Swami Prameyananda - Belur Math

Swami Prameyananda
Ramakrishna Math
Belur Math
Howrah-711202
Published by :
Swami Atmasthananda
Ramakrishna Math
Belur Math
Howrah-711202
1 November 2011
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SWAMI PRAMEYANANDA
As is well known, the partition of India in 1947 brought in its wake
communal disturbances on a massive scale in various parts of the country.
The small town of Karimganj in Assam on the Bangladesh border (then
East Pakistan) played host in 1950 to thousands of hapless refugees from
across the border. At the earnest request of the government, the Karimganj
centre of the Ramakrishna Mission undertook refugee relief work. Swami
Gopeshwarananda, head of the centre, deputed his able assistant Swami
Shivaramananda to take charge of the relief operations. With Swamis
Prathamananda, Udgeethananda, and Ekananda (who were all brahmacharins
then), and youthful volunteers from the local schools and colleges, relief
activities proceeded in right earnest. Though many jobs had to be attended
to, the main tasks were to bring truckloads of displaced people from the
East Pakistan border to the sprawling makeshift bamboo shelters, supply
drinking water, arrange for sanitation, distribute food coupons, and last but
not the least, provide medical help wherever necessary. Among the many
volunteers was one thinly built, fair complexioned student who was working
enthusiastically with the team without respite. Word soon spread that this
shy lad had passed the matriculation examination. On learning of this Swami
Shivaramananda, camp-in-charge, asked the boy to go back home and try
for college admission. The dejected boy had to reluctantly trudge back
home (which was close to the Karimganj centre). He conveyed to his parents
that he had no more interest in studies and that he had decided the path
he wanted to tread in life. Soon after, he came and confided to Swami
Gopeshwarananda that he wanted to join the Order.
This lad was later to be Swami Prameyananda, one of the Vice-Presidents
of the Ramakrishna Order. Ramgopal Bhattacharya was his earlier
name; he was born in April 1933 in the village of Kani-shail (Dhakadakhin
section) in Sylhet district of today’s Bangladesh—the place of Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu’s ancestry. His parents Sasadhar Bhattacharya and Nistarini
Devi were quite orthodox. His father would not touch food or drink without
first finishing the Narayana-shila puja. Ramgopal was endearingly called
“Gopal” in the family. He manifested a religious temperament even from
very early days; he attended to the Narayana-shila puja at their home soon
after he was invested with the sacred thread (upanayana). His mother
Nistarini Devi was noted for her magnanimity, forbearance, compassion
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and helping nature. Gifted with ample fortitude, she would face life’s trials
and tribulations smilingly. On many an occasion she parted with her meal
to feed a hungry guest. The boy Ramgopal imbibed many of his noble
parents’ noble qualities. His Sylhet days he utilized equally for studies and
religious rituals.
Having been displaced from his roots in Sylhet, Sasadhar Bhattacharya
settled in a rented house in Karimganj and, despite dire poverty, displayed
his unshakeable faith in Divine Providence. Ramgopal was the sixth of
eight brothers and had two younger sisters. He could study up to class eight
in the Dhakadakhin High School at Sylhet and now got admitted to the
Government High School in Karimganj.
As it turned out, all the seven friends of Ramgopal who participated in the
relief operations embraced the monastic life and thus earned for Swami
Shivaramananda the reputation as a child-lifting sadhu. To sustain the relief
operations, a large pot would be kept in every house in the locality. Every
day the lady of the house would deposit one fistful of rice in the pot; the
pots would be collected on the seventh day and the rice thus collected
would be utilized to feed the residents of the relief camp.
Since he had completed his schooling by now, his elder brothers were eager
to get Ramgopal admitted to college. However, young Ramgopal was lost
in thoughts of Sri Ramakrishna and the Ramakrishna Mission. The affection
of the sadhus at the Karimganj centre too seemed to draw him like a magnet.
The world lost its charm for him. He opened his heart to his eldest sisterin-law
and without much ado renounced hearth and home to join the Mission
in 1951. His parents were naturally heart broken; but, fortunately for
Ramgopal, his eldest brother wrote to their parents that if indeed one of
their children could become a monk, it would be a boon to fourteen
generations of the family. The sadhus at the Karimganj centre too played
their part in consoling the doting parents and assured them that Ramgopal’s
further education was now the Mission’s responsibility.
Swami Gopeshwarananda welcomed young Ramgopal to the Ramakrishna
Mission with open arms; he was asked to continue his work in the relief
camp. As the disturbances lessened and normalcy was returning, many of
the camp residents were being settled in various parts of the country. The
settlers had to be issued identity coupons for this. It was no easy job;
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Ramgopal poured his heart out in this operation of distributing coupons to
about 56,000 persons. The relief work also now took a new turn: for those
who could not (or did not want to) move elsewhere, the government
requested the Ramakrishna Mission to undertake a massive rehabilitation
project. For this, in the district of Cachar, about 30-35 miles away from
Karimganj, a land mass measuring 10 x 3 miles was earmarked at Sunbill.
Developing the area took about three years of rigorous labour for the monks
and volunteers. The entire area was occupied by muslims prior to partition;
now Kaivarta Brahmins from the neighbouring Habiganj were being settled
here. Slowly the settlement grew into a vibrant town.
Swami Udgeethananda reminisces about those days: “The work was carried
out with the help of seven boats as large as houses. Sometimes the waves
would be so huge that we would be scared to stay on board. Preeti Maharaj
(Swami Prathamananda) would be at the helm. Surprisingly Ramgopal had
learnt to manouvre the rudder with much skill. We were much older than
them (and also, we thought ourselves more daring) but without Ramgopal
holding the rudder we would not use the boats.”
An important incident occurred at this time. Swami Vireswarananda, then
one of the Assistant Secretaries of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna
Mission, came to the Sunbill site for inspection and stayed for several hours.
