Swami Tathagatananda (15 February 1923 – 25 June 2016), was a Hindu monk of the
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. He was the Minister and Spiritual Leader of the
Vedanta Society of New York
Vedanta Society of New York (VSNY) was the first Vedanta Society founded by the Indian Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda in New York in November 1894. In 1897, Swami Abhedananda, another disciple of Ramakrishna, came to the United States and took cha ...
from November 1977 to June 2016, which was the first Vedanta Society in the United States, founded my Swami Vivekananda in 1895.
Born as Laxminarayan Bhattacharya in West Bengal, India, he was initiated in 1945 into the spiritual order by
Swami Virajananda
Swami Virajananda (10 June 1873 – 30 May 1951), born Kalikrishna Bose, was an initiated disciple of Sarada Devi and the sixth president of the Ramakrishna Order. Born as the son of Trailokyanath Bose and Nishadkalidevi, Virajananda was the ...
, a disciple of
Sarada Devi and secretary of
Swami Vivekananda. He officially joined the Ramakrishna Order as a brahmachari (trainee-student monk) in 1955 and had his
sannyasa
''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' A ...
diksha
Diksha (Sanskrit: दीक्षा) also spelled diksa, deeksha or deeksa in common usage, translated as a "preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony", is giving of a mantra or an initiation by the guru (in Guru–shishya tradition) ...
(bestowal of full monkhood in accordance with the Hindu
Advaita-Vedanta tradition) from
Swami Madhavananda in 1965.
Tathagatananda served as the Assistant Minister of Vedanta Society of New York from February 1977 under Swami Pavitrananda. He became the Minister of the Vedanta Society of New York in November 1977 after the sudden passing away of Swami Pavitrananda on 18 November 1977.
Before going to the United States, Tathagatananda worked at Saradapitha, Deoghar Vidyapith, Chennai Students’ Home as an assistant. He was the head of
Baranagore Mission Ashrama during the year 1975.
Works
Tathagatananda has written, translated, and edited books in English and Bengali.
Books in English
*Alasinga Perumal : A Rare Disciple of Swami Vivekananda
*Albert Einstein : His Human Side
*Basic Ideas of Hinduism and How it is Transmitted
*Celebrating Shri Ramakrishna : 175th Birth Anniversary
*Celebrating Swami Vivekananda : Essays for the 150th Birth Anniversary
*Glimpses of Great Lives
*Healthy Values of Living
*Journey of the Upanishads to the West
*Light from the Orient : Essays on the Impact of India's Literature in the West
*Meditation on Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda
*Meditation on Swami Vivekananda
*Relief of Tension, Depression and Anxiety through Spiritual Living (also available in Spanish)
*Some Inspiring Illustrations of Shri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swamiji and Their Love
*The Vedanta Society of New York : A Brief Survey
Books in Bengali
*Albert Einstein o tar Manabik Satta
*Mahabharat Katha
*Mahat Jivane Param Satyer Abhasita Alo
*Prachyer Alo
*Ramayan Katha
*Shubho Chinta
*Tridhara
References
External links
Vedanta Society, New York website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tathagatananda, Swami
1923 births
2016 deaths
Hindu monks
People from West Bengal
Headmasters of Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama High School