Swami Vijnanananda (1868-1938) :

 Swami Vijnanananda (1868-1938) :

 Sri Ramakrishna one day challenged a young man to wrestle with him.

The tall and hefty youth put him down in no time.

And the wonder of wonders: The young man soon felt a power entering from Sri Ramakrishna’s body into his own, making him completely powerless!



 That was how Hariprasanna had one of his early encounters with the Master.

Born on the 28th October, 1868 at Belgharia (Calcutta), Hariprasanna Chattopadhyaya (the pre-monastic name of Swami Vijnanananda) received a good education from his parents.

He became an engineer and rose to the position of District Engineer at the erstwhile State of United Provinces, before renouncing the world.

Since he had lost his father early and had to support his mother, he was obliged to take to government service, but kept in touch with the disciples of the Master, especially Narendra (Swami Vivekananda).

Later in 1896, he gave up the world and joined the Math then at Alambazar and became ‘Swami Vijnanananda’ after ordination.



Since he was an engineer with good experience in building construction, he was entrusted by Swami Vivekananda himself with the task of building the Math campus as also preparing suitable plans for a memorial temple of Sri Ramakrishna.

So he prepared it in consultation with a noted European architect of Calcutta and Swamiji approved of the same.

It was completed and dedicated by Swami Vijnanananda himself on the 14th January, 1938.

He later on established a permanent branch of the Ramakrishna Math at Allahabad in 1910.

He was elected the President of the Ramakrishna Order in 1937 after the demise of Swami Akhandananda.

Swami Vireswarananda Sri Ramakrishna Mission