PART - 3 Reminiscences of Swami Bramhananda (Raja Maharaj) BY - S. Venkateswaran---- (This article was originally published in the March-April 1969 Vedanta and the West magazine.) COURTESY : vedanta.org/…/monthly…/memories-of-swami-brahmananda/ After the dedication, and at the invitation of the Secretary of the Home, Swami Brahmananda decided to live at the Home for a few months. It was during this period that I came into close contact with this great Swami. The time was summer, so most of the students had left for their homes and very few of us remained behind. Therefore, I had an excellent opportunity to live closely with Swami Brahmananda. As often as possible I would sit in his presence, and sometimes he would ask the other swamis there to give me some fruit. In course of time, I began to do small errands for the other swamis who had accompanied Swami Brahmananda. I was also asked to bring flowers to the Swami every morning. I did not know then that he had a particular liking for lotus flowers, but I had a feeling that he would be pleased with them. So I used to collect the flowers from a pond in Mylapore. He would always receive the flowers with great pleasure, after which I would prostrate before him. He would take the flower in both hands and himself adorn the pictures of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Holy Mother which hung in his room. This increased my enthusiasm for collecting lotus flowers, and I considered it my first duty in the morning to bring the flowers to him regularly. One day as I was about to enter the water to pluck some lotus flowers, I saw a snake, nearly three feet long, lying at the edge of the bank. I ran back in fear and my first tendency was to leave without taking any flowers. But the thought of disappointing Swami Brahmananda came to me, and I did not have the courage to use this as an excuse for my failure. Finally, I picked up my courage and collected the flowers as usual. I do not think that as long as the Swami remained in the Home, did I ever fail to bring lotus flowers to him. It was usual for the disciples of Swami Brahmananda to sit around him in the morning and evening for an hour or so and meditate. During these times he would sometimes speak a word or two, but usually he remained silent. Often Swami Shivananda would talk to those of us who had gathered together, usually relating some anecdotes about himself and the other disciples and their life with Sri Ramakrishna, the beginnings of the Ramakrishna Mission, and the difficulties they underwent. As the days passed, both Swami Brahmananda and Swami Shivananda took an interest in me and would speak a few words to me now and then. But being Bengalis, they had difficulty in pronouncing my name properly. Swami Brahmananda would call me “Benkatam,” and the other swamis also began to call me by that name.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:17:36 +0000
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