Letters of Swami Premeshananda I
Radha Mangala
Dear devotees,
I love so much the
letteres of Swami Premeshanandaji They are a divine treasure. I
would like to share them with the devotees. May be many of you know them which were published by Advaita Ashrama . Compiled by Satchidananda Dar and translated by Swami Swahananda.
Jai Thakur! Jai Maa!
Go Forward is a collection of letters and notes written by Swami Premeshananda (1884-1967), a highly respected monk of the Ramakrishna Order and disciple of the Hoty Mother, Sri Sarada Devi. Premesh Maharaj, as he was known, was responsi-ble for encouraging many young people, both men and women, householders and monastics, to lead lives dedicated to the ideais of spirituality and service. He did this not only through personal contact, but also through his wonderfully inspiring letters, many of which are included in this collection. These letters present us with the picture of a man of great spiritual realization, whose life was filled to the brim with the ideais of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda as well as the teachings of the Bhagavad Gítã.
Letter 1
[Swami Swahananda, whose pre-monastic name was Bipad-bhanjan Goswami, is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order. His father, a disciple of Holy Mother and a friend of Swami Premeshananda, associated in the early days with the Ramakrishna Order's Sylhet and Shillong centers.
Bipadbhanjan was born in 1921 and spent his college days, during World War II, in Sylhet, Habiganj, and Calcutta. He met Swami Premeshananda at Belur Math in 1937 when he carne to receive initiation from Swami Vijnanananda, and two years later he began writing to the elderly swami—a correspondence which lasted for the rest of Swami Premeshananda's life.
Bipadbhanjan joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1947 and was transferred in 1949 from Belur College to the Madras Math where he stayed until 1961. Duríng his Madras days, he was the shrine pujari, and after receiving his brahmacarya and the name Durga Chaitanya, he also performed the elaborate Durga Puja. While in Madras, the young monk became a student in the Mysore Study Circle and translated the Chandogya Upanisad Later, after receiving his sannyãsa, Swami Swahananda served as editor of the Vedanta Kesari, took charge of the Delhi center, and then carne to America. Ali these events are mentioned in the following letter
Letter 1
Sargachi, 20.12.39
Dear Bipadbhanjan,
I received your letter of 27 November at Belur Math. I came here the night before last. My health is good. Let me know how your life at the hostel is progressing. No sooner did I see you at the Math than I felt that you were our very own. Now we shall be happy if you become our very own in reality. Even if a piece of wood is of high quality, unless it falls into the hands of a skilled craftsman, it will be sold at a low price. I have seen many good lives wasted in useless work. The "vina" of your life must be kept tuned to a high pitch; this is the real task.
We are an unfortunate nation How much talent, how much greatness is being wasted before our very eyes! Such fear comes to my mind when I see it, that it sometimes seems like a mania. Thakur, Sri Ramakrishna has solved the problems of life for us. Now the one desire in our hearts is to see all of you awakened.
Know that your life is very precious and strive not to waste even a drop of it. How valuable I consider your life! If only I could make you understand this.
Do some exercise so that your body becomes fit for all types of work, and learn the basic principles of physiology from the doctors. Physical weakness is one of the main causes of the suffering of the Bengali people. But the human body does not become fit for work merely by making the muscles strong through exercise. Often even strong people are very lazy. So keep the body engaged in various kinds of activities and all the parts of the body full of vigor. The sâdhus of the Srihatta Ashrama are capable of performing spiritual practices as well as all types of work. If you compare them with others, you will easily see this. Thakur and Mother were able to work ceaselessly, just as they could remain immersed in samãdhi. For the time being, try to understand this point.
Sw. Vivekananda
Quer navegar na Internet sem medo? Instale grátis o Internet Explorer 8.
Radha Mangala
Dear devotees,
I love so much the
letteres of Swami Premeshanandaji
They are a divine treasure. I
would like to share them with the devotees. May be many of you know
them which were published by Advaita Ashrama . Compiled by
Satchidananda Dar and translated by Swami Swahananda.
Jai Thakur! Jai Maa!
Go Forward is a collection of letters and notes written by Swami Premeshananda (1884-1967), a highly respected monk of the Ramakrishna Order and disciple of the Hoty Mother, Sri Sarada Devi. Premesh Maharaj, as he was known, was responsi-ble for encouraging many young people, both men and women, householders and monastics, to lead lives dedicated to the ideais of spirituality and service. He did this not only through personal contact, but also through his wonderfully inspiring letters, many of which are included in this collection. These letters present us with the picture of a man of great spiritual realization, whose life was filled to the brim with the ideais of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda as well as the teachings of the Bhagavad Gítã.
Letter 1
[Swami Swahananda, whose pre-monastic name was Bipad-bhanjan Goswami, is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order. His father, a disciple of Holy Mother and a friend of Swami Premeshananda, associated in the early days with the Ramakrishna Order's Sylhet and Shillong centers.
Bipadbhanjan was born in 1921 and spent his college days, during World War II, in Sylhet, Habiganj, and Calcutta. He met Swami Premeshananda at Belur Math in 1937 when he carne to receive initiation from Swami Vijnanananda, and two years later he began writing to the elderly swami—a correspondence which lasted for the rest of Swami Premeshananda's life.
Bipadbhanjan joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1947 and was transferred in 1949 from Belur College to the Madras Math where he stayed until 1961. Duríng his Madras days, he was the shrine pujari, and after receiving his brahmacarya and the name Durga Chaitanya, he also performed the elaborate Durga Puja. While in Madras, the young monk became a student in the Mysore Study Circle and translated the Chandogya Upanisad Later, after receiving his sannyãsa, Swami Swahananda served as editor of the Vedanta Kesari, took charge of the Delhi center, and then carne to America. Ali these events are mentioned in the following letter
Letter 1
Sargachi, 20.12.39
Dear Bipadbhanjan,
I received your letter of 27 November at Belur Math. I came here the night before last. My health is good. Let me know how your life at the hostel is progressing. No sooner did I see you at the Math than I felt that you were our very own. Now we shall be happy if you become our very own in reality. Even if a piece of wood is of high quality, unless it falls into the hands of a skilled craftsman, it will be sold at a low price. I have seen many good lives wasted in useless work. The "vina" of your life must be kept tuned to a high pitch; this is the real task.
We are an unfortunate nation How much talent, how much greatness is being wasted before our very eyes! Such fear comes to my mind when I see it, that it sometimes seems like a mania. Thakur, Sri Ramakrishna has solved the problems of life for us. Now the one desire in our hearts is to see all of you awakened.
Know that your life is very precious and strive not to waste even a drop of it. How valuable I consider your life! If only I could make you understand this.