The Early History of the Ramakrishna Movement

By Swami Prabhananda

This humble work is an honest attempt to briefly study how Sri Ramakrishna's mission proceeded particularly during its early years towards fulfillment and in the process how The Ramakrishna Movement grew and developed in the early days. One charming feature of the book is the number of photos, illustrations and maps which explain the texts. This book will surely become the authoriatative source book for anyone doing research on the Ramakrishna Movement.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai
• Release date: May 9, 2012
• ISBN: 9788178235554

Book preview

Chetanananda

CHAPTER 1

The Birth of the Ramakrishna Movement

None can deny that the Ramakrishna Sangha, as a community and as the corporate corporeal body of Sri Ramakrishna, has today become a real source of power and glory. It stands out as a symbol of living Truth, of service and renunciation, of peace and harmony in a world torn by hatred and discord. Naturally, it may be asked if this Sangha is a new shoot on an old tree or in itself an entirely new tree.

The Historical Perspective

The establishment of the Buddhistic Order, known as Sangha and still worshipped by the Buddhists, was an important event in history. The pre-existence of corporate bodies of ascetics at the time of Gautama Buddha has led some scholars to conclude that the Buddhist Sangha was not a new phenomenon in Indian society but rather represented a greater development of already established Brahminical groups.¹ Be that as it may, the Bhikku community virtually became one of the constituent communities of the body politic. Though at first a dispersed collection of wanderers, by a hundred years after Buddha’s death, the Bhikkus constituted a well-organized community.² Dr. Satkari Mukherjee remarks, ‘The greatest genius of the Buddha lay in the organization of the ascetic order and the creation of a code of rules and regulations for the conduct of monastic life.’³ During the long stretch of nearly seventeen centuries (500 B.C. to A.D. 1200) when Buddhism had its place among Indian faiths, the Buddhist monks, organized in Sanghas, profoundly influenced India’s traditional culture through their activities and achievements. Although Swami Vivekananda held Buddha in high reverence, this rich coenobitic tradition of Buddhism was perhaps neither the precursor nor a direct stimulus to the founding of the Ramakrishna Sangha.

A movement refers to a group of people, large or small, who share the same beliefs or ideas or who try to secure a common goal outside the sphere of established contemporary institutions. The dividing lines between movements and Sanghas or formal organizations are sometimes blurred because movements that become well-established usually take on bureaucratic characteristics. A social or religious movement may thus gradually become a formal organization. Consequently, if and when the organization becomes characterized by general societal acceptance of the goal sought, it reaches the stage of institutionalization.

Whereas the Ramakrishna Sangha, with its two wings, the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, has now spread through its more than 170 units in India and abroad, it is still perhaps in the phase of a movement awaiting global acceptance of its ultimate goal–the goal of spiritualizing the entire human race. Viewed from another perspective, however, it is observed that the Ramakrishna Sangha, a more or less institutionalized organization, lies at the core of a fairly large body of admirers and supporters of the Sangha; and a growing number of unaffiliated institutions as well as individuals upholding the same or similar objectives lie at the periphery. Thereby, the entire mass gives the impression of a growing movement.

In the Hindu tradition, we find the ancient law-giver Manu mentioning grama, des’a and sangha.⁴ Medhatithi, his commentator, defines Sangha as a group of persons of the same persuasion, belonging to different localities or of different classes, as for instance, the Sangha of Bhikkus, the Sangha of merchants, the Sangha of men learned in the four Vedas. Though the word ‘Sangha’ was used to denote a group of monastics, there was hardly any significant, organized monastic community with a common law to guide it. On the other hand, from time immemorial, monasticism among isolated individuals, in eremitical form, was quite popular. The Daksa Smrti disapproves of sannyasi mithuna, a group comprised of two monks, sannyasi grama, a group comprised of three monks and sannyasi nagara, a group comprised of more than three monks. It does, however, commend the concept of a solitary monk.⁵ The Srimat Bhagavatam too discourages the founding of a growing monastery.⁶ Seen against this background, the founding of the Ramakrishna Order was a unique phenomenon. It is an interesting and inspiring task to trace its history.

