Reminiscences
Lessons from Swamis
June 2021
The Dec 2020 Special Issue of The Vedanta Kesari was on the topic ‘Lessons from Swamis’. New content on this topic is being serialised this year.
The Vedanta Kesari
36
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Swami Omkarananda
orn in an affluent family Anangamohan Niyogi grew up as a dear student of Mahendranath Gupta, author of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, in whose school he studied. As a youth he excelled in studies and physical exercises. After completing his MA in Philosophy in 1919, he joined the Order at the Bhubaneswar Math. He received mantra-diksha from Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and sannyasa-diksha from Swami Shivanandaji in 1923. Throughout his life he engaged himself in intense work and deep study of scriptures. In 1929, at the young age of 35 he became a Trustee of the Order and served for long as head of Advaita Ashrama, Kashi, and Kakurgachi Yogodhyan. In 1966, he became a Vice-president of the Order and served in that capacity until his mahasamadhi on 8 May 1973.
Life-long learning After completing my course at the Belur Math Training Centre, I visited Swami Omkarananda one day at Kankurgachi. I: “Maharaj, I have finished my training, so I have come to offer my pranams to you.” Swami Omkarananda: “Has someone beat you with a shoe?” I: “No.”
Swami Omkarananda: “Then your training is not complete. Your ego has not been crushed. You see, our training continues throughout life. ‘As long as I live, so long do I learn.’ Continue to learn always. Is there any end to learning, my boy?”
I was very touched by his words. I have been doing the Master’s work for the last forty-eight years in the West, but I am still a student. Tantine (Josephine Macleod) once said: “Swamiji was a great learner, so he was ever fresh.” —Swami Chetanananda, Minister-in-Charge, Vedanta Society of St. Louis, USA
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Swami Vandananada
. A. Narayan Iyengar, born in 1915 in Bengaluru, was the grandson of Sri Narayana Iyengar a disciple of Holy Mother Sarada Devi who later took sannyasa and came to be known as Swami Srivasananda. After graduating from Madras University, Narayan followed his grandfather and joined the Ramakrishna Order at Mayavati
