Great Yogis

Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramahansa Yogananda

 

Paramahansa Yogananda is one of the greatest spiritual figures of the twentieth century, and also was one of the first Spiritual Masters to bring the Yoga of the East to the aspiring West.

Paramahansa Yogananda is one of the greatest spiritual figures of the twentieth century, and also was one of the first Spiritual Masters to bring the Yoga of the East to the aspiring West.

Yogananda was born in Gorakhpur, Bengal in 1893. Originally his name was Mukunda Lal Ghosh. He was given the name of Yogananda after his initiation as an Indian Swami (monk).

Yogananda means “Bliss” through yoga (divine union with God) The title “Paramahansa” was given by his Guru Sri Yukteswar . Paramahansa means literally “Supreme Swan”. It is given to Swami’s who have established constant communion with God.

From an early age Yogananda was fascinated with meeting spiritual Saints and seekers. His autobiography recounts many riveting occasions of meetings with different Saints, (including Master Mahasaya, who was the author of “The Gospel of Ramakrishna.” ) Even as a young child Yogananda spent many hours in meditation, aspiring to attain God - Consciousness.

At the age of 17 Yogananda became a disciple of Swami Sri Yukteswar who expertly guided him along the spiritual path. Sri Yukteswar was a direct disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya Lahiri Mahasaya is credited with reintroducing the ancient art of Kriya yoga into modern society. After several years of strict spiritual training in his Masters hermitage, Yogananda was inspired to travel to America. With the blessings of his Guru Sri Yukteswar, Yogananda travelled to the West, in order to share the spiritual traditions of India and his own inner realisations.

In America, Yogananda founded the Self Realization Fellowship, which served as the organisation committed to his teachings. Yogananda also gave many lectures on spiritual themes throughout the country. Yogananda taught that although outer customs of religion may be different, the underlying principles are the same. He also taught that the essence of any religion and spiritual practice was the Love of God and to realize the true nature of your own divine Self. Yogananda also did much to show the underlying unity between Hinduism and Christianity, in doing so he helped bridge the gap between East and West. Less well know perhaps is the poetry of Yogananda. However books such as “Songs of the Soul” and “Whispers from Eternity” reflect the poetic vision of this great Spiritual Master.

During his life Yogananda was able to meet with many prominent spiritual, cultural and political figures. For example, during his period of running a school in India, he was able to meet the Bengali Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore. In the mid 1930s he was able to meet Mahatma Gandhi at his ashram in Wardha. His autobiography also tells of fascinating meetings with spiritual illuminaries such as Sri Anandaymoyi Ma and Sri Ramana Maharshi. Yogananda was also the first Indian Swami to meet with a US President (C.Coolidge in 1927)

On March 7, 1952, Paramahansa Yogananda entered mahasamadhi, leaving behind a profound spiritual legacy. His writings and life continue to give countless inspiration to many Truth - Seekers and God – Lovers.

Arjuna

Arjuna was the devoted disciple of Sri Krishna. Before the battle of Kurukshetra. Sri Krishna offered Ajuna either his whole army or just Sri Krishna himself. Arjuna joyfully choose to have Sri Krishna as his charioteer. Sri Krishna guided Arjuna and the Pandavas to victory. His advice forms the base of the Bhagavad Gita

Arjuna

“Arjuna is the ascending human soul. Sri Krishna is the descending divine Soul. Finally they meet. The human soul says to the divine Soul: “I need you.” The divine Soul says to the human soul: “I need you, too. I need you for my self-manifestation. You need me for your self-realisation.” Arjuna says: “O Krishna, you are mine, absolutely mine.” Sri Krishna says: “O Arjuna, no mine, no thine. We are the Oneness complete, within, without.”

Arjuna ultimately became the spiritual child of Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna ultimately became the loving slave of Arjuna’s surrender.

- Sri Chinmoy

Lahiri Mahasaya

Lahiri Mahasaya - Biography

Lahiri Mahasaya (1828 – 1898) was one of India’s foremost Spiritual Masters. His original family name was Shyama Lahiri. Mahasaya is an honorary Sanskrit prefix meaning “magnanimous one”.

Up until the age of 33 Lahiri Mahasaya lived an ordinary worldly life. However circumstances took his job to the foothills of the Himalayas. It was here that he had a remarkable meeting with the avatar Babaji. Babaji was able to rekindle Lahiri Mahasaya’s spiritual realisations. Realisations he had attained in previous lifetimes. After experiencing the bliss of Samadhi in the Himalayan Mountains. His Guru directed Lahiri Mahasaya to return to his worldly life and teach the ancient art of Kriya Yoga.

