Saradananda (23 December 1865 – 19 August 1927), also known as Swami Saradananda, was born as Sarat Chandra Chakravarty in 1865, and was one of the direct monastic disciples of Ramakrishna. He was the first Secretary of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, a post which he held until his death in 1927. He established the Udbodhan house in the

Bagbazar Bagbazar (also spelt Baghbazar) is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Shyambazar, the citadel o ...

area of Calcutta, which was built primarily for the stay of Sri Sarada Devi in Calcutta, from where he used to publish the Bengali magazine ''Udbodhan''. There he wrote ''Sri Sri Ramakrishna Lilaprasanga'' in Bengali, on the life of Ramakrishna, which was translated into English as '' Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master''. He is believed to be

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

( Direct apostle of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

) and he allegedly went into

Samadhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

when he was in the Saint Peter Church and said that "I remembered my past" and wrote in his diary that "Saint Peter again."

Biography

Early years

Sarat Chandra Chakravarti (b. 23 December 1865) was born in Amherst Street, Calcutta to a rich and orthodox Brahmin family. His cousin was Shashi, later known as Ramakrishnananda. His grandfather was a Sanskrit scholar with a religious disposition. Sarat Chandra's father was the co-owner of a pharmacy and was very rich. After his initiation according to the customs of the Hindu Brahmin caste, he worshipped regularly in the family shrine.''The Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna'' (1943), published by Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati. He sometimes would give away his personal belongings to the poor and needy. Sarat Chandra helped the ill, even if they had

contagious disease A contagious disease is an infectious disease that is readily spread (that is, communicated) by transmission of a pathogen through contact (direct or indirect) with an infected person. A disease is often known to be contagious before medical ...

s. He nursed a poor maid servant who was left to die by her master as she suffered from cholera, and also performed her last rites when she died. As he grew up, he came under the influence of

Brahmo Bengali Brahmos are those who adhere to Brahmoism, the philosophy of Brahmo Samaj which was founded by Raja Rammohan Roy. A recent publication describes the disproportionate influence of Brahmos on India's development post-19th Century as unpa ...

leader

Keshab Chandra Sen Keshub Chandra Sen ( bn, কেশবচন্দ্র সেন; also spelled Keshab Chunder Sen; 19 November 1838 – 8 January 1884) was a Hindu philosopher and social reformer who attempted to incorporate Christian theology within ...

. He began to be actively associated with the

Brahmo Samaj Brahmo Samaj ( bn, ব্রহ্ম সমাজ, Brahmô Sômaj, ) is the societal component of Brahmoism, which began as a monotheistic reformist movement of the Hindu religion that appeared during the Bengal Renaissance. It was one of t ...

. In 1882, he passed the school-leaving examination and was admitted to St. Xaviers College.

Influence of Ramakrishna

Standing: (l–r)

Shivananda Swami Shivananda (1854–1934), born Tarak Nath Ghosal, was a Hindu spiritual leader and a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, who became the second president of the Ramakrishna Mission. His devotees refer to him as Mahapurush Maharaj (Great So ...

, Ramakrishnananda,

Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intr ...

, Randhuni, Debendranath Majumdar,

Mahendranath Gupta Mahendranath Gupta ( bn, মহেন্দ্রনাথ গুপ্ত) (14 July 1854 – 4 June 1932), (also famously known as শ্রীম, Master Mahashay, and M.), was a disciple of Ramakrishna (a great 19th-century Hindu mystic) and ...

(Shri M), Trigunatitananda, H.Mustafi
Sitting: (l–r) Niranjanananda, Saradananda, Hutko Gopal, Abhedananda. In October 1883 Sarat and Shashi went to Dakshineswar to meet Ramakrishna, who was speaking to a general audience on the subject of marriage and renunciation. Sarat visited Dakshineswar temple to meet Ramakrishna every Thursday and as he got more closely acquainted with him, he began to get directions on spiritual practices. On one occasion, the master had asked him, "How would you like to realize God?". The disciple replied, "I would not like to see any particular form of God in meditation. I want to see him manifested in all creatures of the world." Sarat passed the First Arts examination in 1885. His father wanted him to study medicine. However, he gave it up and devoted his time in nursing Ramakrishna, first in Shyampukur and then in Cossipore garden house, when the latter was critically ill. After the death of Ramakrishna, Sarat at first came back to his house but then joined the Baranagar Math along with his other brother disciples, accompanied by his cousin Shashi.

