Reminiscences

Reminiscences of Sargachhi

SWAMI SUHITANANDA

(Continued from previous issue. . .) The author, now one of the Vice Presidents of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, noted these conversations while serving Swami Premeshananda (1884 – 1967) at Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Sargachhi, Murshidabad, West Bengal. Premeshananda Maharaj was a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. He inspired countless men and women to lead a life of spirituality and service. These reminiscences were originally published in Bengali.

23.9.60 (contd…) W ork keeps the mind in good condition and diverts it away from physical suffering. This morning, when my eyes felt very painful, I applied oil. Then I applied oil to another part of my body. At that moment, when the mind was diverted away from the eye, I found I did not experience even a trace of the eye pain. This indicates that I am not the body. If my mind is here and my son dies in Kolkata, I won’t sense it at all. However, it is difficult to understand that my mind is not me. Therefore, we have to keep the mind united with something very sacred; then, gradually the mind will be uplifted and become a path to liberation.

Workaholic people are not bad; they are making progress. But this is not a sannyasi’s life. I too have worked a lot – in fact I became madly engrossed in work. But if, within you, you have devotion, knowledge, and deep meditation, then you can detach yourself from work whenever you wish. If you don’t do this, then work will become a bondage and bring about your downfall.

I admit your difficulties—that there is nobody from whom you can seek guidance. But what is the way out? Accept this as a fact of life. Is there any use spending time lamenting your lot? Will you waste time waiting for a favourable environment? Or will you rather try your utmost with whatever is at hand? I didn’t get help from anybody. But I have learnt at least something; otherwise why would you all come to me?

Throughout your life, if you just study the Gita, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, and Swamiji’s four books on Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga, then you don’t have to worry about your spiritual growth. You will surely proceed towards the goal. Immerse yourself in sadhana, or you will be tossed into the fiery trials and tribulations of the world.

Question: What is the highest yoga according to the Gita?

Maharaj: तपस्वि भ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः। कर्मिभ्यश्चाधि को योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन ।। 6.46 योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना। श्रद्धावान्भज ते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः।। 6.47

‘The yogi is regarded as greater than ascetics, greater than even men of knowledge, greater also than performers of action; therefore, be a yogi, O Arjuna. Of all yogis, he who, possessed of faith, worships Me with his mind absorbed in Me, is considered by Me, the greatest.’

The Lord is declaring, ‘My devotee is the greatest.’ Jnana, Karma, Bhakti and Raja yogas are incomplete in themselves; bereft of the others, none of them can achieve union with 39

God. All the four yogas have to be practised together. The proof for the correct practice of Jnana, Karma and Bhakti, is Yoga or the depth of your meditation. Find out if your mind becomes fully blissful in the thought of Sri Ramakrishna.

Theory and its application must run simultaneously. Otherwise, a sadhu may behave in undesirable ways, set a bad example, and become a nuisance to others. Of course, allowing anyone to become a nuisance to us, is our own choice!

24.9.60

Premeshananda Maharaj asked the attendant to read out word by word from Modern India, a book written by Swami Vivekananda. A little later, he remarked: Whenever the priests have dominated, a major part of religion has disappeared from the country. The common people don’t understand anything, and neither do they wish to. They watch the priests practicing various rituals with affectations. So they think, ‘Why bother about religion if it can be practised by giving the priests some money?’ So they prefer to be trouble-free by passing their religious responsibilities on to the priests. And the cunning priests compose verses to introduce various rituals day after day and dupe the stupid masses. As a result, religion becomes so complicated that nobody can understand what it is all about.

The practice of animal sacrifice to the goddess is widespread. The original idea behind this was that man has to slaughter his own beastliness at the feet of the goddess. Now look at the situation – how barbarous the ritual has become! The Rajasuya Yajna orsacrifice has been reduced to the Durga Puja.

When the Vedic rituals were dominant, there was only sacrificial smoke and spilling of animal blood. Appropriated by the priests, religion was about to die. At that time Buddha came. He preached a simple and straightforward

religion: Man’s true religion is within himself; if he meditates on himself, he will attain Buddhahood, attain nirvana. Spiritual contemplation is the closest thing to our true nature; but such contemplation is very difficult because of our past worldly impressions.

