Swami Brahmananda : His Life and Teachings

 


Oh Garland evil luck Emily Maher Davina

Creed ar-rahman and animus to Byung

Sadhguru local Ayaka this is a Sanskrit

verse which I just recited it's

customary to begin any worship or

meditation or talk on Swami brahmananda

by chanting this verse and this verse

refers to a mystic vision which Sri

Ramakrishna had just before meeting

Swami brahmananda for the first time he

saw in his vision sri ramakrishna Swami

Brahma Honda and some of the other

Swami's were given to lots of visions so

I mean began Anandi's to say I see lots

of visions you see I have I don't get

much sleep that's why I think I see lots

of missions so sri ramakrishna saw this

vision in which he saw on a lotus flower

blooming in the Ganga no less he saw a

vision of the child Krishna playing with

another child and later on when he saw a

rock hall for the first time that was

Swami Brahma Hollanders pre monastic

name so when he saw a rock hall for the

first time and he and immediately

recognized this child as the child that

he had seen in his mystic vision and he

asked the boy his name what's your name

and the boy replied Rock Hall now that's

very evocative for an Indian because

raha literally means the cowherd

children of Brindavan who is to play

with Krishna when they were when Krishna

was a child in Brindavan so the little

boys there they used to play with him

days to be his friends and they were

called Rock Hall it basically means a

cowherd and so that's how sri

ramakrishna saw rock hall but even

before he saw swami brahmananda the

divine mother had revealed to him that

he would have a

and see Ramakrishna said that's so

strange how can I have a son just like

everybody else is that is that what's

going to happen and then divine mother

said no this bi will be our spiritual

son manna saputra spiritual son you will

recognize him when you see him and

that's how sri ramakrishna recognized

rock hall and the boy was extremely

devotional in fact Sri Ramakrishna

mentioned that Rock Hall is of the of

the house of the personal God whenever

people who talk about non-dualism more

about the impersonal Swami Brahmanand

actually would get up and his younger

days would get up and quietly leave the

place he was deeply devotional his

father was a big man and with ambitions

to be bigger he didn't like his son

going so so much to the temple garden of

Dakshina sure to visit this strange

half-mad mystic he forbade him to do so

in fact and once he locked up Rock Hall

actually to prevent him from going to

Ramakrishna to meet Ramakrishna but Rock

Hall took took the first opportunity

escape and went to Ramakrishna and his

father

Ananda Mohan came there we can imagine

he must have been very annoyed to take

Rock Hall back but Sri Ramakrishna told

Rock Hall bracha was because very gentle

and is very shy and was very quiet so

when he saw his father coming he got

scared and sooo Ramakrishna said don't

be scared

parents are veritably the living gods

when when your father comes you bow down

to him only and let me do the talking

sir sir I shall bow down to his father

and that pleased his father and then Sri

Ramakrishna said what a wonderful eye he

greeted rakhal's father very heartily

and said what a wonderful nature Rahul

has you can see his face his lips are

always moving he's taking the name of

God he's repeating the name of God all

the time and he's truly a wonderful boy

and that's no wonder you one can just by

seeing him you can like one can know

kind of father he has got you know so he

comes from such a wonderful father

no wonder he's such a good boy that

pleased

rakhal's father and disarmed his

objections to rockets visiting shri

ramakrishna and what pleased him even

more is that knocketh Erica's father saw

quite a number of rich and powerful

people who are visiting Ramakrishna and

so he thought this is not a bad place if

I if I come and make these connections

it might help me in my professional life

so that's how it came about that

Swami Brahma Han and the Rakhal got

unfettered access to sri ramakrishna and

sri ramakrishna very dearly loved by in

fact Sudama Krishna treated him like a

little boy he used to say sometimes he

would weep and say how simple you are or

what will happen to you when I am dead

and gone who will look after you Rock

Hall was a healthy educated strong young

man so I don't think he really needed

looking after in fact he was the one who

looked after our enormous organization

in its initial days but Sri Ramakrishna

had that paternal almost maternal

affection for Rock Hall one day Rock I

just happened to mention that he is a

little hungry casually and Sri

Ramakrishna got so worried about it now

in his very strange way he went straight

to the bank of the Ganges and he started

shouting or golda see my Rock Hall is

hungry come quickly and bring food and

has very strange behavior and Rafael was

very annoyed because everybody could

hear the truck rallies and is hungry but

strangely enough just a little while

later a boat came to the action ash were

with Balarama Babu and Garima and they

had bought lots of sweets that was a