Ramgopal undertook the responsibility of serving Maharaj at the site. His
seva attitude was on display once again when, during the rehabilitation
work, Swami Udgeethananda broke his arm and Ramgopal volunteered to
feed him daily. From May 1951 to August 1953 Ramgopal participated in
this relief and rehabilitation operation.
A new life began when Ramgopal was thence transferred to Shillong centre.
Swami Shankarananda, President of the Sangha, visited Shillong at that
time to consecrate the marble statue of Sri Ramakrishna. Ramgopal received
mantra diksha from him on this occasion. It may also be mentioned that he
received brahmacharya vows and a new name Brahmachari Premeshachaitanya
from Swami Shankarananda a little later in 1957. During this
stay at Shillong, Ramgopal participated in the many ashrama activities like
daily puja, Durga Puja, cooking, hostel supervision and fund collection. In
addition to getting the guidance of Swami Saumyananda, head of Shillong
centre, he also had the opportunity of working with seniors like Swami
Gahanananda (later the 14 th President of the Order) and Swami Bhavyananda.
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From Swami Gahanananda he specially learnt to look after sick employees
about whom the swami would say “Are they too not our brothers?” He
stayed in Shillong up to 1960. He was also fortunate to once do Kumari
Puja at the Kamakhya temple (Guwahati) on the initiative and under the
supervision of Swami Vishuddhananda.
For a few months in 1960-61 he was assigned to Tamluk centre. Afterwards,
owing to health problems he was brought to Belur Math. However, doctors
could not diagnose his ailment; his condition was such that he could
eat nothing more than two biscuits daily. Around this time Swami
Yatiswarananda came to Belur Math from Bangalore and was worried to
see his poor health. He requested his disciple Dr. Sanat Sarkar of South
Kolkata to treat this young brahmacharin. Next he requested the then
Secretary of the Institute of Culture to host Ramgopal at the Gol Park centre
for ease of treatment. Meanwhile, Sri Ramakrishna’s tithi puja in 1961 was
fast approaching; all were wondering whether Ramgopal would be fit
enough for the sannyasa ceremony. Fortunately Dr. Sarkar successfully
treated him, and subsequently Br. Premeshachaitanya got sannyasa and the
name Swami Prameyananda from his diksha guru Swami Shankarananda
in 1961. From April 1961 he served Swami Yatiswarananda for a few
months. He was then posted to headquarters office. During that time he
stayed at the headquarters’ building with Swamis Gitananda, Mahananda
and others.
On the Ekadashi day after Durga Puja in 1965, the ninth President of the
Sangha, Swami Madhavananda, attained Mahasamadhi. Swami
Vireswarananda succeeded him as the tenth President in February 1966.
At that time Swami Premeshananda (Holy Mother’s disciple) was staying
at Varanasi. Swami Vireswarananda went to Varanasi to meet him and took
Prameyananda with him. On returning from Varanasi, Swami Prameyananda
was made Swami Vireswarananda’s secretary. Prameyananda’s many noble
qualities started manifesting after this. Many devotees came to understand
and appreciate the ideas and ideals of the Ramakrishna Movement during
Swami Vireswarananda’s tenure as President. Swami Prameyananda’s
sharp intellect, good memory, sense of humour and sweet but firm dealings
contributed in no small measure to this.
Swami Vireswarananda relied totally on Prameyananda for diksha dates,
places, candidates and travel modes. And Swami Prameyananda too always
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lived up to Vireswarananda’s expectations in this regard. Many sevaks
came and went but Prameyananda stuck to his post through rain and shine,
never going on pilgrimage or for tapasya. His young shoulders carried
a mature head and he always had an air of seriousness about him, his
lightheartedness notwithstanding. His unbroken stay with Prabhu Maharaj
(Swami Vireswarananda) enabled him to familiarize himself with the tasks
of the Sangha’s President and Vice-Presidents. He had the rare gift of
conveying harsh truths sweetly. He was very disciplined in his work and
always very punctual. Not the one to waste anything of Thakur’s, he would
correspond wherever possible through postcards or inland letters. Once an
inland letter was used to reply to a devotee’s inland. At this he remarked,
“You could have used a postcard rather than the inland letter. Learn to be
thrifty. Whatever you can save can be used for Thakur’s seva.” He would
write on the inner portions of used envelopes rather than use fresh paper.
He was known for his brief but complete replies; brevity of speech was
one of his hallmarks. He was also instrumental in arranging for interactions
between the Training Centre brahmacharins with President Maharaj.
On the 13 March 1985, Swami Vireswarananda attained Mahasamadhi.
Prameyananda then for the first time ventured on a pilgrimage to the
Himalayas. But he was very soon called back by the Belur Math authorities
and sent to Baghbazar Math, Kolkata, as editor of Udbodhan the Bengali
journal of the Order. He served in this capacity from November 1985 to
September 1987. The editorials of the Udbodhan during this period bear
ample testimony to his mastery of the Bengali language. He was an expert
in tracing the source of the quotations cited by various writers. It was during
this time that Vishwa-chetanaaye Sri Ramakrishna was published as a part
of Sri Ramakrishna’s 150 th birthday celebrations. He has authored two
books in Bengali: (a) Seva-adarshe Ramakrishnananda, and (b) Puja Vijnan.
Some errors of omission and commission noticed in the first edition of
Swami Shankaranandajir jeevanee o smriti Katha were rectified by
Prameyananda before the second edition was published.
His Udbodhan days were cheerfully spent in the company of monastic
brothers and devotees. He was known always for not losing his temper.
He was ever keen to finish the task at hand promptly, without keeping
any work pending. He also strengthened the financial position of the
Udbodhan. He was one of the pioneers in organizing the National Youth
Day programmes.
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In April 1987 Swami Prameyananda was made a trustee of the Ramakrishna
Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission.
In September of the same year he came to stay at Belur Math as its manager.