Buddha’s compassion and love began to attract hordes of people. Everyone started taking to the path of liberation. But a person becomes eligible to embrace the life of a sannyasi only after striving through many births. This is because he has to be the upholder and carrier of refined culture and subtle perceptions. But now ordinary people become sannyasis because they are tempted by the honour and prestige of the monastic life, as well as by the provision of adequate sustenance. As a Bengali folk couplet sings, ‘All the shaven-headed ones who were there in the forest joined the religious chanting, reshaping their sickles into cymbals.’ Thus the ideal became degraded; horrible failings appeared and caused people’s downfall. This has to be admitted. Buddhism preached nothing but the eternal Hindu concept of Advaita. And all the other religions of the world – Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, and Confucianism—bear traces of Buddhism.

When degeneration among the Buddhist monks and nuns became excessive, the lefthand religious practices (vamachara) and (Continued on page 34...)

The Self-Effacing Nature of Sister Nivedita

PRAVRAJIKA BHAVANIPRANA

Swami Vivekananda said ‘They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive’. ‘Sacrifice in the past has been the law. It will be alas for ages to come. The earth’s bravest and the best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of many, for the welfare of all.’

What do we really understand by spiritual life? It is actually to overcome the little self in us. No spirituality is possible for a selfish man or woman. Our ego is the greatest obstacle in our spiritual life. Shall we really lose by such renunciation and self-effacement? Not at all. The scriptures tell us नाल्पे सुखमस्ति , भूमैव सुखं. The effacement of the lower self is to gain the infinite self.

We all try to practice unselfish love and serve others. The wife serving her husband, the mother serving her child, the soldier serving his country—these are all various expressions of selfeffacement commonly seen around us. But such loving service is limited to an intimate circle of people or for one’s own country. Furthermore, such service is tinged with an expectation to receive something in return. Somehow a little bit of the ‘I’ creeps in. There are people who do wonderful service to others, but again with the desire for name, fame, or money. This selfishness along with desire for comforts negates the possibility of true service.

It is in this background that we have to understand the stunning standard of service exemplified by Sister Nivedita. She shows us to what extent we can erase our little self and to what heights we can reach by such selfeffacement. How powerful can an absolutely selfless person become? She declares that such a person becomes a powerful weapon in the hands of gods, an invincible Thunderbolt! Nivedita herself became such a weapon in the hands of her guru, Swami Vivekananda who employed her for the welfare of India in particular and the world in general.

Our natural tendency is to think in utilitarian terms. But Nivedita advises us, ‘Abandon the idea of profit…personal profit is to be renounced in view of the larger interest…. restraint is the highest expression of strength. But strength must first be present to be restrained.’

Responding to Swami Vivekananda’s call, Sister Nivedita came to India to help him in his mission of awakening and re-establishing India in her former glory, nay greater than ever before. She perhaps had no idea of the extent of sacrifice and self-effacement that would be required of her. While it is challenging even for an Indian to accustom to the weather, culture, language, food etc., of another part of India, for a foreign lady belonging to the race of the rulers, it was much more challenging:

The self-effacement on Nivedita’s part can be studied under four stages.

1) The inspiration

In this stage, Nivedita renounced her own country, relatives and friends, the school

founded and so well established by herself, her own culture, etc. Again to give up her wellacclaimed position in the West as an educationist, speaker, and writer wellrecognized in the intellectual circle was equally great. But as is rightly said, only a king can renounce, a Buddha can renounce, what can a beggar having very little for himself renounce! Inspired by the magnetic personality of Swami Vivekananda and impressed by the profound depth of his message—the ancient wisdom of universal religion, Margaret Noble came away to India. Of course, she had for a long time prepared herself for such a noble endeavor, a search for Truth.

2)The training and the preparation

But coming to India in itself was not enough. She had to face a lot of inconveniences—the unfavorable environment, the tropical heat, and the change in food habits were nothing compared to the doubting and critical attitude of the orthodox Indians, the suspicious eyes of the British following her everywhere, the poverty and the rigid caste restrictions.

Again she had to study and understand India as a whole—its culture, traditions and customs, its scriptures, its history— to be able to identify herself with her new country men and women. Uprooted from the soil of her previous country, she had to take roots deeply in the new soil of India. Of course, Swami Vivekananda helped her to a great extent by accompanying her to many places of pilgrimage, historically and culturally important places, and personally introducing her to his new vision of India. By instructions, suggestions and conversations, he gave a picturesque view of the great happenings in the past, the lives of great kings and queens, who had lived here and also the deep spiritual message of the ancient sages of India.

