Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj - President, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

by Sivanandini Duraiswamy

"Buddha Desanava," the Sinhala translation of Swami Vivekananda's book, "Buddha and His Message" was released on Buddha Poornima in 2003 by the National Integration Programme Unit in close collaboration with the Official languages Department.

Swami Ranaganathanandaji the President of the Ramakrishna Maths and Missions all over the world was instrumental in getting this translation done. As a student of International Affairs, he was deeply concerned about the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

He was firmly convinced that Bhagavan Buddha's message as retold by Swami Vevekananda fulfills a timely need for it would bring about social cohesion among the various ethnic groups in our country, promote intellectual and spiritual understanding ultimately leading to ethnic harmony and national peace.

Buddha Poornima is Vaisaki Poornima or Vesak, the day of the great miracles of nativity, enlightenment and Mahasamadhi of Bhagavan Buddha. To us Hindus, Bhagan Buddha is the fulfilment of the spiritual thought of the Upanishads. The understanding of the Upanishads is thus absolutely essential for it is against that Himalayan thought background that we can realize the significance of the new advances he made towards the thought and practice of the great philosophy Buddhism.

The advent of the Buddha was imperative. The society at that time was corrupt as the teachings of the Vedas and Upanishads had retreated into the forests and it was ridden with misery, materialism and ritualism. This needed divine intervention and Bhagavan Buddha was the specially chosen one who was sent down in the appropriate form to correct the corrupt society.

He appeared and merely said, "All this must stop; this is not religion." He was able to say this and steer the society away from corruption, materialism and ritualism and lead humankind towards a better way of life. He was the compassionate One, the great preacher of equality whose teachings cut across all social barriers - class, creed and religion and finding for humanity a way of release from suffering.

And on this Buddha Poornima my thoughts go back to Revered Swami Ranganathanandaji who passed away recently at the age of 96. He was an erudite gentle monk who led the movement of spirituality and was totally dedicated to working silently for the good of humanity. He was indeed an embodiment of the ancient and eternal Hindu spirit combining physical vitality, mental strength and spiritual dynamism.

Though he appeared strong and steady, we who knew him well-knew that he had an acute digestive problem. His food was literally measured and the quantity was very small. However, he was not affected by this.

His mind was sharp and strong; his gait agile sparing no effort in making his work special. He was kind and generous to a fault and often I would think of him as "charisma" exuding inspiration, devotion and enthusiasm.

Swamiji has beautifully commented on Swami Vivekananda's writing. He says, "Swami Vivekananda had expressed his conviction that modern India requires to assimilate the great intellect of Sankara and the great heart of Bhagavan Buddha. He exhorted us to turn back once again to that great heritage, to call back Buddha to our nation and to our hearts.

This would give us the internal strength. The nation feels a sense of pride in owning Buddha as one of its greatest teachers and in being the children of a country which produced a Buddha. If as a people we can inspire ourselves with the spirit of Buddha, can imbibe his spirit of love, compassion and tolerance, can imbibe that spirit by which knowledge can flow into love and service of the people, then our lives become purer and nobler and the whole nation stands to gain and to benefit from that assimilation."

Sitting at his feet, my husband and I enjoyed listening to Swamiji. We discussed freely - be it abstruse religious themes, national or international affairs, our Sri Lankan ethnic conflict.

It was a treat listening to these erudite conversations where he would weave international affairs, spirituality, philosophy together with science into the discussions elevating our mundane thinking - experiences never to be forgotten.

We would taken time off whenever and wherever possible to be with Swamiji - whether in his lake-side ashram in Hyderabad or at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture in Kolkota, or at the Belur Math, the Ramakrishna Mission in Delhi, Colombo or in any other capital where we were posted. During the diplomatic posting in India, his Delhi lectures were seldom missed. We enjoyed not only listening to him but also spending time at the ashrams during the hour of meditation, puja, chanting or browsing through the books in the ashram libraries.

Swamiji's life stands as a living embodiment of the peerless ideal seen in our scripture the Baghavad Gita, combining action without attachment to the fruits there of with surrender to God's will. His sole aspiration was to awaken in humanity a deeper love for the highest Truth.

Soon after my husband passed away, Swamiji wanted me to go over to Kolkota, spend some time at the ashram and then return to continue my seva-dharma in Colombo. I was deeply touched by this concern and still more, when in the Foreword to my book he wrote, "The Creative Touches of the Chisel is a remarkable book by a remarkable author."

Swamiji, I offer my humble pranams and gratitude to you.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.