Relationship with Vivekananda

Sarat had met

Narendranath Dutta Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

, who later became famous as Swami Vivekananda, and found him conceited, even before he came to Ramakrishna, in one of his friend's house. When Ramakrishna praised a certain Narendranath, Sarat expressed the desire of meeting him, and was surprised to identify him as his earlier conceited acquaintance. Their relationship soon matured into a very close friendship which lasted until death. On Narendranath's recommendation, Sarat joined Calcutta Medical College to study medicine. He gave it up on hearing about Ramakrishna's illness and joined Narendra and a group of young devotees to nurse him. When he started the Ramakrishna Mission,

made Sarat or Saradananda, its first secretary. After the death of

Swami Brahmananda Swami ( ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to a male or female ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas. It is used eith ...

, the first president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, when it was proposed to make Saradananda the next president he declined on the ground that he had been made secretary by Vivekananda and would continue in that post.

Life of a wandering ascetic

In Baranagar Math, the young monastic disciples had to go through a strenuous life of ascetism and penance, sometimes going without food and other necessities of life. Sarat Chandra would often go to meditate in Dakshineswar, sometimes, alone, at other times with Narendranath. Sarat would volunteer for jobs which needed strong labour, like sweeping, cleaning and washing, as well as nursing any indisposed brother disciple. After the young disciples took formal Sannyas or renunciation, Sarat was given the name "Saradananda". Saradananda travelled to

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...

and then to Northern India, including

Benares Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tra ...

Ayodhya Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhya wa ...

and Rishikesh. He also travelled to Gangotri,

Kedarnath Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of t ...

and

Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...

, the three sacred places of pilgrimage on the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

. In the course of this pilgrimage he had to sometimes go without food and even without shelter, often finding himself in perilous situation. After visiting Kedarnath, Tunganath and Badrinath, in 1890 Saradananda came to Almora and took up residence in the house of a devotee, Lala Badrinath Shah. He met Vivekananda there, and together they started for Garhwal. From there he came to Rajpur near Mussouri and met Turiyananda, another brother disciple with whom he had gone to

. He then went to Rishikesh and there at

Kankhal Kankhal is a small colony in Haridwar in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand state in India. Mentioned in the Vayu Purana and the Mahabharata as ''Kanakhala'',Brahmananda, or Rakhal Maharaj, another brother disciple. After that, he first went to

Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...

to meet Vivekananda and then to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

along with him, where the later separated from his brother disciples. Only after six years, Saradananda met Vivekananda again; on his bidding, Saradananda went to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to preach Vedanta. From Delhi, he went to Benaras and stayed there for some time, met

Swami Abhedananda Swami Abhedananda (2 October 1866 – 8 September 1939), born Kaliprasad Chandra, was a direct disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of Ramakrishna Vedanta Math. Swami Vivekananda sent him to the West to h ...

, another brother disciple, and also initiated a young monk, who was later named as Swami Sacchidananda. He fell ill with blood dysentery in Benares and came back to the Baranagar monastery in 1891. Subsequently, after recovering he traveled to

Jayrambati Joyrambati is a Village, in the jurisdiction of Kotulpur police station in the Bishnupur subdivision in Bankura district, West Bengal, India. Geography Location Joyrambati is three miles to the west of Kamarpukur and two miles to the east o ...

, the birthplace of Sri Sarada Devi, where she was staying. Later he came back to Calcutta and the monastery of Ramakrishna shifted to Alambazar, a place near Dakshineswar in 1892. In 1893 the news reached the brothers of the success of Vivekananda in the

Parliament of the World's Religions There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...

, in Chicago. Vivekananda then called for the participation of his brother disciples in his mission of preaching Vedanta to the West and raising money for welfare activities in India. Saradananda responded to his call and traveled for London in 1896.

Preaching Vedanta in the West

Saradananda delivered a few lectures in London but was soon sent to New York where the

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...

Society was established. He was invited to be a teacher at the Greenacre Conference of Comparative Religions where he began his work with a lecture on the Vedanta and classes on Yoga. Towards the end of the conference he was invited to speak in Brooklyn, New York and Boston. At Brooklyn Ethical Association he lectured on ethical ideals of Hindus. He settled in New York to carry out the Vedanta movement in an organised way. He sailed back for India on 12 January 1898 and visited London, Paris and Rome on the way.