Subsequently, in March 1997 he was made treasurer of the Math and the
Mission.
As manager he spent a long twenty-two years at the Belur Math and was
associated with a variety of programmes relating to the Math and the
Mission. All through his life he maintained a strict routine of rising early,
doing japa and meditation, making pranams at the various shrines, and
attending to his office work. Every morning he would assign the daily tasks
to the section heads. Over the years the number of devotees coming to
Belur Math kept on increasing. Swami Prameyananda was responsible for
bringing about comprehensive changes in the arrangements for prasad
distribution, contributing to the convenience of devotees. Under his able
supervision, the centenary of the Chicago Parliament of Religions and that
of the Ramakrishna Mission were celebrated at Belur Math in 1994 and
1998. Always a votary for a change for the better, he would never lose
sight of the Sangha’s traditions in this regard. The new Training Centre
for brahmacharins, the Water Treatment Plant, Sadhu Niwas for visiting
monks, renovation of the guesthouse for devotees, construction of the
Sanskriti Bhawan (Cultural Hall) and shifting the Ramakrishna Museum
to its new building were some of the noteworthy projects undertaken during
his time. The Ramakrishna Sangha has always had a tradition of devotional
singing. In keeping with this tradition, he appointed music teachers for the
brahmacharins of Training Centre and also kept a room free for daily music
practice after evening meditation.
He always encouraged planting of trees and plants which help to maintain
a serene ashrama atmosphere. His ever watchful gaze would help the timely
treatment of diseased trees. He would express displeasure if trees or plants
were cut or felled without any reason. He knew the name of every plant and
tree in Belur Math and the history behind them. As at the Udbodhan, at
Belur Math also he contributed in substantial measure to strengthening the
Math’s financial base. Needless to say, the goodwill of numberless devotees
that he built over his long stay at Belur Math stood him in good stead in
this regard. In many an adverse situation and in his dealings with monastics
of various backgrounds, cultures, nationalities and temperaments, and the
Belur Math’s army of volunteers, he displayed ample fortitude and adroitness.
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He cherished great shraddha for the elders of the Order, and so also for the
holy traditions of the Sangha. Rather than giving his own solution to a
vexed problem, he would narrate an incident from the life of the Sangha’s
stalwarts, especially Swamis Premeshananda, Saumyananda, Yatiswarananda,
Vishuddhananda and, above all, Swami Vireswarananda, to shed light thereon.
Those who had the privilege to work closely with Swami Prameyananda
could not fail to marvel at his forbearance. When faced with any challenge
or a differing viewpoint, he would never give vent to his frustration or
anger but would deal with it as a matter of routine. An incident that occurred
at Shillong is worth recalling in this respect. A sannyasin at that centre
had once not done the work assigned to him at which Prameyananda
expressed his displeasure. After a little while, the concerned monk went
to Prameyananda’s room and was surprised to find the swami who had
been upset just a little while ago, quietly reading Dharma Prasange
Brahmananda (The Eternal Companion). Seeing him Prameyananda simply
remarked, “Come, come,” as if nothing had happened.
Gifted with a keen sense of humour, he could easily wriggle out of unpleasant
situations and mix freely with the young and old alike. As manager of Belur
Math he saw to it that all sadhus and brahmacharins closed the office in
time and attended the evening aarti. If anyone was found at his job or
in the pantry, Maharaj would ask, “Have you given up your religious
aspirations?”
Once a sadhu was going for Ganga-bath with a towel thrown over his
shoulder. Maharaj was coming from the opposite direction. The sadhu
asked Maharaj, “Won’t you go for Ganga-snan?” And immediately Maharaj
replied, “I have not committed any sin.” The sadhus present burst out
laughing. This notwithstanding, on special occasions he would bathe in the
Ganga, especially before and after a lunar or solar eclipse. He once joked
with a monk of almost his own age, “Dada, you do receive a lot of Pranami!
Let me make a suggestion. Deposit all your pranami in a box and lock it,
but keep the keys with me!”
During Swami Vireswarananda’s tenure as President of the Sangha, many
of the branches of the Math and Mission were not financially strong. So,
before visiting any branch for giving mantra diksha, he would instruct
Ramgopal Maharaj to carry necessary items from Belur Math. Accordingly,
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Ramgopal Maharaj would even carry items like tea leaves, sugar, etc from
the Math; while returning from such centres Prabhu Maharaj would donate
some amount from his personal pranami. Prameyananda also followed this
practice during his Vice-Presidentship.
We have seen above how Swami Prameyananda stuck to his daily routine.
Meeting the President of the Sangha daily and enquiring about his welfare
was part of this routine. He would also daily meet the office-bearers (the
General Secretary and the four Assistant Secretaries) to exchange notes.
A daily walk from Swamiji’s room to Swamiji’s temple was part of his
afternoon routine.
As manager of Belur Math, he saw four Presidents of the Order attain
Mahasamadhi; such events would make him indrawn and he would seem
to lose all interest in work. After Gambhirananda’s Mahasamadhi he
remarked, “It was as if he had brought the military discipline from the army
to the Sangha.” (It was well known that Swami Gambhirananda was a
strict disciplinarian.) Again after Swami Bhuteshananda’s departure he
commented, “It seems I have lost my mother for the second time!” After
Swami Ranganathananda’s passing away, a youth from Digboi came and
requested Prameyananda for late President Maharaj’s footprints. At this
Prameyananda remarked in a sorrowful voice, “I have lost interest in
everything now.” The words were uttered with so much of feeling that all
could sense that they had indeed lost their guardian angel. And lastly, after
Swami Gahanananda’s passing he remarked, “From him one should learn
how to love the Sangha.”
