Swami Smaranananda, 16th President of the Ramakrishna Order, a simple and highly renounced self-effacing monk, will now adorn the office vacated by the demise of the 15th President of the Order, Swami Atmasthananada. A disciple of the venerable Swami Sankarananda, the 7th President of the Order who was the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna's spiritual son, Swami Brahmananda, our President Maharaj, Swami Smarananandaji is in direct line with the Master in an unbroken sequence of preceptor-pupil tradition (Guru-shishya parampara) whereby he will now be the earthly repository of Sri Ramakrishna's spirituality.
Swami Smaranananda was in charge of the Ramakrishna Mission Saradapeeth at Belur Math for 15 long years. It was then that I chanced to be present at a spiritual discourse delivered by him in 1983 if I am not failing in my memory. At one point in the discourse he uttered a profound statement. He said that he who the monks and the devotees worship as Sri Ramakrishna is who the Vedantists address as the Atman and the Brahman. That Brahman is the Atman and is manifested as the Avatar Sri Ramakrishna. This statement made a profound impact on my young mind and set me thinking. This was my first meeting with Swami Smaranananda.
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