Hegel thought of history as an idea, ‘the Idea’ which, he said, struggles constantly to become the ‘Absolute Idea.’ In the religious history of India, ‘the Idea’ has made pilgrimage from Incarnation to Incarnation, each time moving closer to the ‘Absolute Idea’ manifesting itself with an increasingly complete revelation to squarely meet the challenge of the ages until it culminated in Sri Ramakrishna, the embodiment of a boundless, harmonizing, all-embracing Idea never seen before. It is in this context that Swami Vivekananda has called Sri Ramakrishna Avataravaristha—the greatest of all Incarnations. *

A Divine Mission

Towards the close of his twelve-year-long period of spiritual practices, Sri Ramakrishna had some prophetic revelations, one of them being that a community given to ‘the liberal faith revealed in his own life’ was to be founded. The translation of this divine vision into practical form was one of the historic achievements of the world teacher who was Sri Ramakrishna. He proceeded to actualize his divine mission in two phases. On his discovering a spiritual giant in Sri Ramakrishna in March 1875, the Brahmo leader, Keshab Chandra Sen, spoke of the saint in his sermons and in his writings for the journals. The Brahmos, people belonging to different indigenous and non-indigenous faiths, householders and youths from different strata of society, began crowding the master’s room in Dakshineswar, particularly on weekends and holidays. Also, the Brahmos and the Hindus invited him to their festivals and other occasions. His every visit, each time exuding joy different from the ordinary pleasure of the world, brought together devotees and kindred souls. Their prime attraction had been the Parmahamsa, his charming talks, devotional songs, dancing in the joy of the spirit, and his slipping, at times, into the state of samadhi. Interaction among themselves as well as with the source of inspiration, Sri Ramakrishna, made the groups cohesive. Celebration of his birth anniversary brought them closer still. As time passed, the circle of devotees grew wider. His influence on those who lived within his orbit became manifest in both their mundane and spiritual lives. In this way, the movement had a humble beginning, almost unnoticed; but its impact was undeniable. Sri Ramakrishna himself told one woman disciple, ‘Everything has been lifeless, but since this (referring to his person) came, all these came to life again and a current of religion is now flowing just a little below the surface.’ ⁷

In the second phase, he carefully selected young men who were to form the core of the community he was building. Testing the eligibility of each both by natural means and by his supernatural insight, he completed their selection before he left for Cossipore on 11 December 1885. Some of them had already joined Narendranath to serve their ailing Master at Shyampukur. Now most of them came to Cossipore to stay with the Master and serve him. Thus, more than a dozen world-renouncing, bright youths, whom he called ‘unpecked fruit,’ rallied around him; and before he passed away, he committed all of them to the charge of Narendranath, the most gifted among them, who later became world-renowned as Swami Vivekananda. Sri Ramakrishna appointed Narendranath to effectuate the divine mission that was revealed to him by the Divine Mother on successful completion of his twelve-year course of spiritual practices, which included experimental verification of God in different religions. He was convinced that as an instrument in the hands of the Divine Mother, he would have found a new communion specially fitted for the liberal faith revealed in his life.⁸

Unavoidable Organization

However, Swamiji * had some reservations at first about the need for an organization and about its nature and scope. His ideas in this regard crystallized only after his visit to the United States. The power, organization, material prosperity, as well as the spirit of democracy, freedom and justice in Western society deeply impressed him. During that period he had, as he said, ‘the greatest temptation in his life in America,’ by which he meant no other than ‘organization.’⁹ He wrote to his brother-disciples in 1894, ‘What is wanted is a power of organization—do you understand me?’¹⁰ And again in another letter to his foremost lay disciple Alasinga, ‘Throw self overboard and work. Remember The grass when made into a rope by being joined together can even chain a mad elephant.’¹¹ Later, Swamiji was to declare: ‘To make a great future India, the whole secret lies in organization, accumulation of power, coordination of wills. Organization alone is the primary means for all progress and the only way for the conservation of energy.’ He wanted a competent organization for the distribution and propagation of Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings, which he believed to be the modern gospel for humanity, now almost drowned in rank materialism. Nonetheless, Swamiji took pains to convert his brother-disciples, clinging to the tradition-bound concept of Self-realization and Mukti, to the revolutionary new concept of organized religious life dedicated to the service of fellow humanity while seeing God in it.

