16-April-2012 (Monday) Reminiscences of The Holy Mother!!!
16-April-2012 (Monday)
Reminiscences of The Holy Mother!!!
HOLY MOTHER – A TALK* - 01
SWAMI ASESHANANDA
* The present article is a transcript of a talk given during the special service held in the chapel of The Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre of New York on 26 April 1983 by Swami Aseshananda, the then Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society, Portland, USA. It was later published in the Vedanta for East and West, issue 195, p. 7.
Friends, I must frankly express to you that I miss my dear brother Swami Pavitrananda very much, as those of you do who came in contact with him, and feel his absence as the loss of a light in the midst of darkness. The Swami and I were very close friends during our college days. Together we sat at the feet of Swami Brahmanandaji Maharaj, the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna. I have seen Swami Pavitrananda arguing with Swami Turiyananda, and Turiyananda just smiling at him. At that time I thought, “Who is this boy who is bold enough to argue with Swami Turiyananda, the great lion of Vedanta?” Then I came to know of him through Swami Akhilananda.
Swami Akhilananda and I studied in the same college. He was senior to me by one year. It was Swami Akhilananda who introduced me to Swami Brahmanandaji, the President of the Order. Almost every week we used to visit Swami Brahmananda and pay our respects. One evening, Maharaj was not present in Balaram Bose’s house. Some devotees asked me whether I would like to go to the Udbodhan to see Holy Mother. I asked Swami Akhilananda weather he would like to go. He said, “I have some business with a senior Swami. I cannot go, but you had better go. I have seen the Mother but you have not. It will be good fortune for you.”
(REMINISCENCES OF Sri Sarada Devi by Monastics, Devotees, and others - Compiled and Edited in Bengali by SWAMI PURNATMANANDA - Translated by MALOTI SEN GUPTA : P 93-94)