Swami Prameyananda knew the details and intricacies of Thakur Seva and
kept himself well informed in this regard. He would very often talk of the
one-pointed dedication of an earlier Thakur bhandari, Swami Diptananda
(Prabodh Maharaj, a disciple of Mahapurush Maharaj). Once he asked a
brahmacharin engaged in Thakur Seva, “How is your work going on? Do
you get some prasad daily?” On getting no reply from the brahmacharin,
he instructed the monk in charge of prasad distribution to give some prasad
daily to all sadhus and brahmacharins engaged in Thakur Seva in the shrine.
For the past several years he was the acharya for the brahmacharya and
sannyasa ceremonies. He would take the brahmacharya classes with deep
feeling.
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Swami Prameyananda was a member of the Committee formed at Belur
Math for re-arranging Swamiji’s Complete Works.
When Marie Louise Burke (Sister Gargi) had completed her marathon work
Swami Vivekananda in America—New Discoveries, Prameyananda was
very keen to get the books translated into Bengali. He entrusted the translation
of the first volume to Nalini Ranjan Chatterjee.
He was keen to know details about other countries in the world and would
often study maps of different nations and always kept a globe close at hand.
To further the Sangha’s work he visited many countries like Russia, the
USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Mauritius, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay
and several countries in Europe. When in America he was once requested
to address the audience at a centre. He then spoke earnestly about the early
days at Belur Math. He referred to Belur Math in that speech as the Vatican
and the White House put together; the Vatican because Belur Math was a
spiritual storehouse and the White House because Belur Math was also the
pioneer in the practice of ‘Service to man is Worship of God’.
Daily study was an integral part of his routine; he would feel out of sorts
if he could not do some reading on any day. Possessed of wonderful retention
capacity, he would often surprise some young monk by commenting
objectively on an article authored by the latter, which he had come across
in some magazine. He always encouraged people to write on a variety of
topics. It had been a tradition in the Ramakrishna Sangha to restrict one’s
writing to Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother, Swamiji and the other direct
disciples. However, acknowledging that this could create a void in the
future about the history of the Sangha, Prameyananda encouraged others
to write about other senior swamis of the Order also. With this encouragement,
Dr. Satchidananda Dhar compiled a volume titled Sannyasir Smriti.
After serving as manager of Belur Math for long twenty-two years, Swami
Prameyananda was made a Vice-President of the Sangha on 27 February
2009. He continued to serve the Sangha in this capacity till his last breath.
In his role as Vice-President he gave mantra diksha to 13,066 aspirants.
The first initiation was given to 45 seekers at Jayrambati on 22 April 2009
and the last one to 93 persons at Rajarhat (the birthplace of Swami
Niranjanananda) on 24 May 2011. Four of his initiated young men joined
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the Ramakrishna Order during his lifetime. His initiated disciples include
3 non-Indians, 7 khasis, and 1 person from a scheduled tribe in Arunachal
Pradesh. Two non-Hindus have also taken diksha from him.
He toured Bangladesh from 20 October to 27 November 2009 giving
initiation to 1871 candidates in the branches of the Sangha at Chittagong,
Comilla, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Narayanganj and Sylhet.
In November 2010 he complained of acute chest pain and had to undergo
angioplasty. Since this did not reduce his pain, Coronary Artery By-pass
Grafting (CABG) surgery had to be performed on 18 June 2011. Ever since
he experienced the first pain in the chest, he had an intuitive feeling that
his work was drawing to an end. Even when others were unaware of his
serious condition, Prameyananda was sure that his health was fast
deteriorating. A swami from Gujarat said to Maharaj in 2010, “Maharaj,
we are eagerly waiting for you. Please come to Vadodara.” Maharaj simply
replied, “Let’s see if the body lasts till then.” In September 2011 the editor
of the Udbodhan came to see him. Maharaj said to him, “Hello! How are
you? I have seen the Puja edition and have read a part of it. It has come out
well. I wonder whether I will be able to read it fully.”
Maharaj enjoyed a few bouts of good health, notwithstanding his occasional
suffering on account of hypoxaemia (diminished oxygen in the blood). On
9 October 2011, just two days after Vijaya Dashmi, he was admitted to the
Seva Pratishthan hospital in a serious condition. He then remarked, “I could
come to the Math and see the Durga Puja.” On the 11 October his breathing
was helped with the aid of a device which helps to breathe in oxygen and
also to breathe out carbon dioxide. On 17 October he was put on ventilator.
His health was steadily sinking and the end came at 8.25 am on 20 October.
An early morning bath (around 3 am) was his lifelong habit. So much so,
that even during his last illness at Seva Pratishthan he asked his sevak to
bathe him around that time. When the sevak argued against this, Maharaj
said, “This body will not last forever. I want to hold on to at least one
practice until the last. Won’t you allow me to do even this much?” After
a while when his body was sponged, he gave a contented smile.
As Holy Mother has said, Sri Ramakrishna’s crown jewel was renunciation.
This virtue seemed to manifest spontaneously in Swami Prameyananda.
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Humility was second nature to him. Going slowly but steadily was his trait.
A gentleman to the core, he never spoke loudly but always slowly and
softly. Owing to his firmness, no one dared to speak lightly or irrelevantly
in his presence. By a mere glance he could silence people. An interesting
incident brings out some of his qualities. A brahmacharin from Belur Math
was to be sent to Barasat to perform Durga Puja. He did not want to go and
therefore said that the devotees there create a lot of difficulties. He was
brought to the presence of Prameyananda. Maharaj simply asked him, “Is
it not our responsibility to take care of the birthplace of one of Thakur’s
direct disciples?” When the brahmacharin answered, “Yes, it is our
responsibility,” Maharaj simply said, “Then go.”
One of the senior monks narrated the following reminiscences: (a) I first
saw Prameyananda at Sargachhi centre. He and Swami Bhaskarananda
(both of whom were brahmacharins then) had been sent there by Swami
Saumyananda of Shillong to meet Swami Premeshananda. I had the occasion
to be present when they put many questions to Premeshananda. The questions
clearly showed that both the boys were quite keen to lead ideal monastic
lives.