We may recall a homely scene at Dakshineswar. One day Sri Ramakrishna was sitting in his room after his midday meal, with M. (Mahendra), Hazra and others near about him. It was 5 October 1884. M. held the belief that Sri Ramakrishna was an Incarnation of God like Caitanya. Now M. said, ‘It will be fine if a current flows from this place. Everything will be carried away by its force. Nothing that comes out of this place will be monotonous.’¹² In response, Sri Ramakrishna gave a smile of approval.

In this context, a vision that the Holy Mother had at Kamarpukur is quite significant. Some time after the Master’s passing, she saw Sri Ramakrishna coming from the direction of Bhuti’s canal, followed by Naren, Baburam, Rakhal and other devotees. All on a sudden, from the Master’s feet sprang a stream of water, which flowed in front of him in waves. She immediately plucked flowers and offered handfuls of them into the stream. The noble wish of M. and the symbolic vision of the Holy Mother have already come true.¹³

As in the case of the glacier Gomukh, which gave birth to Ganga, there welled out of Sri Ramakrishna a springtide of thoughts and a vast spiritual energy. A new stream makes its way through a channel before it gains volume and strength and makes its way across the plains. The Ramakrishna Movement has supplied that channel for the good of humanity. By virtue of the devotion, character, spiritual fervour, discipline, and brotherly cooperation of the original nucleus of sixteen monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, the Ramakrishna Movement has spread far and wide. Spiritually gifted and specially trained by the Master, each of them represented one aspect of the Power, as it were, that was Sri Ramakrishna.

Rarely has so small a group achieved so much so rapidly. Never before had such a small religious community, committed to the ideal of catholicity, purity and selflessness, served so many people irrespective of religion, caste or creed. Year by year its prestige and influence have grown, firing the imagination of great thinkers in different parts of the world and touching the hearts of innumerable people coming into contact with the community.

Sri Ramakrishna lived a unique life. Historian Arnold Toynbee observed, ‘His religious activity and experience were, in fact, comprehensive to a degree that had perhaps never before been attained by any other religious genius, in India or elsewhere.’ Purely from his historical insight, he has also observed at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Center in London in 1959, ‘Outwardly, his life might have seemed uneventful. Yet in its own field—the field of religion—his life was more active, and more effective, than the lives of his contemporaries—Indian and English—who were building the framework of modern India in Sri Ramakrishna’s lifetime. Perhaps Sri Ramakrishna’s life was even more modern than theirs, in the sense that his work may have a still greater future than their work may be going to have.’

It was left to the genius of Swami Vivekananda to correctly read its meaning. Observing in Sri Ramakrishna’s life the convergence of the spiritual experiences of the entire world over the millennia and the redemptive implications of these revelations as applied to the problems of humanity in both the present and the future, Swamiji garnered the spiritual harvest of his Master with his own hands and entrusted his brother monks and monastic disciples with the responsibility of preserving and disseminating the seeds of his Master’s spirit. Swamiji believed that Sri Ramakrishna’s advent was for the regeneration of all mankind. He did not stop with belief. He dedicated himself heart and soul to the execution of the cause of his Master’s mission. Explaining his role in this context, Swamiji wrote in a letter dated 26 May 1890, ‘Now his behest to me was that I should devote myself to the service of the Order of all-renouncing devotees founded by him, and in this I have to persevere, come what may, being ready to take heaven, hell, salvation or anything that may happen to me. His command was that his all-renouncing devotees should group themselves together and I am entrusted with seeing to this.’¹⁴

The Master’s Organizing Faculty

To understand how all this came about, we have to look back at the period between 11 December 1885 and 16 August 1886, when Sri Ramakrishna lived in the Cossipore garden house at 90 Cossipore Road, Calcutta. The Cossipore garden saw the birth of the Ramakrishna Order of Monks; for a while it also cradled the newborn monastic brotherhood. Reminding his brother-disciple Swami Brahmananda of this, Swamiji wrote on 13 July 1897, ‘All our associations centre on that garden. In reality that is our first Math.’¹⁵ Equally significant is Holy Mother’s remark: ‘At the Cossipore garden the Master spent the last days of his life. The place is associated with so much meditation, samadhi and the practice of austerities. It is the place where the Master entered into Mahasamadhi. It is a place permeated with an intense spiritual vibration. One realizes God-consciousness by meditating there.’¹⁶ The garden-house was virtually, if not conventionally, the first monastery. Besides, here the disciples saw the Master giving away his spiritual treasures without stint to one and all. All these now remain in the bosom of the Sangha. Even apart from the spiritual values attached to the Cossipore garden, the history of this period is very important. The facts, legends and forces that constitute that history need to be analyzed in order to understand the processes involved in the growth and development of the Ramakrishna Movement.

