Obituaries

Obituary

20th June 1935 : Swami Shiveshwarananda (Brahmadas) : Announced to the Public in July 1935

We record with a heavy heart the tragic passing away on the 20th June 1935, at the Belur Math, of Swami Shiveshwarananda, alias Brahmadas, who had been suffering from tuberculosis. He was aged about 32, and during his 10 years’ monastic life, had lovingly served thousands of sick Narayanas.

18th December 1935 : Br. Nirmalachaitanya (Prabodh) : Announced to the Public in January 1936

Brahmachari Nirmalachaitanya (Prabodh) passed away at the Mysore Tuberculosis Institute, on the 18th December 1935, at the early age of 35. He had been under treatment for some months at the Tuberculosis Institute, Nagpur, before he was removed to Mysore.

25th October 1936 : Swami Kamaleswarananda : Announced to the Public in January 1937

With a heavy heart we announce the passing away, on the 25th October 1936, of Swami Kamaleswarananda at the age of 44, at his brother’s Calcutta residence, as a result of three weeks’ fever. He had given invaluable services to the Order, and his demise is an irreparable loss to all of us.

[From the book Kalikshetre Ramakrishna Math (Gadadhar Ashrama): Kamaleswarananda’s pre-monastic name was Lalit. He was initiated by the Holy Mother and given sannyasa by Raja Maharaj (Swami Brahmananda ji Maharaj) – p. 39-40. He was the first President of Gadadhar Ashrama – p. 9. He was the President of Gadadhar Ashrama for 14 years – p. 43.]

23rd November 1936 : Swami Dhirananda : Announced to the Public in January 1937

With a heavy heart we announce the passing away, on the 23rd November 1936, of Swami Dhirananda ji at the age of 64, at the Udbodhan Office, Calcutta, where he had been suffering from facial Erysipelas for a month. He had given invaluable services to the Order, and his demise is an irreparable loss to all of us.

7th February 1937 : Swami Akhandananda ji (Gangadhar Maharaj) : Announced to the Public in February 1937

With a heavy heart we have to record that our beloved and most revered President, His Holiness Srimat Swami Akhandananda ji (Gangadhar Maharaj) entered Mahasamadhi on Sunday, the 7th February, 1937, at 3-7 p.m. The Swami had diabetes and other ailments due to old age, and was not keeping good health for the last few months. He was under medical treatment, but there was nothing to show that the catastrophe was so imminent. On Friday (5th Feb.) at 10 p.m. we received a wire from Sargachhi that he was seriously ill owing to retention of urine and rise of temperature. Swamis Siddhatmananda, Dhruveswarananda and Amriteswarananda hurried to the place to bring him down to Calcutta for expert medical treatment. After that the Swami’s condition improved slightly through local medical help. The attending doctors advised immediate removal of the Swami to Calcutta, whereupon in the company of two attending doctors and attendants (who were joined by the three monks from Calcutta) the Swami started on Saturday afternoon for Calcutta, where he was received at the Sealdah Station at 10 p.m. by two experienced doctors and many monks, including Swami Virajananda. Swami Akhandananda ji, who had lost all outward consciousness in the middle of the journey, was taken down from the train in a stretcher and was escorted by the doctors to the Belur Math in an ambulance which was kept ready. The monks were apprised by the doctors that the Swami was in the grip of a terrible diabetic coma from which there was little hope of recovery. His condition worsened every hour and on Sunday morning it took a decisive turn for the worse. By 2-30 p.m. the temperature shot up to 105º, and the monks and devotees gathered round to have a last glimpse of the Swami before he entered into Mahasamadhi, and chanted Thakur’s name. Thereafter the body was decorated with flowers and garlands and Aratrika was performed with due ceremonies, when about 80 monks and 300 devotees, who hurried to the scene, offered their last homage. The body was then carried to the funeral pyre on the Ganges, to the south of Swamiji’s temple, near the site of those of his brother disciples, and then consecrated to the holy fire at 8-30 p.m.

Anandotsavas to celebrate the holy occasion of the Swami’s Eternal Union with the Master will be held both at the Math and the Sargachhi Ashrama on the 19th February.

8th March 1937 : Swami Janardanananda (Naten of Narayanganj) : Announced to the Public in April 1937

Swami Janardanananda (Naten of Narayanganj), who had been suffering from various ailments, suddenly passed away at the Narayanganj Ashrama on the 8th March 1937.

4th October 1937 : Swami Somananda : Announced to the Public in January 1938

Swami Somananda breathed his last at Madras on the 4th October 1937.

20th October 1937 : Swami Kalyanananda : Announced to the Public in January 1938

Swami Kalyanananda passed away at Mussourie on the 20th October 1937.

14th November 1937 : Swami Jnaneswarananda : Announced to the Public in January 1938

Swami Jnaneswarananda departed at Chicago on the 14th November 1937.

12th January 1938 : Swami Prabhananda (Ketaki) : Announced to the Public in April 1938

We record with deep sorrow that Swami Prabhananda (Ketaki), founder of the Mission work in the Khasia and Jaintia Hills, Assam died of progressive atrophy on the 12th January 1938.

11th March 1938 : Br. Srishachaitanya (Suren) : Announced to the Public in April 1938

Br. Srishachaitanya (Suren) passed away of Tuberculosis on the 11th March 1938.

