GAHANANANDA 3

The Advaita Ashrama had been set up by Swami Vivekananda to propagate the pristine philosophy of non-dualism of the Vedanta. Thus, there were no provisions for ritualistic worship of Sri Ramakrishna there in those days when Brahmachari Naresh joined the Ashrama. It was a publication office with just a meditation room on the top-most floor. However, the sphere of activity here was large and Nareshchandra came in contact with monks of the different centres of the Order . Maharaj later reminisced, " Because of publication work, Advaita Ashrama had contacts with many countries and I became exposed to an international outlook and culture.Even at that time, huge was the work arena." 

On February 25, 1944, Nareshchandra was initiated into the vows of brahmacharya by his Guru Swami Virajanandaji. He was named Brahmachari Amritachaitanya.

Naresh Maharaj was an ideal karma-yogi. He would never cower under the pressure of adverse circumstances and shy away from the performance of what he understood to be his duty. An instance that highlights this feature of his personality occurred during the post-partition communal riots in Kolkata. From the top-floor of the Advaita Ashrama Maharaj discovered the plight of a hapless Muslim family, starving and in mortal peril from the rioters. Through sign-language they communicated to Maharaj that they had nothing to eat. Thereupon, risking the riots, Maharaj nonetheless took food to them daily in a tiffin-carrier till the day they were escorted by the police them to a safer place.

In November 1945,Naresh Maharaj went to Deoghar on a month's leave.From there he visited Hrishikesh, Kankhal and Varanasi. He met senior Swamis of the Order, Atulananandaji, Premeshanandaji, Saradeshanandaji, Jagadanandaji and others. From Varanasi he returned to Kolkata.

In 1947 he went on leave to the Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati. He would later reminisce," My stay in Mayavati was one of immense joy. Raja Maharaj used to say,' To be a monastic worker in Mayavati means a prize-posting.' Truly, Mayavati has no parallel---holy atmosphere, snow-clad peaks of Himalayas, and then Swami Vivekananda stayed there. Mayavati is a place of tapasya(austerity).At 2 or 2:30 a.m. I would wake up, with no need of further sleep, fully refreshed. Japa (chanting) and meditation was easy there. One night, I was seated on the first floor verandah covering myself with a woollen blanket when I saw a strange sight --- huge trees standing quiet and motionless. The scriptures say, ' Vriksha iva stabdhah ' (the trees are motionless as if in deep meditation). On another occasion he said, " Those who are engaged in sadhana and devotional practices will derive immense benefit by staying in Mayavati."

Brahmachari Amritachaitanya returned to Kolkata in February 1948. On 12 March, the birthday of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Virajanandaji blessed him with the vows of sannyasa. He received the name 'Gahanananda'. Another 4 years and 3 months he remained a monastic worker at the Advaita Ashrama, Kollkata. In June 1952 he was transferred to the Bagerhat Ashrama in erstwhile East Pakistan. There he served for 6 months before he was transferred again, this time to the Shillong Ashrama, Meghalaya in the North-East Provinces in the last week of February, 1953. Swami Soumyanandaji was the President of the Shillong Ashrama then.

Adapted by Sugata Bose from Swami Gahanananda, a Belur Math publication, 16 November,2007.