During his lifetime he initiated many seekers from different faiths into the ancient Indian art of Kriya Yoga. In particular he was willing to break down the rigid caste barriers that were present at the time. Lahiri Mahasaya saw God everywhere and was unencumbered by social status.

Towards the end of his life his aura of spirituality and peace attracted many sincere seekers who would come to meditate in his presence. However Lahiri Mahasaya only became well known through Paramahansa Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi”. Yogananda was a disciple of Sri Yukteswar, and Sri Yukteswar was himself a direct disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya. Thus the Kriya Yoga tradition that has spread around the world, including the West can be traced back to Lahiri Mahasaya and the great Avatar Babaji.

Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo

 

View: Biography of Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo, Indian nationalist, poet, philosopher and Spiritual Guru was born in Calcutta on 15th August 1872.

Sri Aurobindo spent his formative years in England studying at St Paul’s and Trinity College where he excelled in the study of Literature and the Classics. In 1892 he returned to India where he became heavily involved in the Indian independence movement, he was a natural leader and one of the most radical nationalist politicians. Because of his radicalism, in 1908 Sri Aurobindo was arrested on suspicion of being involved in a bomb plot and was remanded in Alipore jail. It was here in jail that Sri Aurobindo had significant spiritual experiences, he became aware of a divine inner guidance and also realised the omnipresence of God even in a darkened prison cell.

Due to the commitment of Sri Aurobindo’s lawyer C.R.Das, Sri Aurobindo was released without charge. However this experience had changed Sri Aurobindo’s outlook. Henceforth he retired from politics and focused his energies on spirituality.

Sri Aurobindo travelled to Pondicherry, South India where he could practise yoga undisturbed. In 1914 he was later joined by a french women, Mira Richards who would later became known as the Mother of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Together they founded the Sri Aurobindo ashram, which began to attract disciples attracted to their dynamic reinterpretation of yoga.

As well as being a spiritual Guru to many disciples Sri Aurobindo was a noted poet, philosopher and writer. His main works were The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays on the Gita and Savitri. Savitri was an epic work of poetry that he worked on for over 20 years.

Sri Aurobindo did not negate the world like Indian yogis of the past. Instead Sri Aurobindo affirmed that all life is Yoga; through a conscious aspiration it is possible for man to evolve into a higher consciousness – a consciousness of truth and inner harmony. Sri Aurobindo called this new consciousness the Supramental.

“Arise, transcend Thyself,
Thou art man and the whole nature of man
Is to become more than himself.”

- Sri Aurobindo

A significant event occurred in 1947 when India attained full independence. This was a goal Sri Aurobindo had continued to aspire for, despite his retreat from politics. Independence was also achieved on his birthday 15th August. His speech about this momentous occasion can be viewed here: Indian Independence.

For over 40 years, Sri Aurobindo worked tirelessly for his vision of a divine life on earth. Through his writings and poetry he left a legacy which reflected his hopes of a golden future for humanity. Sri Aurobindo entered mahasamadhi on Dec 5th, 1950.

Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna

View: Biography of Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna is recognised as one of India’s greatest spiritual figures. His message of complete God-love and the inherent unity of all world religions drew to him a great number of followers - an influence that continues to this day.

Sri Ramakrishna was himself uneducated yet he drew many distinguished people to visit and and listed to his simple but profound wisdom. A notable admirer was Keshab Chadra Sen, the leader of the Brahma Samaj. His intense devotion and radiant spirituality also drew a close circle of disciples who would later spread his message. The most famous of these disciples was Swami Vivekananda. It was Swami Vivekananda who took the message of Vedanta to the West.

Sri Ramakrishna was married to Sarada Devi. During his lifetime Sarada Devi was a devoted wife and disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. After his death Sarada Devi played an important role in leading the Ramakrisna order.