25th April 1938 : Swami Vijnanananda ji : Announced to the Public in 20 May 1938

It is with a very heavy heart that we have to record the passing away of our revered President, Srimat Swami Vijnanananda ji, at Allahabad Ashrama at 3-20 p.m. on the 25th April 1938. As already intimated in the last Announced to the Public in, his health had been far from satisfactory for the last few months. But in his characteristic way he refused all outside ministration, relying only on Thakur and the Holy Mother. When he was here during the birthday celebration of Sri Ramakrishna, one could gather from his talks that he was preparing to leave the world. While at Allahabad during his last illness, he saw to it that people did not become too anxious and gather at the Ashrama. The news, however, leaked through and reached the Math. Instructed by wires, Swami Sharvananda, Amriteswarananda and Omkarananda along with others hurried to Allahabad from Varanasi, Kankhal and other places. Dr. Lalit Mohan Bose (Allopath) of Allahabad and subsequently Dr. J. N. Mazumder (Homeopath) of Calcutta visited the Swamiji, and homeopathic medicine was prescribed. According to Dr. Bose the disease was Beri-Beri, but Dr. Mazumder diagnosed it to be Dropsy. But whatever the disease might be, it was only when he was bed-ridden that medicine could be administered. He took to bed on the 22nd April, till when he was attending to daily business and was reading proofs of the Ramayana, which he was translating into English. In his sick-bed the Swamiji was constantly calling on the Mother, refusing all food and resigning himself completely to Sri Ramakrishna and the Holy Mother. The pulse gradually became irregular, and the temperature went up. But nobody apprehended that the end would be so sudden. At 3-20 p.m. the last breath passed away almost without any previous indication of the catastrophe.

The body was next day taken by a boat to the Triveni, the confluence of the Ganges and the Jumna, where it was consigned to the sacred water. A large number of our Sadhus from Varanasi and elsewhere attended the ceremony.

23rd October 1938 : Swami Shuddhananda ji (Sudhir Maharaj) : Announced to the Public in 10 November 1938

The news of the passing away of our revered President, Srimat Swami Shuddhananda ji Maharaj, on the 23rd October 1938 at this Math, at 8.40 A.M. must have been received like a bolt from the blue by all Sannyasins and Brahmacharins of the Order. Details about his last days have been circulated through the newspapers.

The Swami had been suffering for some time past from high blood pressure. On the morning of the 18th October he got high fever (105º) with shivering. Dr. Ajit Nath Roy Chaudhury and Dr. Jyotish Ch. Gupta were at once called in. It was suspected to be a case of malaria, although no parasites could be detected in the blood. Small dozes of quinine, therefore, were administered with a mild purgative. The fever went on for two days, rising and falling twice daily. On the third day (20th Oct.) at about 9 A.M. his temperature suddenly went to 95º, and the pulse stopped. Our local doctor administered stimulants after consulting the Calcutta doctors by phone. Drs. Roy Chaudhury and Gupta soon came, and more medicines were given, when the pulse gradually returned to normal and the temperature rose to 99º. The next morning and part of the afternoon he was better, but about 9-30 P.M., there was a change for the worse. Thenceforward it was evident that the catastrophe was not far off. Hiccup was more and more in evidence and uraemia was developing. He retained consciousness up to the evening of the Kali Puja (22nd). Then delirium set in, and about 2 A.M. he became unconscious and the pulse began to sink. The alarm spread throughout the Math. The monks gathered round his bed and went on repeating Thakur’s name, reading hymns, and so on. In the morning some devotees also came. After the last breath had passed out, a remarkable serenity appeared on his countenance. Dr. Gupta was in attendance for the last three nights.

At noon the body was brought down, bathed and decked with flowers, and taken in procession to the new temple, where Aratrika was performed before it. At about 1-30 P.M. it was placed on the funeral pyre, beside the Ganges, to the east of the place where the last rites of Thakur’s children were performed, and in a couple of hours everything was over.

At this moment we are overwhelmed with a keen sense of the enormity of our loss.

18th January 1939 : Swami Brahmaswarupananda (Benode Babu) : Announced to the Public in April 1939

Swami Brahmaswarupananda (Benode Babu) passed away in Calcutta on the 18th January 1939.

8th September 1939 : Swami Abhedananda ji : Announced to the Public in October 1939

We record with a heavy heart that Srimat Swami Abhedananda ji, the last surviving disciple of Sri Guru Maharaj, entered Mahasamadhi at 8-16 A.M. on Friday, the 8th September, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, Calcutta, after one night’s fever. His body was cremated at the Cossipore Burning Ghat, where most of the monks of the Belur Math went to pay him their last respects. The 13th day of his Mahasamadhi was duly observed with special worship etc at the Math.

Obituary

Six months after the Mahasamadhi of Srimat Swami Vijnanananda, the fourth President of the Order, noticed in the preceding Report, the Math and Mission sustained an irreparable loss at the passing away of Srimat Swami Suddhananda, the fifth President, on the 23rd October, 1938. This was preceded by another mournful event when on the 26th April, 1938, Srimat Swami Nirmalananda breathed his last, and succeeded by an equally great blow when Srimat Swami Abhedananda, the last Sannyasin disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, passed away on the 8th September, 1939.

Reported in the Ramakrishna Math and Mission General Report in 1940 by Belur Math Authorities

`In December, 1939, a beautiful temple to perpetuate the memory of Srimat Swami Nirmalananda was opened at the Sri Ramakrishna- Niranjana Ashrama, Ottapalam (Malabar)Ashrama'.

The dedication was done by Swami Saswatananda ji Maharaj, President of Ramakrishna Math, Madras, which used to be considered as the South India headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Swami Saswatananda was a Trustee of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Ottapalam Centre was a listed centre of Belur Math in this period.