Srimat Swami Ambanandaji Maharaj

Srimat Swami Ambanandaji Maharaj (1874-1951)

रामकृष्ण-गत-प्राणं सारदाम्बा-प्रियार्भकम् ।

अंबानन्द गुरुं वन्दे अहैतुक-दयानिधिम् ॥

Raamakrishna-Gata-Praanam Saaradaamba-Priyaarbhakam 

Ambaananda-Gurum Vande Ahaituka-Dayaanidhim 

O Ambananda Guru!

Your Life Is Fully Merged In Sri Ramakrishna,

You Are A Dear Child Of Sri Sarada Devi,

O Abode Of Boundless Compassion!

I Bow Down To You.

                                                       —SWAMI MADHURANANDA

Steamer And Rafts

       Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna Said Once: “As A Large And Powerful Steamer Moves Swiftly Over The Water, Towing Rafts And Barges In Its Wake, So When A Saviour Comes, He Easily Carries Thousands To The Haven Of Safety Across The Ocean Of Maya.” Sri Ramakrishna Himself Is Now Adored By Millions As A Saviour Of Mankind And The Incarnation Of The Age. If He Is The “Large And Powerful Steamer,” The Great Souls Who Had Shaped Their Lives In His Mould Are “Rafts And Barges.” They Also In Their Turn Carry People Across The Ocean Of Birth And Death. Swami Ambanandaji, Blessed By Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, The Consort Of Sri Ramakrishna, Was One Such Noble Soul. He Was Blessed By Swami Vivekananda, As Also By Several Other Direct Disciples Of Sri Ramakrishna.

Young Days

   Swami Ambanandaji Was Born On July 8 In Mavelikkara, A Small Town In Kerala. His Original Name Was Madhuranayakam Pillai. His Father, Chockalingam Pillai, Was A Renowned Magistrate Respected For His Impartial And Unfailing Judgments. He Was An Adept In Mesmerism. There Were Some Situations Wherein He Used His Power For Good Purposes.

    There Was A Ruffian Who Was A Nuisance To The Public. One Morning On His Way To The Court, Chockalingam Pillai Happened To See Him Scaring People Through His Unruly Behaviour. Pillai Went Up To Him And Sternly Ordered, “Stand Still Right There!” And Then Left The Place To Attend To His Business. To The Astonishment Of All, The Rowdy Stood There As If Petrified. He Could Not Move An Inch Until The Magistrate Returned From The Court In The Evening. After Pillai Came And Commanded Him To Move, Then Only Was He Able To Take A Step. After This Incident The Ruffian’s Life Was Transformed And He Lived A Normal Life.

   Like His Father, Madhuranayakam Was A Staunch Upholder Of Moral Virtues. But He Was Not Destined To Live Long With His Father. He Lost His Father When He Was Sixteen And Then After Two Years, His Mother Also Passed Away. He And His Five Younger Brothers And A Younger Sister Were Brought Up By His Uncle.

    Madhuranayakam Was A Brilliant Student Especially Interested In Mathematics. He Was Inclined To Physical Exercise And As A Result Developed A Good Physique. After His Initial School Studies, He Graduated From The Science College, Trivandrum. Later He Was Sent To Engineering College At Guindy In Chennai. There He Was Instructed By English Professors So He Acquired A Good Command Of English. He Became A Tennis Champion Too.

First Seed: Swami Vivekananda’s Blessing

    When Madhuranayakam Was In The Third Year B.E., The First Seed Of Spiritual Life Was Sown In His Mind By None Other Than Swami Vivekananda. It Was 1897 When Swamiji Was Returning To India After Successfully Preaching The Message Of Hinduism In The West. He Was Scheduled To Be In Chennai February 6 Through 14. For Weeks Great Enthusiasm Prevailed In Chennai Due To His Triumphal Visit. For Some Time Chennai Newspapers And Magazines Had Been Publishing Articles About Him And His Anticipated Visit. The Railway Station And Streets Were Lavishly Decorated And Triumphal Arches Erected. Mottoes Such As, “Long Live The Venerable Vivekananda!” Were Blazoned On All Sides. Even From Its Earliest Days Chennai Had Never Witnessed Such An Enthusiastic Reception Accorded To Anyone.

    Madhuranayakam Was Amazed At This Extraordinary Welcome Being Given To A Monk. He Too, Like Most Everyone In The City, Was Eager And Excited To See Swamiji. On February 6, The Day Of Swamiji’s Arrival, He And One Of His Friends Found That There Was Almost No Place To Wait Or Even To Stand. It Was As If The Whole City Was Filled With Human Heads! On Both Sides Of The Road That Swamiji And His Companions Would Be Travelling From Egmore To The Ice House (Present Vivekanandar Illam, A Sub-Centre Of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai) On Marina Beach Where Swamiji Would Be Staying, The Crowd Was Becoming Increasingly Dense. Finding No Other Way In That Surging Crowd, The Two Friends Climbed A Tree Near The Presidency College Wherefrom They Could Get A Good View Of The Convoy.

