For Spiritual Seekers

REMINISCENCES BY MONKS AND NUNS

Swami Yatiswarananda As We Know Him – Volume I (Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai – 600 004) p: 461 – 463

Chapter 36:

A Brief Meeting – 01

SWAMI SARVARUPANANDA

The author is the Head of Ramakrishna Mission, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

This must have been sometimes in 1962-63. As a teenager I had been hearing of the name of Swami Yatiswaranandaji Maharaj from Swami Deshikanandaji who headed the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama in Salem in Tamilnadu. Other monks of the Salem Ashrama such as Swami Sthiratmanandaji and Swami Nandanandaji too would refer to revered Swami Yatiswaranandaji Maharaj and speak of his greatness.

I was a young boy of 18 /19, often visiting and staying at the Salem Ashrama doing some Seva or just being in the company of Sadhus. Swami Deshikanandaji used to conduct a class on Gita for the students in the Sarada College at Salem and during his classes he would refer to Swami Yatiswaranandaji as an example of a Jnana Yogi and Swami Shambhavanandaji (of Mysore) as a Karma Yogi. I had attended some of these classes and was inspired to meet the persons whom he had referred to.

Armed with a letter of introduction, one day I ventured towards Bangalore, wanting to meet Swami Yatiswaranandaji at the Basavanagudi Ashrama. As a mark of respect, I purchased a few mangos which I carried with me. As I arrived at the Bangalore Bus-stand, I hired an auto-rickshaw and reached the Basavanagudi Ramakrishna Ashrama (as it was known then).

It must have been sometimes around one in the early afternoon. The temple had been closed for the noon-rest. As I arrived at the Ashrama and alighted from the auto-rickshaw, I spotted an elderly monk walking somewhere between the temple and the stone-building. He too saw me and paused. ‘Where are you coming from?’ he asked me.

‘I have a letter from Swami Deshikanandaji for Swami Yatiswaranandaji,’ I replied and then wanted to hand over the bag containing the mangos.

He inquired, ‘Is this for the temple?’

‘Yes,’ I replied.

He asked me to carefully take the mangoes to the temple. I asked him if I could meet Swami Yatiswaranandaji. He said, ‘You can meet him. But have you taken lunch?’ When I nodded in negative, he called some monk and asked him to take me to the kitchen/ dining hall.

I followed the monk (I think it was Swami Sureshanandaji) and reached the dining hall where I had my meals, lovingly served by the monk. As he served me, a mere young boy, the monk talked to me. I told him that I had come to meet Swami Yatiswaranandaji but Sureshanandaji said that as it was his resting time, I may not be able to meet him and could see him by four in the afternoon. When I pointed out that the elderly monk whom I had met asked me to see him after the lunch, the monk said that then I should go to the stone-building after the lunch.

Grateful thanks to Satwik Joglekar & Facebook.