1. Kalyanananda was a direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda, who had set up the Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kankhal, near Haridwar.
21 Facts About Kalyanananda
1. 2.
Kalyanananda spent thirty six-years in Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama Kankhal to serve the poor and afflicted.
3.
Kalyanananda was one of the pioneers to set up a hospital in a remote location for the poor, needy and the itinerant monks who did not have access to healthcare.
4.
Kalyanananda was born as Dakshinaranjan Guha in the year 1874 in Hanua village near Vazirpur town in Barishal district of East Bengal province.
5.
Kalyanananda lost his father at an early age and was educated under the guardianship of his uncle.
6.
Kalyanananda was initiated by Vivekananda and took his monastic vows under the name Kalyanananda.
7.
Kalyanananda served an ailing Yogananda, another direct disciple of Ramakrishna, in his deathbed.
8.
In 1899 when Vivekananda left for West a second time, Kalyanananda went for pilgrimage and for practicing austerities.
9.
Together they were involved in serving the poor and needy in Benares and Kalyanananda developed initial exposure to Vivekananda's vision of practical Vedanta through this.
10.
Kalyanananda met Vivekananda and served him before the latter's death.
11.
Kalyanananda followed this philosophy in practice by serving the patients as Gods or living manifestations of the divinity.
12.
In June 1901, Kalyanananda started the Sevashrama in rented huts at Kankhal with a few phials of medicine himself donned multiple roles as doctor, nurse, accountant and all.
13.
In 1902, Kalyanananda opened a branch centre of the sevashrama in Rishikesh.
14.
Kalyanananda set up a small dispensary there were poor local people and pilgrims used to come for treatment.
15.
Kalyanananda started a library for the public in 1905 for providing education to labourers and their children.
16.
Kalyanananda started a school in the colony of the scavengers and other backward classes.
17.
Kalyanananda provided drinking water to people who lived nearby and personally gave monetary and pecuniary help to poor and needy.
18.
Kalyanananda's philosophy was to look upon the hospital as a place of worship and the patients as God.
19.
Kalyanananda planted 150 mango trees in the premises of the hospitals, and he used to feed the monks and poor with the produce.
20.
Kalyanananda himself used to sew the pillow covers and bedsheets of the patients in order to ensure an excellent quality of linen to them.
21.
Kalyanananda used to keep every affairs of the hospitals, esp.