(b) In 1972 I sent a letter written on birch bark (Bhurjya patra) from
Gangotri to Swami Vireswarananda, the then President of the Order. I did
not expect any reply. But Swami Prameyananda sent me an encouraging
reply signed by President Maharaj.
(c) Once a young sannyasin who had been just assigned to serve the then
President Maharaj, approached me and asked, “What are the things I should
be careful about in sadhu life?” I replied, “You go to Ramgopal Maharaj.
He has served Swami Vireswarananda for many years and has been very
particular to keep his monastic life untarnished. This is worth emulating.
Go to him; he will answer all your queries.”
Swami Prameyananda was very actively involved in Ramakrishna-
Vivekananda Bhava Prachar activities. Through the member-ashramas of
Bhava Prachar Parishads, he was ever keen to spread the teachings of
Thakur, Maa, and Swamiji, for character-building. This concept of Bhava
Prachar was Swami Vireswarananda’s brainchild, and Swami Prameyananda
inherited Prabhu Maharaj’s enthusiasm in this regard. Prameyananda was
always full of encouragement for people involved in Prachar activities.
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And having been associated with Swami Vireswarananda for a long time
he knew many of the Sangha’s devotees of long standing which helped the
cause of Bhava Prachar.
Just like Swami Vireswarananda, Prameyananda also was an ardent champion
of relief and Pallimangal activities. An initiated lady devotee of Swami
Vireswarananda had started the Pallimangal Sarada Samity at Belur.
Prameyananda helped her in whatever way possible and would tell her, “It
is difficult for sadhus to work for women’s welfare. Such work should be
done by women. You must make poor women competent to stand on their
own feet.”
Belur Math was very dear to him. So long as he was manager of the Math
he would keep a watchful eye on everything. He had come to identify
himself with the Math and this would be reflected in his behaviour and
talk. One could talk with him freely on any topic, and even suggestions
from juniors would be well received.
Whenever he talked about the earlier days at Belur Math, his face would
be flushed. He would say, “How many senior sadhus I have seen! During
our early days the Math was full of the disciples Holy Mother and those
of Thakur’s direct disciples.” Prameyananda would always tell devotees,
“Don’t forget to visit Belur Math. Whether I am here or not does not matter.
You must come and see Thakur in the Math.” He has shown through his
life how one should live at Belur Math.
He had studied a number of books on the Tantra to understand scriptural
prescriptions regarding puja and was an adept in ritualistic worship. He
was alert to the details of all special pujas at the Math.
In 2001 the Durga Puja at Belur Math was shifted from Thakur’s temple
to the eastern lawn for the convenience of thousands of devotees. At this
some sadhus commented that this would reduce the solemnity of the puja.
To this Prameyananda replied, “Why will the solemnity be reduced? Can’t
we through our prayers to Mother and through japa convert the Pandal
itself into a temple?” Once he said to a pujari, “Look, devotion and spirit
of puja are more important than mantras and formalities.” He considered
puja to be an essential part of sadhana. He would often say that the newly
joined brahmacharins should be engaged in worship or in the shrine bhandar.
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He would always point out that in our Sangha, all puja traditions are linked
to Thakur’s puja. This should be remembered when doing Durga Puja and
the like. Our Sangha traditions should prevail all the time. Two examples
will suffice to illustrate the meaning of this.
(1) In Durga Puja, the bodhan ceremony has to be performed in the evening
on shashti tithi. But in our Sangha this is invariably done after Thakur’s
evening aarti, when it is almost night and not evening. Technically this
goes against scriptural injunctions. However, in our Sangha, Thakur is the
Living Deity. Daily worship and evening aarti have been going on at regular
timings for many years. In keeping with this tradition, the bodhan
prescriptions are performed after Sri Ramakrishna’s evening service. Such
departures notwithstanding, he was nonetheless a stickler to scriptural
prescriptions. If for example the shashti tithi was available only for a short
while after Thakur’s aarti, he would insist that all the bodhan rituals must
be completed within that tithi itself.
(2) At Belur Math and in many branches of the Sangha, Kali Puja is
performed during the Deepanvita amaavasyaa night. This is as per the
injunction in the Vishwasara-tantra. Though there is no sacrifice offered
in the Sangha’s Kali Pujas, detailed nyasas, food offering, the homa
(fire offering) are all performed in right earnest. This enables the puja
to continue the whole night. The presence of many sadhus, brahmacharins
and devotees, and the Kali Kirtan (singing of Mother’s songs) add to
the solemnity of the occasion. The final offering of the homa ritual, the
purnaahuti, is invariably done immediately after Thakur’s mangal-aarti.
This is the practice that prevails almost every year. During some years
it so happens that the amaavasyaa tithi lasts only up to 1 or 2 am. The
scripture requires that all puja formalities have to be completed within
this time. In such cases Maharaj, giving more weight to Sangha traditions,
would say that it is important to do the purnaahuti and visarjana when
the shrine of the established Deity (Thakur in our case) has been opened.
The puja can be continued through the night as is done every year;
otherwise many devotees who come to keep vigil at night would be
inconvenienced.
As a Vice-President of the Sangha, he became an inspiration to the youth.
Many students of our Purulia centre and some from the Vidyamandir at
Belur Math received mantra diksha from him. Many times it was noticed
15
that at the Math several young boys, after finishing their pranams, would
be sitting round him listening to some spiritual topic.
He was always alert to speak the right things to the right persons. As a
result young and old, whether monastic or lay, could all talk with him
freely. Thus many came to him for his opinion on something, some came
seeking consolation, some for solution to problems, and again some for
spiritual guidance.
As has already been said, Maharaj had great shraddha for the traditions of
our Sangha. He would point out that these traditions had not been built all
at once; they are the result of the sacrifices made by countless sadhus of
the Order over the years. Many have heard from him that if one reflects on
our Sangha’s unique traditions, one gets great help in spiritual life. He
would say in this connection, “Just as you study the scriptures, you should
also read about the early days of our Sangha.”
