Swami Asutoshananda - Belur Math Pilgrimage: A Guide to Holy Places Associated with Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda

Belur Math

Swami Asutoshananda

Sri Ramakrishna Math

Mylapore, Chennai - 600 004

Published by :

Adhyaksha

Sri Ramakrishna Math

Mylapore, Chennai - 4

Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai

All rights reserved

I-2M 3C-7-2009

ISBN 978-81-7823-515-8

Printed in India at

Sri Ramakrishna Math Printing Press Mylapore, Chennai - 4

Belur Math Pilgrimage

Publishers Note

Swami Vivekananda founded Belur Math in 1898.

Besides being the home to the headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, the Belur Math is well known for its architecture elegance, clean environs, sacred associations and its spiritual atmosphere. Located on the western bank of the Ganga, it is a haven of peace, drawing thousands of people to it every day from all over the world.

The following pages provide information and guidelines to pilgrims to Belur Math. Devotees on a pilgrimage to Belur Math and places associated with Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda often look for a reliable guidebook to make their pilgrimage fruitful. This book is a humble attempt to fulfill this need.

Appendices at the end of the book provide additional information like distances between various places and the time taken to reach them, list of books to be read before undertaking the pilgrimage, and the contact addresses of the various pilgrim centres.

A colour sketch of the entire Belur Math premises adds to the value of the book.

Swami Asutoshananda, who teaches at the monastic probationers training centre at Belur Math, has authored this book drawing generously from articles written by Swami Prameyanandaji iii

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(a Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Order), Swami Prabhanandaji (General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission), Swami Vimalatmananda (a trustee of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission), Swami Purnatmananda (former editor of Udbodhan, the Bengali Monthly of the Ramakrishna Order) and Sri Sankari Prasad Basu, eminent scholar and researcher on Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature. These articles appeared in 1996

in Sri Ramakrishna Mandir, a Bengali publication of Ramakrishna Vivekananda Ashram, Howrah, West Bengal. Other publications in the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature have also been consulted in preparing this book. We express our gratitude to all of them.

We owe our gratitude to a number of people who helped us with this publication: To Swami Yuktatmananda, Minister, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre of New York, for going through the manuscript and offering valuable suggestions about language and style; to Swami Atmashraddhananda (Editor, The Vedanta Kesari, our English Monthly) and volunteers at the Vedanta Kesari Editorial Office for their help with proofreading and improvement of the book; and to the swamis and brahmacharins who helped with the preparation of the appendices and maps.

We hope that this book will be well received and fulfill a long-felt need of many people.

Swami Ramakrishnananda Jayanti

20 July 2009

Contents

Publisher's Note

iii

I. Belur Math

Sri Ramakrishna Temple

The Math Complex

Swamijis Mango Tree

Old Temple

Swamijis Room

Swami Brahmananda Temple

Mothers Temple

Swamijis Temple

President Maharaj's Quarters

Samadhi Ghat

Ramakrishna Museum

The Ganga

The Old Math

II. Dakshineswar

Kali Temple

Natmandir

Radhakanta Temple

Shiva Temples

Sri Ramakrishnas Room

Rani Rasmani Memorial

v

vi

Babus Mansion

Nahabat

Bathing Ghat

Panchavati

Vilva Tree

III . Cossipore

IV . Udbodhan

V . Balaram Mandir

VI . Shyampukur House

VII . Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House

VIII . Kali Temple, Kolkata

IX . Yogodyan

X . Antpur

XI . Kamarpukur

XII . Jayrambati

Appendix 1

How to Reach?

Appendix 2

Address of the Pilgrim Centres

Appendix 3

Suggested Reading

A Colour Sketch of Belur Math (on the third cover)

P r o l o g u e

Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe visit Belur Math which is one of the foremost places of pilgrimage. The purpose of this booklet is to give a fair idea about the various places to see in Belur Math, and their significance.

Swami Shivananda (Mahapurushji Maharaj1 ) once observed: If you want to achieve anything substantial in spiritual life, visit Belur Math, stay here and do spiritual practices. It is for this purpose alone that Swamiji (Swami Vivekananda) dedicated his life and founded this Math. 2

1. Swami Shivananda, the second president of the Ramakrishna Order, was a God-realized soul and an apostle of Sri Ramakrishna. He was called Mahapurush (a great man) by Swamiji for his extraordinary self-control. Once Swami Shivananda elaborated on this: Sri Ramakrishna initiated me with a mantra. I attained perfection in that mantra in a considerably short time. My brother disciples were discussing this one day when Swamiji exclaimed, Dont you know that Tarak-da (Brother Tarak; Tarak was the pre-monastic name of Mahapurushji Maharaj) is a Mahapurush? Nothing is impossible for him. ( Shivananda Smriti Sangrah, 283; Udbodhan Karyalay, Kolkata, 2005, hereafter Shivananda Smriti Sangrah. ) 2. Shivananda Vani, 2.175; Udbodhan Karyalay; 1355 BE

Belur Math

The spiritual current that flows in Belur Math is, as it were, the resultant of different forces that originated at various centres. Hence our pilgrimage to Belur Math becomes complete with a visit to some of these important centres connected with the lives of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and other disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.

We begin our pilgrimage with Belur Math.

Belur Math Pilgrimage

I. Belur Math

Predestined Choice

The western bank of the Ganga is traditionally extolled as a holy place like Varanasi. Belur Math's mere location on the western bank makes it a holy place.

Added to this, it is sanctified by Mother (Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi), Swamiji, Sri Ramakrishnas disciples and many saintly monks of the Ramakrishna Order who lived here. To crown it all, the eternal presence of Sri Ramakrishna, invoked by Swamiji,1 makes Belur Math a unique place of pilgrimage.

Mother once spoke about Belur Math: Ah! How well I was at Belur! What a peaceful place it is!

Meditation came naturally. And that is why Naren (Swamiji) wanted to have a piece of land there! 2

Strange though it may appear, the present site of the Belur Math seems to have been a predestined choice. Once Mother was travelling towards Dakshineswar by boat. The place where Belur Math is located now was then a plantain field. As the boat was crossing this place, she had a vision of Sri Ramakrishna 1. See the footnote 1 in p.5.

2. Swami Gambhirananda, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, p. 264; Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai; 1977

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