even their writings and letters reflected their knowledge of this religion in the aspects of critical,

analytical, historical approach towards the life of Christ and the religion of Christianity.

These two disciples of SRK. were wandering monks. After the demise of the Master these two disciples set out on a journey. They travelled the length and breadth of India to understand clearly the culture, tradition, history and the social evils that existed in India. They were the true examples of parivr¡jakas. They studied the India even to the minute end and they understood the problem India faced during those periods. Soon they adorned the robes of social reformer as well as that of an educator. It can thus be concluded that both SV. and Abh. were the only persons who had gone deep in to the problems of India and had a thorough knowledge of her past and future.

The peep into the life of SV. leads one to understand that he was blessed by his guru SRK. and all the Master’s spiritual powers was passed on to him. Besides SRK.’s spiritualism he had also inherited the religious and social ideologies of Rajaram Mohan Roy, which had left a great mark in his mind and also stressed the importance and want of scientific education in India. He set up Sri Ramakrishna Mission to spread the knowledge of science and also both the welfare of the masses, both materially and spiritually.

Abh. also as SV. was a social reformer and he too emphasised the importance of material and spiritual upliftment for the welfare of the Indian masses. He was opinion that the programmes or activities proposed for social welfare will find no result if it is done as a part of reformation. The reformation will be successful if it aims at all round progress or development without neglecting the basic idea of the welfare of the society. Abh. never encouraged any reforms, which aimed at society or any other area, which had no element of religious aspect in it. More than physical or bodily wants and cravings, he gave importance to the needs and wants of religion. Abh. did not fire and flame in the realm of reformation as SV. did, but he was a calm and peaceful reformer.

SV. was a prophet of life and so his teachings had an appeal to life or inspired the masses. On the base of life he dealt the religion and philosophy. According to him philosophy rendered a value in life because it is the one which opens the windows for the fine living and realisation of the self. Abh. too was a prophet, he was the prophet of knowledge. It was through the psychic experience he approached the masses through the medium of knowledge and wisdom. SV. as a warrior in the battle of life used the weapon of spirit of love and unselfishness which is built on the foundation of realisation of one’s self which is the aim of each and every individual. Abh. on the other

hand, followed a detached individual, was a man of silence, but when the need arouse the silent monk let out the weapon of love and oneness to help the suffering mass. He was ever ready for the needy and the sufferings in his own designed manner.

SV.and Abh. had influenced the people of India but the fact is SV.’s influence was greater than that of Abh. SV.’s influence was very spontaneous but that of Abh. was gradual because he was away from India for a long time so unable to influence the Indian masses. Abh. was a soothing breeze which attracted the seekers of truth both in Europe and America. After hearing the maiden speech of Abh. in London, SV. complemented him thus, “You have a resonant voice with carrying powers too.”20 SV. is known as man of perfection. On the other hand SV. had travelled all over India by foot, so he could inject in them life, especially the young hearts, but Abh. entered the Indian arena only in the third and fourth decade and in short both these leaders left a mark of them in the Indian as well as world social set up through their speeches, thoughts and writings. Abh. fulfilled the dream of his Master and also strived to make it perfect. It is necessary to quote a few lines from the fare well address at San Franscisco Ved¡nta retreat, when in 1921 he decided to return to India from America forever, “Although there are many teachers amongst

us, still we have not found another like you who has such a vast treasure of wisdom and such a deep spiritual wisdom and who has the power to awaken the divine consciousness in the earnest soul of seekers after truth. Therefore we feel that in your absence we shall be sailing in troubled water in a ship without her captain and cannot bear the thought that you would leave us so soon and go to India.”21 This shows the popularity Abh. had won in America and how deep was his influence in the hearts of West. It was same attitude of theirs towards SV. or rather they had given the same space in their hearts for both SV. and Abh.. SV. was a man of dazzling personality and Abh. was a personal of graciousness and also considered as an incarnate. The personality of Abh. was a combination of natural and inborn strength which has the ability to cast a spell on all who approaches him. SV. and Abh., footing on the great and praise worthy heritage of India, dedicated themselves to interpret the philosophy of Ved¡nta and spread it all over the world. The influence they gained in the West is beyond words to explain.

