Turiyananda
| Turiyananda | |
|---|---|
Turiyananda
|
|
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Philosophy | Vedanta |
| Personal | |
| Born | Harinath Chattopadhyay 3 January 1863 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died | 21 July 1922 (aged 59) Varanasi, India |
| Guru | Ramakrishna |
Stubbornness is not strength. Stubbornness merely hides one's weakness. Strong is he who is flexible like steel and does not break. Strong is he who can live in harmony with many people and heed opinions other than his own..
Turiyananda or "Hari Maharaj" as he was popularly known as, was a direct monastic disciple of Ramakrishna, the 19th-century saint and mystic from Bengal. He was one of the earliest missionary to be sent by his leader and brother disciple Vivekananda to United States of America to preach the universal message of Vedanta to the western audience from 1899–1902. He established the Shanti Ashrama in California, United States. He was a foremost monk of the Ramakrishna Mission. He died in Varanasi, India.
Swami Turiyananda was born as Harinath Chattopadhyay in an affluent Bengali middle-class family in Calcutta on 3 January 1863. His father, Chandranath Chattopadhay, an orthodox Brahmin who lived in the Bagbazar area of Calcutta, was well respected by the people. He had three sons and three daughters, and the youngest was Harinath. Harinath lost his parents at a very young age and was brought up by his eldest brother Mahendranath. His mother Prasannamayi died while trying to save young Harinath from a wild jackal when he was three years old. His father died when he was just twelve years old. In school, Hari paid close attention to all his studies, but his special interest lay in religion and athletics. His ambition was to lead an austere life observing all the orthodox rules and traditions. After finishing his studies in the Bengali Institution, Hari went to the General Assembly School (now Scottish Church Collegiate School), run by Christian missionaries. He could not pursue his study beyond school leaving examination. At a very young age he was inclined towards study of philosophy and scriptures like Gita, Upanishads and works of Shankaracharya. He was attracted towards the teachings of Advaita Vedanta, and strove sincerely to live up to that ideal One of the notable incidents depicting his adherence to the principles of Vedanta was his fearlessness. One day when he was taking a bath in the Ganges, he saw a crocodile approaching him. Despite warning from passers by he did not turn back and instead faced the crocodile, as according to the principles of Vedanta same impersonal divinity is manifested in all living organisms and therefore one soul should not be afraid of another.
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