coincidence or maybe not

anyhow Sri Ramakrishna called Roxy Rock

Hall wrote that she has come with sweets

for you have come and eat and rattle of

course was very annoyed said do you have

to shout about it like that why do you

avoid you have to go and know tell

everybody so now my Krishna said you are

hungry I just said that you are hungry

what's wrong in it so it was like that

Narendra not Swami Vivekananda and Rock

Hall they were the best of friends

throughout their lives they were the

best of friends but Narendra not was

like the Sun blazing bright scorching

Rock Hall Swami Brahma Hannon there was

like the moon gentle and luminous like

that

somebody said like the gentle dew drops

which makes the flowers bloom early in

the morning rock-hard spirituality was

like that he would make the hearts of

people bloom when this find God in their

hearts just by his presence but inherent

or not and Rock Hall at that time they

were young men and members of Brahmo

Samaj which was a reformed hindu

movement and one of the things they did

was that you shouldn't go and bow down

to images that's one of the things that

they had at that time Brahmo Samaj is

not doing too well these days I think

partly due to Ramakrishna maybe the

image worship is back with her with a

vengeance all throughout Hinduism not

only in Hinduism all over the world I

can see that anyway when Rahul started

going to the Kali temple following

Ramakrishna neuringer not took exception

to it he took Rahul aside and scolded

him haven't you promised not to go and

bow down to an image and here you are

going to the Kali temple induction h4n

bowing down to image now Rock Hall we

couldn't say anything it was a very

gentle he starts just started avoiding

her in her lap and didn't want to come

face to face with him and Sri

Ramakrishna saw that and he scolded

Narendra not said why are you fighting

against Rahul

can everybody realize the formless God

can everybody be a non duelist at the

very beginning that is his nature don't

disturb him and after that Swami

Vivekanand

blockhouse go into the temple and very

soon narendra himself was going to the

temple and bowing down before mother

Kali

but that's another story he came from a

rich family an aristocratic family so

when Sri Ramakrishna asked him to

massage his foetus one thing that Sri

Ramakrishna is to do sometimes that's

how actually he would transmit power

sometimes to his disciples and give his

blessings

make him do a little bit of service to

him and they would get these blessings

Rock Hall hesitated and Sri Ramakrishna

said

no not going to do this massage my feet

you see if you worship if you service ah

do you get immediate results visible

results and raqqa when he started

massaging Sri Ramakrishna's feet he had

the vision of divine mother as a little

girl of eight or nine years old circling

around the bed of Sri Ramakrishna and

then disappearing into the body of Sri

Ramakrishna is such a stunning vision

that Rakhal was awestruck and Saddam

Krishna just smiled and he said didn't I

say you will get visible results

one day when Rahul was messaging Sri

Ramakrishna body with oil

he asked for a very high spiritual

experience Sri Ramakrishna instead of

that first ignored him and then scolded

him sharply and Rock Hall it's like just

like a very dear child who has never

been scolded by a parent so it's a

terrible shock and Rahul was upset angry

sullen and he actually like a little boy

he threw the cup the bottle of oil on

the ground and stormed out

worrying never to return but hardly had

walked a few spaces outside the temple

compound towards the gate he found his

feet were getting heavier he could not

put one step after the other and he

actually sat down on the on the dirt

ground and then Sri Ramakrishna sent

somebody to fetch him back

and soon Ramakrishna said how where will

you go I have drawn a circle around this

place you cannot leave a few days later

Rock Hall followed Salama Krishna as

usual to the temple and he sat down in

the not munted in the in the Hall facing

the temple of the Divine Mother and

started meditating very soon he saw this

flood of spiritual light illumination

maybe the light of consciousness or work

flow flowing out of the temple of the

Divine Mother and in an engulfing him he

said it was like a light of a million

Suns he was terrified he jumped up and

ran to

ramakrishna holistic a little boy and

told him what has happened and Salama

Krishna said just the other day you

wanted this experience and now you get

it you run away what can I do

so this and the so many such things

happened when sri ramakrishna pastor it

is very touching there's a scene where

Rakhal Ramananda is telling sri

ramakrishna that do not go over and

leave us alone

we shall pray to the lord that he should

not take you away from us so very

touching Sri Ramakrishna passed away and

Swami Vivekananda took up the leadership

of the organization but Sri Ramakrishna

is to say look at the vision in sight he

had into human nature the gentle quiet

unassuming Rock Hall Sri Ramakrishna's

to say he has the nature of a king he

has the intelligence of a king Raja Raja