He never liked sadhus going out of the Math after evening. One evening
a sadhu said to him that he wanted to visit Dakshineswar. Maharaj
commented, “Why do you want to go now in the evening? It is always
good to go during the daytime.” Once he was in Seva Pratishthan hospital
in a serious condition. Some young sadhus had come to see him late in the
evening. Even in that condition he cautioned them, “It was not right on
your part to leave the Math at this hour.”
Once Maharaj was getting ready to go abroad. An identification tag was
being pasted on his bag. He noticed that his name on the label was in large
letters; the next line in smaller letters read “Ramakrishna Math.” And the
third line containing the postal address was in still smaller letters. At this
Maharaj commented, “Why so much importance to the name? The
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission should always be in bold
letters. Our names should be in smaller letters. How many people know
us? We are respected only because we belong to the Math and Mission.”
Maharaj had once come to visit a branch centre. A sadhu said to him,
“Maharaj, our pressure of work has increased considerably. We hardly get
any time for ourselves. How much more should I work?” And Maharaj
smilingly replied, “When we left our homes to join the Sangha, we came
to give the full 24 hours of each day to the Math and Mission. We did not
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calculate that we would allot some time to the Sangha and keep some time
for ourselves. Why does this thought arise now? Unless you can feel
identified with the Sangha, you cannot feel joy. We must try to live ideal
monastic lives. We should entertain only pure thoughts; we must struggle
to attain purity. We must become one with the Sangha. That’s the secret.”
He once said to a sadhu about karma yoga, “Karma yoga is supposed to
reduce work. How is it that your work is increasing?” The person understood
that if the job is done with full attention, one does not have to do it over
again. Rectifying a job done haphazardly, and spending extra time for that,
is equivalent to increase of work. That is not dexterity in work or karma
yoga, but simply working.
During his last illness, the Belur Math authorities decided to assign an extra
sevak (assistant) to Maharaj. When asked what kind of sevak was required,
Maharaj said, “It must be someone who can pour his heart into the work.
He should willingly work 24 hours a day.”
In the evening aarti at all centres of the Math and Mission, Swamiji’s
composition Om Hrim Ritam…is repeated. There are two versions of some
of the stanzas. Owing to this, Training Centre brahmacharins faced difficulties.
To overcome this Prameyananda selected one version from the old edition
books in the Math library and circulated this in the Training Centre. It is not
known to many that Maharaj had in-depth knowledge of music; he could play
the Pakhawaj quite well. All functions held at Belur Math start with an opening
song and similarly there is also a closing song. Maharaj would always want
to know which songs would be sung at any function.
Many incidents reveal that Maharaj had a premonition that his end was fast
approaching. On the evening of Mahalaya a young sadhu from Belur Math,
who had gone to see Maharaj at Seva Pratishthan, said to him, “Maharaj
you have never been out of Belur Math during any Durga Puja.” Maharaj
replied, “Yes, this time also I will see the Puja and then depart.” The
surprised sadhu said, “Where will you go, Maharaj? You will stay in the
Math.” To this Maharaj just smiled and said, “Let’s see.”
Maharaj returned to Belur Math on 30 September. On 1 October a sadhu
went to make Pranams and Maharaj said to him, “I had thought of writing
about my memories of the early days at the Math. That’s not possible now.”
17
The sadhu assured him that he would get well soon and finish the task. But
Maharaj said twice with emphasis, “No, that is no longer possible. My time
has run out.”
When Swami Prameyananda first became Swami Vireswarananda’s secretary,
the Upasana Paddhati booklet was not available in printed form. Maharaj
would write these instructions on stencil paper and make copies himself
for distribution.
Once when a brahmacharin with high educational qualifications joined the
Order, a sadhu had remarked that the Sangha would benefit if the boy was
assigned to work in any of our colleges. But Maharaj immediately said,
“Wait, Wait. Let the foundation of his monastic life be laid first.” He
continued, “In earlier days newcomers would invariably be asked to work
in Thakur’s shrine. All shrine-related work is to be done with care and
diligence. Only later, the use of his educational qualifications would be
considered. Unless the proper foundation is laid for monastic life, everything
becomes meaningless.”
He would often reminisce about the past Sangha gurus and inspire
brahmacharins. He would narrate to them how three or four advanced
sadhakas would stay in the room without problems even though they were
all of different temperaments. Thus he would encourage all to adjust to
community life. (It so happened that 4 Swamis, namely Shuddhananda,
Madhavananda, Vimuktananda [very likely] and Saradeshwarananda,
were staying together below Swamiji’s room in the Math. Shuddhananda
would discuss scriptures with several monks; Madhavananda would be
studying scriptures by himself; Vimuktananda would practice music, and
Saradeswarananda would be poring over the Math land records. None of
them would feel disturbed by the others!!).
In our Sangha tradition, Sri Ramakrishna is both the guru and the ishta
(chosen deity). The various Sangha gurus represent Sri Ramakrishna and
Him alone. Swami Vireswarananda was very particular that the guru cult
should not take root in the Ramakrishna tradition. He had given strict
instructions to Prameyananda not to divulge his (President Maharaj’s) date
of birth during his life time. Following in his footsteps, Prameyananda
would point out this tradition to others also and, true to the tradition handed
down to him, we do not know his date of birth.
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One of Prameyananda’s outstanding qualities was that he would promptly
reply to the letters, regardless of who the writer was. Another of his notable
qualities was to make his juniors comfortable by saying, “Hello! How are
you?” He would not talk much with devotees, but whatever little he spoke
in his soft sweet style would fill the listener’s heart with joy. In the worka-day
world, clashes often occur; however, never was any feeling of disgust
apparent on Prameyananda’s features.