Though the Cossipore garden was hired primarily for the medical treatment and nursing of the Master, it turned into a centre for the training of selected youths who were to serve in the vanguard of his noble mission. While the young disciples gave themselves to loving and devoted service of the Master, the latter here breathed the spirit of renunciation into their burgeoning, vigorous minds. He also helped them build a corporate life with a common purpose and understanding. His deep concern to this end has been aptly expressed by an eyewitness, Sarada Devi. She once observed, ‘The Master had the power to die at will. He could have easily given up the body in samadhi; but he would say, It will be nice if I unite all these youngsters together in a close bond of love. Until then, merely a how-do-you-do relationship existed between them: Naren Babu, how are you? Rakhal Babu, how do you do? and so on. That is why the Master did not give up the body early, in spite of so much suffering.’¹⁷ The Master’s devotees were sifted into inner and outer circles. The Master began to focus special attention on the development of the devotees of the inner circle. Here the Master also ‘predicted that a band of young disciples, with Narendra as their leader, would in due course renounce the world and devote themselves to the realization of God and the service of humanity.’¹⁸ He also infused into their minds the necessary drive and skill to implement his ideas. Ramakrishna gave them the desire and the fortitude to engage in a life-long struggle, not to merely talk of, but rather to live the life. Years later, on 27 January 1900, Swami Vivekananda in his talk entitled My Life and Mission said, ‘A thousand times despondency came, but there was one thing always to keep us hopeful—the tremendous faithfulness to each other, the tremendous love between us…And that was there with us all throughout that hard time.’¹⁹ As the last days were approaching, the Master, with redoubled energy, set out to mould the spiritual lives of his disciples, particularly Narendra.

During this period the Master revealed his true identity to the devotees by declaring himself a Divine Incarnation. At Cossipore, his disciples saw the greatest manifestation of his spiritual powers. Although he remained merged most of the time in the ineffable bliss of communion with God, he moved forward to the actualization of his divine mission. The Master organized the world-renouncing disciples under the leadership of Narendra. The Master systematically prepared him to take up the responsibility. On Saturday, 11 February 1886, the ailing Master wrote on a piece of paper: ‘Jai Radhe Premamayi. Naren siksa dibe yakhan ghare baire hak dibe. Jai Radhe.’ (Victory to Radha, Love personified. Naren will teach others when he will call out from within as well as outside the country.) Narendra rebelled and said, ‘I won’t do that!’ But the Master said firmly, ‘Your very bones will make you do it.’

Then, one evening in May, as Narendra was meditating, he attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi. His soul was bathed in ineffable peace. His heart was full to overflowing with joy. When he presented himself before the Master, the latter said, ‘Now the Mother has shown you everything. But the realization, like the jewel locked in a box, will be hidden from you. I will keep the key with me. When you have finished doing Mother’s work on earth, then the box will be unlocked, and you will know everything you did just now.’

Three or four days before the dissolution of his body, the Master mysteriously transmitted his power to Narendra. Endowed with spiritual prowess, Narendra was now being prepared to fulfill the Master’s mission. Every evening the Master would call Narendra to his room; and for two or three hours, he would instruct him on various topics. J.J. Goodwin, learning of it from Swamiji or from one of his brother disciples, wrote to Mrs. Ole Bull on 23 May 1897, ‘When the Paramahamsa was passing away, he called in all his disciples but Swamiji (Naren) and gave them an express command that they were always to pay every attention to Swamiji, and never to leave anything undone that could add to his health or comfort. Then sending them out and calling in Swamiji, he committed all the other disciples into his charge.²⁰ Thus it was during the Cossipore period that Narendra was securely placed as the leader of the holy brotherhood.