is a king and Swami Vivekananda not he

understood what Sri Ramakrishna meant

and and he's to say that you are our

Raja you are our King used to say to

Swami Brahma hollander and in fact in

our order in our tradition

Swami Brahma Honda is called Raja

Maharaja

it's called Raja Maharaj I remember two

interesting incidents one a recording of

Swami Nirvana and the stock old tape

recording so I mean Iran Anandi was the

save work of Swami Brahma Honda his

personal assistant till is the very last

day of Swami Ramananda the Swami Brahma

Harinder before passing away blessed

everybody all around him and he blessed

need one Ananda by saying that you will

attain Brahma gana

enlightenment in this life anyhow so I

mean Iran another later was the vice

president of the Ramakrishna order and

he visited Hollywood he visited Santa

Barbara and all these centers here with

Swami Madhubala Yugi anyhow I heard a

recording where Swami near Anand is

talking about Swami Brahma Honda and he

had a very unique way of referring to

him he used to say Rock Hall Raja

we see Raja Maharaj some say Swami

Brahma Honda so I mean it one on and is

to say Raja Raja the king of the cowards

of Brindavan our rock al rajim on the

rocks on Raja Raja Raja is to say this

this is one thing about him being called

Raja the other thing is I have myself

seen of a brahmacari about to join the

order his nickname was Raja and

immediately the monks of the order told

him don't ever reveal that to anybody

there is only one Raja Maharaja in our

order and there always be there's only

one Roger Maris so that's why he's not

only called Raja when the time came

Narendra not made him the president of

the order he made Swami Brahm Harinder

the president of the order he had a

wonderful relationship the two of them

once sometimes not in they're not so I'm

very kinda would scold everybody

including Swami Brahm Honda once when

balloon mutt was being constructed

so in Vivekananda was still there and

Swami Vigyan Ananda G again related to

our center because Swami so on and as he

was the disciple of swami vivekananda

see so I began and he was the engineer

who was making certain alterations and

there's a embankment being constructed

and it went over-budget

we know all about that in this country

especially going over budget so so it

went over budget and funds were tight

nobody dared to tell Swami Vivekananda

Swami brahmananda took the

responsibility he said ok I'll deal with

this

when song we've ever kind of found out

he was furious he called Brahma Honda

and scolded him mercilessly Swami

Ramananda burst into tears and ran to

his room at which swami vivekananda

burst into tears and he came and held

swami brahmarandhra and said our master

loved you so much he will like a child

he loved you like a child and i have

abused you insulted you I don't deserve

to live here

I shall go away from this place and so

that was the kind of love they had for

each other of course why i'm from

holland again embraced to him

Vivekananda and then Swami Vivekananda's

there's a beautiful

touching description house swami

brahmananda wept like a child and the in

front of the body of sighing Vivekananda

and in the body was lifted and taken for

cremation so I'm the man this is it's as

if the entire Himalayan mountain range

rose up before my eyes and disappeared

from my sight and he became the head of

the order so I'm very conscious to say

he was a spiritual dynamo there's so

many wonderful descriptions of him he

would go to all these holy places not as

an ordinary pilgrimage because wherever

he would go to the temples Madurai

vishwanadh Puri he would see the deities

he would have visions direct visions of

the gods and goddesses there and often

he would go into ecstasy there's a

description of how he went to the temple

of Vishwanath in Kashi once and instead

of going to the temple once there was

this sweeper sweeping the precincts of

the temple so I'm a Brahmin on the went

there and took the broom stick from his

head and the super wouldn't let go

Ramananda gave him a crime and then took

the broomstick away and for two hours in

his front of such a large crowd of

people including monks and devotees they

watched awestruck as in an ecstasy he

swept the temple and he said later I got

such an such a divine joy out of it more

than actually having the vision of the

deity and there are so many such

incidents every place he went to here he

had a vision of the presiding deity

there once he was in the South in Madras

then in Bangalore sister Deva in in

Aarthi sister Jaya mata records this in

in our Madras Ramakrishna mutt Madras

during the arathi he was sitting at the

back and he went into an ecstasy sitting

in a meditation posture went into

ecstasy nobody noticed until samaras

Swami Rama Krishna and the G noticed

this and he pointed out to Swami

Ramananda who has lost to the world a

faint smile on his lips just after

Dorothy and when others looked at him

the description is so vivid when others

started turned around and looked at him

their minds rose to a very high plane

sister dear mother records how a boy who

was crossing the temple at