    At Last The Procession Was In Sight And What A Sight It Was! In Earnest Enthusiasm The Youngsters Had Unharnessed The Horses And Pulled The Carriage Themselves. At Every Step, The Carriage Had To Halt Repeatedly To Enable People To Make Offerings To Swamiji. There Was A Perpetual Shower Of Flowers At Every Point Along The Route. Madhuranayakam Was Wonderstruck. His Eyes Were Riveted On Swamiji And Swamiji Alone Who Was Shining Like A Sun. But Then A Miracle Followed. As He Was Gradually Getting Drawn To The Face Of Swamiji, He Noticed A Halo Of Golden Light Around His Head, Like That Which Is Seen With The Rising Sun. He Rubbed His Eyes Repeatedly And Focused His Gaze On Swamiji’s Face To Reassure Himself; He Found It Was True. This Mystical Experience Had A Profound Influence On The Life Of Madhuranayakam.

    Madhuranayakam Was Fortunate To Hear A Few Notable Lectures Delivered By The Great Swamiji In Chennai. Naturally, He Was Eager To Meet Swamiji Personally. But There Seemed To Be No Possibility As There Was Constantly An Overflowing Crowd Around Swamiji And Furthermore, His Schedule Was Tight. One Day Madhuranayakam And His Friends Were Walking On The Marina Beach. Suddenly They Saw Swamiji Walking A Little Farther In Front Of Them With A Friend Of His (Parthasarathy Iyengar). Not Wanting To Lose This Chance, The Friends Quickened Their Steps To Catch Up With Swamiji. At First Swamiji Did Not Notice That They Were Following Him. When He Did Notice He Stopped, Turned Around And Asked:

Swamiji : Why Are You Following Me, Boys?

Madhuranayakam : For No Particular Reason.

Swamiji : We Have Some Confidential Matter To Discuss. When We Found That It Was Not Possible To Do So At The Ice House, We Came Here. We Left Instructions That No One Should Follow Us. I Am Sorry, Now I Will Not Be Able To Talk To You. We Shall Meet And Talk Afterwards. You Must Be Students. It Is Already Dusk. Go And Study. We Shall Meet Later.

   These Few Words That Came Directly From Swamiji Were Enough For Madhuranayakam. Meeting Swamiji Was The First Ray Of Light That Led Him To The Golden Path Of Spirituality. Madhuranayakam Has Left Vivid Memoirs Of Swami Vivekananda.

    After Meeting Swamiji, Seeing His Holy Face And Hearing His Nectar-Like Words, He Remained Ever In The Firmament Of Madhuranayakam’s Mind. He Started Reading The Works Of Swamiji. The Inevitable Happened—His Studies Were Affected And He, A Brilliant Student, Failed In The Examination. He Was Twenty-Three At The Time.

With Swami Ramakrishnanandaji

    Madhuranayakam Continued His Engineering Studies. By That Time, Swamij Ramakrishnanandaji, A Monastic Disciple Of Sri Ramakrishna And A God Realized Saint, At The Request Of Swami Vivekananda Established A Centre Of The Ramakrishna Math At The Ice House. This Became A Blessing To Madhuranayakam. He Intimately Associated Himself With Ramakrishnanandaji And Received Many Instructions From Him For His Practical Spiritual Life

Family Ties

    The Blessings Of These Two Great Souls Kindled The Fire Of Renunciation In Madhuranayakam. But Due To Family Responsibilities He Had To Wait For Some More Years Before Becoming A Monk. In The Meantime, His Uncle Got Him Married When He Was Twenty-Three. However, This Marriage Didn’t Last Long. He Got Divorced After A Year And Half At The Request Of His Wife. But He Still Had The Responsibility Of Looking After His Younger Brothers And Sister Who Had Been With Him. During This Period He Left Home Thrice To Become A Monk, But Could Not Succeed. His Love And The Sense Of Responsibility For His Younger Siblings Dragged Him Back Home Every Time. He Had To Work As A School Teacher To Earn Money.

    During This Period He Had An Opportunity Of Meeting Swami Nirmalanandaji, Another Monastic Disciple Of Sri Ramakrishna. He Had Been Spreading The Message Of His Master Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna In Kerala.

At The Holy Feet Of Sarada Devi

     It Was Swami Nirmalanandaji Who Became Instrumental In Madhuranayakam Receiving The Greatest Blessing Of His Life—To Receive Mantra Diksha From Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. It Was During The Navaratri Days Of 1914.

     Mother Blessed Him With The Holy Mantra Diksha On The Appointed Day At The Udbodhan In Kolkata. At First She Initiated Him With The Mantra Of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna. Afterwards She Asked Him Who His Family Deity Was. Madhuranayakam Could Not Answer As He Did Not Know. Then Mother Closed Her Eyes And Meditated For A While And Said, “Your Family Deity Is Kali. I Shall Give You Her Mantra Also. Daily You Should Repeat This Mantra Too.” To His Astonishment Madhuranayakam Later Learned From The Elders Of His Family That Mother’s Words Were Absolutely True. They Informed Him That They Had A Shrine Dedicated To Kali Where She Was Being Worshipped Symbolically In A Sword.