Sri Sarada Devi had come there to nurse the ailing Master and prepare his diet. However, during this period, the Master also commissioned her to carry on the spiritual ministration he had started. Gradually, it dawned on the brotherhood that she was the embodiment of his Sakti. She, too, rose to the occasion and proved herself to be the ‘Mother moulder’²¹ of the Sangha. Recognizing the significant role she had played during the formative period of the Order, Swamiji in his lecture entitled My Life and Mission said, ‘Who would sympathize with the imaginations of a boy—imaginations that caused so much suffering to others? Who would sympathize with me? None—except one…that lady, his wife was the only one who sympathized with the idea of those boys’.²²

The Master’s Spirit Guided Them Even after He Left His Body

The charge made by some Brahmo leaders that Sri Ramakrishna lacked an organizing faculty, proved to be baseless for the Master successfully organized a cohesive group of dedicated souls who later constituted the core of the monastic brotherhood and the devotees’ community.²³ One day in the second week of January 1886, the Master distributed ochre cloths and rudraksa beads to eleven of his disciples and, although this action was not given formal recognition until after his death, thus laid the foundation of the Ramakrishna Order of Monks. At the Master’s behest, they begged food in the neighbourhood; and the Master partook of it.

The curtain fell on the great life of the Master two minutes past one in the early hours of 16 August 1886. Caught almost unprepared, the young disciples were too dazed and bewildered to think what they ought to do; but a chain of events was to show them the way.

When, as a mark of her widowhood, Sarada Devi started removing the gold bangles from her arms, the Master appeared to her and said, ‘I am not dead. I have only moved from one room to another.’ The sacred remains of the Master’s body, kept in a copper urn later called ‘Sriji,’ served as a symbol of the immortal presence of the Master. Immediately, the disciples took steps toward worshipping Sri Ramakrishna in this urn.

One evening, within a week of the Master’s passing, Narendra saw him as a luminous being. Although these episodes were reinforcing the young disciples with the faith, reassurance and strength necessary to withstand the pressure exerted on them to return to their homes, they had to sorrowfully see off Sri Sarada Devi on 21 August. Balaram Bose took care of her and arranged for her pilgrimage to Vrindaban.

Simultaneous to the events mentioned which chronicle the development of the future monastic disciples, other events were taking place which distinguished the householder from the monastic branches of Sri Ramakrishna’s followers. One such impressive episode was the Master’s revelation to the householder devotees. On the afternoon of 1 January 1886, the Master blessed them, saying ‘Be illumined!’ The effect was marvelous. The minds of all present were revolutionized. Swami Saradananda, explaining the significance of the episode, wrote: ‘The Master, by revealing his true nature to the devotees, set them free from fear.’ Every one of them in later life served as a model householder, with his mind fixed at the lotus feet of God. While the householders were thus enjoying various rapturous states, some of the future monastic disciples took the opportunity to clean the Master’s room and perform other acts of menial service, and others were asleep, having attended the Master or having meditated throughout the previous night.

In late February of 1886, some of the householder devotees took the all-renouncing devotees to task for their alleged extravagance. This incensed Narendra and other young disciples, and the Master sided with them. However, the Master subsequently pacified them. The two parties were reconciled; but since that event, each group upheld its distinct status, thus maintaining a dignified difference.

The division of the Master’s relics also indicates that, in fact, the future monastics had formed a separate group. A large portion of the Master’s relics which had been secretly transferred to a pot by the young disciples was sent to Balaram Bose’s house, where it was worshipped daily as the living presence of the Master. It was later taken to the Baranagore monastery.²⁴ The remaining portion was taken in a procession and ceremoniously interred at the retreat of Ramachandra Dutta at Kankurgachi on 23 August.²⁵ The budding monastery at Cossipore had to be disbanded at the end of August, 1886.

A polarity developed between the devotees’ group led by Ramchandra Dutta and the group of all-renouncing monks led by Narendranath. Each had conflicting principles and ideals that sharpened initially; but after about a decade, the differences gradually became diffused; and still later, the two merged into one and the same Ramakrishna movement.

