Swami Brahmananda - The Yogi Saint

Direct Disciple of Rama Krishna Paramahansa.

His former name was Rakhal Chandra Ghosh.

His education began in the village school which was started by Ananda Mohan, his father, chiefly for the sake of his son.

As a student he was remarkable for his intelligence. But even as a boy had varied interests in life.

Physically he was much stronger than the average boy of his age. His companions found it hard to cope with him in wrestling or at play.

He would take part in many village games and show unsurpassed skill in them.

Near his home was a temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali. Often enough, Rakhal would be found in the precincts of the temple playing or in Devotion.

As a boy he loved devotional music and would sometimes go with his companions to a secluded spot in the midst of a field close to the village and there sing devotional songs.

After the passing of Rama Krishna, Rakhal joined the monastery at Barangore along with the other disciples and soon thereafter took Sannyasa and changed their names.

Thus Rakhal became Swami Brahmananda.

After leaving the monastery the Swami Brahmananda went to Puri for some time begging for his food and practicing auterities.

Returning to Baranagore he expressed his desire to Swami Vivekananda to go to North India to Meditate and practice his spiritual disciplines. Swami Vivekananda, the leader of the group of Rama Krishna's Disiples and brother disciple himself, reluctantly agreed to allow him to embrace the wandering life but directed that another disciple, Swami Subodhananda, to accompany him.

Swami Brahmananda went to Varanasi, Omkarnath, panchavati, Dwaraka, Porbandar, Girnar, Ajmer etc before returning to Vrindavan.

From Vrindavan he went alone to the Himalayan region at Hardwar for greater solitude. He stayed at Kankhal near Hardar for a period.

While he was there, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Turiyananda, Swami Saradananda, and Vaikuntha Sanyal unexpectedly came from Almora to meet him. The joy of such a meeting could be better imagined than described.

Swami Vivekananda felt that Brahmananda would have impaired his health with hard Tapasya and living alone and brought him back with him to Meerut.

When Swami Vivekananda left the group in order to wander alone, Swami Brahmananda and Swami Turiyananda started on a pilgrimage to Jwalamukhi and from there visited various other sacred places in the Punjub, Sind, Bombay, and Rajputana.

At Bombay they met Swami Vivekananda who was then preparing to sail for America to attend the Parliament of Religions at Chicago.

When the Ramakrishna Mission was set up Swami Brahmananda became the President of the Calcutta branch. Later becoming President of the Rama Krishna Math and Mission after Vivekananda relinquished that position till his last day.

During this period Swami Brahmananda went on several pilgrimages before his demise in 1922 after contracting cholera and diabetes.

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