    As We Read In The Reminiscences Of Madhuranayakam He Was Able To Worship The Sacred Feet Of Mother, Have The Charanamrita As Her Prasad, And Also A Rudraksha Mala Not Only Blessed By Her But Even Worn By Her. These Two Sacred Objects Were To Become His Lifelong Companions.

    Apart From Having The Darsan Of Mother, Madhuranayakam Could Get The Darsan Of Some Of The Direct Disciples Of Sri Ramakrishna Such As Swamis Premanandaji And Saradanandaji.  On His Way Back To Tamil Nadu, Madhuranayakam Visited Varanasi Where He Had The Darsan Of Swami Brahmanandaji, Another Disciple Of Sri Ramakrishna.

As A Monk

    Even With All This Spiritual Wealth Madhuranayakam Could Not Become A Monk Immediately As He Wished, But Had To Continue His Life As A Teacher. So, He Went On With His Spiritual Practices At Home, Though The Spirit Of Renunciation Was Burning Brightly Within Him. Ultimately, After His Retirement In 1932 He Joined The Ramakrishna Ashrama At Nettayam (Kerala) When He Was Fifty-Eight. Swami Nirmalanandaji Was The President Of That Ashrama Then. Later, He Ordinated The Renunciate Into The Life Of Brahmacharya And In 1935 Blessed Him With Sannyasa Diksha With The Name Swami Ambananda

The Saint At Vellimalai

     After Living At Nettayam For Two More Years, Swami Ambanandaji Founded Sri Vivekananda Ashrama (Originally, Sri Vivekananda Mandiram) At Vellimalai In 1940 And Lived There For The Rest Of His Life. Gradually People Started Gathering Around Him.

     At That Time The Activities Of The Ashrama Centred Mainly Around The Holy Trio. The Swami Started Celebrating Their Birthdays. He Also Observed The Mahalaya Amavasya Day, The New Moon Day Prior To The Navaratri Days. This Was The Day When He Recived The Holy Mantra Diksha From The Holy Mother. The Swami Initiated Several Deserving Devotees With Mantra Diksha And Bestowed Sannyasa Diksha On A Few Others.

     His Life Was One Of Pure Love Visibly Manifested. Being The Disciple Of The Holy Mother, Who Was Love Personified, The Swami Too Became Completely Transformed As If Into A Symbol Of Love. Anyone Who Approached  Him Would Never Fail To Notice The Love And Blessings That He Emanated.

     Swamis Madhurananda And Satyananda, Both Disciples Of Ambanandaji Have Left Lively Reminiscences Of The Swami. From These We Get A Vivid Picture Of The Great Life He Lived. Selected Portions Follow:

 Swami Satyanandaji Writes:

    “Swami Ambanandaji Used To Address Me As Brother, Though I Was Like His Grandson. I Was Much Attracted To His Conversation. He Would Forget The World And Make The Listeners Too Forget Everything Else When He Talked About Sri Ramakrishna, Mother, Or Swami Vivekananda. His Words Would Go Deep Into The Soul Of The Listener. At The Same Time There Would Be No Dearth Of Humour Too.

“He Taught Us Never Through Words But Through His Own Life. He Used To Do All His Personal Works By Himself And Never Allowed Us To Serve Him; Rather, He Served Us Often. He Would Fetch Water For Us To Take A Bath From The Well Atop The Hill.

“He Used To Get Up Very Early In The Morning. Then Perform Japa For Long Hours For The Peace Of The World And For The Good Of His Disciples. He Would Do Exercise Using Dumbbells. Then He Would Pluck Flowers For The Puja. All Through The Work And Other Business He Would Chant The Holy Name Of Sri Ramakrishna Unceasingly.

“When He Visited The House Of Devotees He Would Gather Old Clothes And Distribute Them Among The Poor.    

“We Used To Go And Salute Him By Prostrating Before Him Daily In The Morning And Evening. Then He Would Give Us Mother’s Charanamrita Without Fail. A Bottle Of Charanamrita Would Be Always With Him. Whoever Salutes Him Would Get A Share Of It. Whenever He Went Out, Along With Charanamrita, He Would Also Carry A Few Packets Of Offered Flattened Rice To Distribute To Devotees.

“He Was All Love, And Love And Love Alone. That Light Which Illumined The Hut Of Vellimalai Then, Burns Brightly In The Depths Of My Heart Forever.”

Swami Madhuranandaji Writes:

“Swami Ambanandaji’s Life Was, In Short, A Commentary On Mother’s Last Message: ‘I Tell You One Thing—If You Want Peace, Do Not Find Fault With Others. Rather See Your Own Faults. Learn To Make The World Your Own. No One Is A Stranger, My Child; The Whole World Is Your Own.’ He Loved All As His Own, As His Life Was Merged In Sri Ramakrishna, The Universal Spirit. He Never Condemned, Criticized, Or Rebuked Anybody For He Could Not See The Fault Of Anybody. He Remained Love-Personified. This Was The Experience Of All Who Had The Rare Fortune Of Having His Holy Company.   