Sister Nivedita had remarked that the two names, SV. and Abh., is one and the same or should be said in unity as they are the two sides of the same coin. Besides the two are compared to the incessant streams of inspiration which joins in the mighty ocean of their guru’s

idealism.22 This statement of Sister Niveditha proves to be true as both these were the messengers of the golden words and the Gospel of SRK.’s life, the light which had illuminated the hearts and minds of these leaders. The Indian blood with its culture and ethics filled in them to brim enabled them to dedicate their life for giving to the last drop the synthesis of spirituality in such a world which was filled with chaos and confusion and fighting over their hearth. Both SV. and Abh. had represented the great, worthy and the grand self which lighted the darkened and rotten heart with the torch which SRK. had lighted. The life of both gives an insight to the joy one gets from the eternal life and hand in hand they spread, preached and taught the message of the religion of the universe and also the notion of brotherhood and love all as one loves himself. The East and West Contributions

The Berkshire Ë¿rama was the most valuable contributions in the West. The main peculiarity of this Ë¿ramais the Indian gurukula system aimed by SV. and Abh. In the Western soil, they cultivated fruits and vegetables and also had a beautiful kitchen garden. The workers volunteered to work and it was a period of training and aptitude. The peculiarity of the Ë¿rama was that there was always a student who was an expert in any branch of physical work or trade.

All the maintenance work of the Ë¿rama was done by the inmates itself. The Ë¿rama was founded on the basis of Karma yoga. It is said so because there was always some sort of work to be done. The word idleness was not applicable to the Ë¿rama dwellers. Abh. proved to be a Karmayogi in his Berkshire Ë¿rama as he had worked incessantly and without desiring any reward for it. The Ë¿rama was his mind’s child.

¾ It was the task of Abh. to impart and interpret the knowledge of Ved¡nta to the West.

¾ The Westerners were unaware of the great sons of India, her culture, her traditions, her inheritance and even her philosophies. They were skeptical of Indian traditions and culture.

¾ The great men of letters, SV. and Abh., exhorted the members of the Baranagar monastery to study and debate on the different schools of thoughts both East and West. This was one of the things which made both SV. And Abh. competent in this field.

SV. and Abh. observed that man is the same all over the universe. The difference and distinction between man and man or East and West, is the realm of the class, culture, race, habits, character, environment and the like situations and conditions. As it is well known that the nature of human being is universal and the very same

consciousness exists in the hearts of all humans. It can be seen that the spirit, spontaneity, and creativity in man is universal that too all in one sweep. One unique quality of man is the self-consciousness. SV. considered it has his responsibility to impart the knowledge of Ved¡nta to the people of the West. He also gave the correct and perfect view of the religion of Hinduism and made them understand the greatness of his motherland. In short he injected the medicine of religious tolerance in the minds of the West especially the Americans. Last Moments of Abhedananda

Abh. spent a long period of his life in the West to propagate Indian culture, philosophy and the golden words of his Master. In the troubled times of India, that is the period of freedom struggle, Abh. returned to India. He studied the problems of his countrymen and he opined that India needed industrial and scientific development which leads to self-reliance. He gave an exotic lecture on progressive Hinduism in 1922 and this gives an insight to his thoughts, “You must encourage the industry of your own country. I have a great desire to have an ideal institute of national industry established in India. One Tata project is not enough for India. She must have other factories in other parts of India. You must work or perish.”23

Abh. spent his time in Darjeeling and during this period came in touch with spiritual, nationalist and patriots like Desabandhu C.R Das etc. This relation became a strong bond. In 1925 Abh. met Mahatma Gandhi in Darjeeling. He also met C.V Raman and Lord Lytton at Darjeeling when they came to the Ë¿ram. Mahatma Gandhi told Abh. that he was the one who moved along the line of work drawn by SRK. and SV. Abh. lauded Mahatma Gandhi for his effort to remove untouchability and also his encouragement for flourishing cottage industries. Abh. remarked that the Master though a Br¡hmin by birth prayed to the Divine Mother to free him from egoism of a Brahmin because he is superior to a sweeper on account of his birth. This will make him realise the self of a sweeper is equal to that of a Br¡hmin which in turn will help him realise the eternal truth. The master then went to the sweeper’s house and cleaned the doors of the house with his long hair. This example of SRK. shows that untouchability is removed from the hearts of his followers. Abh. transferred all his property to the Ramakrishna Ved¡nta Society and also installed an idol of SRK. at Darjeeling Ved¡nta Ë¿ram.

The year 2017 is commemorated as the hundred and fifty first birth anniversary of Abh. The life of Abh. was the selfless service to the nationalistic, spiritual and the rekindling of the success of self- reliance. Abh. was a spiritual master of extra ordinary intellectual

capacity and he is the very soul of India, in word and spirit. He was a man of multifaceted personality. He is the very identity of India, also an interpreter of all the ethics, morals and traditions of India, a man of extreme knowledge, a protector of India’s civilizational development. Abh. never for once wasted a second of his time. As he was returning from Darjeeling to Calcutta, he met with an accident which inflicted severe strain on nerves, beyond recovery. A man who was philosopher and the historian departed from the lap of Mother Earth to the lap of his Great Master who was waiting for him in the heaven, in the year 1939, September 8. Biblical Account of Abhedananda

Abh. was a jewel of infinite value in the realm of India’s philosophy and also among the disciples of SRK. His works is the vast ocean which has no ending or beginning, having immense wealth of knowledge, ideas, modern ideas and ways of reasoning, analyzing, observing, discriminating the objects which are mortal and immortal, which belong to the spirit and matter, studies the time and space of objects and occurrence, educational ideologies, religious studies, harmony of religions, unity in diversity in the aspect of faith and devotional doctrines.

Abh. being an orator had delivered a series of lectures on innumerable subjects. The venue of his speeches was universities, colleges and churches and the most remarkable thing was there was always a crowd to listen to his lectures and also the distinguished personalities. All the lectures of Abh. was published in the form of books. The birth centenary of Abh. was conducted in the year 1966- 67 and the Ramakrishna Ved¡nta Math Calcutta published the Complete Works of Swami Abhedananda in Eleven Volumes in English. This helped to spread the ideology of Abh. in the field of Ved¡nta. Complete works of Swami Abhedananda

Volume 1

This compilation of lectures has in it, the subjects like Spiritual Unfoldment, Self-knowledge, Reincarnation, the Doctrine of Karma, and Path of Realisation and so on. The opening up of spirituality is the stepping stone for the realisation of the self. When the knowledge of the self is attained one is said to have known the divine. The knowledge of self alone is not enough because the mind of the person should also be clear. This is possible only by following the karma, that too NiÀk¡makarma, by imbibing the worldly pleasures. One must have through knowledge of one’s tradition and

culture, along with the religious knowledge. God should be given a prime position in one’s self.

Volume II

In this volume he stresses on Ved¡nta. The Ideal of Education, Thoughts on Samkhya Buddhism and Vedanta, Women’s Place in Hindu Religion so on describes in this volume. He compares Ved¡nta with other religions. He also describes the culture and tradition of India. He also stressed the influence of India on Western civilisation and the influence of Western civilisation on India. Volume III

In this volume there are lectures on How to Be a Yogi which describes what is Yoga, different types of Yoga like Bhakti Yoga, Jμ¡na Yoga, Ha¶ha Yoga, Karma Yoga so on. It also gives an insight into science of breathing and doubts whether Christ was a karma Yogi.

The next lecture is on Yoga Psychology. This lecture spreads over the steps to attain the benefits of Yoga, how to overcome the obstacles in the path of Yoga practice, the science behind the breath, the pr¡¸¡y¡ma on the basis of the psychic feel, the concentration, meditation, super consciousness, Kriy¡yoga, the influence of nescience in the world, the facts of knowledge and ignorance, the

result of attachment and aversion, bondage and freedom and also the relation with Karma and meditation.

Another important lecture in this volume is the Yoga its Theory and Practice. Here the aphorisms of Rajayoga and its importance is dealt along with the benefits of correct breathing techniques, the magic power of pr¡¸¡y¡ma to heal, the science of breath or pr¡¸¡y¡ma and its connection with Vedas, the holy and sacred word ‘OM’, the benefits of concentration and the Samadhi and the hindrances to attain it.