The Movement Forges Ahead

As we look back, the events at the Cossipore garden house appear clearer in today’s perspective than they did at the time of their occurrence. What actually happened in those few months may be summed up this way: Like a fruit vendor who comes to the marketplace in the morning, makes the best bargains to sell the fruit throughout the day, but towards the close of the day, disposes of them quite liberally, much to the joy and surprise of the recipients, Sri Ramakrishna, during his ministration at Dakshineswar and other places, distributed spiritual bounties cautiously and was rather miserly. However, as he decided to wind up the divine play, he showered grace unsparingly, first among the householder devotees and thereafter among the renunciates. Sri Ramakrishna persuaded Sri Sarada Devi to take up the assignment as a co-sharer of his mission; he also gave her hints and guidance during this period. Apparently, neither she nor those who survived the Master could envision her future role vis-à-vis the movement during those days. Sri Ramakrishna spared no pain in giving special training to a group of chosen young men with Narendranath as their leader. He entrusted Narendra with the responsibility of holding them together so that they could devote themselves to realizing God, the goal of human life. It seems he did not present Narendra with a clear plan of action for the future. However, empowered by his Guru, Sri Ramakrishna, and unstintingly supported by his brother disciples, Narendranath moved forward. Among the householder disciples, none seems to have had an idea of the future plan of the group of young renunciates. Some pooh-poohed them, and some others opposed them. However, there were a few others who lent them unquestioning moral support. All these elements gradually coalesced to form a coherent stream. As it gathered force, and as the number of its following swelled, it took the shape of a conspicuous movement.

Thus, laying bare the major strands of events associated with the birth and growth of the Ramakrishna Movement, we can see for ourselves the divine enterprise in which the Master and his disciples had been engaged and also the all-comprehensive preparations the grand architect Sri Ramakrishna had made. But, though the ground had been prepared, seed sown and water given, a fence for the protection of the new plant was still wanting. This want was fulfilled by the formal establishment of the math, or monastery, popularly known as the Baranagore Math.

END NOTES

1.  Dr. Haripada Chakravorty, Asceticism in Ancient India, (Calcutta: Punthi Pustaka, 1973) p. 199.

2.  Dr. Sukumar Dutta, Early Buddhist Monasticis (New Delhi: Asia Publishing House, 1953) p. 143.

3.  The Cultural Heritage of India (Calcutta: Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, 1958) Vol. 1, 2nd Edition, p. 587.

4.  Manu-Smrti, 8.219.

5.  Daksa-Smrti, 7.36-37, Quoted in Mukti O Tahar Sadhan Sambandhe Hindusastrer Upades, edited by Bipin Behari Ghosh. Sri Ramakrishna used to make his young disciples read this latter (Bengali) book. Reference to it may be found in The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (New York Ed., 1984) p. 985 and in Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master (Madras: Ramakrishna Math, 1974) 4th Edition, p. 77.

6.  Srimat Bhagavata, 7.13.8.

7.  The Great Master, p. 619.

8.  The Great Master, p. 345.

9.  See Swami Vivekananda in America: New Discoveries, Marie Louise Burke, Vol. I, p. 103.

10.  The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. VI, p.292.

11.  Ibid, Vol. V, p. 34.

12.  The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (Chenai: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1985) p. 596.

13.  During the Master’s lifetime, signs of this change became perceptible.

14.  The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. VI, p. 239.

15.  Ibid, Vol. VII, p. 411.

16.  The Gospel of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, (Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1984) p. 154.

17.  Ibid, p. 104.

18.  The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, p. 931.

19.  The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. VIII, p. 82-83.

20.  The Life of Swami Vivekananda, 1979, Vol. I, p. 182.

21.  The Ramakrishna Movement—Its Meaning for Mankind, Swami Budhananda (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1980) p. 13.

22.  The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. VIII, p. 81-82.

23.  In 1910 Swami Sivananda explained to Lady Minto, the wife of the then Viceroy and Governor-General of India, that it was not Swamiji or any other disciple but Sri Ramakrishna himself who founded the monastic Order that later bore his name, during his last illness at Cossipore. See Swami Vividishananda, A Man of God (Madras: Ramakrishna Math, 1968) p. 86.

24.  The details of the episode were recorded by Swami Saradananda in an article published in Udbodhan, Sravan, 1322, B.S., p. 439-41.

25.  The Statesman dated August 25, 1886 published a detailed report. Therein, it was announced, ‘The procession was in every sense a representative and numerously attended one; throughout the road, a distance of 3 miles, the ashes which had been collected and put in a copper ghatta were reverentially carried by the followers of the Paramahamsa (all graduates and undergraduates of the University) with solemn songs and music.’

Footnote

* This remark may appear to contradict the scriptures. An Avatara is an incarnation of God; and all the incarnations of God are equal. However, to meet exigencies some Avatar shows greater manifestation of God’s infinite power. By describing Sri Ramakrishna as Avataravaristha, Swami Vivekananda tried to impress upon us the most difficult situation in which Sri Ramakrishna found himself. To address this challenge squarely, he exhibited the power of God to an extent that none of his predecessors had displayed.

