Sunday 13 July 2014

swami Damodarananda ji left his body

Swami Damodaranadaji left his body: Just Today, i.e. on 13 Jul 14 at 04:15 p.m, I got a call from one of the devotees of Ramkrishna Mission,ulsoor,Bangalore that Rev. Swami Damodaranadaji passed away yesterday night in Belur math, Kolkata.He was 95.As per residents of the Belur Math,He embraced the death like a hero.he woke up at 2 a.m on 13 July 14 and went towards the Holy trio temple. But the temple was closed due to night.he did pranam from the outside and proceeded to vivekananda temple.he did meditation, on the backyard of vivekananda temple near Ganga-ghat,he undressed ochre-cloth and jumped into the holy river.This is also recorded in the security cameras over there.The next day, his body was found floating on the another shore of the river which means- he had crossed at least half of the ganga river.It is really extra ordinary thing.crossing half ganga, at the age of  ninety five is not an ordinary task.when his body was taken out, his face was shining radiantly.there was no sign of struggle for the life.his thumb was on the digitals of the finger which shows that he left his body while chanting the lord's name.

Reminiscences of Swami Damodaranadaji : When I was in Bangalore,he used to tell me-"I want to die like a Yogi,not like a rogi(ill person).Now this body is becoming weaker day by days. I am praying to Ramkrishna to take me to Ramkrishna-loka,the day he will say yes,the day he will respond to my prayer, that very day I will leave my body. I am just waiting for his call.I want to serve people but this body is weak so it will be better to take a new body and then do the same service again.I will certainly come again to serve humanity. One day I asked him-"would you like to die here in bangalore or at Belur Math, kolkata?" he replied-" In Belur Math."And that is what happened.
I shifted to lucknow from bangalore in march 14 due to my transfer.He used to live in bangalore, from April to Sep, and in Kolkata, from Oct to Mar.I met him last in Sep,2013.Since then I was connected to him through cell phone or e-mail.
I just called him yesterday to take his blessings on the Guru-purnima.I called him twice but there was no response.Then I text the SMS-'Pranam Swamiji,wish you happy Guru-Purnima.I called youon your cell but you did not response it.Anyways accept my pranams."I think last message on his cell was of mine only.I thought there must be some programme in the Belur Math on Guru Purnima so swamiji might ne busy there.but my mind was thinking of him only.
we also had a programme on Guru purnima in Ramkrishna Math,  Lucknow.so I went there.When I was meditating in the shrine room,thoughts of swami Damodaranandaji overwhelming me.Later i went to book stall where I found a new book on the life of swami vireshwaranandaji in hindi.I took that  book and started seeing pages at random.I happened to see few images of swami Damodaranandaji with swami vireshwaranandaji.I felt an immense joy to see his images.My mind was meditative from morning itself and i was feeling that swamiji is inspiring me for meditation and japa.so i did meditation more than that I usually do. i was perplexed that what is happening to me. i thought this is all grace of swami Damodaranandaji on me which is making me so joyful.I have just heard of that experiences hitherto but for the first time, it has become my own experience.

The moment I heard of his passing away , I immediately decided to go Ramkrishna mission,Lucknow topray for him.so i again went to Ramkrishna Mah to remember him in silence.The moment i closed my eyesfountain of tears broke from my eyes. Now, his passing away is an irreparable loss to Ramakrishna Mission as well as the devotees. He was a great tyaagi.His life has inspired many.i have met many eminent spiritual personalities in my life but none is comparable to him.His personality gave sometimes glimpses of Ramkrishna especially when he is in ecstatic moods,sometimesglimpse of swami Vivekananda especially when he used to sing-"song of the Sannyasin"written by Swami Vivekananda and while reading quotations of swami Vivekananda, and some times glimpse of holy motherwhile giving blessings and advising the seekers.For me he was a child of 95. He was so pure as if he was only a five year old child. his voice was extra ordinarily melodious.still Ramkrishna stotra dashkam  sung by him still rings in our mind.
in the end, i would like to say that he had showered his blessings on me before his departure to astral world.I got the rare opportunityto serve him in his room and also did holy gossip as he used to call evening conversation as holy Gossip.