Real Saints and Monks of India

  ॥ गुरु मन्त्र ॥ गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः । गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥ ॥ स्वामी भोलनन्द गिरि जी का मंत्र ॥ ॐ श्री श्री गुरवे नमः । ॐ नमः शिवाय गुरवे । सच्चिदानन्द रूपाय, विश्वोत्पत्त्यादि हेतवे । तापत्रय विनाशाय, श्रीकृष्णाय वयं नमः ॥ In the mystic twilight of India’s freedom struggle, where spirituality and revolution intertwined like fire and wind, one rare encounter stands out — the meeting of Bagha Jatin , the lion-hearted revolutionary, with Swami Bholananda Giri , the blind saint of Haridwar , revered for his yogic powers and piercing insight. This blog post journeys into that sacred moment — where the spirit of action (Bagha Jatin) met the silence of realization (Swami Bholananda Giri) . It was not merely a meeting of men, but of shakti and bhakti , of karma and jnana , culminating in a transmission of will, vision, and destiny. Let us begin this exploration by bowing to the Guru Principle , which bridges the worlds of...

  "Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara; Guru Sakshat Parabrahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah." (The Guru is Brahma, the Guru is Vishnu, the Guru is Maheshwara — the Guru is the Supreme Brahman. Salutations to that Guru.) Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, one of the greatest spiritual luminaries of 19th-century India, was not only a mystic and saint but also the divine teacher who ignited the spiritual awakening of a generation. Around him gathered a band of sixteen young men — seekers of truth, firebrands of renunciation, and future carriers of India’s spiritual renaissance. These 16 monastic disciples became the torchbearers of his message: of God-realization through love, devotion, service, and inner discipline. Each of these disciples, from Swami Vivekananda , the voice of Vedanta to the West, to Swami Brahmananda , the meditative leader, played a unique role in shaping the Ramakrishna Movement and the Ramakrishna Mission. This post offers a glimpse into their li...