Home > Society > Religion in India > Swami Ramakrishnananda
Swami Ramakrishnananda
He was a great saint and scholar, who spread the messages of his guru Keshab Chandra Sen all over the world.

Share this Article:

Swami Ramakrishnananda , Indian SaintSwami Ramakrishnananda was known as Shashi Bhushan Chakravarthy in his early life. He was born in July 1863. His father Iswar Chandra Chakravarthy was a famous tantric of Hooghly district. He was the eldest son of the family.

Since his childhood, Swami Ramakrishnananda was inclined towards the spiritual matters. As a student, he had a brilliant academic record. But, he could not appear for his B.A. Degree examinations and from there starts the second part of his life story.

When Ramakrishnananda or say Shashi Bhushan Chakravarthy was a young lad, Keshab Chandra Sen, the head of the Brahmo movement at Calcutta had cast a spell over the youngsters by his blistering speeches. He also got impressed by what he had heard from others about Keshab Chandra Sen. So, in 1883, one day, he along with his companion Sarat (later to be known as Swami Saradananda) went to meet Sri Ramakrishna Parama-hamsa at Dakshineswar.

Ramakrishnananda then started visiting there regularly and became his disciple. It continued for nearly three years, from October 1883 to August 1886. During the last eight months he became a constant attendant of his guru. Thus, he had to leave his college studies to stay with his guru all the time. He used to bathe him, fed him, fanned him and even cleaned his commode. In 1886, his guru Keshab Chandra Sen left this world. After his death all the disciples were very upset. But later, Narendranath took the leadership and organised all the disciples. They started a monastery at Baranagore, Calcutta and took the monastic names. Thus, Shashi Bhushan Chakrvarthy started a new life as Swami Ramakrishnananda and Narendranath became Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda while talking about the life at Baranagore said, "Shashi was the main pillar of the Math. Without him life in the monastery would have been impossible". Therefore, in later period when Madras needed a dynamic Swamiji, Swami Vivekananda referred the name of Swami Ramakrishnananda. He went to Madras in 1897 and at that time he was only thirty-four years old. After reaching there, he first mounted a picture of the Paramahamsa, which he brought from Baranagore. Thus, the Ramakrishna Math was set up in Madras. The math`s first building was a two-storied rented building near the Ice House and which was known as the Flora Cottage. Later, in the month of June, the monastery was shifted to Castle Kernan.

The life at Math was never so easy. The main problem was regarding the funds for the newly born Ramakrishna movement. The situation became worse that sometimes the food was not in enough amounts. Swami Ramakrishnananda was a strong and healthy man and he used all his energy to propagate the message of his Master. He kept himself busy in addressing at various places of the city. At times, the number of lectures went up to three or four per day. He used to travel on bare foot to these places and sometimes allowed himself a cart ride when there was enough money to spend. The schedule of his work used to be much difficult than the topics of his lectures. He was a great scholar and avid reader in Sanskrit. So, apart from the teachings of his guru, he used to address on the chapters from the Gita, Upanishads and so on. He was also a litterateur and authored several books.

One of his great works includes a book on the Life of Sri Ramanuja, which remains till today, one of the noteworthy books on the subject.

Swami Ramakrishnananda followed the moto that `Service of man is equivalent to Service to God`. He launched the `Student`s Home` with seven orphans at a small rented house at Mylapore on February 17 in 1905. This was the beginning of the now well-known Ramakrishna Home.

Soon after the death of Sri Biligiri Iyengar, the owner of the Ramakrishna Math, the infant Madi was left homeless. But luckily, a good person gifted a small plot of land on Brodies Road and the new building of the Ramakrishna Math was inaugurated there on 17th November 1907.

Swami Ramakrishnananda was a wandering sanyasi and he used to give several lectures at the neighbouring places of Bangalore, Kerala, Bombay and even at distant Burma. But, this noble person was attacked by diabetes and then tuberculosis only at the age of forty-eight years. His physical condition did not allow him to live long. He was persuaded to leave for Calcutta and he left Madras for the last time. Swami Ramakrishnananda entered into mahasamadhi on August 21 in 1911.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Religion in India


Religion in Indus Valley Civilization
Religion in Indus Valley Civilisation included Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Details about the religion in Indus Valley Civilization have been gathered from archaeological artefacts.
Shaivism Religion
Shaivism is the second largest “religious community” in modern India with its roots deeply seated in the Hindu Vedic belief.
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is among the more popular denominations of Hinduism, with its own distinctive ideas about spirituality and morality. Vaishnavism concentrates on worshipping god Vishnu and of his incarnations.
Hinduism Religion
Hinduism is more of a philosophy which is a way of living according to the understanding of the principles of Vedas and Upanishads.
Islam
Islam is a religion that beliefs in Allah as the one and only God and creator of the Universe. Islamic law or Sharia is characterised by the five pillars of Islam which comprise the essential duties of every Muslim.
Christianity
Christianity is a religion based on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ and it is the largest religion in the world.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and a philosophy that encompasses a wide variety of beliefs, practices and traditions that are chiefly based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha and its later disciples.
Jainism
Jainism chronologically preceded the religion of Buddhism. It is considered as one of the oldest religions of India. Jainism in India shared with Hinduism and Buddhism. It is an integral part of South Asian religious belief and practice, but it is not a Hindu sect and not a Buddhist heresy, as earlier scholars believed.
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism, closely related to Judaism, Christianity and Islam was founded by Zoroaster.
Sikhism
Sikhism is a religion started by Guru Nanak in land of Punjab in 15th century A.D.
Iyer Brahmin
Iyer Brahmins are originally from Tamil Nadu of South India. The Iyers have always taken an interest in preserving the arts and sciences.
Barai Caste
Barai Caste is the professional cultivator caste of betel leaf. Tamboli and Pansari are the terms used indifferently for Barai Caste. The diversity of names of the sub-divisions of Barai Caste discloses the mixed elements that formed the caste.
Dangi Caste
Dangi Caste is largely distributed in the high land regions, and the word Dangi is said to have originated from the geographical features of their territory. Main occupation of the members of Dangi Caste is cultivation.
Nadar Caste
One of the most renowned castes of Tamil Nadu is the Nadar caste. The Nadar community is a mixture of sub-castes and classes of different origins, which came under one banner of Nadar caste gradually.
Kumbhakar Caste
Kumbhakar is the potter caste who manufactures all kinds of earthen vessels.
Gujjars in Maharashtra
Gujjars in Maharashtra have several sub-castes. Here, in this state the Gurjars are listed as a separate caste. They are included in the Maharashtra OBC list.
Awasthi Brahmin
Awasthi is a surname or a family name of a particular sub-caste of Brahmins in the Indian continent.
Bhoyar Caste
Bhoyar Caste is largely found in the Central Provinces of the country. Traditional occupation of Bhoyars is agriculture. They are good cultivators and mostly grow sugarcane.
Gujjars in Mughal Era
Gujjars in the Mughal era enjoyed great power. Further their power increased with the decline of Aurangzeb, Mughal emperor.
Origin of Vaishnavism
Origin of Vaishnavism shares its attributes to many sources and religious evolution, dating back to pre-Vedic epoch.