Sri Yukteswar

Sri Yukteswar

View: Writings of Sri Yukteswar

Sri Yukteswar (1855 – 1936) was a Spiritual Master from India, who was originally named Priya Nath Karar. Sri Yukteswar took his monastic name when he became a Swami of the Giri order. Sri Yukteswar was also the Guru of Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogananda named Sri Yukteswar a Jnanvatar or “Incarnation of Wisdom.” See Sri Yukteswar in Autobiography of a Yogi

Sri Yukteswar was born into a relatively wealthy Indian family. He inherited some properties which enabled him to later buy his own hermitages. Sri Yukteswar married and led an ordinary life but his wife died early. However on meeting his Guru Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar started to practise intense spiritual practices. Lahiri Mahasaya initiated him into Kriya Yoga and would later give Sri Yukteswar permission to initiate others. Practising Kriya Yoga with great sincerity Sri Yukteswar was able to attain a profound state of spiritual realisation.

Sri Yukteswar was a Spiritual Master of great sincerity and sought to direct his disciples through strict discipline. Yogananda said of his Guru that if he did not speak with such sincerity he would have had many more disciples. (Yogananda would take a more forgiving attitude “Yogananda” means “incarnation of divine love”)

Sri Yukteswar was asked by Babaji to write a book showing the underlying similarities between Hinduism and Christianity. This book was called “The Holy Science” and is an in depth look at the underlying harmony between the Bible and Hindu scriptures. There is a story that Sri Yukteswar wrote a very perceptive commentary on the Bible, however this was given to a French gentleman who never returned it.

Sri Yukteswar also studied deeply astrology and wrote about the different cycles or Yugas. Other famous disciples of Sri Yukteswar included Sri Satyananda and Paramahansa Hariharananda. Sri Yukteswar entered Mahasamadhi (A Yogi’s conscious departure from his body) at the age of 81.

Much of what we know about Sri Yukteswar comes from Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi. Yogananda writes with great reverence, love and gratitude for his Master.

Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi was one of India’s greatest Spiritual Teachers of the Twentieth Century. At an early age he had a profound experience in which he became acutely aware of the mortality of the body. This led on to a profound insight that He was not the Body, but spirit. After this experience he became absorbed in deep meditations, in which he began to experience his real self, which transcended ego. With a glimpse of this higher consciousness Ramana lost interest in worldly life and travelled to the holy Mountain of Arunachala where he spent many years in meditation and teachings seekers who were attracted by his divine personality and aura of peace.

Ramana Maharshi taught seekers to silence the mind and try and discover the source of their thoughts. He taught the goal was to try and reach beyond their ego bound state and answer the question “Who am I?” In the beginning this is a difficult task but eventually the power of the ego will be diminished by the power of the heart.

Sri Chaitanya - home

Sri Chaitanya

Sri Chaitanya was born in Bengal about 1486. He was a great scholar and pundit however in his early twenties he became absorbed with devotion for Lord Krishna. He forsook his worldly career and spent his time as an ascetic, a wandering monk. He spent his time in Kirtan (devotional singing) and meditation.

Sri Chaitanya spent many years travelling through India attracting many followers and disciples. He spent the last 24 years of his life in Jagannath, Puri where he enjoyed the patronage of Maharaja Prataparudra the King of Orissa,

Sri Chaitanya left a profound legacy on the spiritual and cultural outlook of India, especially Bengal. He did not adhere to the rigid caste system and accepted Muslim disciples as well as Hindu disciples.

Sri Chaitanya gave a resurgence to the Vaishnava tradition of bhakti yoga “devotional yoga”. This tradition was followed by saints such as Mirabai and Sri Ramakrishna in the 19th Century. In the 20th Century A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, popularised this form of Hinduism in the West

“Chaitanya” means consciousness

Swami Sivananda

Swami Sivananda, one of the greatest Yoga masters of the 20th century, is the inspiration behind the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers.

His Early Life

Born in 1887 in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, South India, Swami Sivananda whose name was then Kuppuswami, was a brilliant boy at studying as well as gymnastics and naturally inclined toward spiritual and religious practices.
His parents were very devoted to Lord Siva and Kuppuswami was eager to join them twice daily for worship (Puja) and Kirtan (Mantra chanting).
His natural selfless spirit lead him to a career in the medical field. His amazing eagerness and ability to learn and assimilate his studies earned him the respect of his professors who invited him to attend surgeries while still in his first year of medical school.

Dr. Kuppuswami

The young Dr. Kuppuswami felt a strong urge to go to Malaysia where he felt there was great need. In a short time he was given the responsibility of running a hospital. During these years Dr. Kuppuswami was renowned as being both an excellent doctor and a true humanitarian. Very often he waived consultation fees for patients too poor to afford his services and on many occasions provided medicine for free to his neediest patients.
One day Dr. Kuppuswami had the opportunity to cure a wandering Sannyasin (renunciate or Monk) who then gave the doctor instruction on Yoga and Vedanta. From that day on his life changed, and gradually Dr. Kuppuswami became more introspective and could not stop pondering the great questions of life. Now he felt the need to help people on a more profound level, not just healing their physical body, but helping them to find a cure for all suffering.

