Swami Turiyananda or "Hari Maharaj" as he was popularly known as, was a direct monastic disciple of
Ramakrishna, the 19th-century Hindu mystic from Bengal. He was one of the earliest missionary to be sent by his leader and brother disciple
Swami Vivekananda to the United States of America to preach the message of
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
to the western audience from 1899 to 1902. He established the
Shanti Ashrama in California, United States. He was a monk of the
Ramakrishna Mission. He left his mortal body in
Varanasi, India
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic tr ...
.
Biography
Early life
Turiyananda was born as Harinath Chattopadhyay, the youngest of six children, in an affluent Bengali middle-class family in Calcutta on 3 January 1863. His father, Chandranath Chattopadhay, an orthodox Brahmin who lived in the
Bagbazar
Bagbazar (also spelt Baghbazar) is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Shyambazar, the citadel o ...
area of Calcutta, was well respected by the people. Harinath lost his parents at a very young age and was brought up by his eldest brother, Mahendranath. His mother Prasannamayi died while trying to save young Harinath from a wild jackal when he was three years old. His father died when he was just twelve years old. In school, Hari paid close attention to all his studies, but his special interest lay in religion and athletics. His ambition was to lead an austere life, observing all the orthodox rules and traditions. After finishing his studies in the Bengali Institution, Hari went to the General Assembly School (now
Scottish Church Collegiate School
The Scottish Church Collegiate School is a school in north Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Notable alumni
* Lalbehari De, Religious Leader and Writer.
* Turiyananda, Religious Leader.
* Dhan Gopal Mukerji, First successful Indian man of letter ...
), run by Christian missionaries. However, he was never swayed away by the doctrines of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
taught by the missionaries. At a very young age he was inclined towards the study of philosophy and scriptures like the
Bhagavad Gita,
Upanishads
The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
and works of
Adi Shankaracharya
Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...
. He was attracted towards the teachings of
Advaita Vedanta
''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' ( ...
, and strove sincerely to live up to that ideal
[The Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, published by Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati, year 1943] One notable incident that depicted his adherence to the principles of Vedanta was his fearlessness upon a chance encounter with a crocodile. One day while taking a bath in the
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
, he saw the creature approaching him. Despite warnings from passersby, he did not turn back, and instead, faced the crocodile. He was adhering to the principle of Vedanta that says the same divinity is manifest in all living organisms, and therefore one soul should not be afraid of another.
Influence of Sri Ramakrishna
Harinath first met Ramakrishna when he was about fourteen years old, when the latter had come to visit a neighbour's house. Harinath went to
Dakshineswar temple two or three years later (c.a 1880) and became Ramakrishna's devotee. Harinath's favourite book was the
Rama Gita, an Advaita treatise.
Harinath had an aversion and horror of women and always avoided them, even if they were little girls. One day he told about it to Ramakrishna. He chastised him, saying "Look down upon women! What for? They are the manifestation of the Divine Mother. Bow down to them as to your mother and hold them in respect. That is the only way to escape their influence. The more you hate them, the more you will fall into the snare."
The Master had a very high opinion of his disciple.
Sri Ramakrishna said about Harinath, ''He comes of that transcendent region whence name and form are manufactured''.
Hari Maharaj's opinion about his Guru was that the bliss he received in the company of his master more than compensated for all the sufferings in his life. Ramakrishna also taught him to overcome lust and desire, along with various other spiritual disciplines. Gradually, under his influence, Harinath transformed into a devotee rather than a steadfast monist.
Relationship with Swami Vivekananda
During the five or six years he was with Ramakrishna, Hari had many opportunities to meet the other disciples of the Master. Early in this period he met
Narendranath Dutta
Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...
(more familiarly called Naren), who later became
Swami Vivekananda who was his close friend and who from the very beginning had made a very deep impression on his mind. Naren too developed a great liking for him and called him brother Hari, or Haribhai. Both lived in Calcutta and often came to see Ramakrishna together. This relationship lasted till the end. When
Swami Vivekananda implored Swami Turiyananda to come to America to teach the message of Vedanta, at first he refused, but then his love and respect for the leader prevailed, and he set off on his mission.