3)The transformation

In this stage, she was Indianised and transformed from a proud accomplished English lady Margaret to a humble Brahmacharini Nivedita. This was a very tough period for her; a terrible war waged within her, for, ‘old habits die hard’. Fighting against the old deep rooted samskaras to give up her admiration, love and faithfulness to England and British flag, which almost equalled to a reverential worship was very difficult for her. But gradually, she was disillusioned by witnessing the harsh treatment meted out to Indians by the English rulers. To love India and Indians with a deep feeling of belonging, to appreciate all that was Indian, a shift from the personal to the impersonal point of view and finally surrendering her will to her Guru—all these were gradual stages of effacement of the old self in her.

4) The final stage

After her return from the West, we find in Nivedita a strong sense of convictions, and the spirit of a true disciple. She had become more Indian than any native Indian could possibly be. She spent the remaining part of her life in serving and promoting whatever was good and best for India. When Swamiji attained Mahasamadhi on 4 July 1902, Nivedita had no time to weep or mourn. She jumped into tremendous activity for the good of India. She had a premonition that she too would not live long. But personal salvation was too small a goal for her. Like her guru, Swami Vivekananda, she was to be a shelter and solace to innumerable souls. Her only comfort was in comforting others and lightening to their misery. Every moment of her life, and every bit of her energy was spent in the service of others. Such was her dedication and self-effacement.

When we think of Nivedita’s dynamic and active nature, and rebellious fighting spirit, we

may wonder how to correlate it with her spirit of self-effacement. To assert one’s self or to efface the self, what was her actual way?

Self-effacement can be of two types: a) The Nagamahasaya type: In this, one’s selfish ego is reduced to such an extent that it is crushed and destroyed in the end. Such a selfdenial results in humility, meekness and surrender. The ego becomes so small that the net of Maya cannot bind one who is smaller than its hole. Resist not evil—that is the way. b) The Vivekananda type: In this, the little ego is conquered, and it matures and expands till it becomes one with the infinite supreme ego of the universal self. By intense love and service for others, one shifts from one’s lower self to the higher self. Maya cannot catch hold of such a person too, for s/he is very big for her to bind. What fear can be there for such a soul when life and death become the same. So, Swamiji was ready to be born a thousand times to help or liberate a single soul. Such heroic people do not care for personal freedom or liberation. They struggle till the whole world becomes one with God. No rest till then for them.

Nivedita belongs to the second type. Christ asks us to be humble like a lamb; nonresistance is the highest worship. Nivedita says—‘but to the man who is not yet Christ, dumbness of sheep is mere sheepishness, not Christ like-man….only the man who forgets himself, forgets the victory can reach the Christhood.’

Swamiji had asked Nivedita to follow Buddha. Nivedita says, ‘Buddha had died for smaller ends 500 times before it was possible to become Buddha. Each time he forgot himself, forgot life, forgot death, became merged in the struggle without a thought of the beyond. In the end, he earned the empire of the world and had renounced the certainty of that in order to move a step beyond…..not for most of us to reach the absolute now only….the immediate end (is)……to forget self. Only through action can we rise beyond action. By renunciation alone, by forgetfulness of self does a man rise to supreme goal….we shall live for the good of others. We shall merge ourselves in the struggle…. “Things are not bettered but we are bettered by making changes,” said the Swami Vivekananda…..the world is a school, a gymnasium for the soul. … Renunciation, Renunciation, Renunciation!!’

Nivedita was intensely positive and dynamic. Prosperity or misfortune, success or failure, appreciation or criticism—nothing could make her accept defeat. Womanish weakness or meekness had no place in her. Fight, fight and fight till the last breath was her motto. But her fights were always against some injustice or narrow outlook and selfishness.

Her self-effacement reached such a stage, where she forgot herself—her health, comfort, sleep, and leisure. She never spared herself in her effort to serve and relieve others’ sufferings, whether it was a plague epidemic, a famine or education of children and adults. He motherly love and self-effacement earned her the name ‘Lokamata’.

She often recollected a Christian prayer:

O! To be nothing, nothing! Only to be at His Feet A Broken and Empty Vessel For the Master’s use make meet! Empty that, He may fill me As forth to His service I go! Broken that so more freely His life through mine may flow O! To be nothing, nothing!

Thus offering herself in the sacrifice of service, Nivedita passed away at the age of 44. She became not merely the friend, servant, and mother to Indians, but she became united with the soul of India.

