SWAMI NIRMALANANDA (TULSI MAHARAJ), THE DIRECT DISCIPLE OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA WHO HAS BEEN WRONGED

SWAMI NIRMALANANDA (TULSI MAHARAJ), THE DIRECT DISCIPLE OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA WHO HAS BEEN WRONGED

Fast friends. Swami Nirmalananda (Tulsi Maharaj) and Swami Vijnanananda (Hariprasanna Maharaj). Found Vijnananandaji's photograph in the Belur Math website but not a single photograph of Nirmalanandaji was available there. Had to locate his photograph elsewhere from Manoj Sivan's collection. Alas, this was disappointing, quite disconcerting too!

One wonders why Tulsi Maharaj who was largely instrumental in exhorting Vijnan Maharaj to renounce his civil engineer's job at Allahabad and join the Alambazar Math should be so neglected by the earthly authorities that be. It is a shame that it should be so and it needs a quick redressing. Worse shame is that the devotees of the Mission are keeping quiet about it. Absolutely heinous offence from all such against the venerable son of Thakur who was seen holding fast onto the worshipped photograph of Thakur at Alambazar Math during the 1892 earthquake that had hit Kolkata when all his brother disciples had rushed downstairs onto the road to save themselves. Tulsi Maharaj alone held Thakur's image in his loving embrace lest it should fall. He beheld Thakur himself in the photograph and did with intrepid devotion what he did.

And such a one has been relegated to deliberate organisational obscurity with devotees supporting such a malicious move! Shame! There's no spirituality in it, no truth in the unproven claim of the Mission that Tulsi Maharaj was the disciple of Swamiji by his own assertion. If it is said that Tulsi Maharaj was Swamiji's sannyasi disciple and, so, not Thakur's disciple, then the same perverse argument should be posited to prove that Swamiji also was not Thakur's disciple as he was his own sannyasi disciple, having ordained himself into monasticism, as the case in point of fact was. So were all the other disciples of Thakur as well for they were all ordained into monastic vows by Swamiji. That way Thakur would be disciple-less totally. Wonder of wonders it would be, would it not?

To quote Swamiji in an altered vein, "I hold every man a traitor who" knowing full well about this organisational act of suppression of truth and the propagation of untruth, yet cares not to rally round the cause of resurrection of the honour and due status of Tulsi Maharaj. Is this devotion to Thakur who was the very embodiment of truth in both its relative and absolute aspects? Is this piety? Whither character whose formation Swamiji so laid stress on? Whither standing on the side of truth for which Thakur's father, Kshudiram Chattopadhyay, had to bear the ruination of earthly fortune overnight and suffer eviction from his village Dere to seek settlement elsewhere where devotees by the thousands flock today? Did he not set up the ideal of truthfulness and honest affirmation against terrible feudal authority half a century ahead of Thakur himself? Kamarpukur is because Kshudiram that day had not borne false testimony before the law court as you all are in a different setting doing now for decades. Consider. Repent. Beg forgiveness of Thakur and of Tulsi Maharaj and come to terms with the truth. Today or tomorrow truth will emerge victorious despite all your attempts to suppress it. Earn glory now by admitting Tulsi Maharaj where he rightfully belongs, in the pantheon of the incarnate gods of the Avatar of Dakshineshwar. History will be kind on you if you do it now. Otherwise, the shame will hang as a perennial blur on you all. May Thakur bless all!

Written by Sugata Bose