Swami Vivekananda wrote in a letter from America in 1895, ''Whenever I think of the wonderful renunciation of Hari, his steadiness of intellect and forbearance, I get a new access to strength''.
Monastic life
After the death of his Master, Hari went to
Shillong
Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the 330th most populous city in India with a ...
in Assam for about six months. Afterwards, he returned to Calcutta and stayed with his brother disciples in the "
Baranagar Math
Baranagar Math (Baranagar Monastery) or Ramakrishna Math, Baranagar was the first monastery of Ramakrishna Order. In September 1886, after the death of Ramakrishna, when his devotees stopped funding, Swami Vivekananda (then known as Narendranath ...
". In 1887, he took
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 ...
, or the pledge of renunciation, and adopted the name Turiyananda (Turiya – transcendental, Ananda – bliss). He then left the monastery and travelled by foot all the way to the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...
. While leading a contemplative life there, he was reunited with Swami Vivekananda and several other brother disciples in Rajpur. Then they travelled together to
Rishikesh. After Swami Vivekananda left his brother monks, Turiyananda and Brahmananda travelled further north into the Himalayas. During these days of wandering, he survived on the barest of necessities in the extreme cold weather. He visited the holy shrines of
Kedarnath
Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of t ...
and
Badrinath
Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...
and stayed for some time in Srinagar (Garhwal).
Later he met up with Swami Vivekananda in Bombay and Mt. Abu when the latter was preparing to depart for America in 1893. During his travels in Punjab, he heard about Swami Vivekananda's success in the "Chicago Parliament of Religions". Swami Turiyananda came back to the
Ramakrishna Math in Alambazar before Vivekananda's arrival in India.
At "Alambazar Math" Swami Turiyananda took up the task of training young recruits to the Ramakrishna order, and began taking classes in Vedanta in Calcutta.
In America
In 1899 when Vivekananda started for America the second time, he requested Turiyananda to accompany him to preach the universal message of
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
. At first the latter refused as he was averse to preaching and active life. But finally he relented. He reached New York via England in August 1899. He worked at first in 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 ...
and took up additional work at Mont claire. His main interest was in character building based upon principles of Vedanta and this he strived to achieve with a group of young students in Shanti Ashrama, a Vedanta retreat in the San Antonio valley of California, which was set up in an isolated area, far away from any human habitation.
From New York, Turiyananda first went to Los Angeles and became quite popular there. From there, he went to San Francisco and worked with students from the Vedanta society of San Francisco. He finally established the Shanti Ashrama with about a dozen students. In Shanti Ashrama the group had to face many hardships and hurdles because of the remote and uninhabited nature of the place. However, this experience was life changing for many of his students, one of whom wrote, '' To think of Turiyananda is an act of purification of mind, to remember his life, an impulse to new endeavour''
To many of his students Turiyananda was a living example of Vedanta.
Turiyananda had a very strenuous life in Shanti Ashrama and his health broke down. He therefore returned to India in 1902 and heard the tragic news of the passing away of Vivekananda on 4 July 1902.
Life of an Ascetic
After the death of Vivekananda, Turiyananda left the newly built
Belur Math
Belur Math () is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India. The t ...
and went to
Vrindaban
Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...
and
Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi, meaning Varanasi, Kashi of the north, is a town located in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Uttarkashi town is headquarters of the district. Uttarkashi is also known as Somya Kashi. Uttarkashi is a religious place for spir ...
. He built an ashrama in
Almora
Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of th ...
together with
Swami Shivananda, another brother disciple. He later developed diabetes and was operated upon for a curbuncle, without the use of chloroform or any anesthetic. The last three years of his life were spent at the Ramakrishna Mission Sevashram in
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
, where he left his mortal coil on 21 July 1922.
