Swami kalyandev
Encyclopedia
Swami Kalyandev was an ascetic
who was awarded the Padma Bhushan
, the third highest civilian award in India, for his years of social work in the villages of India.
in a family of Jangid Vishwakarma Brahmins, Uttar Pradesh
to Bhoi Devi, wife of Pherdudatt.Th He grew up in the village of Mundbhar near Sisauli
in the Muzaffarnagar
district. In his youth he travelled to Ayodhya and Haridwar
with few belongings and begging along the way to sustain himself. At Haridwar
, he heard of Swami Vivekananda
's visit to Khetri
. He travelled to Khetri to meet Vivekananda.
On his return from Khetri, Kalyandev became the disciple of Swami Purnananda of Muni Ki Reti
, Rishikesh. Purananda named him Swami Kalyandev. Kalyandev did tapasya in the Himalayas for a few years but then decided to help the poor people of his region. Kalyandev established almost three hundred schools and medical facilities for the villagers. His work covered western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and elsewhere. The institutions include technical and vocational schools, an ayurvedic medical college, middle schools, high schools, girls' schools, junior high schools, primary schools, clinics and dispensaries, eye clinics, Sanskrit
schools, workshops, students' homes, dharmashalas, schools for the deaf and dumb, blind schools, yoga instruction centers, old age homes, asylums for old cows, orphanages, martyrs' memorials, and other religious and spiritual centers.
Swami Kalyandev also helped rebuild dilapidated and neglected religious and historical sites. He renovated a monument in Shuktal, sixty kilometres north of Meerut, associated with the great sage Shuka, the son of Veda Vyasa and the narrator of the Bhagavata. There the swami also established the Shukadeva Ashrama and Seva Samiti. At Shuktal, there is an 80 foot statue of Hanuman
ji. He also renovated parts of Hastinapur, the old capital of the Pandava
s and Kaurava
s. Many places of pilgrimage in Haryana
have also received his attention.
Swami Kalyandev met Mahatma Gandhi
ji in 1915. He was acquainted with luminaries such as Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
and Dr. Sampurnanand
.
. He was also awarded an honorary D.Litt. by Meerut University. In the late 1980s, Vishwanath Pratap Singh came to Shukatal to pray along with his wife and Swamiji told him to do his first rally near Bhayla. VP Singh's career had taken a nosedive and Swamiji's advice essentially brought him back to political centrestage culminating in his becoming the Prime Minister of India. In 2002, Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
, the then prime minister of India, had printed The Seer of Three Centuries: Swami Kalyandev.
During an interview, Swami Kalyandev said his inspiration came in 1893, when he met Swami Vivekananda in Khetri, who said to him, "If you want to see God, go to the huts of the poor. And if you want to attain God, then serve the poor, the helpless, the downtrodden and the miserable." Kalyandev stated that to attain God through service of the poor is the mantra
I received from Swamiji.
Kalyandev died on July 14, 2004, at the age of 128; however, his age has been disputed due to the uncertainty of his birth date.
Asceticism
Asceticism describes a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals...
who was awarded the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
, the third highest civilian award in India, for his years of social work in the villages of India.
Biography
Kalyandev ji Maharaj was born as Kaluram in Kotana village in the district of BaghpatBagpat District
Baghpat district is one of the 71 districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Baghpat town is the district headquarters. This district covers an area of 1321 km². The district has a population of 1,163,991.-Economy:...
in a family of Jangid Vishwakarma Brahmins, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
to Bhoi Devi, wife of Pherdudatt.Th He grew up in the village of Mundbhar near Sisauli
Sisauli
Sisauli is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Sisauli is located at . It has an average elevation of 238 metres .-Demographics:...
in the Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar is a major city and a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city was established in Mughal period by a Sayyid Jagirdar, Munawar Lashkar Ali, and so named in honour of his father, Muzaffar Ali Khan. It is the headquarters of the Muzaffarnagar district. It is a...
district. In his youth he travelled to Ayodhya and Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
with few belongings and begging along the way to sustain himself. At Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
, he heard of Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
's visit to Khetri
Khetri
Khetri Nagar is a town in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan in India. It is part of Shekhawati region. Khetri is actually two towns, the first "Khetri Town" was founded by Raja Khet Singhji Nirwan. The other is the town of "Khetri Nagar", which is about 10 km away from Khetri. It is known for...
. He travelled to Khetri to meet Vivekananda.
On his return from Khetri, Kalyandev became the disciple of Swami Purnananda of Muni Ki Reti
Muni Ki Reti
Muni Ki Reti is a town and a nagar panchayat in Tehri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It lies close to pilgrimage town of Rishikesh, and is most known for a host of ashrams in the area, including the Shri Shivananda Ashram of Swami Sivananda, the founder of Divine Life...
, Rishikesh. Purananda named him Swami Kalyandev. Kalyandev did tapasya in the Himalayas for a few years but then decided to help the poor people of his region. Kalyandev established almost three hundred schools and medical facilities for the villagers. His work covered western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and elsewhere. The institutions include technical and vocational schools, an ayurvedic medical college, middle schools, high schools, girls' schools, junior high schools, primary schools, clinics and dispensaries, eye clinics, Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
schools, workshops, students' homes, dharmashalas, schools for the deaf and dumb, blind schools, yoga instruction centers, old age homes, asylums for old cows, orphanages, martyrs' memorials, and other religious and spiritual centers.
Swami Kalyandev also helped rebuild dilapidated and neglected religious and historical sites. He renovated a monument in Shuktal, sixty kilometres north of Meerut, associated with the great sage Shuka, the son of Veda Vyasa and the narrator of the Bhagavata. There the swami also established the Shukadeva Ashrama and Seva Samiti. At Shuktal, there is an 80 foot statue of Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
ji. He also renovated parts of Hastinapur, the old capital of the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
s and Kaurava
Kaurava
The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata.The term is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:...
s. Many places of pilgrimage in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
have also received his attention.
Swami Kalyandev met Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
ji in 1915. He was acquainted with luminaries such as Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
Madan Mohan Malaviya
Madan Mohan Malaviya was an Indian educationist, and freedom fighter notable for his role in the Indian independence movement and his espousal of Hindu nationalism...
, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
and Dr. Sampurnanand
Sampurnanand
Dr Sampurnanand was a teacher and politician in Uttar Pradesh, India. He was elected to the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly and served as chief minister of the state from 1954 to 1960.If we consider single tenure in the office of the U.P. C.M. then Dr...
.
Later life
In 1982, he received the Padma Sri award, and in 2000, the prestigious Padma BhushanPadma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
. He was also awarded an honorary D.Litt. by Meerut University. In the late 1980s, Vishwanath Pratap Singh came to Shukatal to pray along with his wife and Swamiji told him to do his first rally near Bhayla. VP Singh's career had taken a nosedive and Swamiji's advice essentially brought him back to political centrestage culminating in his becoming the Prime Minister of India. In 2002, Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
, the then prime minister of India, had printed The Seer of Three Centuries: Swami Kalyandev.
During an interview, Swami Kalyandev said his inspiration came in 1893, when he met Swami Vivekananda in Khetri, who said to him, "If you want to see God, go to the huts of the poor. And if you want to attain God, then serve the poor, the helpless, the downtrodden and the miserable." Kalyandev stated that to attain God through service of the poor is the mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
I received from Swamiji.
Kalyandev died on July 14, 2004, at the age of 128; however, his age has been disputed due to the uncertainty of his birth date.