The Great Sannyasin Swami Sivananda

Filled with a tremendous desire for spiritual growth and enlightenment Kuppuswami went to North India in search of his Guru. After spending time in Varanasi (Banaras) he travelled north to the Himalayas. There in the holy town of Rishikesh (which means “the abode of the sages”) Kuppuswami discovered his Guru who gave him Sannyas (a monk’s vows of renunciation). After taking these vows, Swami Sivananda Saraswati, as he would be known henceforth, started an extremely intense daily Sadhana (spiritual practices) and Tapas (austerities) for the next 10 years or so. By the end of that period many co-Sadhus felt drawn to Swami Sivananda for his instruction and his spiritual inspiration.

Swami Sivananda, The World Teacher

From that time Swami Sivananda became one of the most prolific Yoga teachers who has ever existed. Although he rarely left the little town of Rishikesh (with only 2 India tours and no visits abroad) Swami Sivananda’s teachings spread quickly throughout our entire planet. He personally wrote - by hand, no computers at the time - more than 200 books on topics connected to Yoga and Philosophy. He wrote in a style that is very direct and bursting with dynamic, spiritual energy. As a result many who read his books felt their lives deeply touched and transformed and so came from all of India, all of the world, to learn from him directly, and to bask in his holy presence. The teachings of Master Sivananda are summarized in these 6 words:

“Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize”.

In 1957, Swami Sivananda sent his devoted and industrious disciple, Swami Vishnu-devananda to the West where he then established the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers.

Mahadeviyakkha lived in the 12th Century in the south of India.

From an early age she was initiated into the worship of Shiva. She considered this initiation to be the most important moment of her life and she became a devoted worshipper of Shiva. The form of Shiva she worshipped was known as Chennamallikarjuna., which translates as ” The Beautiful Lord, white as jasmine.” Much of Mahadeviyakkha’s poetry refers to her vivid descriptions of her beautiful Lord. And indeed she always signed her poems O Lord White as Jasmine.

Legend says that the local Jain King of the area desired Mahadeviyakkha for she was a woman of un-surpassing beauty. Her family naturally agreed, and perhaps were a little fearful of incurring the King’s displeasure should Mahadeviyakkha be uncooperative. The wedding is said to have taken place (although some scholars dispute this) however Mahadeviyakkha was unwilling to reciprocate the desire of the King. Mahadeviyakkha was immersed in devotion to her Lord and she could not accept a life of servitude to an atheistic King.

Her family were highly critical of her “unorthodox” behaviour and this led Mahadevia to renounce her worldly life. Mahadevi left her marriage and place of birth to live the life of a wandering mendicant. Mahadevi is said to have worn only long tresses. She felt clothes were a needless adornment for one seeking the Lord.

Mahadeviyakkha is said to have then travelled to the region of Kalyana. Kalyana was a refuge for genuine Shiva bhakti, it stood out from the normal religious and social customs of the time. One of the leading saints Basavanna is said to be one of the first socialists because he spoke out against the inequities of the caste system. But primarily Basavanna and Allama were uniting those dedicated to Shiva worship.

However even the leaders of this community Basavanna and Allama had some trouble accepting Mahadevi, they were somewhat disturbed by her naked appearance. However Allama was eventually impressed by both her humility and genuine spirituality and Mahadevi was accepted into the community.

Much of her poetry relates to the dialogues Mahadevi had with Allama as she was seeking to prove her spiritual intent. Her advice was to wholeheartedly yearn for the Divine without any inhibition. Mahadevi felt that outer rituals were mostly unimportant, what was important was the inner consecration the inner worship

“The arrow that is shot should penetrate so deeply
that even the feathers do not show.
Hug the body of the Lord so tightly
that the bones must be crushed to crumble.
Weld to the divine until the very welding disappears. ”

- Mahadevi

Mirabai

Mirabai

Mirabai (also known as Meera) was born in 1504 A.D. at Chaukari village in Merta District of Rajasthan. As a young child Mirabai would spend her time playing with a small image of Krishna. Nobody understood her infatuation. But to Mirabai this doll was a living embodiment of Krishna. From an early age Mirabai dedicated her life to the worship and praise of her beloved Krishna. However, depsite her life of intense devotion, she faced great difficulties from her family who didn’t respect the amount of time she would spend in devotion to Krishna.