* Swami Vivekananda was reverentially called Swamiji by his friends, admirers and disciples.

CHAPTER 2

The Austere Baranagore Math

Strange though it may seem, the glittering Institute of Culture in Calcutta, the bustling Vivekananda Polyclinic in Lucknow, the massive educational complex in the suburb of Coimbatore, the laudable Abujhmarh tribal project in Madhya Pradesh, the impressive Bourne End estate in the suburb of London, the diverse California centres, all have had their humble beginnings¹ in a dilapidated, ‘haunted house’ in Baranagore to the south of the Dakshineswar temple. More than one hundred years ago, a group of educated young men, mostly from middle-class families, lived undaunted by privations and even ignominy, mistrust and the threats of local cultured people. It was there that they took the vow of Sannyasa and organized a monastery. Two photos—one of a portion of the dilapidated house, and the other of the latter-medalions, the residents of the ‘haunted house’—the two recently renovated pillars at the entrance of the then campus, and forty-two books used by the residents (and now preserved in the Belur Math archives and museum) stand as material proof of the monastery where the illustrious, all-renouncing disciples of Sri Ramakrishna lived. These remnants evoke memories of that glorious period of the Ramakrishna Order that may be termed ‘classical.’ The Baranagore life may now seem rather romantic, remote from real life. Nevertheless, it inspires joy to uncover the wonder that was the Baranagore Math and awe when one comprehends its significance in the history of the Ramakrishna Movement.

The historical process involved in the journey originating in Dakshineswar, continuing through the Baranagore Math and culminating at Belur, considered as a whole, despite superficial appearance to the contrary, is not incomprehensible. A.J. Toynbee rightly rejected the notion that history is ‘a chaotic, disorderly, fortuitous flux, in which there is no pattern or rhythm of any kind to be discovered.’ The passage from Dakshineswar to Belur was not an arbitrary succession of events or an agglomeration of occurrences. Philosophers of history would try to delineate the thread of the idea that held all those episodes together to present a rationally and morally comprehensible historical process. From the standpoint of those who regard this history as being providentially governed throughout its course, Sri Ramakrishna’s successful spiritual practices at Dakshineswar had aroused the Brahma Kundalini. As the Great Power uncoiled itself, it provided the drive for the growth and expansion of the Ramakrishna Order of monks, which in its turn initiated the worldwide Ramakrishna Movement. Here, for our understanding, the historian tries to unroll how a predetermined Plan was implemented by Sri Ramakrishna as an instrument of the Divine.

Those who are keen to present history as a science will be interested in studying the relationship between the ideas and ideals embodied in religious movements and institutions and the social conditions of their origin, development, flourishing and decline. From this standpoint, the Movement’s development from Dakshineswar to Belur was the passage that witnessed the routinization of the charisma of Sri Ramakrishna and the great truths he preached. Sri Ramakrishna’s was a wonderful personality. A brilliant scholar of the day, Pratap Chandra Mazumdar, wrote of him in 1895 (nearly 10 years after his death): ‘My mind is still floating in the luminous atmosphere which that wonderful man diffuses around him whenever and wherever he goes. My mind is not yet disenchanted of the mysterious and indefinable pathos which he pours into it whenever he meets me.’

The Baranagore monastery served as the groundwork, as it were, for bringing about a reformation in traditional monasticism, thereby influencing various other social institutions. The Order was housed at the Baranagore Monastery from October 1886 to February 1892. Though now cherished by all connected with the Ramakrishna Movement, it then had neither a name,² a definite postal address,³ the recognition of the local people or, for that matter, of society in general. Due to the indifference, suspicion and sometimes even hostility of the local people, the budding monastery at Baranagore was subject to uncharitable criticism, which contributed to a lack of financial support, thereby making the Monastery vulnerable to the constant threat of dissolution. But the bond of love among the residents, the fervour of devotion for the Ideal, and their strong determination to live in conformity with these principles helped them to survive those onslaughts.