time stopped like fixed like a picture

like a statue he couldn't move everybody

became like a picture for half an hour

they were people did not move Jesus sat

like it was not even still more still

then being still like a picture until so

on grammar and they came out of it so

they had this power swami vivekananda we

know that remarkable incident in the

courtyard in balloon mutt when he's

talking about experience of Brahman

everywhere and his disciples are around

him and so I'm vacant I said seeing God

see God right here here is Brahman in

front of your eyes and people's their

minds went into some realm they just

stood stunned and the more advanced they

were the effect was more radical Swami

prime Ananda was going with the with the

plate for puja he was just passing by

when he overheard that see Brahman right

here at that moment he went into someone

is standing there with the puja one foot

stepping ahead with that and stood like

that and for a long time there was no

sound in that courtyard

everybody's somebody sitting somebody

standing Stockstill until

Swami Vivekananda said to remind about

Babu Ram Babu Ram you can go now and go

and then preeminence started walking

there was such so many such examples

swami brahma honda himself is the

president of the order and he it was a

great great task he actually delegated

work to prime ananda to run the balloon

mutt and swami saravana and the general

secretary secretary of the order to run

the whole order and it was a great

difficulty to bring him to these board

meetings the trust meetings of the

trustees so someone said things wrong he

should have him that somebody asked him

maharaja why do you make such a fuss

about attending the trustee meetings the

board meetings and then he said what can

I do the world seems like a shadow to me

it's difficult for me to think about

these things once and he would find very

difficult to sign the resolutions would

be taken to the board and he would act

as a president he would have to sign

this and he would keep telling Swami

should

this would come with the resolutions

don't not today

I don't feel well he'll come tomorrow

I'll sign it tomorrow and if it postpone

it and we're so strange until one day

showdown on the day I think it should

and you asked him what's so difficult

about signing it why don't he just sign

it and he said I want to sign it I can't

remember my name there's a graphic

description of one of the board meetings

incredible board meeting Swami Ramananda

is there swami sahajanand the is there

all the disciples who were the trustees

and members of the board and in

embellishment in the courtyard and so on

they say very swami prime ananda he was

upstairs in the temple and the old

temple involuted meditating so somebody

asked bring him down

so swami Sadananda went upstairs and he

saw swami pramana in the deep meditation

now women and there was slightly built

and Sarazen there was a huge man so

sauron's you bent down caught hold of

prime ananda and picked him up in

meditation and brought him down and when

he brought him down in the midst of the

other monks including Ramananda shavon

and letting Tori Anand also was probable

cause ubud Anand I was there so feminine

that landed lightly on his feet went

into an ecstasy and started dancing and

around him and Swami Ramananda went into

an ecstasy Swami - Siobhan and the went

into an ecstasy and they started playing

this coal and other monks gathered

around to see this divine sight and the

whole board meeting dissolved into

singing and dancing and that was the end

of the for Hubbard board meeting but

Swami Ramananda header at ion

administration not only pollutant but

everywhere so many things which

traditions which we have the ROM ROM

which we had today was introduced by

swami prabhavananda the even the

Nagalingam flowers you see in Balad mutt

they were introduced by Swami Ramananda

somewhat items have died some certain

South Indian dishes he likely she bought

and / made part of the billiard mat

routine and so many things so many

adjustments he made to the whole order

started so many centers were when he

showed for example

there was a dispute among the two

ashrams home of service and advatage

from in kashi Banaras and swami brahma

harlan and nobody could resolve it even

Torian and the G and Sarandon's he

couldn't resolve the problem so ami

Brahma Honda said don't do anything I'm

coming when the people who were fighting

among each other quarreling some new

novices monastic novices they heard the

president of the order is coming they

were scared because they thought they

might be punished or there'll be

meetings and there'll be a show cars and

Iams nothing happened he came and he did

not say anything about the quarrel he

just said in the morning you come and

meditate in front of me in the evening

we will sing devotional songs meditation

and will be questioned answers one day

two days three days within a week

a fortnight all the quarrels disappeared

everybody's mind rose to such a level

that all those little issues you know

one of the ringleaders one of the most

quarrelsome monks actually he went away

