Niranjanananda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Niranjananandaস্বামী নিরঞ্জনানন্দ (Bengali) |
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Niranjanananda
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| Birth Date | 1862 Rajarhat Bishnupur, Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died on | 9 May 1904 Haridwar, British India |
| Birth name | Nityaniranjan Ghosh |
| Guru/teacher | Ramakrishna Paramahamsa |
| Philosophy | Advaita Vedanta |
Niranjanananda (Senior) was a very important monk of the Ramakrishna Mission. He was one of the direct disciples of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a famous spiritual teacher. His birth name was Nitya Niranjan Ghosh, but people usually called him Niranjan.
Ramakrishna called Niranjanananda and a few other disciples "Nityasiddhas" or "Ishwarakotis." This means they were special souls who were always pure and close to God. Even though Niranjanananda passed away at a young age, he made a big difference in spiritual and charity work. He was a tall, strong person with a powerful presence.
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About Niranjanananda
His Early Life
Niranjanananda was born as Nityaniranjan Ghosh. Not much is known about his early life. He came from a village called Rajarhat-Bishnupur in Bengal. He lived in Calcutta with his uncle, Kalikrishna Mitra. When he was a boy, he was interested in spiritual things and was thought to have special abilities.
Niranjan was very honest and open-minded. Ramakrishna really liked these qualities about him. He preferred a life dedicated to spiritual pursuits rather than getting married. He also had a quick temper, but he was kind at heart. Later, he worked for a person who grew indigo plants in the Murshidabad area.
Meeting Sri Ramakrishna
Standing: (left to right) Shivananda, Ramakrishnananda, Vivekananda, Randhuni, Debendranath Majumdar, Mahendranath Gupta (Shri M), Trigunatitananda, H. Mustafi
Sitting: (left to right) Niranjanananda, Saradananda, Hutko Gopal, Abhedananda
Niranjan was about 18 years old when he first met Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna noticed Niranjan's interest in spiritualism. He gently warned him, saying, "If you think of ghosts, you will become like them. But if you think of God, your life will be divine."
When Niranjan visited Ramakrishna a second time, Ramakrishna asked him, "My boy, time is passing. When will you realize God?" Niranjan was very impressed and continued to spend time with Ramakrishna.
One time, Niranjan was on a boat going to Dakshineswar. Some people on the boat started saying bad things about Ramakrishna. This made Niranjan very angry, and he threatened to sink the boat. When Ramakrishna heard about it, he was not happy. He said, "Anger is a terrible sin. Why should you get angry? Foolish people say many things because they don't know better. You should just ignore them."
Ramakrishna also didn't want Niranjan to work in an office. But when he heard that Niranjan took the job to support his elderly mother, Ramakrishna agreed.
When Ramakrishna became ill, his followers kept him in Shyampukur. Niranjan quit his job to work as the gatekeeper of the house. He was very devoted. Later, when Ramakrishna was moved to the Cossipore garden house, Niranjan continued to be the gatekeeper. He even stopped some of Ramakrishna's followers from entering when Ramakrishna was very sick.
After Ramakrishna passed away, there was a disagreement among his disciples about his sacred belongings (relics). Narendra (who later became Vivekananda) helped solve this problem. Niranjan, along with Shashi Maharaj (later Ramakrishnananda), kept most of the relics safely. They put them in a special urn at Balaram Bose's house. These relics were later moved to Belur Math.
His Life as a Monk
In 1887, Niranjan and his fellow disciples took their monastic vows. This meant they promised to live a simple, spiritual life. He then moved permanently to the Baranagar Math, which was the first home for the monks of the Ramakrishna order. Vivekananda gave him the monastic name Swami Niranjanananda. "Niranjan" means blameless or pure, and "ananda" means bliss.
Because he was physically strong, Niranjanananda did most of the hard work at the monastery. He traveled to Puri and returned in April 1887. He built a special altar for Ramakrishna in the old monastery. He also planted a Bel Tree where Ramakrishna was cremated in Cossipore and built an altar around it.
In November 1889, he went on a pilgrimage to Deoghar. He stayed in a garden house and lived on donations (alms). He traveled through different parts of India, including Prayag (Allahabad), and even went to Colombo in Sri Lanka. For some time, he worked there as a missionary, teaching Ramakrishna's ideas.
In 1895, he returned to the Alambazar monastery. When Vivekananda came back to India in 1897, Niranjanananda went to Colombo to welcome him. He traveled with Swami Vivekananda all over Northern and Southern India. In 1898, he went to Almora. There, he helped Shuddhananda (Sudhir Maharaj) start his spiritual journey. He then went to Varanasi and lived on alms. He inspired a group of young men to dedicate their lives to serving others. These young men later started the Home of Service.
Later, he became ill in Kankhal near Haridwar and returned to Calcutta for treatment. After getting better, he went back to Varanasi and met Vivekananda there. When Vivekananda was ill, Niranjanananda helped arrange Ayurvedic treatment for him. In Vivekananda's last days, Niranjanananda was his gatekeeper again. He prevented people from crowding and disturbing Vivekananda in his room. After Vivekananda's death, Niranjanananda returned to Haridwar. He suffered from a long-lasting stomach illness in his final days and passed away on May 9, 1904.
With Holy Mother Sarada Devi
Like his fellow disciples, Niranjanananda deeply respected Sarada Devi, calling her the Holy Mother. He took Girish Chandra Ghosh to her village, Jairambati, when Girish was feeling very sad. Before Niranjanananda passed away, he visited her. He asked her to do everything for him, including making his food and feeding him.
His Character and What He Left Behind
Ramakrishna said that Niranjan was a very pure soul. He believed it was easy for Niranjan to realize God because he was so honest and innocent. According to his friend Achalananda and other disciples, Niranjan was known for his simplicity, honesty, purity, bravery, firmness (when it came to his beliefs), and his dedication to spiritual life.
He once saved his fellow disciple Sarada (Trigunatitananda) from drowning. He eagerly took up charity work when Vivekananda asked him to. He later helped start the Sevashrama, or the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service, in Varanasi. He did this by inspiring young men to give up worldly life and serve the poor. Even when they needed money, he refused a donation from a rich person who didn't keep his promise. He took care of many of his fellow disciples, including Swami Yogananda, whenever they were sick.
Niranjanananda believed that Ramakrishna was God in human form. He didn't focus much on religious ceremonies but had great faith in the idea of serving others.
