Maharshi Nagendranath Bhaduri

Maharshi Nagendranath Bhaduri was an enlightened hatha Yogi and bhakti Yogi, a teacher of the Sanatana Dharma who lived in Bengal in the 19th and 20th centruy. His life and spiritual accomplishments have been documented by his disciples and admirers, There is a chapter dedicated to Maharshi in Paramahansa Yogananda's famous book Autobiography of a Yogi.

Early Life

Nagendranath Bhaduri was born on 6th December of 1846 in Pairatungi (Dharsa), Howrah, Bengal on a Sunday to Tripurasundari Devi (Mother) and Parvaticharan Bhaduri (Father). Both his parents were very religious and were known for their hospitality. [1]

Maharshi was a gentle and silent child, he liked the company of devotional people and avoided company of his own age, he prefered solitude to chatter. After his sacred thread ceremony, he took to a strict vegetarian diet, though his family traditionally consumed meat.

Education

He was very studious and excelled in studies. He studied at his village primary school, and later attended Secondary school in the Baluhati village at Baluhati English school.

He later moved to Calcutta to study at the Missionary College (Duff College), where he received support through scholarship. [1] [2]

He could speak 8 languages including Bengali, English and Sanskrit. He was also an accomplished singer.

Adulthood

Brahmo Samaj

Nagendranath was an Acharya at the Baluhati branch of Adi Brahmo Samaj. He severed his connections with the Samaj due to differences.

Teaching

After completing his College, Nagendranath returned to his village and established a free primary school at his own residence to provide free and proper education to the uneducated poor masses.

He himself taught English in the higher classes. He stressed on the importance of developing both body and mind. His stressed on building a strong physique through physical exercises.

He wrote a booklet containing 100 verses title "Pratijna Satak" (Hundred Mottos to follow)

He worked as a Headmaster of Bally English High School later in his 30s.

Initiation into Yoga

He started practising pranayamas soon after he started his school. He was not initiated by any human. Within the first six months, he started experiencing meta-physical spiritual powers through the practice of Pranayama, Hatha Yoga and other Yogic practices.

He underwent penance at the lonely cave at Monghyr, where he is said to have attained enlightenment.

Ramakrishna Pramahansa

In 1881, while has working as the Headmaster of Bally English High School, he met Ramakrishna Paramahansa at Dakshineshwar. Ramakrishna Paramahansa was in a state of ecstasy, he rose from the state and received Nagendranath with utmost warmth. The two had lengthy discussions on spiritual aspects of life.

Ramakrishna Paramahansa requested Nagendranath to sing, honoring the wishes of the great one Nagendranath sang three songs composed by himself, hearing which Ramakrishna Paramahansa entered Samadhi again. Embracing the young Yogi, Ramakrishna Paramahansa sang "Dive deep, O my heart, dive into the Ocean of God's beauty."

Sanatana Dharma Pracharini Sabha

In 1891, Nagendranath founded Sanatana Dharma Pracharini Sabha on Rammohan Rai Road. He remained lifelong bachelor, traveled length and breadth of India spreading the message of Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma Pracharini Sabha has published 'Paramartha Sangitabali' a compilation of songs, which include the songs Nagendranath sung in front of Ramakrishna Paramahansa.

Books

When he was working as a schoo lteacher, he had published "Pratijna Satak" (Hundred Mottos to follow).

Later, it was his disciples who published his teachings in the form of books.

'Paramartha Sangitabali' a compilation of songs was published by the Sanatana Dharma Pracharini Sabha.

Sree Sree Nagendra Upadeshamrita Vol 1 & 2 are the English translations of his teachings from Bengali, originally published by Srimat Bhakti Prakash Maharaj, the second president of Sree Charya Nagendranath Math.

The Guru's teachings were recorded and published in the monthly journals of Sanatana Dharma Pracharini Sabha, titled 'Satya Pradeep'

Paramahansa Yogananda

The famous Yoga guru and the author of the popular book "Autobiography of a Yogi" Paramahansa Yogananda used to visit Maharshi Nagendranath throughout his childhood. In his book, the entire 7th chapter, titled "The Levitating Saint" is dedicated to Maharshi Nagendranath.