During the valedictory function of the outgoing batch of Training Centre
brahmacharins, a first-year brother is sent to escort senior sadhus to the
function and to again go with them after the ceremony. When anyone went
to escort Prameyananda, he would invariably say, “Don’t worry. I know
the way to get there.” And indeed every year he would come on his own
at the appointed time.
Maharaj would never give long speeches; he always spoke briefly and to
the point. This has been noticed in all his addresses whether they were
before sadhus or in Bhava Prachar meetings or elsewhere.
Maharaj was once returning to the Math from New Delhi by Kalka Mail.
Owing to torrential rains and the resultant floods, Kolkata-bound trains
were being stopped at Hazaribagh (Bihar). Maharaj and his monastic
companion got down from the train and were walking to the platform to
see what could be done, since Maharaj had to return to the Math as early
as possible for some urgent work. A devotee also got down from the
Kolkata-bound Rajdhani Express, and was walking unawares towards them.
On meeting Maharaj, he requested him to board the Rajdhani Express since
this train would reach the destination earlier. The station master was kind
enough to issue the tickets for this. All through the journey the devotee
noticed that not even once did Maharaj lose his composure.
A young sadhu who had come to Belur Math to attend the annual conference
of Heads of Centres (in 1990 or 1991) narrated the following incident:
Maharaj asked me to stay in a common room since all other rooms were
occupied by senior sadhus. The next morning Maharaj came to the door of
my room and said, “I am very sorry that I could not give you better
accommodation. All other rooms are occupied.” I said that it did not matter
at all and that I was not inconvenienced. I was surprised that he was so
upset for the sake of such a junior monk.
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Another sadhu narrated the following incident: I was sick for some time
during January-February 2011. On the doctor’s advice I was bed-ridden
for some days. Having not seen me for a few days, Maharaj made enquiries
and, on learning that I was sick, he came direct to my room to see me. I
was really taken aback since he was one of the Vice-Presidents of the
Sangha and I was quite junior to him. He sat down in my room and spoke
without any formalities for a long time. Everything about Prameyananda
was unostentatious. That day he suddenly said to me, “Listen, my body
won’t last for long.” I just blurted out, “What are you saying, Maharaj?”
To which he again replied, “No, this body will not last long.” How could
I know that his words would prove so true!
A well-established, longstanding devotee of Maharaj talks about
Prameyananda’s sense of humour: Once the devotee said to Maharaj, “My
father unnecessarily bothers about his health. I know that nothing is wrong
with him.” And Maharaj smilingly replied, “Just wait. When you reach his
age you will understand this thoroughly!”
To the mother of the same devotee Maharaj had once firmly said, “Come
for Pranams only on special days,” because Maharaj knew that by coming
regularly and doing Pranams, the lady’s spondylitis would worsen.
One of Swami Vireswarananda’s disciples who knew Prameyananda for
many years reminisced: “Ramgopal Maharaj used to feel a lot for devotees
of Thakur. I have heard my mother saying that it is only because of him
that our entire family could get initiation from Prabhu Maharaj. It seems
that Ramgopal Maharaj had said to my mother, ‘You all belong to this
place. Where else will you go?’”
When any devotee would do Pranams to Swami Prameyananda, after
enquiring about the welfare of the members of the family, he would also
ask about the others who had not come to the Math for long. And the last
question would invariably be, “You will have prasad. Won’t you?” He
would always make special enquiries about the overseas devotees and those
coming from distant parts of the country.
When Ramgopal Maharaj visited Hollywood centre (before becoming
Vice-President) a devotee who had settled in the USA came to see him.
The devotee had received initiation from Swami Vireswarananda when he
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was a young boy of 16. Ramgopal Maharaj had always given him timely
guidance and mental strength. At Hollywood the devotee complained to
Maharaj that even after 30 years of initiation, he had not had any vision of
Thakur which means that he had not made any spiritual progress.
Prameyananda simply said to him, “Then leave Thakur.” At this the devotee
said, “No Maharaj, I cannot do that. I cannot leave Thakur whatever
happens.” Maharaj then smiled and said, “If you can’t leave Thakur then
how can you say you have not made progress?”
This Hollywood incident relates to a doctor. He had recently joined work
in a new hospital. For his new office he requested Maharaj to send a picture
of Thakur and the Holy Mother which had been sanctified by touching it
to the altars in the two temples. The devotee was very happy when Maharaj
sent him what he had sought.
Another devotee who is also settled in the USA narrates an interesting
incident which reflects the subtle sense of humour which Ramgopal Maharaj
had. This devotee was privileged to have diksha from Swami Vireswarananda
at Belur Math in 1971. Thereafter he visited many branches of the Math
and Mission whenever Swami Vireswarananda happened to be camping
there. He had the good fortune of being present at the Hyderabad Math’s
temple consecration ceremony in 1976. Seeing him Prameyananda remarked,
“Ana... keeps chasing his guru all over the country…We have to keep an
eye on him!”
Once a devotee asked Maharaj about the condition of her parents-in-law
who stay near Belur Math. Maharaj replied, “Don’t worry. They are
now under our care. They will not be inconvenienced at all.” This concern
and feeling for the Math’s devotees was a unique trait of Ramgopal
Maharaj.
Even the employees at Belur Math were under his watchful gaze and
enjoyed his loving protection. After his passing away, an employee said
sorrowfully, “It seems like one of our guardians is no more.”
A lady devotee who had seen Maharaj from his Shillong days reminisced
as follows: “I have no doubt that my parents were very close to Ramgopal
Maharaj. My father would address him as Mahaprabhu. At this Maharaj’s
face would light up with joy. Despite many attempts my parents never
21
succeeded in making Pranams to Maharaj. He would laugh away their
attempts and say in the Sylhet accent A-ee tay-ee hoe-i-boe i.e. this is
enough. He would always share our family’s joys and sorrows with utmost
feeling. When I lost my mother, the first person I called to give the news
was Maharaj. He remained silent for a minute or two and then said in a
calm voice, Don’t grieve.Your mother has indeed gone to Ramakrishnaloka.”
