Swami Trigunatitanandaji - Sarada Prasanna - Trigunatita Maharaj!
Satwik Joglekar
Today is Tithi Puja (Birthday Celebrations) of Most Revered Swami Trigunatitananda (Sarada Prasanna Maharaj – Trigunatita Maharaj)
Swami Trigunatiananda and Holy Mother
Extracts from articles Swami Trigunatita by Swami Chetanananda in Prabuddha Bharata (1993)
Whenever Sarada (Sarada Prasanna) came to Dakshineswar, Holy Mother would keep money on the step of the Nahabat as she knew Sarada had come surreptitiously, eluding his father’s watchful eyes. One day Sri Ramakrishna sent Sarada to Holy Mother for spiritual instruction and mentioned her infinite power, quoting a Bengali couplet:
Radha’s infinite power of maya is beyond description.
Millions of Krishnas and Ramas evolve, abide, and dissolve in it.
Holy Mother probably initiated Sarada much later since she has said Jogin (Swami Yogananda), whom she initiated in Vrindaban after the Master’s passing away, was her first disciple. As far as the record shows, Sarada and Jogin were the only two monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna who were initiated by Holy Mother. (PB January 1993: p. 49).
When Holy Mother was living at Nilambar Babu's garden house in Belur (1894-95), Swami Trigunatita was her attendant. He would spread a white cloth under the shefalika flower tree (an autumnal white fragrant flower) so that the blooms might not fall in the dust. Holy Mother would use those flowers for her morning worship. He was extremely thoughtful and resourceful in every action.
After Swami Yogananda’s death in March 1899, Trigunatita took charge of Holy Mother’s physical needs in addition to editing the Udbodhan. His zeal to serve her appeared to be almost an obsession. In October 1899, Holy Mother was going to Jayrambati in a bullock cart via Burdwan. It was past midnight. Trigunatita was walking in front of the carriage as her bodyguard, with a heavy stick on his shoulder. Suddenly he saw a wide breach in the road made by a flood. At once he realized that when the carriage came to the opening, it would either be overturned or receive a terrific jolt, not only disturbing the Mother’s sleep but possibly hurting her physically. Immediately he laid his large body in the breach and asked the driver to drive the vehicle over him. But suddenly the Mother awoke, took in the situation, and rebuked her disciple for his rashness.
Swami Trigunatita’s love for and faith in Holy Mother was phenomenal. Once Yoginma, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, asked the swami to buy some hot chilies for the Mother. In his eagerness to get the hottest possible, he walked through many markets from Baghbazar to Burabazar (roughly four kilometres), tasting all the hot chilies by chewing one of each, until his tongue became red and swollen. At last he found the hottest ones at Burabazar and brought them to the Mother. When Holy Mother heard about it, she said, “What devotion to the guru!" Later when Swami Trigunatita went to America, he sent money regularly for Holy Mother’s personal service. (PB February 1993 p. 93)
Extract from Holy Mother’s Reminiscences by Kumud Bandhu Sen (Prabuddha Bharata april 1952 p.: 183)
As I used to go there almost every day for meeting the Holy Mother, Swami
Trigunatitananda was very kind and gave me a Stotra on Holy Mother composed by him in Sanskrit after the manner of the Candi. He advised me to recite it every day early in the morning. It was a fairly big Stotra, but unfortunately it was lost by a neighbour of mine who took it from me.
Jai Maa…
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