Shivananda
Encyclopedia
Swami Shivananda was born Tarak Nath Ghosal in the village of Barasat
in West Bengal
. He was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna
, and became the second president of the Ramakrishna Mission
. His devotees refer to him as Mahapurush Maharaj (Great Soul). Swami Shivananda and Swami Subodhananda were the only direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna
to be filmed. He was a Brahmajnani.
Shivananda was the first to have introduced the celebration of the birth anniversaries of his brother-monks. He was known to've laid the foundation stone of Belur Math, which was designed by Swami Vijnanananda.
to visit Kali
Temple and surrendered himself fully to Sri Ramakrishna. From then on he began to practise intense prayer and meditation under Sri Ramakrishna’s guidance. Three years later his wife died and Tarak renounced hearth and home and started living sometimes in a devotee’s house and sometimes in lonely places, till the Baranagar Math was started.
Swami Vivekananda sent Swami Shivananda to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to spread Vedanta there. In 1902, just before Swami Vivekananda’s death, he went to Varanasi to start the Advaita Ashrama there of which he remained the head for seven years. In 1910 he was elected Vice-President of Ramakrishna Mission. In 1922, after the passing of Swami Brahmananda, he became the second President of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Like Swami Brahmananda, he stressed meditation along with his daily work. He was full of love and compassion, and had the power of blessing and forgiving. Sincere seekers flocked to him in the hope of getting initiation .
After the foundation of Belur Math, one day as the brother-monks were chatting about holy life he happened to say this to Swami Vivekananda who immediately called him ‘Mahapurush’ which meant ‘great soul’, and since then he came to be known as ‘Mahapurush Maharaj’. King Albert I of Belgium, after meeting Swami Shivananda at the Belur Math said 'for the first time.....I have met one with whom I could talk as man to man'.
In April 1933 he suffered a stroke and developed paralysis of one side. On 20 February 1934, a few days after Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday, Mahapurush Maharaj left the body for the Ramakrishna-Loka. His memory is kept alive at Belur Math
in the small room adjacent to the Old Shrine as the 'Room of Shivananda'.
Barasat
Barasat is a city in the outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal India and is the district head quarter of the district North 24 Parganas. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. The town is an important railway and roadway junction...
in West Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. He was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna , born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay , was a famous mystic of 19th-century India. His religious school of thought led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda – both were influential figures in the Bengali Renaissance as well as the Hindu...
, and became the second president of the Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organizations which form the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement. The Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic, volunteer organization founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on...
. His devotees refer to him as Mahapurush Maharaj (Great Soul). Swami Shivananda and Swami Subodhananda were the only direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna , born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay , was a famous mystic of 19th-century India. His religious school of thought led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda – both were influential figures in the Bengali Renaissance as well as the Hindu...
to be filmed. He was a Brahmajnani.
Shivananda was the first to have introduced the celebration of the birth anniversaries of his brother-monks. He was known to've laid the foundation stone of Belur Math, which was designed by Swami Vijnanananda.
Early Life
After completing his school studies, Tarak took up a job in order to help his father, though he used to practise spiritual disciplines most of the time. He saw Sri Ramakrishna for the first time at the house of Ramachandra Datta in May 1880. A few days later he went to DakshineswarDakshineswar
Dakshineswar is a town in Barrackpore subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.-History:In 1847, Rani Rashmoni of Bengal began the construction of the famous Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Rani, who was a rich and pious widow of colonial Bengal had a divine revelation ordering her to...
to visit Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
Temple and surrendered himself fully to Sri Ramakrishna. From then on he began to practise intense prayer and meditation under Sri Ramakrishna’s guidance. Three years later his wife died and Tarak renounced hearth and home and started living sometimes in a devotee’s house and sometimes in lonely places, till the Baranagar Math was started.
Swami Vivekananda sent Swami Shivananda to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to spread Vedanta there. In 1902, just before Swami Vivekananda’s death, he went to Varanasi to start the Advaita Ashrama there of which he remained the head for seven years. In 1910 he was elected Vice-President of Ramakrishna Mission. In 1922, after the passing of Swami Brahmananda, he became the second President of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Like Swami Brahmananda, he stressed meditation along with his daily work. He was full of love and compassion, and had the power of blessing and forgiving. Sincere seekers flocked to him in the hope of getting initiation .
The title of Mahapurush
Tarak was married in his teens but, with the consent of his young wife, he lived an absolutely chaste life.After the foundation of Belur Math, one day as the brother-monks were chatting about holy life he happened to say this to Swami Vivekananda who immediately called him ‘Mahapurush’ which meant ‘great soul’, and since then he came to be known as ‘Mahapurush Maharaj’. King Albert I of Belgium, after meeting Swami Shivananda at the Belur Math said 'for the first time.....I have met one with whom I could talk as man to man'.
His Last Years
During his last years he initiated quite a large number of people. He had to perform so much of work that it was quite impossible for him to take food in a proper time, and sometimes he even forget to take food.In April 1933 he suffered a stroke and developed paralysis of one side. On 20 February 1934, a few days after Sri Ramakrishna’s birthday, Mahapurush Maharaj left the body for the Ramakrishna-Loka. His memory is kept alive at Belur Math
Belur Math
' or Belur Mutt is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta...
in the small room adjacent to the Old Shrine as the 'Room of Shivananda'.
Related links
- RKM: President's site - Swami Shivananda
- Shivananda, a short biography & teachings
- The saga of a Great Soul, Swami Shivananda - Swami Vividishananda ISBN 0-87481-584-3
- Mahapurush Maharaj as we saw him ISBN 0-87481-053-1
- God lived with them - Swami Chetanananda ISBN 0-916356-80-9
- Reminiscences of Swami Shivananda by Swami Shambhavananda
- http://belurmath.org/shivananda.htm