Swami Abhedananda

Born Kaliprasad Chandra in 1866, Swami Abhedananda became a direct disciple of the mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Following his master's death, he engaged in intense spiritual practice and traveled extensively throughout India. In 1897, Swami Vivekananda dispatched him to the United States to lead the Vedanta Society of New York. For roughly 25 years, Abhedananda lectured and taught the principles of Vedanta across North America, also visiting Mexico, Japan, and Hong Kong. Upon his return to India in 1921, he established the Ramakrishna Vedanta Math in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Darjeeling. He also founded a monthly magazine, Visvavani, which continues to be published. Abhedananda was a vegetarian and spoke on the topic. He died in 1939, recognized as the last surviving direct disciple of Ramakrishna.

Kaliprasad Chandra was born in Calcutta on October 2, 1866. His father was Rasiklal Chandra and his mother was Nayantara Devi. At the age of 18, while preparing for his school final examinations, he encountered Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar. This meeting profoundly impacted him, leading him to leave his home in April 1885 to be with Ramakrishna during his final days. He stayed with his master first at Shyampukur and then at Cossipur Garden-house near Calcutta.

After Ramakrishna's passing in 1886, Kaliprasad embraced monastic life, becoming Swami Abhedananda Puri. He dedicated himself to intense meditation, earning the moniker 'Kali Tapaswi' among his peers. For the subsequent decade, he undertook extensive travels across India, subsisting solely on alms and encountering various spiritual figures. He journeyed to the sources of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers and meditated in the Himalayas. Recognized for his powerful oratory, prolific writing, and intellectual depth combined with devotion, he was invited by Swami Vivekananda to the West in 1896. He arrived in the United States in 1897 to lead the Vedanta Society of New York, where he spent approximately 25 years disseminating Vedanta's teachings.

Swami Abhedananda's travels extended beyond the United States to Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Hong Kong. He returned to India in 1921 after attending an education conference in Honolulu. In 1922, he journeyed to Tibet, where he studied Buddhist philosophy. Upon his return, he founded the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society in Kolkata in 1923, which later became known as Ramakrishna Vedanta Math, and established a branch in Darjeeling in 1924. He initiated the publication of Visvavani magazine in 1927. Swami Abhedananda, a strict vegetarian, passed away on September 8, 1939, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Math, leaving behind a significant body of work and a lasting spiritual influence.