Swami Vivekananda in Sri Lanka: New Findings

DR. SHYAMALI CHOWDHURY

As part of her research work on ‘Chronology of Life of Swami Vivekananda’, from the Centre for Indological Study and Research, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kolkata, the author visited Sri Lanka for eight days from 24 Feb 2019 to trace Swami Vivekananda’s footprints in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). She was accompanied by Sri Arunoday Kundu, Assistant for audio-video recording, and Sri Sanmukhanathan, a retired officer, Department of Religion, Government of Sri Lanka, presently honourary librarian, Ramakrishna Mission, Colombo as volunteer. shyam1725@yahoo.com

Swa m i V ive ka n a n d a v i s i te d Colombo three times.

First visit

On his way to attend the World’s Pa r l i a m e n t o f Re l i g i o n s , S wa m i Vivekananda visited Colombo on 6/7 June 1893. Starting from Bombay on 31 May 1893, the ship, the ‘Peninsular’ halted at Colombo for the day-time. As an unknown sannyasi, Swamiji joined his fellow passengers in visiting the city. His primary visit was tothe Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, which is around 11 kms from Colombo. The Kelaniya Buddhist Temple is famous for its image of the reclining Gautama Buddha and paintings depicting events from his life.

Second visit

On his return from the West on board the ship, the Prinz Regent Luitpold, Swamiji arrived at Colombo for the second time in the afternoon of 15 January 1897. He was

Swamiji in Colombo, January 1897

now India’s ‘National Hero’ and he was given a jubilant welcome by the citizens of Ceylon. A grand reception was arranged by the representatives of various religious sects and social bodies. Swamiji stayed in a bungalow at 96 Barnes Place, Cinnamon Gardens. This bungalow was later renamed as ‘Vivekananda Lodge’. Swamiji stayed for 4 days in Colombo and proceeded to Kandy by a morning train on 19 January. After visiting Anuradhapuram and Jaffna, he left for main-land India on 26 January 1897.

Third visit

On his way to the West for the second time on the ship S.S.Golconda, Swamiji along with his brother-disciple Swami Turiyananda, and his disciple Sister Nivedita reached Colombo in the morning of 28 June 1899. Swamiji’s admirers in Colombo had procured a permit for landing. Mr Arunachalam, Hon’ble P. Coomaraswamy, Lady Coomaraswamy – an Englishwoman, their son Ananda Coomaraswamy and other friends came to meet Swamiji. Sister Nivedita in her letter to Miss MacLeod on 5 July 1899 wrote that Swamiji visited Mrs Higgins boarding school for Buddhist girls, and the monastery of Countess of Canovara. Swamiji and his party boarded their ship the same evening. The crowd cheered with the praise of Lord Shiva and ‘Swami Vivekanandaji Ko Namaskar!’

Tracing Swamiji’s Footsteps We visited Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara which Swamiji visited on his first trip in 1893. We then went to 96, Barnes Place, Cinnamon Garden where Swamiji stayed on his second visit in 1897. It was then a newly built residence of Sri Ratnasabapathy. Swamiji’s companions—his brother-disciple Swami Niranjananda, who had come from India to greet Swamiji in Colombo, Swamiji’s Western disciples Mr & Mrs Sevier, Mr. J.J.Goodwin, and the English Buddhist T.G.Harrison were also accommodated in this house. As Goodwin writes in his letter to Mrs. Bull on 26 January 1897, Swamiji and his party were the first residents of the house. This house, later renamed as ‘Swami Vivekananda Lodge’, was demolished in 1934. In its place now there stands a modern two-storied building, and the area is an aristocratic, protected area. We were asked not to enquire about or talk to the present owner of the house without prior permission from the Administrative Authority.

On 16 January 1897 evening, Swamiji delivered a talk on ‘Punyabhumi Bharat’ in the Floral hall. At this place there now stands Chalmers Granaries and a car park.

Sri Ponnambalavaneshwarar Kovil, the Shiva temple which Swamiji visited in the evening of 17 January 1897 was our next destination. An inscription which was placed there on 17 January 1997 to commemorate

Old sketch of 96, Barnes Place, Cinnamon Garden & its present house

Sri Ponnambalavaneshwarar Kovil

hundred years of Swami Vivekananda’s visit to this temple is now not traceable. But on the occasion of the 150 th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, to commemorate his visit to the temple, the temple authority installed a golden statue of Swamiji in the temple premises.

