Lucknow: The birth anniversary of Swami Advaitananda, one of the intimate monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, was celebrated with great devotion and solemnity at Ramakrishna Math, Nirala Nagar, Lucknow, on Friday.
The celebrations began in the early morning with mangal arati and shankhanad (conch blowing), followed by Vedic chanting, recitation of the Narayana Suktam, and a soulful chorus rendition of “Jaya Jaya Ramakrishna Bhuvan Mangal.” The rituals were led under the guidance of Swami Muktinathananda Ji Maharaj, President of the Math. Later, an online satsang and a discourse on “Sweet Memories of Holy Mother Sarada Devi” were delivered by him.
In the evening, after sandhya arati, devotees joined in the recitation of “Saparsada Sri Ramakrishna Stotram” composed by Swami Saradananda, led by Swami Ishtakripanananda.
Delivering the keynote discourse, Swami Muktinathananda Ji highlighted the inspiring life of Swami Advaitananda (Gopal-da), who despite coming from a humble background, rose to spiritual heights under the guidance of Sri Ramakrishna. Born in 1828 at Jagaddal (Rajpur), West Bengal, Swami Advaitananda worked as a hardware shop assistant before turning to Sri Ramakrishna following personal tragedy. Deeply drawn to the Master’s spiritual fervor, he dedicated his life in service and was affectionately called “Buro Gopal” (elder Gopal) by Sri Ramakrishna and “Gopal-da” by fellow disciples.
Quoting Swami Turiyananda, Muktinathananda Ji said, “We are indebted to Gopal-da, for he taught us the secret of karma. Whatever he did, he did with focus and orderliness. Until his last days, he continued his meditation with steadfastness.”
The discourse emphasized Swami Advaitananda’s ideal of discipline, dedication to truth, and the philosophy of “Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam” from the Bhagavad Gita—“Excellence in action is yoga.” Known for his straightforwardness, sincerity, and spiritual depth, he became a trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and lived an austere monastic life until his passing in 1909.
The programme concluded with distribution of prasada among the assembled devotees.
