SWAMI YOGANANDA

Jogindra Nath Roy Chaudhury was born into a well to-do aristocratic family at Dakshineshwar on 30 March 1861. Jogin was sent to a Christian missionary school in Agarpara, a few miles from Dakshineshwar. During his final year of School he met Sri Ramakrishna and began to visit him daily.Jogin left for Kanpur, probably in 1884. He tried for several months to get a job but did not succeed, so he spent most of his time in prayer and meditation. This thing alarmed his uncle, who with family members of Jogin, arranged marriage of Jogin. In spite of his unwillingness to get married, Jogin married for the sake of his mother. After marriage Jogin and his wife never slept in the same bed. Later, Swami Vivekananda remarked, “If anyone amongst us who has conquered lust in all respects, it is Jogin”. Sri Ramakrishna mentioned that six of his disciples, including Jogin, were Ishwarkotis.

A few weeks after the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, Jogin left for a pilgrimage with Holy Mother. Jogin and other young disciples of the Master took final vows of renunciation, Jogin became Swami Yogananda. Yogananda did not care much for studying. He loved to be in solitude, and would practise japam and meditation for many hours.
In 1891 Yogananda went to Varanasi, where he lived in a small cottage in a solitude garden. He spent most of His time in meditation.
Because Yogananda was pure like the ever-free Shukadeva, the Master engaged him to do errands for Holy Mother. “Jogin and Sharat belong to my inner circle,” said Holy Mother, “None loved me as did Jogin. If anybody would give him any money, he would save it, saying, ‘Mother will use it for her pilgrimage’.
From 1895 to 1897 Yogananda arranged the birth anniversary festival of Sri Ramakrishna on a large scale at Dakshineshwar. In 1898 he organized a similar celebration at Dahn’s temple complex of Belur. On 1 may 1897 Vivekananda inaugurated the Ramakrishna Mission at Balaram Basu’s house in Kolkata. He made Swami Brahmananda president and Swami Yogananda Vice-President, of the Ramakrishna Order.
Yogananda led an ideal life, and he taught by his example. He did not lecture or do any spectacular work. Although married and born into a rich family, he demonstrated how to practise renunciation and purity.
Swami Yogananda passed away in Samadhi at 3:10 p.m. on 28 March 1899.
When Yogananda breathed his last, Holy Mother burst into tears and said, “My Jogin has left me - who will now look after me?” Swami Vivekananda was so stunned that he did not go to the cremation ground, grief stricken, Swamiji did not go to Sri Ramakrishna’s shrine for three days. He remarked, “A beam is down and now the rafters will fall one after another.”

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