A couple staying at the Belur Math guesthouse would make Pranams
morning and evening to Ramgopal Maharaj. On the day they were to leave
for home it was announced that Maharaj was suffering from toothache and
hence would not sit for accepting Pranams that morning. After having their
noon prasad, the couple vacated the guesthouse but spent the afternoon
sitting on the bank of the Ganga with the hope that they would make
Pranams to Maharaj later and then go. At long last when one full hour had
elapsed after the regular evening Pranam-timing, they could offer their
Pranams. They said to Maharaj, “How could we go without seeing you?”
And Maharaj replied smilingly, “That’s the reason I’m sitting here. Stay
well and come again.” They later said that they had wept a lot on the return
journey. They felt that Maharaj knew that they would not be able to bear
the pain of separation and it was hence that he decided to see them.
Once, a youth’s book review had been published in the Udbodhan. Maharaj
had read it and when the youth came to see him he said to him that the
review was well written. The youth was surprised that a Vice-President of
the Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission had read something written
by him and remembered it. He said that this revealed Maharaj’s humanism.
Maharaj also told him to read Ramakrishna-Sarada-Vivekananda literature
more and more, and also to write on these topics.
The following incident shows how Maharaj could draw volunteers towards
himself: Swami Vireswarananda was once to go to Digboi (Assam);
everything had been arranged. However, as two of the sevaks fell ill, his
programme became uncertain. Devesh Maharaj, a disciple of the Holy
Mother, was then staying at the Digboi ashrama (unaffiliated to the
Ramakrishna Math/Mission even on this date). He was very keen that
Swami Vireswarananda should visit the ashrama once to bless the local
devotees. Swami Prameyananda then wrote to Devesh Maharaj that if Apu,
a young devotee staying in Guwahati, could go to Digboi to attend to seva
22

of Swami Vireswarananda, then possibly President Maharaj could go there.
Devesh Maharaj accordingly wrote to Apu’s father and Apu left for Digboi
soon after. Apu felt very much blessed for this favour that came his way.
Even today he remembers Swami Prameyananda with gratitude for this
singular opportunity.
Once in 1990, Ramgopal Maharaj was discussing with the Math volunteers,
the arrangements to be made during Thakur’s tithi puja. After one or two
sadhus had spoken, Maharaj simply said to the volunteers, “Just put yourself
in the place of the devotee. You will then easily understand what the devotee
wants from you.”
A volunteer attached to Belur Math and the Bamunmura ashrama (at the
birthplace of Swami Shankarananda), who is himself a disciple of Swami
Shankarananda, remembers the following incidents:
(1) “Swami Prameyananda would come to stay at the Bamummura ashrama
on many occasions; the serene atmosphere here pleased him much. Once
on his way to Taki centre, he spent the night at Bamunmura. After returning
to Belur Math from Taki, he called me to convey that he had enjoyed his
stay at Bamunmura very much.”
(2) When he was manager of Belur Math, Maharaj would stay in Mahapurush
Maharaj’s room. This room would get very hot in summer and draughts of
warm air would fill the room from the northern terrace. It was suggested
to him that if a thick coir screen (khus khus purda) could be fixed outside
the door, the heat could be reduced. Maharaj replied that many Mahapurushas
had stayed in the same room. He did not allow anything to be done about
the heat.
(3) On one occasion Swami Prameyananda had gone to stay one night in
the Bamunmura ashrama along with Gopal Maharaj (Swami Dhyeyananda).
He requested Gopal Maharaj to stay in the larger room and he himself
stayed in the smaller room. (This incident took place about 20 years ago
when the ashrama was yet not affiliated to the Ramakrishna Math).
(4) A pocket watch used by Swami Shankarananda was given to me by
Ramgopal Maharaj, to be preserved at the Bamunmura centre. The watch
is still kept in Swami Shankarananda’s room there.
23
Maharaj had gone to the Baghbazar Math (Mayer Bari/Udbodhan) in April
2011 for giving diksha. A few days before going there he had told the
Mayer Bari sadhus that he would give diksha this time to the small daughter
of a devotee. After he became a Vice-President, Maharaj was asked to give
initiation to a little girl, who was about 8 years old. Maharaj then replied
that the girl should wait for some more time. During this visit to the
Udbodhan, Maharaj asked the girl from whom she wanted to take mantra
diksha. The girl replied, “I will take diksha from Ramgopal Maharaj.”
Maharaj laughed at this and said, “Oh! You will take initiation from
Ramgopal Maharaj?” And the next morning he did give her the holy mantra.
Everybody was surprised at this; but Maharaj knew that this was the last
chance for him to fulfill the girl’s desire, for he would not again come to
Mayer Bari.
On the morning of 20 October the news of his Mahasamadhi spread fast
through the various media channels. Devotees started streaming into the
Seva Pratishthan hospital to have the final glimpse of his body. Around 3
pm that afternoon his body was brought to the Math and kept for darshan
in the cultural hall adjoining the Ganga. Many sadhus, brahmacharins,
sannyasinis from the Sarada Math and devotees came to pay their last
respects until 11.15 am the next day. The Chief Minister of West Bengal
sent a wreath through a representative.
The funeral pyre was set on fire at about 12.40 pm. The cremation was
accompanied with the traditional songs and Kali Kirtan. A few timely
showers marked the end of the cremation rituals.
Swami Prameyananda had said on the Mission’s Foundation Day Anniversary
at Belur Math on 1 May 2010, “The Lord’s Chariot (literally Jagannath’s
Rath) is on the move. Whoever holds on to it will indeed be blessed.” He
had himself held on to this Ramakrishna Mission chariot and attained eternal
Bliss.
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