Swami Ramakrishnananda: His Contribution to the Philosophical Tradition of the Ramakrishna Order

Born on 13 July 1863 in Ichapur village, West Bengal, to parents who were sincere spiritual aspirants, Shashi Bhusan Chakrabarty was a brilliant student of Sanskrit and Mathematics, and a scholarship holder of Calcutta University. He came to Sri Ramakrishna in 1883 and soon became his close disciple. After Sri Ramakrishna’s mahasamadhi in August 1886, in keeping with his matchless devotion and service to the Master, Swami Vivekananda gave him the sannyasa name Ramakrishnananda. On Swamiji’s instruction, he came to Madras (now Chennai) in March 1897 and worked tirelessly to establish Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai and spread the Ramakrishna – Vivekananda Movement in South India. His lectures, writings, and letters are available in three volumes published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.

- SWAMI SWAHANANDA

To mark his birth-tithi on 18 July 2020, this article is reproduced from his 150th Birth Centenary Souvenir published in 2012 by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.

The Unique Worshipper

A sultry day of June in Madras, a sannyasi had just laid down for rest. He, however, felt very uneasy because of excessive heat. He became quite restless, and then all on a sudden he got up and entered the shrine quietly, thinking that the heat was unbearable also to his Lord. So, he began to fan the portrait of his Master and then flowed a stream of soft, moving words from his lips: “My Master! O the beloved of my heart! O my Master, O the beloved of my heart!” Thus he went on for two hours. As he fanned and hummed these endearing words he forgot all about his surroundings, all about his existence and all about the burning heat, only the living presence of the Master was real to him.

One evening a group of devotees came to the Math to meet him. They understood that he was in the shrine and waited for him. Presently they heard him railing out in loud and angry tones: “You have brought me here, old man, and left me helpless! Are you testing my powers of patience and endurance? I will not go and beg hereafter for my sake or even for yours. If anything comes unasked, I will offer it to you and share the prasada. Or I will bring sea-sand for offering to you and I shall live upon that.”