through the Himalayas to spend his days

in meditation so things like that

happened around him funny things

happened to everybody liked it so much

sitting near him one day in Kashi they

have the system in the monastic

community monastic community they have

feasts they are called Sahdev and ARA so

everywhere they will go around inviting

to all the ashrams that on such and such

date they will be a feast for monks in

such ashram and you have to send five

representatives attended entities or so

many people from your ashram and one day

there was such a feast in another

Russian but nobody was willing to go

because Swami Brahm Honda is there and

the head of the ashram was embarrassed

so he told Swami Ramananda what can we

do there's an invitation but none of

them want to go or they all want to sit

in front of you and meditate so swami

rama had said all it let them come admit

there's so many monks it is an account

there were nearly fifty monks and

Ramachari said at that time who came

there he called them all when they came

for meditation he said you would stand

in a queue so he stood in a queue this

is what's going on so funny is this

stood in a queue and then shrine Brahmin

and they said now stand to attention so

he stood to attention

about turn I see they all turned around

and he said now start marching to that

to that Center - for the father feast

so funny things used to happen even in

balloon mutt he would keep an eye on

what was happening primal and dizzy was

an ecstatic mystic - and here this

tendency is a loving mother heart he

would give away things from balloon mud

foob all the things they were almost

nothing to give in those days but he

would give it away anyway and Swami

Brahman and they did not like this

because although he's such a mistake but

he loves extremely practical one day it

matters came to a head there was a very

poor man who's to live near the ashram

in Balu motto

he he is to come and very simple man is

to dance and sing joy McCarley victory

to mother Kali's so they named him joy

mark Rowley that person so one day this

joy mccauley came and swami prima and up

love overflowing fed in nicely and said

what can I give you there nothing to

give you I want to give you a gift so

there was this pumpkin plant I think and

which he pulled out by the roots and he

gave it to you this you take this you

must must not go away from belowed mat

empty-handed and Jeremiah Kali was

walking out on whom would he see but

Swami Brahma Honda

so I imagine this stared at him this man

walking away with a plant from the

little mutt and generally of course

looked up let him up and down and danced

broke into a dance saying j.mccrary sami

bro mandela didn't like it one bit

and he went and told Swami pre-miranda

Baba Rama Raj if you go if it goes on

like this how will how will we run the

ashram if you give everything of it this

can't go on and pre-miranda you are so

upset and the manager of balloon mutt I

can't give away a pumpkin plant and what

size shoes and he said decided I will

leave the I leave the building but I

didn't want to stay here and there is a

beautiful story how he started walking

towards the gate and he could not walk

any further he turned around he felt

that his scarf somebody was pulling he

looked around he saw a vision sri

ramakrishna was standing there and you

saying my dear where are you going you

can't go anywhere he pulled him back

there was such such remarkable stories

of Swami Brahma honda's love and

sagacity I'll end with this ashram our

Vedanta Society of Southern California

has a deep presence of swami

prabhavananda christopher isherwood many

years ago Vinnie came here and he met

swami prabhavananda was the disciple of

swami brahma Honda he wrote this swami

behaves like a second-in-command

swami prabhavananda swami p he always

feels the presence of his master swami

brahmananda and he feels that whatever

he does here is for Swami Ramananda and

on the odd-odd on the wishes of swami

prabhavananda he always feels the

presence of Swami Ramananda you haven't

had a vision of Swami Ramananda here so

the presence of Swami Ramananda is

palpable there are places where you can

really feel his presence once he says to

Swami Sivananda brother I am so attached

to balloon mutt even after I pass away I

shall watch balloon mutt from the skies

and there are other places like

Bhuvaneshwari and another place one

fields is the Vedanta Society of

Southern California Hollywood this

particular Center where one can feel a

spiritual vibration the the eternal

companion as swami P wrote so I mean

from Holland sa eternal companion of God

the playmate of Shri Krishna in the many

thousands of years ago on the science of

the river Yamuna in Vrindavan the divine

child played with this playmate once

again induction ash were the same the

divinity appeared with his combine same

companion Swami Brahma Honda on this

occasion we have spent the whole day in

religious in in spiritual fervor in

singing in meditation in worship let us

pray to Sri Ramakrishna - the holy

mother - Swami Brahmananda - bless us

with devotion to the Lord

Oh Shanti Shanti Shanti