Turiyananda spent the next several years practicing intense contemplation in Vrindavan, in different places in the Himalayas, in Dehra Dun, Kankhal, Almora, etc. He finally settled down in Varanasi in February 1919. During the last few years he suffered much from diabetes. He died on 21 July 1922 at Varanasi. Moments before dying he repeated the Upanishadic mantra 'Satyam, Jnanam Anantham Brahma' meaning 'God is Truth, Wisdom and Infinity' along with his brother disciple Swami Akhandananda after which he was heard muttering in Bengali 'Brahma Satya, Jagat Satya; Sab Satya. Satye Pran Pratishtitha' which means `God is Truth, the World is also Truth, Everything is Truth. Life is based on Truth'. This was radically different from the orthodox 'Brahma Satyam Jagad Mithya' meaning God is Truth and the World is false. These unorthodox last words, which were spoken impromptu, has generally been taken as the vision seen by an illumined sage who sees God everywhere.
Character and legacy
Turiyananda was renowned for his fearlessness. Once, when was harassed by the British police in Northern India, a high ranking police officer asked him whether he was afraid of police. He responded, ''I do not even fear death, why should I fear any human being?" Later on, the police officer became an admirer and devotee.
His method of teaching was through conversation with quotations from holy scriptures. "There are two ways of answering a question," he said. "One is to answer from intellect, the other is to answer from within. I always try to answer from within''. Even though he was not actively involved in philanthropic activity of the
Ramakrishna Mission, he held it in high regard. He used to say, ''If one serves the sick and distressed in the right spirit, in one single day one can get the highest realisation''. He sympathised with the masses, and encouraged philanthropy and work for the poor and distressed.
Turiyananda cared not so much for public work and organisation as upon working personally with a smaller number. His work was based upon individual character building. He preferred the style of an inward, meditative and contemplative life. He seemed to be of the opinion that with large organisations, spiritual work is apt to suffer. "Lectures," he used to say, "are to reach the public, but the real work can be done only through close personal contact, yet both are necessary."
Quotes
* "Troubles exist as long as we live in the domain of thought. There is no peace until we transcend thought itself. When one kills the mind, the senses come under control. What does it mean to kill the mind? It is to detach it from sense objects. The enlightened person has their senses under perfect control."
* " As long as one expects happiness, one stays restless. But the enlightened soul 'knows bliss in the
Atman he Self withinand wants nothing else. Cravings torment the heart; he renounces cravings. I call such a person illumined.' Craving for happiness brings suffering in its wake."
* "God and mammon cannot be served at the same time. Those who try to compromise are still very much attached to the world. If you want to realize God, renounce all worldliness."
* "Why should you care about public opinion? Good people never criticize others. It is only the wicked who speak ill of their fellow men. Ignore them! The idea of doing good to other people! First help yourself! The illumined souls alone are the true benefactors of this world. They know what is good for mankind. Having attained knowledge, they work for others."
* "You must struggle to meditate and to become deeply absorbed in Him. Try to develop intense devotion to God throughout your life."
* "To preach religion is to give something tangible. it is not like teaching a class from the pages of a book. Religion is something that is transmitted. Hence, before you can give you have to earn."
* "Can God be attained by a little cursory study or meditation? One must have intense yearning for the Lord! Life must seem unbearable without his vision!"
* " Be always sincere, and be yourself. Be true! Have no axe to grind, go always straight for the goal and be strong.
[With Swamis in the West, page 44, published by Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati]
* "Have you seen people play chess? The players sometimes overlook a move because their minds are set on winning the game. But the looker-on will see the move, because his mind is calm, not disturbed by the desire to win. We become ambitious, and thus lose clearness of vision. Ambition sweeps us along, and all prudence is thrown to the winds. Our desires make us blind."
Gallery
File:Monastic-disciples-9-1-swami-turiyananda.jpg
File:Swamiji077 en.jpg
References
External links
* God lived with them, By Swami Chetanananda
Swami Turiyananda on RKM FijiConversations with Swami TuriyanandaWith Swamis in America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turiyananda, Swami
Scholars from Kolkata
Indian Hindu missionaries
1863 births
1922 deaths
Bengali Hindus
Scottish Church Collegiate School alumni
University of Calcutta alumni
Monks of the Ramakrishna Mission