“He Was A Poet. He Has Written Hundreds Of Songs In Malayalam. In Each Of His Songs His Heart Poured Out. His First Song, The Commentary Of Which Was His Own Life, Reads As Follows:

It Is Love And Love Alone That Pervades The Whole Universe.

O Ramakrishna! Bless Me So That

That Love Grows In My Heart And Pervades My Whole Being.

“He Would Not Begin Writing A Letter Without Beginning With Writing ‘Om Namo Bhagavate Ramakrishnaya’ First. Apart From Pleasantries And Business Matters Every Letter Would Contain A Few Sayings Of Sri Ramakrishna, Mother, Or Swamiji. His Letters Were Wonders. He Could Accommodate The Matter Of Three Letters In A Single Post Card, And That Too Legibly. His Handwriting Would Challenge Print. It Was The Days Of World War II; Paper And Note Books Were Rare. So, He Would Take Care That No Piece Of Paper Was Wasted. He Wrote On One-Sided Used Papers And Even On Bits Of Paper. Again, Ramakrishna Literature In Print Was Rare In Those Days. He Made Handwritten Copies Of Several Books In English And In Malayalam And Lent Them To Devotees And Sometimes Gave Them, Thus Spreading The Message Of Sri Ramakrishna.

“When He Came To The Ashrama From Outside, He Would Bring Some Eatables For The Inmates. On Celebration Days He Would Take Food After All Others Had Taken.

“His Devotion To Holy Mother Was Beyond Words. When People Go To Offer Pranams By Touching His Feet, He Would Tell Them To Touch His Head, For ‘That Is The Place Where Mother Kept Her Holy Feet And Blessed Me,’ He Would Explain. He Kept The Charanamrita Of Mother With Utmost Care And Devotion And Distributed To All By Adding Ganga Water To It. He Used To Say, ‘This Tirtha, Holy Water, Has Been Distributed To Thousands Of Devotees. That Is One Tangible Grace Of The Mother, I Can Convey To Others.’

“His Bhakti To Mother Was Of A Superior Nature. It Had No Selfishness Attached To It Whatsoever. Note The Following Incident. He Had Received A Rudraksha Mala From Mother. Even This Matchless Prasad He Did Not Keep Solely For Himself. He Took 54 Beads From The Mala And Gave Them To Deserving Devotees And Asked Them To Have That Bead In The Centre Of Their Rudraksha Mala, So That They Too Received The Unbound Grace Of Mother. To The Remaining 54 Beads, He Added Another 54 Rudraksha Beads And Used It For Himself.”

Let Us Consider Some Portions From Two Of His Poems Which Stand As A Testimony To His Spiritual Greatness:

2. Most Of The Sages And Saints Pray For Mukti And Want To Avoid Further Birth In This World Of Misery. But Ambanandaji Had No Fear Of Birth Or Death For He Had Touched The Feet Of Mother, The Abode Of Fearlessness; He Prays:

As Long As, O Mother, Your Divine Play Goes On In This World,

I Want To Be Born Again And Again And Enjoy Your Divine Love.

Not Only That, O Mother!

Grant Me Mastery In Cooking So That

I Can Prepare Varieties Of Delicacies And

     Serve Your Dear Children!

Let Me Be A Good Singer Too, O Mother, Gracious!

So That When Your Children Enjoy The Food

     I Will Sing Pouring Out My Soul,

And They Will Have The Taste Of The Bliss Of Devotion Too.

3. The Following Is His Last Song In Which He Gave Out His Ultimate Realization:

The Pomp And Glory Of This Worldly Life Is But A Vain Dream.

One Will Realize This Truth In Time.

Don’t Be Afraid; Don’t Be Disheartened At All,

You And All That Is Seen Are But The Supreme Brahman.

He Alone Is True!

Last Days

     The Swami Was Well Aware Of His End. It Was 1951 And He Was Seventy-Six. In March He Visited A Devotee Easwara Pillai. While Leaving His House, The Swami Left His Wooden Sandals There And Told Him, “Dear, Keep These Sandals With You In My Memory. I May Not Visit You Again.” This Utterence Proved Prophetic For This Happened Just A Month Before The Swami’s Passing Away.

    During The First Week Of April, He Left Vellimalai And Visited The House Of Rajammal, A Woman Devotee Well Known For Her Devotion And Loving Service To The Swami. While Leaving He Called Both The Subbhiahs, His Monastic Disciples, To Him. Bestowed Saffron Robes On Them As A Mark Of Initiating Them Into Sannyasa And Told Them, “Dears, You Wear This Holy Dress From Now Onwards.” Later Becoming Swamis Madhurananda And Satyananda, They Continued To Live In The Ashrama In The Service Of The Holy Trio. The Swami Passed Away On May 6, 1951.

