Monastic Name: Swami Ramakrishnananda

Pre-Monastic Name: Shashi Bhushan Chakravarty

July 1863
Born on Monday 18th July to Ishwar Chandra Chakravarty, a tantric devotee, and, Bhavasundari Devi - a guileless and pious woman.

October 1883
Met Sri Ramakrishna with cousin Sharat (later Swami Saradananda) for the first time at Dakshineswar. The Master instantly recognized them as his own - and that they had been among the followers of Christ.

January 1886
Got ochre cloth (monastic robes) and rosaries distributed by the Master among 12 of his disciples.

1886
Took the vows of renunciation guided by Swamiji, alongwith seven other brother disciples at Antpur on Christmas eve.

January 1887
Took final monastic vows with other brother disciples by performing the traditional viraja homa in front of the Master's picture.

1886 - 1897
Kept constant vigil over the Sri Ramakrishna's relics after His passing away at the Baranagore Monastery, seldom visiting any holy place or leaving the monastery overnight. All this when all his brother disciples went off on pilgrimages as it inerant monks, to the Himalayas and other parts of the country. He served the Master as one serves a living human being, with an uncompromising attitude of service to Him. He also looked after all the needs of the brother disciples when they were at the monastery.

1897
At Swami Vivekananda's command, went to Chennai to set up a Math there. He set up a Math, conducted various lectures and classes, and trained monastics at this Math, always knowing that he was spreading the message of His Master at the command of Swami Vivekananda.

1906
Holy Mother - Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Premananda came to South India for a pilgrimage and Swami Ramakrishnananda made all arrangements for them and even travelled with them.

November 1907
Dedicated a new temple to the Master at Chennai, on 17th November, the foundation stone for which has been laid by Swami Abhedananda.

1897 - 1911
Travelled all over South India and preaching the Hindu religion and philosophy as well as the message of Sri Ramakrishna.

April 1911
After 14 years of working hard to spread the message of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda in South India, he became seriously ill with diabetes and tuberculosis and on the command of Swamis Brahmananda and Saradananda, he moved to Calcutta in June 1911 for recuperating.

21 August 1911
Left his body while in Samadhi

Swami Vivekananda on Swami Ramakrishnananda (about how he looked after the brother disciples at the Baranagore Monastery, after the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna) - "Oh, what a steadfastness to the ideal did we ever find in Shashi! He was a mother to us. It was he who managed about our food. We used to get up at three o'clock in the morning. Then all of us, some after bathing, would go to the worship room and be lost in Japa and meditation. There were times when the meditation lasted to four or five o'clock in the afternoon. Shashi would be waiting with our dinner; if necessary, he would by sheer force drag us out of our meditation. Who cared then if the world existed or not!"

Compiled from various sources

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