36 Facts About Nirmalananda

Nirmalananda, born as Tulasi Charan Dutta in Calcutta, was a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, the 19th-century mystic and Hindu saint from India, and took Sanyasa from Vivekananda along with Brahmananda and others.

Nirmalananda was initiated by Sri Ramakrishna, on which fact a few latter-day antagonists tried to cast doubt in the Bangalore Court, but into which question the Court refused to get into.

Nirmalananda played a key role in establishing Ramakrishna Math and Mission chiefly in South India, in Kerala and Bangalore and Tamil Nadu and in the USA, Burma and Bangladesh.

Nirmalananda's father died in his Calcutta residence in November 1877, while Tulasi was still in Benaras.

Nirmalananda engaged himself in physical training and became an able gymnast and athlete, and trained other young men in physical exercises.

Nirmalananda passed the Entrance examination in 1883 and got a certificate of appreciation and a medal from Raja of Talcher.

Nirmalananda first met Ramakrishna in the house of his neighbour Balaram Bose, a lay disciple, in 1882, when Nirmalananda was eighteen years of age.

Nirmalananda visited Dakshineswar temple to meet Ramakrishna, first with his friend Harinath and later alone.

Nirmalananda met Ramakrishna when the latter was lying ill in Cossipore garden house.

Nirmalananda assisted Ramakrishnananda in serving the brother disciples in both Baranagar and Alambazar Math and was a tireless worker.

In 1888, Nirmalananda went out as an itinerant monk along with a few of his brother disciples.

Nirmalananda first went to Kamarpukur, the birthplace of the Master to stay for a few days with Sarada Devi, the wife of Ramakrishna.

Nirmalananda stayed for some time in caves of the Himalayas during winter, and travelled in Tibetan hills.

Nirmalananda travelled to Trivandrum in response to the invitation of the Vedanta society of Trivandrum in 1911.

Nirmalananda met a disciple of Ramakrishna from Malabar, and on his invitation visited Vatakara in British Malabar.

Nirmalananda travelled once or twice a year to Kerala and Malabar to establishing ashramas, meet devotees and deliver lectures.

When Vivekananda returned to India from the West in 1897, Nirmalananda was very devoted to the leader and rendered many a service to him, like cooking for him, working as his private secretary and tending to his needs.

Nirmalananda was deeply affected by the demise of Vivekananda in 1902.

At Vivekananda's and other disciples' insistence, Nirmalananda became the assistant secretary of the newly established Ramakrishna Math and Mission.

Nirmalananda taught Yoga classes in New York, and started a Vedanta centre at Brooklyn.

Nirmalananda stayed in America for two and half years, then returned to India, when Brahmananda called him for 'the regeneration of the Motherland'.

Nirmalananda helped in developing and establishing the Ramakrishna Mission centres in Bangalore and Kerala.

Nirmalananda was instrumental in getting Sarada Devi to Bangalore Ramakrishna Math.

Nirmalananda was sent to head the Bangalore Ashrama in 1909.

Nirmalananda delivered many lectures and looked after the day-to-day affairs of the Ashrama.

In 1911 when Sarada Devi travelled to Rameswaram, Nirmalananda brought her to Bangalore for a visit.

Nirmalananda established strict observance of the end of all caste-based discrimination, usual in Kerala at the time, in this Ashrama.

Nirmalananda desired to have the foundation stone laid by Brahmananda, president of Belur Math.

Nirmalananda gave Sannyas or the supreme vow of renunciation to many of his followers and attendants.

Nirmalananda started the Kumari Puja and worked for the betterment of women of Namboodiri caste who were socially oppressed.

In 1929, When a break-away group of monks and devotees of the Ramakrishna Mission, started the Ramakrishna Sarada Math at Baghbazar, Swami Nirmalananda accepted their request to take the post of being its first president.

Later there were differences in the approach to the Mission's Work between Swami Nirmalananda and some of the younger administrators in Belur Math which resulted in a lawsuit being filed by Belur Math in Bangalore Court in 1930, asking the court to state that the Ramakrishna Math in Bangalore was a branch centre of the Belur Math.

Swami Nirmalananda chose to leave the place rather than working in the shadow of such a Committee and went to Trivandrum centre of the Ramakrishna Mission and later retired to the monastery at the Ottapalam Centre of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Nirmalananda nursed sick patients, including those suffering from contagious diseases.

Nirmalananda played musical instruments and would often accompany Vivekananda's singing on percussion instruments.

Nirmalananda died in April 1938 in the branch centre of the Ramakrishna Math near Ottapalam in Kerala.