The most interesting and at the same time the most important lecture in this volume is True Psychology. The main topics which are dealt in this lecture are the consciousness, the powers of mind, and its modifications, the power of concentration, the individuality and personality, the states of existence and the relation of man with the absolute.

In this volume the Yoga and its science has been dealt with through and through. A layman who reads this can very well understand each and every aspect of Yoga and its relation with other branches of science like philosophy, psychology and science. Abh. often said that he was very fortunate enough to be the disciple of SRK., a divine man, an incarnation and so on. SRK. had no formal

education and was unable to read scriptures or philosophy but still he knew all philosophies and practiced the rites and rituals of all religions. He found out that all religions final goal is self-realization or Brahman. Hence it can be said that to realize God or the essence of spirituality is dependent on the practice of Yoga and not from any books or scriptures. The sincere, faithful, and regular practice of yoga will surely lead a layman to commune with the supreme power or the Absolute. Volume IV

This volume deals with subjects like whether there is Life Beyond Death, the relation of science with spiritualism, whether the soul survives even after death, how to approach death with the tool of science, the situation of soul after death, the soul which takes rebirth, the destiny of soul, the fact behind pre-existence and also reincarnation, the relation between pre-existence and immortality along with science and immortality. The other topics in this volume are the lectures about spiritualism, its relationship with science, and the worship of ancestry, the medium of spiritualism and the magic of automatic-slate writing.

The other important lecture is related to Science of Psychic Phenomena which has detailed the phenomenon of psychic, the

healing power of the pr¡¸¡y¡ma, the healing by magnetic use, the science connected with the mental healing and also the healing by spiritualism, the ideology of perfect health, and the knowledge of mystery.

The lecture on the Mystery of Death is included in this volume. This lecture deals with the ruler of death, immortality, the home of death, the thing that is changeable and unchangeable, the knowledge of Absolute, a detailed study of ego, self and sensation and the true self, the hidden divine element in man, the self which is immortal and its realm, the harmony in the midst variety, a through and through detailing of the body and the soul and also its perfection and the universe of Brahman.

The world is born out of the vibration and this marks the beginning of the realization of the Absolute. The Absolute is free from the clutches of prejudices and some biased blind beliefs. This is a criticism of the study of science and practice and spirituality. It deals with the merits as well as the obstacles and darker sides of the solutions for the problems of birth and rebirth, existence and pre- existence of the souls along with its immortality and eternality. He has made easy all the complex subjects in this volume so that even a layman can understand it.

Volume V

This volume gives an insight into the Great Saviours of the World like, Krishna, Zorastor, Lao Tze, Buddha, Christ, Muhammed and SRK. It details the Memoirs of the Sri Ramakrishna along with his golden words. A detailed explanation of SV.’s works is also dealt here. This volume aims at the real as well as intellectual teachings and messages of the religious founders and saints. It can be found that all the great leaders of religions as well as the founders of great religions have embraced the Ved¡ntic teachings and vice versa and thus an atmosphere of religions harmony and creeds is created. The biographies of the great saviours sketched on the records and accounts are of great inspiration to the readers. The views of SRK., his messages and sayings and of course his ideology and longing for universal harmony and brotherhood is pictured in such a manner that it really occupies a space in the hearts of the readers and the light of these words keep shining in their hearts and minds always. Volume VI

This volume has in it the interesting topics like the Heliocentric Science, A Study of the Twentieth Century Religion, the inclination of Ved¡nta towards religion and so on. Abh. opines that the universe and its things are not stagnant, it keeps on changing,

or in short nothing is stationary and is always in the path moving. In this ever changing universe there is one thing which is always fixed or stagnant which is Ëtman or the individual soul. The Sun is the mother of all planets and by its magnetic current it controls all the forces and also gives life to all the things on earth. Hence the Sun is the only source of initial energy. This volume also discusses and proves that the religion is the blood and life and the philosophy is the flesh and bones. The religion based and formulated on all the religions of the world is the universal religion. The lofty message which Ved¡nta imparts is that the extreme happiness is Brahman. This message of Ved¡nta exhorts man to attain this happiness and fulfil the aim of human life. Volume VII