From this Ponnambalavaneshwarar Kovil, on the request of Thambyah Mudaliyar a Reception Committee Member, Swamiji visited the Thambyah Chatiram which is just two buildings away from the temple. The Chathiram, established in 1880 was the only lodging for local and Indian Hindu pilgrims. Later in time, seven other direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna—Swamis Shivananda, Niranjana

Tambyah Chatiram (Shrine)

nanda, Ramakrishnananda, Abhedananda, Vijnanananda, Turiyananda, and Trigunatitananda stayed in Thambyah Mudaliyar Chathiram at different times when they came to Sri Lanka to preach Vedanta. There is now a small shrine in Thambyah Chathiram which wa s i n a u g u ra te d by S r i m a t Swa m i Gautamananda Ji, one of the Vice Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order on 7 August 2017.

There is a plaque in this shrine declaring ‘Swami Vivekananda and other direct disciples stayed here’. The book The Ramakrishna Movement in Sri Lanka by Swami Virupakshananda too says so. But in The Life of Swami Vivekananda: By his Eastern and Western Disciples, it is stated that Swamiji did not stay that night at the Chatiram. He returned the same evening to 96, Barnes Place and conversed with a number of brahmins until half past two the following morning.

On 18 January1897 Swamiji paid a visit to Mr Chelliah’s house where he saw a picture of his own master Sri Ramakrishna. This house has n o t b e e n t r a c e d . T h a t e v e n i n g Swamiji delivered a lecture on Advaita Vedanta at the Public hall of Colombo before a large audience. Today, this Public hall is not traceable.

Mrs Marie Musaeus Higgins’ boarding school for Buddhist girls which Swamiji visited on 28 June 1899 presently functions as the Musaeus College, Colombo.

On 19 January 1897, Swamiji started for Kandy by train in a special railway saloon owned by Tambyah; he was accompanied by Sir P. Arunachalam.

The present Colombo Fort railway station is a modern building. The old one (used during Swamiji’s journey in 1897) has been replaced by the Secretariat Hall and is under military control. Swamiji reached Kandy around 11:20 am. The Railway station in Kandy still exists; it is modernised and extended.

Swamiji visited The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the famous Buddhist temple in Kandy before journeying onward to Matale. The head of the Colombo Sarada Mission, and the Matale Sarada Mission and the Secretary, Batticaloa Ramakrishna Mission assume that Swamiji halted for the night at some devotee’s bungalow at Matale.

Our next stop was Jaffna where we visited the Jaffna Hindu College. The present Principal and English teacher took us to the Prayer Hall where Swamiji was given the address of welcome on 24 January, 1897 by the founder advocate Sinathamby Nagalingam. Presently a statue of Swamiji adorns the stage. On 25 January in the college premises, under a large shamiyana Swamiji spoke to over 4000 people on Vedantism. This spot is presently occupied by the College library buildings, offices and a Shiva temple. The then Head-Master (Principal) of the Hindu College was Mr N. Selvadurai (1892-1909).

We visited the District library, Vennarpannai Shivan temple and the adjoining Kathiresan (Murugan or Kartikeya) temple

Jaffna Hindu College Auditorium

where Swamiji offered worship on his way to the Hindu College on 24 January 1897. We s a w t h e K a n k e s a n t h u r a i h a r b o u r ( K K S Harbour) from a distance, as it is currently under military control. It was probably from here that Swamiji took the steamer to reach Pamban Road, India on 26 January 1897.

It is known from R Rajahmahendrasingam of Ramakrishnalayam, Adiapatham Road, Jaffna that Swamiji stayed in the residence of Proctor Ponnampalam situated near Central College in the main street of Jaffna. This bungalow was demolished in the Sri Lankan civil war.

From Jaffna we started for Anuradhapuram and on the way stopped at the Elephant Pass Bridge where Swamiji was received by the elites of Jaffna and taken in a procession to the Hindu college. We also stopped at Vavoniya where Swamiji was given a welcome by the local people.

In Anuradhapuram, Swamiji visited the sacred Bo tree, a shoot of the original Bo tree of Buddha Gaya, brought by Princess Sanghamitta, daughter of Emperor Ashoka. Swamiji delivered a lecture on ‘Worship’ under the shade of this Bo tree; it was interpreted in Tamil and Sinhalese. Swamiji also visited the ruins of the old city palaces and Dagobhas (Dhagaba) or Stupas, the dome shaped Buddhist shrines.

From Anuradhapuram we returned to Colombo and visited the Colombo Sarada Mission, and the Colombo Port where Swamiji had landed.

We returned to India with a better understanding of Swami Vivekananda’s association with Sri Lanka. Thambyah Mudaliyar