Her father, Ratan Singh, was the second son of Rao Dudaji, a descendent of Rao Jodhaji Rather, the founder of Jodhpur. Meera’s mother died when she was ten year old. She then came to live with her grandfather who died in 1515. Her father’s elder brother Vikram Deo who succeeded to the throne arranged her marriage with Prince Bho] Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga of Chitter. This marriage raised Meera to a very high social status as the ruler of Chitter was considered to be the leader of the Hindu princes. But luck didn’t favor Princess Meera. By 1527 A.D. she had lost her father, her husband and her fatherin-law as well. Meera, who dedicated her life to Lord Krishna, accepted these bereavements as a matter of course

At the time Meera was born there was widespread political and social turmoil in India. Bloody conflicts for petty selfish gains, disrespect for human life and hatred for others was a norm. Meera was bewildered and at a loss to understand all that was going on all around. She was in search of peace which she found in Chaitanya’s Vaishnav Panth and dedicated her life to the love of Lord Krishna.

Mirabai began to devote most of her time in prayer and worship and did not pay any attention to the etiquettes of a royal household. This led her to be subjected to great hardships and punishments. These physical hardships became intolerable and after praying to Krishna, she left the palace for good and went to the pilgrimage of Mathura, Vrindavana and finally to Dwarika.

Mirabai was a born poetess. She expressed in a beautiful style her intense and deep love of God. She composed hundreds of poems in a simple, unpretentious style. They are full of vivacity and feelings. No poetess in the history of India enjoys a greater respect than Meera. Her poems have gained a unique popularity and are sung by the rich and the poor alike, even to this day. She spent her life dancing In trance and singing the attributes of her Beloved Krishna. Mirabai left this mortal world in 1550 to be united with her beloved Krishna. She was a great Hindu woman saint and will always be remembered.

“Mirabai was a devotee of the high, higher, highest order. Among the saints of India, she is absolutely unparalleled. She composed many, many bhajans, which are prayerful songs to God. Each song Mirabai wrote expressed her inspiration, aspiration and sleepless self-giving.”

Sarada Devi

Sarada Devi

Sri Sarada Devi (1853-1920) was the wife of Sri Ramakrishna. During the lifetime of Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi’s modesty meant she kept a very low profile. But she was a great spiritual personality herself and she came to play an important role in leading the Ramakrishna movement after the death of Ramakrishna.

View: Quotes of Sarada Devi

View: Kind Words for Sarada Devi

Sarada Devi - Biography

Sarada Devi was born in 1853 in a small village near Calcutta, quite close to where Ramakrishna was born. From a very early age she prayed God to have purity in abundance. Looking at the full moon, she would say: “O God, there are dark spots even on the moon. But make my character spotless.”

At the very early age of 5, according to the cultural tradition of the time, she was betrothed to her husband Sri Ramakrishna. At the time Sri Ramakrishna was going through his intense period of sadhana. So intense many of his family thought he was losing his mind. They thought that marriage would help bring his mind back to the worldly realm. However in the marriage to Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna saw the hand of the Divine Mother and so agreed to the proposal.

Sarada Devi didn’t go to live with her husband until the age of 18. She had been hearing rumours about the “madness” of her husband and so felt a sense of duty to go and visit him in Calcutta. Thus she set off walking almost 60 miles to Dakshineswar where she met Sri Ramakrishna. On meeting Ramakrishna she was relieved to know the rumours about Ramakrishna were baseless - her husband was a genuine spiritual man, who exuded not only kindness, but also often went into spiritual ecstasies.

From 1872 Sarada Devi lived at Dakshineswar as a devoted wife and the first disciple of her husband Sri Ramakrishna. Their marriage was celibate and unconventional. For Sarada Devi it was a period of intense spiritual practise and service to her husband, Ramakrishna. Her life revolved around devotional practises, cooking and looking after the needs of Ramakrishna and his disciples. Ramakrishna had a very delicate constitution and struggled to eat food from the temple. Therefore Sarada Devi would cook with the utmost care so as to be able to feed Ramakrishna. Her life was a very simple and, characterised by humility, modesty and a loving spiritual disposition. At the time she observed the practise of purdah. (veiling of body) and was rarely seen by other male disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Thus they were not fully aware of her spiritual realisation until after his passing.