 

Srimat Swami Ambanandaji Maharaj (1874-1951)

रामकृष्ण-गत-प्राणं सारदाम्बा-प्रियार्भकम् ।

अंबानन्द गुरुं वन्दे अहैतुक-दयानिधिम् ॥

Raamakrishna-Gata-Praanam Saaradaamba-Priyaarbhakam 

Ambaananda-Gurum Vande Ahaituka-Dayaanidhim 

O Ambananda Guru!

Your Life Is Fully Merged In Sri Ramakrishna,

You Are A Dear Child Of Sri Sarada Devi,

O Abode Of Boundless Compassion!

I Bow Down To You.

                                                       —SWAMI MADHURANANDA

Steamer And Rafts

       Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna Said Once: “As A Large And Powerful Steamer Moves Swiftly Over The Water, Towing Rafts And Barges In Its Wake, So When A Saviour Comes, He Easily Carries Thousands To The Haven Of Safety Across The Ocean Of Maya.” Sri Ramakrishna Himself Is Now Adored By Millions As A Saviour Of Mankind And The Incarnation Of The Age. If He Is The “Large And Powerful Steamer,” The Great Souls Who Had Shaped Their Lives In His Mould Are “Rafts And Barges.” They Also In Their Turn Carry People Across The Ocean Of Birth And Death. Swami Ambanandaji, Blessed By Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, The Consort Of Sri Ramakrishna, Was One Such Noble Soul. He Was Blessed By Swami Vivekananda, As Also By Several Other Direct Disciples Of Sri Ramakrishna.

Young Days

   Swami Ambanandaji Was Born On July 8 In Mavelikkara, A Small Town In Kerala. His Original Name Was Madhuranayakam Pillai. His Father, Chockalingam Pillai, Was A Renowned Magistrate Respected For His Impartial And Unfailing Judgments. He Was An Adept In Mesmerism. There Were Some Situations Wherein He Used His Power For Good Purposes.

    There Was A Ruffian Who Was A Nuisance To The Public. One Morning On His Way To The Court, Chockalingam Pillai Happened To See Him Scaring People Through His Unruly Behaviour. Pillai Went Up To Him And Sternly Ordered, “Stand Still Right There!” And Then Left The Place To Attend To His Business. To The Astonishment Of All, The Rowdy Stood There As If Petrified. He Could Not Move An Inch Until The Magistrate Returned From The Court In The Evening. After Pillai Came And Commanded Him To Move, Then Only Was He Able To Take A Step. After This Incident The Ruffian’s Life Was Transformed And He Lived A Normal Life.

   Like His Father, Madhuranayakam Was A Staunch Upholder Of Moral Virtues. But He Was Not Destined To Live Long With His Father. He Lost His Father When He Was Sixteen And Then After Two Years, His Mother Also Passed Away. He And His Five Younger Brothers And A Younger Sister Were Brought Up By His Uncle.

    Madhuranayakam Was A Brilliant Student Especially Interested In Mathematics. He Was Inclined To Physical Exercise And As A Result Developed A Good Physique. After His Initial School Studies, He Graduated From The Science College, Trivandrum. Later He Was Sent To Engineering College At Guindy In Chennai. There He Was Instructed By English Professors So He Acquired A Good Command Of English. He Became A Tennis Champion Too.

First Seed: Swami Vivekananda’s Blessing

    When Madhuranayakam Was In The Third Year B.E., The First Seed Of Spiritual Life Was Sown In His Mind By None Other Than Swami Vivekananda. It Was 1897 When Swamiji Was Returning To India After Successfully Preaching The Message Of Hinduism In The West. He Was Scheduled To Be In Chennai February 6 Through 14. For Weeks Great Enthusiasm Prevailed In Chennai Due To His Triumphal Visit. For Some Time Chennai Newspapers And Magazines Had Been Publishing Articles About Him And His Anticipated Visit. The Railway Station And Streets Were Lavishly Decorated And Triumphal Arches Erected. Mottoes Such As, “Long Live The Venerable Vivekananda!” Were Blazoned On All Sides. Even From Its Earliest Days Chennai Had Never Witnessed Such An Enthusiastic Reception Accorded To Anyone.

    Madhuranayakam Was Amazed At This Extraordinary Welcome Being Given To A Monk. He Too, Like Most Everyone In The City, Was Eager And Excited To See Swamiji. On February 6, The Day Of Swamiji’s Arrival, He And One Of His Friends Found That There Was Almost No Place To Wait Or Even To Stand. It Was As If The Whole City Was Filled With Human Heads! On Both Sides Of The Road That Swamiji And His Companions Would Be Travelling From Egmore To The Ice House (Present Vivekanandar Illam, A Sub-Centre Of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai) On Marina Beach Where Swamiji Would Be Staying, The Crowd Was Becoming Increasingly Dense. Finding No Other Way In That Surging Crowd, The Two Friends Climbed A Tree Near The Presidency College Wherefrom They Could Get A Good View Of The Convoy.