Thoughts on Philosophy and Religion, The Religion, Revelation and God, The New Pantheism and so on constitutes this volume. The discussions on philosophy and religion on the basis of analytical and intuitiveness highlights this volume. The practical application of the religious rites and rituals is also discussed. Abh. opens his mind on the topics like unity and harmony, the cosmic evolution and its aim, the development of word, the philosophy of ancient India, the evil practices as well as the good practices of Hindu religion, those

who save the soul, the God and motherhood, the communion with the divine and how to attain a blessed life, in a very simple and comprehensive manner. He is of opinion that the theories on different problems and the written down solutions if made practical would surely help man a lot. The mere discussions of theories are meaningless if not used practically. The aim of philosophy and religions is the intuitive perception of Absolute that too the highest one.

Abh. has shown his poetic skill by composing many hymns. The Sanskrit hymn Stotra Ratnakara is translated to English by him. This translation shows the deep love and gratitude towards his Master and Holy Mother. The Ramakrishna Stotra is the one which reflects the piety of Abh. This is composed in a lucid and appealing style. The Stavaraja Stotra was written as the inspiration he got the B.G. Another important hymn, Stotramritam reflects the exuberant mood of Abh. This hymn exhorts and inspires the reader to the realm of devotion. The hymn to the Holy Mother which Abh. penned is the Gunamritam and Sri Saradadevi Stotram which underlies the importance of mother’s love and care.

Volume VIII and IX

These two volumes are to the brim with the Bhagavad G¢t¡, The Divine message. These are a set of awe-inspiring lecture on the message that is imbedded in B.G. Sri Krishna in the battle of Kurukshetra while exhorting Arjuna to fight reveals his true nature and delivers the message of Yoga and also of the righteousness living. Abh. finds similarity between Christ and Krishna in the messages of birth and death, delivered by both of them. He also says that the events and miracles of both these saviors are the same, the divinity and also their aim, but it is different in names and faith they follow due to time and space. Both these saviours have unselfish love and motives and they spread the message of unselfish love.

The B.G. is a practical view of the solution of the problems faced by man in his day to day life. It also gives an insight into the spiritual and philosophy of life. The B.G. gives a detailed insight into the real feature of Ëtman, mortality and immortality, the means of attaining the supreme knowledge, the doctrine of work, restraining the senses, mind and how to meditate, the different types of Yoga, like Karma, Jμ¡na, R¡ja and Ha¶ha along with the tips for being a true sanny¡si and yogi and above all the realization of the self or Brahman

by the means of Yoga. The light from the lamp of the B.G. erases of all the darkness of ignorance and moulds a man into perfection.

The philosophers are divided into three by Abh. They are:-

¾ One who has known the Ëtman directly.

¾ The second who has known the Ëtman through books on philosophy, to know the means of realization and also the life’s of philosophers.

¾ The third gathers intellectual knowledge of the highest truth and is eager to know more about it and at the same time wants to be known as a philosopher or a scholar.

Abh. says that the one who has realized the highest knowledge or the Brahman or the Ëtman is free from the clutches of nescience or ajμ¡na and he is for sure the real and pure philosopher. Volume X

The illuminating account of Abh.’s activities and accomplishments in the field of education and renunciation and as a preacher of spirituality on the basis Ved¡nta is elicited in this volume. The volume is of great interest to those who love to know more about Indian tradition, cultures, and civilization of India. In the lecture Epistles, he has given a detailed account of SV., Brahmananda,

Akhandananda and other direct disciples of SRK. He has also mentioned about their ideologies, their realm of activities the missionary work, their lectures, their published books, the routine of the ashram life etc. Besides these he has also included the letters sent to the Holy Mother and the letters written by SV. The Goddess of fortune will shine on the brave and the energetic souls. One should always be confident and look forward and not backward. One must have infinite energy, enthusiasm, daring, and patience only then great and bold deeds can be accomplished, and then the whole world will be lighted up. Volume XI

The philosophy, ideologies and analysis of Abh. is critically assessed. The views of SRK. and his messages along with the religious and philosophical ideas are detailed in a very simple and lucid manner. The best rational vision and reasonable solution for men is etched here. The entire text has been briefed in this volume so that it helps the common readers to grasp the essence of Abh.’s. lectures and works. The Complete Work is thus an eye-opener to the young and the old alike.