Ramakrishna Mission and his work

When Ramakrishna Mission was first established by Vivekananda, he made Saradananda the secretary of the Math and Mission, a post which the later held for thirty years till his death. On his return from the West, Saradananda gave a series of lectures in Albert Hall in Calcutta on Vedanta. During the early days of the organisation he came under suspicion for harbouring freedom fighters, some of whom took refuge with the organisation. Under the effective guidance of the Sarada Devi, Saradananda approached the then viceroy and presented his case. Thereafter, the Government relented. In 1899, plague broke out in Calcutta and Ramakrishna Mission organised relief. Saradananda was involved in relief work with the help of

Sister Nivedita Sister Nivedita ( born Margaret Elizabeth Noble; 28 October 1867 – 13 October 1911) was an Irish teacher, author, social activist, school founder and disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She spent her childhood and early youth in Ireland. She wa ...

and other brother monks of the order. In 1899, he traveled to Gujarat along with

Swami Turiyananda Swami Turiyananda or "Hari Maharaj" as he was popularly known as, was a direct monastic disciple of Ramakrishna, the 19th-century Hindu mystic from Bengal. He was one of the earliest missionary to be sent by his leader and brother disciple Swam ...

to collect funds for the Mission and extensively toured various parts including Ahmedabad, Junagarh, Bhavnagar etc. He gave lectures in Hindi. After Vivekananda's second departure to West, he also started training young monks. In December 1899 he went to

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Di ...

and Narayangunj on an invitation and there stayed in the house of Ashwini Kumar Dutta. He also gave many lectures. After his return to Calcutta, he became interested in the Tantrika form of worship under the guidance of his uncle Ishwar Chandra Chakravarty. After this experience he wrote a book "Bharate Shakti Puja" or "The worship of divine mother in India". In 1902, after Vivekananda's death, Saradananda took up the job of managing day-to-day affairs of Belur Math and also that of editing and publishing Udbodhan, a Bengali magazine started by the former. He wrote articles, arranged for funding and supervised operations. Gradually, the financial health of the magazine was restored. He constructed a house for the holy mother by taking a loan and to repay the loan started writing his magnum opus "Sri Sri Ramakrishna Lilaprasanga" or " Ramakrishna, the Great Master", a biography and life of Ramakrishna. The Udbodhan office started in the new building towards 1908. In 1909 two co-accused in Maniktola Bomb Case, Devavrata Bose and Sachindranath Sen, came to join the Ramakrishna order, giving up their political activities. Despite opposition from the senior monks and the risk of affronting the British Government, Saradananda took full responsibility and accepted both of them into the order and met highly placed Government officials for explaining his position. In 1913 under him, Ramakrishna Mission started relief operations when a major flood broke out in Burdwan district of Bengal, collecting funds and organizing relief work. In 1916, he went for a pilgrimage to Gaya, Benares, Vrindaban and returned after 2 months. After the death of Sarada Devi in 1920 and Brahmananda in 1922, Saradananda gradually withdrew from active work. His primary engagement at this time was the construction of a temple for Sarada Devi in

, and another one in

Belur Math Belur Math () is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India. The t ...

, on the place where she was cremated. The temple in Belur Math was constructed in 1921 and that in Jairambati was commissioned in April 1923. The Ramakrishna Mission Convention at Belur Math was held in 1926, a meeting of the monks of Ramakrishna Math and Mission Centres from all over the world. Saradananda gave the welcome address, in which he put up a warning note of the dangers of complacency and exhorted the monks to stick to the ideals of the founding members. At the end of the convention, he appointed a committee to deal with the day-to-day work of the mission. After the convention, he almost retired from an active life, devoting more and more time to meditation.

Responsibility of Sarada Devi

While in the course of managing Udbodhan, He felt the need to construct a house for Sarada Devi, who had to stay in the house of lay devotees in Calcutta. He bought a house in Bagbazar area and used its downstairs for publishing and running the operation of the magazine and the upstairs as the abode of Sarada Devi and her devotees, and her shrine. At that time this was known as the "mother's house" and now it is known as the "Udbodhan house". Sarada Devi came to this house for the first time on 23 May 1909. Saradananda was very devoted to her and called himself her "doorkeeper". He not only looked after her, but also after her family: brothers and nieces as well as the devotees, including many women. He bore the financial as well as other responsibilities willingly. Sarada Devi had great trust in him as she herself said that "It is not easy to bear my burden, only Sarat can do it." If she suffered from illness while staying in

Jairambati Joyrambati is a Village, in the jurisdiction of Kotulpur police station in the Bishnupur subdivision in Bankura district, West Bengal, India. Geography Location Joyrambati is three miles to the west of Kamarpukur and two miles to the east of ...