    At Last The Procession Was In Sight And What A Sight It Was! In Earnest Enthusiasm The Youngsters Had Unharnessed The Horses And Pulled The Carriage Themselves. At Every Step, The Carriage Had To Halt Repeatedly To Enable People To Make Offerings To Swamiji. There Was A Perpetual Shower Of Flowers At Every Point Along The Route. Madhuranayakam Was Wonderstruck. His Eyes Were Riveted On Swamiji And Swamiji Alone Who Was Shining Like A Sun. But Then A Miracle Followed. As He Was Gradually Getting Drawn To The Face Of Swamiji, He Noticed A Halo Of Golden Light Around His Head, Like That Which Is Seen With The Rising Sun. He Rubbed His Eyes Repeatedly And Focused His Gaze On Swamiji’s Face To Reassure Himself; He Found It Was True. This Mystical Experience Had A Profound Influence On The Life Of Madhuranayakam.

    Madhuranayakam Was Fortunate To Hear A Few Notable Lectures Delivered By The Great Swamiji In Chennai. Naturally, He Was Eager To Meet Swamiji Personally. But There Seemed To Be No Possibility As There Was Constantly An Overflowing Crowd Around Swamiji And Furthermore, His Schedule Was Tight. One Day Madhuranayakam And His Friends Were Walking On The Marina Beach. Suddenly They Saw Swamiji Walking A Little Farther In Front Of Them With A Friend Of His (Parthasarathy Iyengar). Not Wanting To Lose This Chance, The Friends Quickened Their Steps To Catch Up With Swamiji. At First Swamiji Did Not Notice That They Were Following Him. When He Did Notice He Stopped, Turned Around And Asked:

Swamiji : Why Are You Following Me, Boys?

Madhuranayakam : For No Particular Reason.

Swamiji : We Have Some Confidential Matter To Discuss. When We Found That It Was Not Possible To Do So At The Ice House, We Came Here. We Left Instructions That No One Should Follow Us. I Am Sorry, Now I Will Not Be Able To Talk To You. We Shall Meet And Talk Afterwards. You Must Be Students. It Is Already Dusk. Go And Study. We Shall Meet Later.

   These Few Words That Came Directly From Swamiji Were Enough For Madhuranayakam. Meeting Swamiji Was The First Ray Of Light That Led Him To The Golden Path Of Spirituality. Madhuranayakam Has Left Vivid Memoirs Of Swami Vivekananda.

    After Meeting Swamiji, Seeing His Holy Face And Hearing His Nectar-Like Words, He Remained Ever In The Firmament Of Madhuranayakam’s Mind. He Started Reading The Works Of Swamiji. The Inevitable Happened—His Studies Were Affected And He, A Brilliant Student, Failed In The Examination. He Was Twenty-Three At The Time.

With Swami Ramakrishnanandaji

    Madhuranayakam Continued His Engineering Studies. By That Time, Swamij Ramakrishnanandaji, A Monastic Disciple Of Sri Ramakrishna And A God Realized Saint, At The Request Of Swami Vivekananda Established A Centre Of The Ramakrishna Math At The Ice House. This Became A Blessing To Madhuranayakam. He Intimately Associated Himself With Ramakrishnanandaji And Received Many Instructions From Him For His Practical Spiritual Life

Family Ties

    The Blessings Of These Two Great Souls Kindled The Fire Of Renunciation In Madhuranayakam. But Due To Family Responsibilities He Had To Wait For Some More Years Before Becoming A Monk. In The Meantime, His Uncle Got Him Married When He Was Twenty-Three. However, This Marriage Didn’t Last Long. He Got Divorced After A Year And Half At The Request Of His Wife. But He Still Had The Responsibility Of Looking After His Younger Brothers And Sister Who Had Been With Him. During This Period He Left Home Thrice To Become A Monk, But Could Not Succeed. His Love And The Sense Of Responsibility For His Younger Siblings Dragged Him Back Home Every Time. He Had To Work As A School Teacher To Earn Money.

    During This Period He Had An Opportunity Of Meeting Swami Nirmalanandaji, Another Monastic Disciple Of Sri Ramakrishna. He Had Been Spreading The Message Of His Master Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna In Kerala.

At The Holy Feet Of Sarada Devi

     It Was Swami Nirmalanandaji Who Became Instrumental In Madhuranayakam Receiving The Greatest Blessing Of His Life—To Receive Mantra Diksha From Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. It Was During The Navaratri Days Of 1914.

     Mother Blessed Him With The Holy Mantra Diksha On The Appointed Day At The Udbodhan In Kolkata. At First She Initiated Him With The Mantra Of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna. Afterwards She Asked Him Who His Family Deity Was. Madhuranayakam Could Not Answer As He Did Not Know. Then Mother Closed Her Eyes And Meditated For A While And Said, “Your Family Deity Is Kali. I Shall Give You Her Mantra Also. Daily You Should Repeat This Mantra Too.” To His Astonishment Madhuranayakam Later Learned From The Elders Of His Family That Mother’s Words Were Absolutely True. They Informed Him That They Had A Shrine Dedicated To Kali Where She Was Being Worshipped Symbolically In A Sword.

