Swami Advaitananda

Gopal Chandra Ghosh of Sinthi, Kolkata, lost his wife when he was fifty-five years of age. Brokenhearted and unable to bear his overwhelming grief, Gopal went to a friend, Dr. Mahendra Pal of Sinthi, for consolation. Mahendra was a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, so he suggested that Gopal see the master at Dakshineshwar. Sometime in March or April 1884, Mahendra accompanied Gopal on a visit there. There first visit was a simple visit. The second time Gopal went to Dakshineshwar, Sri Ramakrishna, like a good physician, gave him an infallible antidote for his grief.

Gopal later narrated what happened after his third visit: “The Master possessed me. I would think of him day and night. The pang of separation from the Master gave me chest pain. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t forget his face.”
Gopal Chadra Ghosh was born in 1828 at Rajpur (Jagaddal) in 24- Paraganas, nearly 25 miles north of Kolkata.

As he had no family ties after the death of his wife, Gopal moved from Sinthi to Dakshineshwar to serve the Master. Sri Ramakrishna accepted Gopal as his disciple and would address him as “the elder Gopal” or “Overseer.” The other disciples called him “Gopal-da”, since he was eight years older than Ramakrishna.

The Master introduced him to Holy Mother, who needed a person who could shop and run errands for her. Sri Ramakrishna praised Gopal’s managerial capacity in household affairs and his sweet behavior with people. In spite of his age, Gopal tried to keep the same pace as the other young disciples. When Narendra would sing to the accompaniment of the Tanpura (a stringed instrument0 in the Master’s room, Gopal would play the Tabala (drums)

In September 1885 Ramakrishna moved to Shyampukur in Kolkata for cancer treatment and Gopal accompanied him. He served the Master like a nurse, giving him medicine and proper diet. Usually Holy Mother prepared the Master’s food and carried it to his room. Gopal acted as holy Mother’s messenger; he was free with her, and she did not cover her face with a veil in front of him.

On Tuesday, 12 January 1886 (Makar-Sankranti), Gopal gave the ochre clothes and rosaries to the Master, who touched them and sanctified them with a mantram. He himself then distributed them among his young disciples. The disciples who received the ochre clothes were: Narendra, Rakhal, Niranjan, Baburam, Shashi, Sharat, Kali, Jogin, Latu, Tarak, and Gopal. The 12 th cloth and rosary, according to the Master’s instruction, were set aside for Girish Ghosh.
After passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Advaitananda visited many holy places in India. He passed five years in Varanasi practicing austerities and forgetting the mundane world. Swami Advaitananda was entrusted a job of leveling the new plot of land purchased at Belur. Apart from leveling the ground and other construction work, Advaitananda started a vegetable garden and a dairy farm. Swami Adbhutananda recalled about the early days: “Without Gopal-da the monks of Belur Math would not have had vegetables along with their rice. He worked so hard to produce various kinds of vegetables in the monastery garden.”

He kept himself busy in the service of Sri Ramakrishna and couldn’t bear lazy people. Because of his age and temperament he did not engage in public activities such as relief work and preaching; his monastic life was therefore uneventful. In spite of that, he definitely set an example for all and he was a source of inspiration to many.

Swami Advaitananda passed away at 4.15p.m. on Tuesday, 28 December 1909.
Sri Ramakrishna made him a role model for elderly seekers of God. He will be remembered by the Ramakrishna Order for his cheerful manner and methodical ways, his self-reliance, his untiring zeal in every work he undertook, and his implicit devotion to the Master and his cause.

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