Childhood

Interest_in_Monastic_Life

Study_of_Sacred_Books

Discipline_in_the_house

Motivated_to_join_in_Ramakrishna_Missio

His_Life_in_Ashrama

His_initiation_Moments

Brahmachari_stage_to_Sanyasi_stage

After_joining_in_RamaKrishna_order

Major_Events_in_Swamijis_life

Swami_Ranganathanandas_works

1. Introduction :

A senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, which has its headquarters at The Belur Math, District Howrah, West Bengal. Swami Ranganathananda is a member of its Board of Trustees and of the Governing Body of its Closely allied institution, the Ramakrishna Mission. Born on 15th December, 1908, in a middle class Hindu Family in the Sylvan village of Trikkur, Kerala state, the Swamiji bore the name of Sankaran in his pre-monastic life.

2. Childhood :

He used to feel full of energy as a child. In his boyhood, he took great interest in gardening and swimming. He used to play games also. He was very good at gathering children for play - and even for work in his childhood.

In that far away period, i.e. during 1917-18, there was a road in village, which had become slushy due to heavy rain. He gathered boys of his age and set about making the road better. Such kind of social service activities he used to love and organize with great interest.

He was very fond of play. He liked mostly village games such as 'Kabaddi' and 'Marbles'. If he sat down to play at noon, he would get up only at seven in the evening. He was an expert in marbles.

3. Interest on Monastic Life:

From early childhood, there was a certain religious atmosphere in his house, where holy books like, his father and mother read The 'Srimad Bhagavatam'. He used to go to the nearby Siva Temple regularly. Then he used to memorize many verses and hymns, particularly of Sankaracharya in Sanskrit.

The turning point came when he read the great book 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna written by Sri. M. Mahendranath Gupta. Mahendranath Gupta was the direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. That was at about the age of 14, when all the pent-up spiritual emotions and feelings, vague and unorganized till then, became clarified and kindled philosophic urge in him.

4. Study of Sacred Books at the Age of Fourteen years :

He took the book 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna' from his friend who had borrowed that book from Vivekodayam High School Library in Trichur without knowing what it was.

As he started reading it, it just gripped him. After finishing the 'Gospel', he took another book, the works of Swami Vivekananda from his friend and there was almost an explosion in his mind.

Upto Seventeen and half years of age he continued this kind of study. From this long study, two great ideas emerged in his mind. First, Love of God who is the center of our spiritual tradition, second, Love of Man - Love for the common people.

5. His discipline in the House :

His parents were of religious mind. They wanted him to be with them because he had an extra dose of public spirit. Whatever was at home or outside, he never cared for himself. So they had great love for him, and expected that he will be with them in their family affairs improve their financial condition, and so on, as parents expect from their children.

When they found him taking interest in spiritual literature, at first they did not object. When they found him getting deep into it, they became afraid. So, once they tried to stop him and even compel him a little. But he stood firm and said, "This is my personal matter. Whatever I think worthwhile, I will do".

That was at the age of 15, and thereafter they did not trouble him at all, because he was so obedient and disciplined in everything else in house, but in this matter he stood firm.

6. Motivated to join in Ramakrishna Mission :

He developed strong motivation to join in Ramakrishna Order by going through the complete works at Ramakrishna. He was attracted towards Swami Vivekananda's sentences:

"Why not one sacrifice one's life for the good of the common people" ?

"What is the use of this life for the sake of self-advertisement, when millions have been starving for ages ? This is the time to do great work".

"Look at these -the poor, the ill treated, the exploited - they are your God, Worship them, serve them".

There are a plenty of ideas like these in Vivekananda's lectures and letters. When he used to read them, tears used to come from the eyes. So, the idea to join in Ramakrishna Mission grew strong in his mind and within a short period it became a reality.

7. His life in Ashrama:

Ashrama is 300 miles away from the house. He enjoyed the chance of living a great life in an Ashrama, enabled him to overcome the feelings of loving parents loving brothers and sisters, and a very beautiful country atmosphere in Kerala.

Actually, it was a poor ashrama, not much to eat and hardly any convenience. But it was no matter at all for him. He felt that Sri Ramakrishna gives life to us, it belongs to him. At that time, he was to work out for Ramakrishna's great Mission. He started working very hard during the first six years.

The ashrama in Mysore had no money. It had no servants, it had no cooks. So he had to do all the cooking, washing, cleaning and everything. For six years he worked as a cook, a dish - washer, a house - keeper, a gardener. He did these with immense joy.

8. His initiation Moments :

His initiation happened in Ootacamund. A disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, by name Mahapurush Shivananda, was living there at the time. His original name was Tarak. The other disciples used to address him as Mahapurush Maharaj. He was the second President of the Ramakrishna Order.

The Swamiji, incharge of Mysore, Swami Siddheshwarananda, who later developed the Ramakrishna Ashrama Gretz near Paris, took him from Trichur to Mysore via Ooty. Swami Siddheshwarananda advised him to take initiation from Swami Shivananda, a very lovable soul and having no pretensions to guruship or any such thing.

Four other youngsters also took initiation on the same day. He did not know anything about initiation at that time. So, he sat by Swami Shivananda's side and got initiation of mantra for him. He did not know about Gurudakshina. When Swami Shivananda asked it, he replied that he did not have any thing and came from home with only a cloth, a shirt and a towel and nothing else. Then, Swami Shivananda took four mangoes from his right side and handed them over to him and again took them from him as Gurudakshina. It was such a simple matter.