    As We Read In The Reminiscences Of Madhuranayakam He Was Able To Worship The Sacred Feet Of Mother, Have The Charanamrita As Her Prasad, And Also A Rudraksha Mala Not Only Blessed By Her But Even Worn By Her. These Two Sacred Objects Were To Become His Lifelong Companions.

    Apart From Having The Darsan Of Mother, Madhuranayakam Could Get The Darsan Of Some Of The Direct Disciples Of Sri Ramakrishna Such As Swamis Premanandaji And Saradanandaji.  On His Way Back To Tamil Nadu, Madhuranayakam Visited Varanasi Where He Had The Darsan Of Swami Brahmanandaji, Another Disciple Of Sri Ramakrishna.

As A Monk

    Even With All This Spiritual Wealth Madhuranayakam Could Not Become A Monk Immediately As He Wished, But Had To Continue His Life As A Teacher. So, He Went On With His Spiritual Practices At Home, Though The Spirit Of Renunciation Was Burning Brightly Within Him. Ultimately, After His Retirement In 1932 He Joined The Ramakrishna Ashrama At Nettayam (Kerala) When He Was Fifty-Eight. Swami Nirmalanandaji Was The President Of That Ashrama Then. Later, He Ordinated The Renunciate Into The Life Of Brahmacharya And In 1935 Blessed Him With Sannyasa Diksha With The Name Swami Ambananda

The Saint At Vellimalai

     After Living At Nettayam For Two More Years, Swami Ambanandaji Founded Sri Vivekananda Ashrama (Originally, Sri Vivekananda Mandiram) At Vellimalai In 1940 And Lived There For The Rest Of His Life. Gradually People Started Gathering Around Him.

     At That Time The Activities Of The Ashrama Centred Mainly Around The Holy Trio. The Swami Started Celebrating Their Birthdays. He Also Observed The Mahalaya Amavasya Day, The New Moon Day Prior To The Navaratri Days. This Was The Day When He Recived The Holy Mantra Diksha From The Holy Mother. The Swami Initiated Several Deserving Devotees With Mantra Diksha And Bestowed Sannyasa Diksha On A Few Others.

     His Life Was One Of Pure Love Visibly Manifested. Being The Disciple Of The Holy Mother, Who Was Love Personified, The Swami Too Became Completely Transformed As If Into A Symbol Of Love. Anyone Who Approached  Him Would Never Fail To Notice The Love And Blessings That He Emanated.

     Swamis Madhurananda And Satyananda, Both Disciples Of Ambanandaji Have Left Lively Reminiscences Of The Swami. From These We Get A Vivid Picture Of The Great Life He Lived. Selected Portions Follow:

 Swami Satyanandaji Writes:

    “Swami Ambanandaji Used To Address Me As Brother, Though I Was Like His Grandson. I Was Much Attracted To His Conversation. He Would Forget The World And Make The Listeners Too Forget Everything Else When He Talked About Sri Ramakrishna, Mother, Or Swami Vivekananda. His Words Would Go Deep Into The Soul Of The Listener. At The Same Time There Would Be No Dearth Of Humour Too.

“He Taught Us Never Through Words But Through His Own Life. He Used To Do All His Personal Works By Himself And Never Allowed Us To Serve Him; Rather, He Served Us Often. He Would Fetch Water For Us To Take A Bath From The Well Atop The Hill.

“He Used To Get Up Very Early In The Morning. Then Perform Japa For Long Hours For The Peace Of The World And For The Good Of His Disciples. He Would Do Exercise Using Dumbbells. Then He Would Pluck Flowers For The Puja. All Through The Work And Other Business He Would Chant The Holy Name Of Sri Ramakrishna Unceasingly.

“When He Visited The House Of Devotees He Would Gather Old Clothes And Distribute Them Among The Poor.    

“We Used To Go And Salute Him By Prostrating Before Him Daily In The Morning And Evening. Then He Would Give Us Mother’s Charanamrita Without Fail. A Bottle Of Charanamrita Would Be Always With Him. Whoever Salutes Him Would Get A Share Of It. Whenever He Went Out, Along With Charanamrita, He Would Also Carry A Few Packets Of Offered Flattened Rice To Distribute To Devotees.

“He Was All Love, And Love And Love Alone. That Light Which Illumined The Hut Of Vellimalai Then, Burns Brightly In The Depths Of My Heart Forever.”

Swami Madhuranandaji Writes:

“Swami Ambanandaji’s Life Was, In Short, A Commentary On Mother’s Last Message: ‘I Tell You One Thing—If You Want Peace, Do Not Find Fault With Others. Rather See Your Own Faults. Learn To Make The World Your Own. No One Is A Stranger, My Child; The Whole World Is Your Own.’ He Loved All As His Own, As His Life Was Merged In Sri Ramakrishna, The Universal Spirit. He Never Condemned, Criticized, Or Rebuked Anybody For He Could Not See The Fault Of Anybody. He Remained Love-Personified. This Was The Experience Of All Who Had The Rare Fortune Of Having His Holy Company.   

