Swami Atmasthananda, who was 15th president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission and who passed away in 2017, was a perfectionist and believed that it was a privilege to do the work of Sri Ramakrishna, nuns recalled on Sunday.
The swami, they said, discharged his duty with a gentle mix of firmness and love.
The devotees, nuns and monks were speaking at the Swami Atmasthananda Birth Centenary Memorial Concluding Programme at Mahajati Sadan.
Senior nuns of Sri Sarada Math and others recollected how Swami Atmasthananda would handhold them on the path to spiritual awakening and help them realise life’s goal with the blessings of Sri Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada and Swami Vivekananda.
“Maharaj had a powerful vision and would always talk about empowering women while constantly thinking about their overall welfare,” said Pravrajika Amalaprana, general secretary of Sri Sarada Math.
“Maharaj was the first to tell me to set up a branch of the Sarada Math in Sihore, a small village near Joyrambati Matri Mandir. Initially, I wasn’t sure. But Maharaj insisted. Today, it has emerged as a place where we seek refuge for our spiritual practices. He was such a visionary.”
The pravrajika recounted that Swami Atmasthananda had once recommended a girl for admission to Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan college. The girl was from Rangoon (now Yangon, capital of Myanmar) and had shifted to Kolkata with much difficulty.
“Maharaj told me to admit her to the college and find a place for her in the hostel. There was no place in the hostel then. I told him how can we accommodate her now. He insisted. The girl later went on to complete her masters, joined the order, became a nun and is now secretary of one of our branches.”
Born as Satyakrishna Bhattacharya on May 21, 1919, Swami Atmasthananda had received spiritual initiation from Swami Vijnanananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, in 1938. He took his sannyasa vows in 1949.
After serving the order for more than two decades, Swami Atmasthananda was made a trustee of Ramakrishna Math and a member of the governing body of Ramakrishna Mission in 1973. He became 15th president of the order in December 2007.
He was 98 when he passed away in June 2017.
Several nuns of Sri Sarada Math recollected that Swami Atmasthananda was a powerful personality with refined manners. “Maharaj believed in the principle of shiva gyan-e jeeva seva (serving humanity as Shiva, the God). If I ever asked him why he had to go around doing so much work, Maharaj would smile and gently say, it was a privilege to do Thakur’s (Sri Ramakrishna’s) work,” said Pravrajika Sachchitprana.
The Swami Atmasthananda Birth Centenary Committee, which organised the day’s programme, released two books in Bengali and English containing writings of Swami Atmasthananda.