, her native place, Swami Saradananda would come down along with the doctor for her medical treatment. When she was terminally ill in Jairambati, he made arrangements to bring her to Calcutta, where she underwent treatment for five months. He also took up all responsibilities for building her temple and shrine in Jairambati after she died. He continued to take up the responsibility of her family members till his death.

Afflictions and death

Saradananda suffered from kidney trouble in 1914. He suffered from various other ailments, and after his retirement from an active life in 1926 his afflictions got more serious. On 6 August 1927, he suffered an attack, which the doctors diagnosed as

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

. He never recovered consciousness, and died on 19 August.

Character and legacy

Compassion and kindness

Saradananda was known for his calm judgement, patience and a loving heart. He had a sweet and gentle personality which won him many admirers and friends in India and in the West. It is said that one day Ramakrishna, in a state of ecstasy, had sat on the lap of young Sarat and told that, ''I was testing how much burden he could bear''. He also had great compassion for several mentally handicapped persons, whom he provided for. He also took up the responsibility of nursing his brother disciples and many lay persons when they were ill. He listened to everybody with equal concern and gave importance to everybody's opinion. He was also very sensitive to the feelings of the others.

Bravery and indifference

He was said to be intrepid in nature. In one incident in Kashmir when the horse of the coach in which he was travelling fell into an abyss, he was saved, but he never lost his equanimity and later said that he was a dispassionate observer of the incident. When the ship in which he was travelling to London was caught in a cyclone in Mediterranean he watched the entire episode calmly and in a detached manner even when his copassengers were mortally afraid. He was indifferent to the apparent faults and weaknesses of the people with whom he worked.

Impartiality and detachment

Saradananda was also known for his impartial decisions and hence was required to resolve conflicts. He wrote the book "Sri Sri Ramakrishna Lila Prasanga" in a little room in Udbodhan house while managing the operations of the magazine, overseeing the work of Ramakrishna Mission and looking after the holy mother and devotees, in a dispassionate and detached way. After the new administrative body of Ramakrishnia Mission was formed in 1926, Saradananda completely detached himself from all activities of the Mission and took to the life of meditation and contemplation.

Legacy

He proved his mettle as an organiser. By the time of his death, there were many Ramakrishna Mission centres, throughout India and abroad. In addition to the regular work of the centre, there were relief works and also that of publishing the magazine Udbodhan, writing books and articles, arranging for finances, looking after the spiritual needs of the aspirants, young monks and the devotees, and also looking after the needs of the holy mother's family members. After the death of the holy mother, the women devotees found solace in his company. Once an attendant asked him about his spiritual progress, to which he replied, ''Did we cut grass in Dakshineswar?'', referring to the period of his association with Ramakrishna. He himself mentioned that whatever he had written in the book "Sri Ramakrishna, the great master", on spiritual experiences, were through direct realisation and not from hearsay. There is a building named Saradananda Bhavana at Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narendrapur and a dormitory named Saradananda Dham at Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Deoghar, which are consecrated in his holy name.

Quotations

* Through selfless work the mind gets purified. And when the mind becomes pure, there arise knowledge and devotion in it. * Whatever work stands in the way of God-realization and increases discontent is bad work. You should wholly discard it. * The Ramakrishna Mission does not like to express any opinion, good or bad, about political discussions, for the Master did not instruct us to do anything of the kind, and Swamiji asked the Mission to keep itself aloof from such effort. That is why the Mission has been all along engaging itself in spirituality and service to humanity. * Now-a-days there are so many religious societies, but people lose all interest in them after a few days. What is the reason for this? The reason is our words are not in accord with our thoughts. The first step in religion is to be sincere to the core.Saradananda, RKM Chennai

References

External links

Swami Saradananda Biography
*

on BuddhistLibrary.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Saradananda Scholars from Kolkata Indian Hindu missionaries 1865 births 1927 deaths University of Calcutta alumni 19th-century Hindu religious leaders 20th-century Hindu religious leaders 19th-century Indian philosophers 20th-century Indian philosophers Monks of the Ramakrishna Mission