“He Was A Poet. He Has Written Hundreds Of Songs In Malayalam. In Each Of His Songs His Heart Poured Out. His First Song, The Commentary Of Which Was His Own Life, Reads As Follows:

It Is Love And Love Alone That Pervades The Whole Universe.

O Ramakrishna! Bless Me So That

That Love Grows In My Heart And Pervades My Whole Being.

“He Would Not Begin Writing A Letter Without Beginning With Writing ‘Om Namo Bhagavate Ramakrishnaya’ First. Apart From Pleasantries And Business Matters Every Letter Would Contain A Few Sayings Of Sri Ramakrishna, Mother, Or Swamiji. His Letters Were Wonders. He Could Accommodate The Matter Of Three Letters In A Single Post Card, And That Too Legibly. His Handwriting Would Challenge Print. It Was The Days Of World War II; Paper And Note Books Were Rare. So, He Would Take Care That No Piece Of Paper Was Wasted. He Wrote On One-Sided Used Papers And Even On Bits Of Paper. Again, Ramakrishna Literature In Print Was Rare In Those Days. He Made Handwritten Copies Of Several Books In English And In Malayalam And Lent Them To Devotees And Sometimes Gave Them, Thus Spreading The Message Of Sri Ramakrishna.

“When He Came To The Ashrama From Outside, He Would Bring Some Eatables For The Inmates. On Celebration Days He Would Take Food After All Others Had Taken.

“His Devotion To Holy Mother Was Beyond Words. When People Go To Offer Pranams By Touching His Feet, He Would Tell Them To Touch His Head, For ‘That Is The Place Where Mother Kept Her Holy Feet And Blessed Me,’ He Would Explain. He Kept The Charanamrita Of Mother With Utmost Care And Devotion And Distributed To All By Adding Ganga Water To It. He Used To Say, ‘This Tirtha, Holy Water, Has Been Distributed To Thousands Of Devotees. That Is One Tangible Grace Of The Mother, I Can Convey To Others.’

“His Bhakti To Mother Was Of A Superior Nature. It Had No Selfishness Attached To It Whatsoever. Note The Following Incident. He Had Received A Rudraksha Mala From Mother. Even This Matchless Prasad He Did Not Keep Solely For Himself. He Took 54 Beads From The Mala And Gave Them To Deserving Devotees And Asked Them To Have That Bead In The Centre Of Their Rudraksha Mala, So That They Too Received The Unbound Grace Of Mother. To The Remaining 54 Beads, He Added Another 54 Rudraksha Beads And Used It For Himself.”

Let Us Consider Some Portions From Two Of His Poems Which Stand As A Testimony To His Spiritual Greatness:

2. Most Of The Sages And Saints Pray For Mukti And Want To Avoid Further Birth In This World Of Misery. But Ambanandaji Had No Fear Of Birth Or Death For He Had Touched The Feet Of Mother, The Abode Of Fearlessness; He Prays:

As Long As, O Mother, Your Divine Play Goes On In This World,

I Want To Be Born Again And Again And Enjoy Your Divine Love.

Not Only That, O Mother!

Grant Me Mastery In Cooking So That

I Can Prepare Varieties Of Delicacies And

     Serve Your Dear Children!

Let Me Be A Good Singer Too, O Mother, Gracious!

So That When Your Children Enjoy The Food

     I Will Sing Pouring Out My Soul,

And They Will Have The Taste Of The Bliss Of Devotion Too.

3. The Following Is His Last Song In Which He Gave Out His Ultimate Realization:

The Pomp And Glory Of This Worldly Life Is But A Vain Dream.

One Will Realize This Truth In Time.

Don’t Be Afraid; Don’t Be Disheartened At All,

You And All That Is Seen Are But The Supreme Brahman.

He Alone Is True!

Last Days

     The Swami Was Well Aware Of His End. It Was 1951 And He Was Seventy-Six. In March He Visited A Devotee Easwara Pillai. While Leaving His House, The Swami Left His Wooden Sandals There And Told Him, “Dear, Keep These Sandals With You In My Memory. I May Not Visit You Again.” This Utterence Proved Prophetic For This Happened Just A Month Before The Swami’s Passing Away.

    During The First Week Of April, He Left Vellimalai And Visited The House Of Rajammal, A Woman Devotee Well Known For Her Devotion And Loving Service To The Swami. While Leaving He Called Both The Subbhiahs, His Monastic Disciples, To Him. Bestowed Saffron Robes On Them As A Mark Of Initiating Them Into Sannyasa And Told Them, “Dears, You Wear This Holy Dress From Now Onwards.” Later Becoming Swamis Madhurananda And Satyananda, They Continued To Live In The Ashrama In The Service Of The Holy Trio. The Swami Passed Away On May 6, 1951.