Teachings of Abhedananda

¾ The Guru and the IÀ¶adevata are identical and if one meditates on one’s Guru, the IÀ¶adevata will revealed.

¾ Earnest prayers and faithfulness will help one to get the vision of IÀ¶adevata.

¾ The one who expects rewards of his work is in bondage.

¾ Bondage will not allow a man to be free from the clutches of lust and other emotions.

¾ One should always prefer the company of the wise, spiritual and intellectual being rather than worldly people.

¾ Over-dependence on the senses will make one unable to distinguish between real and unreal.

¾ The path of niv¤tti is realised when one acquires the spirit of renunciation.

¾ The spiritual treasures cannot be acquired suddenly.

Many eminent scholars, such as philosophers historians paid there respectful homage to this illustrious brother disciple of SV. some of them are quoted below:

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan says that “I was deeply impressed by his love for Indian culture and loyalty to the great ideals of spiritual life.

His work in America was quite impressive. I had read many of his works and believe that he did a good deal to popularise ideas of Indian culture in the West.” Dr. C.V. Raman said in course of giving tribute to the Abh. “I had the great pleasure of meeting the Swamiji at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashram at Darjeeling in 1932 and was deeply impressed by his learning and personality. His services to India in popularising her culture and religion abroad were undoubtedly of a memorable character. The noted historian Dr. Radhakumud Mookherji remarked “Few could equal Swamiji in his power of popular oratory combined with that of the simplest expositions of the most abstruse philosophical positions and the subtlest of spiritual truths. We must make Swami Abhedananda live with us and for us and ever teach us in his immortal writings and published works. He is immortal as a teacher”. Prof. Tan Yun Shan of Shantiniketan, an ardent disciple of the Swami, paid homage to him and said, “I do not know why at the very first sight of his I began to love and admire him very much. He was so kind, so gentle, so charming and so noble.”24

The study of Abh. will be complete only when one studies or goes through the philosophical ideologies of this great Saint.

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Resume

Abh. is such a personality on whom a bundle of adjectives can be tagged and yet it all stands unaccomplished to describe his personality. He was a person who had immense repose and respectability and was the Sun exciting the lotus of Vedas, UpaniÀads in comparison to other sciences. He was also like the moon with the purity and untarnished renown trooping each and every corner of the world. Abh. is the jewel in the crown of learning and the one who was courageous to cut off the roots of all pseudo or false religions. He spent almost all his life in studying the lofty and great literatures of East and West. He was able to win the hearts of all because of his good- heartedness and pleasant manners. Besides he was a teacher par excellence and the Americans had high regard for him. He following the steps of SV. and also being the most acclaimed disciple of SRK. aimed at bringing back the lustre of the Ved¡nta philosophy and religion, by dedicating his entire life for it. The meaning of the name Abh. was made apt by him in rousing the happiness got from the spiritual attachment to the world.

Abh. opines that all religions in the world comes under the umbrella of Ved¡nta. The Ved¡nta which Abh. assumes is the novel aspect imbibing the good of all religions and also having an universal

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outlook. The turning point of the life of Abh. was in 1896 when he was invited to England by SV. When Abh. went to West, he introduced new ideologies and also topics which were relevant to that era. There he had acquaintance with many great dignitaries like Prof. Max Muller, Paul Deussen etc.

