After the Mahasamadhi of Sri Ramakrishna, the Baranagore Monastery was established and Gopal was among the first of the direct disciples to live there. He took the vows of sannyasa and became Swami Advaitananda. He lived at the monastery for a while and also went on holy pilgrimages to the Himalayas. He then lived for some time in Varanasi, living a simple, orderly life engaged in strict spiritual discipline.
Upon the triumphant return of Swami Vivekananda from the West, Swami Advaitananda went to work establishing the new monastery at Belur Math. Although he was older than his brother monks, he worked tirelessly with his usual diligence, discipline, punctuality, and attention to detail. His high standards of perfection in work made him a hard taskmaster to the young novitiates and brahmachari’s in his care, but he was well respected and a source of inspiration.
As he slowed down he tended more towards cultivating the vegetable gardens at the Math. He became a trustee of the Math and later became the first vice president. He made his usual strenuous efforts to realize the ideal of service and set an example for all to aspire to.
The body of Swami Advaitananda began to wear from old age. In the midst of his suffering he stood in front of a picture of the Master and prayed to be released from his pain. He had a vision of Sri Ramakrishna carrying a mace on his shoulder. The Master then said, “In this age, I shall rebuild after destroying everything.” Swami Advaitananda took this to mean that Sri Ramakrishna was born in this time to destroy doubt and illusion from the minds of all people.
At the age of eighty one, Swami Advaitananda left his body. As described by Swami Premananda, “Gopal-da has gone to the abode of the Master. He had a little fever and nobody realized that he would leave the body so soon. During his last moments his face looked so beautiful. It is a wonderful play of Master’s devotee. Smiling, he left the body.”
Although Swami Advaitananda came into the Master’s play late in life, his journey of renewal from the depths of despair into the full realization of God, continues to inspire sincere seekers of God.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
For more information on the life of Swami Advaitananda:
God Lived with Them, by Swami Chetananda.
Ramakrishna and His Disciples, by Christopher Isherwood.
A talk by Swami Gautamananda on the occasion of the birthday of Swami Advaitananda:
http://www.chennaimath.org/swami-advaitananda-jayanti-discourse-video-swami-gautamananda-sep-04-2013-6501
For biographies of Sri Ramakrishna’s male monastic disciples see:
http://belurmath.org/monasticdisciples.htm
Also: