Shradhanjali - Revered Swami Harshanandaji Maharaj - 13th January 2021

SWAMI HARSHANANDAJI MAHARAJ
Srimat Swami Harshanandaji Maharaj (1930-2021) was one of the senior monks
of the Ramakrishna Order. He received his initiation from Swami Virajanandaji Maharaj
who served as the sixth president of the Ramakrishna Order and was one of the disciples
of Swami Vivekananda. After completing his graduation and qualifying as a mechanical
engineer (for which he received a gold medal) from UVCE College, Bangalore, he
commenced his spiritual life in 1954 in the august environs of Ramakrishna Math,
Bangalore. He was ordained as a monk by Swami Vishuddhanandaji Maharaj who was
then the eighth president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
He rendered service as a monk in the centers of Ramakrishna Math and Mission in
Bangalore, Mangalore, Mysore, Allahabad and the headquarters of the Ramakrishna
Order, Belur Math. After arriving in Bangalore in 1989, he remained as an inmate of the
Bangalore Math, where he rendered exemplary service for thirty one years and succeeded
in establishing a splendid reputation on an international level.
Swamiji was multi-lingual and was an expert in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi,
Bengali and English. He composed several works in Kannada, Sanskrit and English and
was also an exceptional singer and orator. A great thinker, he was especially known for
his comprehensive knowledge and deep insight into the Sanatana Dharma.
He labored diligently for about thirty years and produced his masterpiece A
Concise Encyclopaedia of Hinduism which was lauded as being greatly beneficial for
those engaged in the study of Sanatana Dharma. Several of his works have been
translated into foreign languages.
He was a fountain of spirituality and was a beacon for several devotees to whom
he imparted advice and encouragement to persevere on their spiritual path. He enjoyed an
excellent rapport with people of all ages. He guided several young men on their spiritual
path.
We are very sorry to inform that Swamiji left his mortal coil at around 1.05 pm on 12.01.2021 and attained the holy feet of Sri Ramakrishna.