9. Bramachari stage to Sanyasi Stage :

In those days, the first three years were known as the probationary period. In 1929, he took the vows of Brahmacharya. For this, he went to Belur Math near Calcutta. That was a wonderful event. When his Guru, Swami Shivananda was also present in front of him, and various mantras were chanted and 'homa' was performed. These mantras are wonderful. The essence of those mantras was "I dedicate this life, with all its talents, for the service of God and Man". As soon as ceremony was over, they were given a new names. His name became Yati Chaitanya. The word Chaitanya means spiritual consciousness. For the next four years, this continued.

Then in 1933, sanyas (monastic initiation) was conferred. That is something extraordinary. The Vedic sanyas, and its mantras, and its method are something extraordinary. The highest philosophy is put into practice there - "I am not the body, - I am not the mind, - I am not the senses, - I am the pure self, ever free, ever pure (negation of the self).

The knowledge they want to impress on the mind and they pray to God to give them that awareness. Then, finally, a new set of clothes, all of Gerua colour, were given, along with a new name, ending with the work Ananda, (bliss). The name chosen by his Guru -"Swami Ranganathananda", finally, this became his monastic name.

10. His life - After joining in Ramakrishna Order :

He joined in Ramakrishna Order in its Mysore Branch in July 1926, at the early age of seventeen and half. He spent the next twelve years - the first nine months in Mysore and the next three in Bangalore, branches of the Order - under the loving training and care of Swami Siddheshwarananda.

During the last year of his stay in Mysore, he was the warden of the ashrama's hostel for school and college students. While in Bangalore, he was closely associated with the hundreds of students and teachers of the city and conducted moral and religious classes for the prisoners, including Satyagraha prisoners of the Bangalore Central Jail.

This was followed by three years in Rangoon as Secretary and Librarian of its Ramakrishna Mission society, during which he undertook extensive lecture tours in Burma and six years in Karachi - and then in capital of the Indian Province of Sindh, and then became the President of Ramakrishna Math and Mission Branch.

At Rangoon and Karachi, he not only continued his close association with students and teachers as their friend and guide, but also exercised his influence over vast sections of the general public.

His weekly study classes were regularly held at Rangoon and Karachi branches, on Upanisads and the Gita and occasional lectures and discourses on other spiritual, philosophical, cultural and educational themes, used to draw record crowds of men, women and students belonging to diverse faiths and nationalities.

While in Karachi, apart from various philanthropic activities, the Swamiji also organized the raising of large funds from public donations and dispatching over 1,250 tons of rice by special steamer to Calcutta to relieve the distress of the victims of the Bengal famine of 1943.

From 1949 to 1962, Swami Ranganathananda was the Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission Branch at New Delhi. Here he built up a spacious public library and auditorium, a university student's textbook library and a magnificent temple dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna. In the humanitarian field, he organized bands of dedicated workers engaged in the fields of hospital social services and leprosy relief. His study morning discourses at Delhi University and his Sunday evening discourses in the premises of Ramakrishna Mission attracted large audiences. The number at the mission was raising sometimes to over two thousand which become outstanding features of the cultural and intellectual life of India's capital city. During these years at Delhi, and later at Calcutta, Swamiji undertook repeated lecture tours covering Japanese Universities and several South - East Asian countries in 1958 and several times, thereafter, and seventeen European countries, including Czechoslovakia, Poland, USSR, and Spain between April and August, 1961.

The Swamiji has given several broadcast talks at the invitation of the All India Radio. He addressed the Annual Convocations of the Calcutta University in February 1966 and delivered lectures on India's Educational Vision, and of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay in June 1967 on the Indian philosophy of social work. He had undertaken extensive lecture tours from 1946 to 1972 covering 50 countries from 1973 to 1986 he visited annually Australia, U.S.A., Holland and Germany.

Swamiji worked as President of Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad, from 1973 to 1993. Later, he was unanimously elected as the President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission - Belur, at a meeting of the Board of Trustees of Ramakrishna Math and that of the Governing body of the Ramakrishna Mission held on 7 Th September 1998.

He is the 13 Th President of the Ramakrishna Order and succeeds Swami Bhuteshananda, who attained Mahasamadhi on 10th August, 1998.

Since then, according to the rules of Ramakrishna Order, our Revered Swami Ranganathananda, being the oldest in age among the trustees, is officiating as President of Ramakrishna Mission and Ramakrishna Math. Recently, in February 1998, the Hon' ble President of India, Sri. K.R. Narayanan, has honored the Sri Ramakrishna Math through our Revered Swami Ranganathananda by bestowing the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize.

11. Major Events in Swami Ranganathananda's life at Sri Ramakrishna Order in Brief:

1. Swami Ranganathananda's Works:

1. Swami Vivekananda on Guru Gobind Singh
2. Children : Humanity's Greatest Assets
3. Role and Responsibility of Teachers in Building Up Modern India
4. Neurology What lies beyond
5. Swami Vivekananda's Vision of Free India
6. Enlightened Citizenship and our Democracy
7. Human Values in Management
8. Vedic Vision of Universality and Harmony
9. Women in the Modern Age
10. Science and Human Values
11. Science of Human Uniqueness

Swami Vivekananda on Universal ethics and Moral conduct

India's Vision of Samanvaya

12. A Traveller looks at the World
13. The Message of Prophet Mohammed
14. National Integration through Love and Service
15. The Call of Human Excellence
16. Science and Spirituality