To propagate the lofty ideologies of Ved¡nta Abh. set up Ved¡nta Society. This society established the publication department as well as library. The hard work, the rationality, the ability to inspire and also the honourable personality made him popular. The publication did not stick on to a popular subject alone but spread over various subjects filled to the brim with valuable and precious information which had attracted many of the Westerners to this society as well as religion. He did not stop his propagation in the West alone, but in India also under the organising ‘Ramakrishna Ved¡nta Society’ in Calcutta. He in order to propagate the messages of his Master started a monthly under the name ‘Viswavani’ in Bengali, which gave stress to his missionary works, his speeches, and lectures and so on. He reminded the Indian students about their responsibilities and exhorted the students to spend more time for the uplifting of spirituality, social welfare, upliftment of society, to know the right and wrong and also to strive hard to reach the life’s goal. One should

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never be selfish and this should be the motto of one’s life along with the urge to lead a life of morality. Respect one’s motherland; honour one’s, mother tongue, parents, teachers, ethics and tradition. Each and every human being should strive to get the knowledge of the divine potentiality and should use this power for the welfare of the society as well as for good and better education.

The pre-dominating future of Ved¡nta Society in New York was simplicity and earnestness. As there was regular Yoga class and lectures by Abh. the number of students increased. Abh. became a popular figure and he really was a wanted personality there. He was always either delivering lectures or conducting classes or instructing or penning books. The fame and demand of Ved¡nta Society flourished among the intellectuals. Abh. was invited for speeches in the Universities, Assemblies, Churches, Societies. The Ved¡nta Society which was started in the unpretentious private manner now became a public organisation. The head quarters of the society was now shifted to the good centre as it was recognised now and there was an inflow of members and it became a busy organisation. Inshort Abh. stands in excellence as a propagator of Ved¡nta and SRK.’s views.

Abh.’s literary skill as well as his knowledge on different subjects and Indian traditions and religion can be well understood by

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the numerous works by him. He was a magician of words and ideas and this is reflected in his works. His excellence in Sanskrit can be seen in the hymns written to his Master and Holy Mother.

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End Notes

1 Swami Abedananda -A Spiritual Biography, Moni Bagchi, P -21. 2 Swami Abhedananda- The Patriot Saint, Ashutosh Ghosh, P-3. 3 Swami Abhedananda- A Spiritual Biography, Moni Bagchi, P- 82. 4 Holy Trio and Their Mission, Swami Bhajanananda, P – 93. 5 The Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Gambhirananda, P -244. 6 Swami Abhedananda – The Patriot Saint, Ashutosh Ghosh, P-17. 7 The Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Gambhirananda, P- 259. 8 The Bases of Indian Culture, Swami Prajnanananda, P- 853. 9 uùÉºÉÖ{ÉhÉÉÇ ºÉªÉÖVÉÉ ºÉJÉÉªÉÉ ºÉ¨ÉÉxÉÆ ´ÉÞIÉÆ {ÉÊ®ú¹Éº´ÉVÉÉiÉä* iÉªÉÉä®úxªÉ& Ê{É{{É±ÉÆ º´ÉÉuùiªÉxÉ¶xÉzÉxªÉÉä +Ê¦ÉSÉÉEò¶ÉÒÊiÉ** Mu¸¶akopaniÀad III.I.1. 10 The Ved¡nta Society of New York, Swami Thathagathananda, P-153. 11 Ibid., P-178. 12 An Apostle of Monism, Sister Sivani ( Mary Le Page) p- 104 13 The Ved¡nta Society of New York, Swami Tathagatananda, P-182. 14 Swami Abhedananda- The Patriot Saint, Ashutosh Ghosh, P -37. 15 Ibid., P -37. 16 BEÆò ºÉÊuù|ÉÉ ¤É½ÖþvÉÉ ´ÉnùÎxiÉ** Îgveda I.164 -46., Complete Works of Swami Abedananda, Swami Ashesananda (edited by), Vol.VII, P- 657. 17 Complete Works of Swami Abhedananda, Swami Ashesananda (edited by) Vol- VII, P- 484. 18 Ibid.,Vol–VII, P- 623. 19 Ibid.,Vol–VII, P- 658. 20 Swami Abhedananda -A Spiritual Biography, Moni Bagchi, P -479. 21 Ibid., P- 480. 22 Ibid., P-479. 23 Complete Works of Swami Abhedananda, Swami Ashesananda (edited by) Vol- VI, P- 201. 24 Swami Abhedananda- The Patriot Saint, Ashutosh Ghosh, P -67.

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