The Monastery Building

As one moves along the Pramanik Ghat Road towards the Ganga, one comes across the two renovated pillars of the once beautiful front gate of the garden house that originally belonged to the zamindars of Taki. The dilapidated house stood where one now finds 132, 133, 134 and 135 Pramanik Ghat Road. In 1927, Laura Glenn, popularly known as Sister Devamata, wrote:

When I visited the house its walls had crumbled partially and it was a ruin. Torrential rains and a tropical sun work swift destruction on brick and mortar in India, when repairs are delayed. The garden was there, however, still lovely in its tangled neglect. Two clear pools of water edged about with a luxuriant growth of trees and shrubs, a wide-reaching high wall, the whole compound, told of past elegance before death and haunting ghosts had touched it.⁴

Earlier, while the monks were still living there, a number of persons visited the monastery. A few of these visitors, as well as some of the early residents, have left behind sketchy accounts of the monastery. Worth mentioning among them are the reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda, Swami Abhedananda, Swami Adbhutananda, Swami Ramakrishnananda, Swami Virajananda, and Swami Kripananda, all of whom lived there, as well as of Mahendranath Gupta, Mahendranath Dutta and Haripada Chatterjee (later Swami Bodhananda) who visited occasionally.

The monastery was in the upper storey of the back portion of a house that was in a state of disrepair, hence the house could be rented for a pittance. It was also reputed to be haunted; consequently, it remained vacant for a long time. Behind the house was a vegetable garden overgrown with weeds. In addition to a few coconut trees, a mango tree, a vilva tree, and several drumstick trees, there were plenty of plantain trees and arum plants. A variety of long-stemmed greens, pumpkins, cucumbers, gourds, and lady’s fingers were grown by a gardener named Kelo. There was also a pond whose water was covered with green scum.

On entering the gate that faced the road, one crossed a small plot of land. Then climbing the stairs, one reached a verandah with wooden railings and pillars. To its south was a big room that was rented out for some time before 1891 and later remained unoccupied. Prior to 1891, this room at the southwest corner of the building was used for some time as a public library⁵ and later remained unoccupied.

The verandah in the front part of the entire upper storey showed signs of decay. The macadam of the floors was gone. In several places the rafters had given way, and the packing of flattened bamboo somehow held the tiles and bricks of the roof together. Most of the windows on the eastern side of the verandah had broken shutters, while the remaining shutters were mere fragments.

The interior, occupied by the monastery, was not visible from the road. No photograph of the Math portion of the mansion is now available. The inner courtyard was full of wild plants and shrubs and had become a haven for jackals and reptiles. The ground floor had become uninhabitable. In a number of places, jackals, rodents, and termites had raised earth several feet high; and other sections were full of dirt and rubble.

The southernmost room, which was next to the staircase, was used for meditation, contemplation and study, and was known as Kali Tapasvi’s room⁶ since Kali (Swami Abhedananda) used to shut himself in there most of the day. North of this room was the worship room, which had one door opening to a verandah and another door opening to the north. A few steps up and then down and towards the inside was the room where the offering for the worship was prepared. From this room devotees used to watch the worship. Passing through this room one could reach the shrine. Going northward along the verandah, one reached the kitchen. To the left was a long hall where the members of the Math used to assemble. It was called ‘the room of the Danas.’⁷ It was also the living quarters of most of the residents. It had large windows, the iron bars of which stood exposed since the wooden planks of many shutters and part of the window frames had disappeared. Pictures of various Hindu gods and goddesses and of Divine Incarnations, including Jesus Christ on the Cross, adorned the walls of the hall.

North of this hall were the dining and washing rooms, and straight down a dark, narrow passage were the lavatories. Down a few steps was the garden, where a footpath led to a pond to the north of the building. To the north of the dining room was another staircase leading to the roof.

To understand the socio-cultural background of Baranagore, it may be recalled that since its origin in the latter part of the 15th or the early part of the 16th century, Baranagore has repeatedly played a part in the country’s socio-political history. In the 17th century, Baranagore was one of the important ‘spice trade’ centres of the Dutch. With the advent of the British traders, hostilities with the Dutch broke out; and Baranagore finally passed into the hands of the British in l795. George Handerson set up the first jute mill with mechanized looms in 1859. Baranagore prospered due to its jute industry and provided jobs for a large number of labourers, most of whom were from outside Bengal. The Brahmo leader, Sasipada Banerjee, introduced various programmes for the welfare of the labourers. Apart from this, Baranagore had grown