Yogananda documents many Yogic accomplishments of the Maharshi including Levitation, knowledge of the future events, samadhi experience. According to Yogananda's observations, Maharshi had remarkable wit, "serious face" with an "ecstatic smile", "whose large, lotus eyes held a hidden divine laughter" [4]

Messages of the master

A real well-wisher is one who shows us the way to be united with God, who guides us along the path laid down by God.
Do not continuously pray for this and that. You do not know what is really good for you. You have forgotten your past, you are ignorant of your future, and know very little of your present. God is omniscient, so he makes all arrangements for you, with complete knowledge of your past, present, and future. Furthermore, he is also kindness personified. He has unending kindness for all his creatures. Therefore think, "whatever god does is always for our good, He gives us whatever is beneficial for us." Thus leave everything to him, live your life.
In the kingdom of God's kindness, no one will be left out of his grace.
Never think that you are a sinner, or that you have no love and devotion for God. Your goodness and love for god are now unmanifested. In the company of holy men all your good qualities will be manifested.
Have deep and complete faith in God. Half-hearted faith only makes you ask for this and that from him. Depend on God and he will take up all your repsonsibilitiies.
An immature devotee blames God whenever he has to face sorrow. He then stops repeating God's name and calling him. The mature devotee who has realised that God is our only refuge, embraces God more ardently in the time of sorrow and danger.
Suffering is of two types: physical and spiritual. Suffering attached to the body, for example, suffering which is casued by disease is physical sorrow. Suffering related to the mind caused through ignorance, illusion, delusion, infatuation etc, is spiritual suffering. The doctor treats physical suffering but only the holy and saintly man can treat spiritual suffering.
Destroy your old routine and introduce a new routine to guide your physical life. Be strict with your mind. Take up an aggressive attitude towards it and see how your mind will be under your control.
However hard you may pray, God will not hurt anyone to grant you your prayer.
Absence of contentment is sorrow. Be content, contentment leads to highest happiness. Avoid being too ambitious. Be happy with your present condition. Man really needs very little... Man suffers because his desire is endless.
If God wanted man to renounce wealth and women, he would not have created them. The scriptures speak highly of women. A woman is described as the other half of man, thereby giving her equal status. She is also said to be the embodiment of power. Money is needed to maintain a family, to do good work and to run good organisations.
Every religion leads to the same destination, the inner message of every religion is the same. Differences of geographical locations, local culture and tradition however, give rise to different rites and rituals, thus making way for external differences.
Attaining God should be the highest goal for all. Other possessions are of no importance. Even birds and animals spend their lives eating and sleeping, If man also spends his life in the same way, why was he given this precious human life? That is why all sages and devotees put everything aside and live only with God-consciousness, realizing his greatness all the while.
However impure we may be,the closer we get to God, our impurities will burn away in the purity of his Fire.
Have faith in God. If you can walk alone in the dark night believing nothing will happen to you, if you can sit before the hair cutter believing he will cut your hair and not your throat, if you can eat the food served to you believing it is wholesome and not poisoned, why can you not trust God who is all love and kindness? Call him with complete faith in his goodness and power.
Do not ever encourage anger. Anger gives rise to attachment and desire and this makes you lose your sense of right and wrong. You lose your sense of judgment, you forget your duty, you even forget who you are.
Those religions that say that God is only abstract, they are limiting him and his power. They have not realised that God is infinity, the infinite power of God. If God cannot take a concrete form but remains confined only in the abstract, then where is his godliness? Hindu's God is not only abstract, he is concrete, abstract, crude, fine, large, terrifying and has so man attributes that it is impossible for any human imagination to conceive them all. The way religion has developed in India and the way Indians have realized God (Brahman), nowhere else in the world has such development and such realization taken place.

Death

He lived at the house built by his disciples at 2B, RamMohan Roy road from 1916, till he left the body in 1926.

Sources

The Levitating Saint by Prof. Tripurasankar Sen Shastri, Page 9-
Companions and Followers of Sri Ramakrishna p. 380
One hundred and eight messages from Maharshi Nagendranath
Autobiography of a Yogi, chapter 7 "The Levitating Saint"