Sarada Devi often prayed to see people without any faults. She later said that seeing faults in people doesn’t help them but hinders your own progress.

“I tell you one thing my child — if you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather, see your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own. “

- Sarada Devi

A significant event took place when Sarada Devi had been living with Sri Ramakrishna for about a year. Sri Ramakrishna had undergone intense spiritual disciplines. He practised spiritual disciplines from many religions and spiritual traditions. However his principle deity was Kali, the Divine Mother. On one occasion of worshipping the Divine Mother he asked Sarada Devi to sit in the seat of the Divine Mother. Thus Ramakrishna completed the “Shodasi Puja” (worship of the Divine Mother) with Sarada Devi taking the place of the Divine Mother. Both attained a very deep spiritual consciousness in which Sarada Devi became identified with the spiritual devotion of Ramakrishna and became absorbed in the consciousness of the Divine Mother.

After the death of Sri Ramakrisna, Sarada Devi was distraught feeling a great emptiness in her life. However after his cremation, Ramakrishna appeared to Sarada Devi saying

“What are you doing? I have not gone away, I have only passed from one room to another.” This vision greatly helped her and contrary to Hindu tradition she continued to wear a red-bordered Sari and ornaments. She was later criticised for doing this but she felt no reason to mark the death of Ramakrishna in the usual way.

After the passing of Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi went on a pilgrimage to Vrindavan, a place associated with the life of Sri Krishna. Here she had frequent ecstasies and profound experiences. However despite her elevated spiritual consciousness her outer life proved to be quite difficult. When she returned to her family home she was treated badly by some of her family members. In particular one of her brothers died prematurely leaving behind his wife and daughter, both of whom suffered from temporary insanity. Sarada Devi coped with Surabala and later Surabala’s daughter Radhu with utmost patience and forbearance, never criticising fate or seeking to avoid her responsibilities.

However after a while the disciples of Ramakrishna came to know of her suffering and so arranged a place for her to stay. Also after a while she became to be respected as a Guru in her own right. Sarada Devi had participated in the Sadhana of Ramakrishna and through the Shadosi Puja had become one with his spiritual realisation. Swami Vivekananda always held Sarada Devi in the highest regard. Before making his momentous journey to America in 1893 he sought her blessings and guidance -blessings she gladly gave.

Sarada Devi thus began to initiate many seekers into the Ramakrishna order. When her fame started to spread the number of disciples seeking initiation began to increase significantly. Unlike Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi was not picky about which disciples she accepted. Her motherly heart did not want to reject anybody who came for spiritual initiation.

” I can never refuse anyone who addresses me as Mother. “

- Sarada Devi

Sri Anandamayi Ma

View: Quotes of Sri Anandamayi Ma

Born in 1896 in Kheora, a small village in Bengal, now Bangladesh, Nirmala Sundari Devi was realized from birth. Though from outer appearances she had a normal childhood, even from this early age, she saw only with a divine vision. Her parents arranged a marriage for her in the traditional way, but her husband quickly recognized she was not an ordinary woman. Their marriage was never consummated and he later became her devotee. She was eventually named Anandamayi Ma, the bliss-bestowing mother. Though she never wrote or even gave spiritual discourses, she did answer questions and such talks were transcribed and compiled into several books. Her words have a loving, compelling, and very powerful quality about them.

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda

 

View: Biography of Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was a towering spiritual personality who awakened the slumbering Indian consciousness with his soul stirring vision of a dynamic spirituality. He is often viewed as the patron saint of modern India and many great figures acknowledge their debt to the life and works of Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda was a close disciple of India’s great God realised Saint, Sri Ramakrishna’s Paramahansa, who lived during the 19th Century in a suburb of Calcutta. Vivekananda proved to be the articulate and powerful messenger of Ramakrishna’s realisation. In 1893 he accepted an invitation to participate in the World parliament of religions to represent Hinduism. Here Vivekananda spoke with great effect on the harmony of world religions and Vivekananda became well known throughout America.

After spending 3 years in America and England he returned to Indian to help form the Ramakrishna Math and Institute. He died in 1902 leaving behind a considerable collection of writings on Hinduism, Vedanta and spirituality.

Tukaram

Tukaram was a Marathi poet who lived in India in the 17th Century. He left a legacy of inspirational poetry and songs.