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 Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnathdev  (18 February 1892 – 6 December 1982) was an Indian saint from Bengal, India. He had preached the importance of chanting Nam, had written about 150 books to promote the essence of Indian scriptures, built more than 60 temples and Ashrams all across India, and had founded the spiritual organizations Jai guru sampradaya delhi and ‘Akhil Bharat JaiGuru Sampraday’

=The Early Life=

Birth and childhood
He was born at Keota Village ( Maternal Uncle’s residence ), Hooghly district, West Bengal, on 6th Falgun, 1892, Krishna Panchami Tithi, Wednesday, at 8:01 am. His name was Sri Probodh Chandra Chattopadhyay. His parents were Pranhari Chatopadhyay (Father) and Smt. Mallabati Devi (Mother). Pranhari was a pious Brahmin, and a devoted thoughtful simple helpful village physician. He lived in Dumurdaha, a village in Hoogly district of West Bengal. His Kula Devata [Family Deity] was Brajanath Jiu [Krishna]. Malyavati Devi was a chaste, devoted, holy housewife.

Probodh Chandra was a mere child of one year, when he became unconscious while Lord’s Name was being chanted aloud. The chief singer identified that it was a spiritual trance [Samadhi state]. Whenever a group would pass through the village path chanting Lord’s Name, little Probodh would run out in irresistible attraction. In childhood, Probodh had a vision of Lord Shiva, while he was lying beside his father Pranhari.

In 1896, Mother Malyavati Devi passed away. Thereafter, Pranhari married again for the nurturing of his children,thus the loving second mother, Giribala Devi, came.

In 1912, Pranhari breathed his last in conscious state, while contemplating his Ista [aspired Deity].

Education, Life at Guru’s house
Probodh was initially sent to usual village school for education, but Education for the sake of worldly demands was not his choice. He came to Sri Dasarathidev Yogeswar of Digsui Village, and chose him as Guru. He started his life as a student in the abode of Guru, and used to do all daily works, besides his studies and spiritual practices. In 1918, Probodh was engrossed in meditation at about 12 midnight, and he visualised Lord Shiva for the second time, along with the Divine Mother. Shiva gave him ‘Ram’ Mantra. After this vision, He used to remain saturated in a divine ecstasy always — people used to call Him insane — ordinary beings, they would speak as per their limited understanding. One day, at Digsui, Probodh visualised his previous birth, on the day of Saraswati puja. He came to know that he was a famous worshipper of Goddess Kali in previous life.

Marriage, early days of spiritual quest
Inspite of reluctance for worldly bondage, as per Guru’s instruction, Probodh married Siddheswari Devi (Who was later named ‘Kamala’ ). Probodh showed to Kamala, his Gurudev and Guru-Mata at Digsui. Later, he showed Vishwarup [the Supreme Form of Lord], to his Gurudev. Probodh attained spiritual fulfillment on a ‘Dol Purnima’, and he heard the divine utterance of ‘Yada Yada hi Dharmasya...’ within himself. Kamala, his consort, expired in 1930. Guru Dasarathidev expired in 1933.

Guru Dasarathidev had named him ‘Sitaram’, the name ‘Omkarnath’ was a divine revelation which was later formally conferred by Swami Dhruvananda Giri. Thus, Probodh came to be known as Sitaramdas Omkarnath. He had heard the 'Hare Krishna' MahaMantra as Divine Sound during his austere meditation in a cave at Ramashram, Dumurdaha. Later, he heard a divine voice - ‘O Sage, dive in.’ Still Sitaram was not ready for giving spiritual initiation to masses, and he waited for direct command. At Puri, Orissa, Sitaram visualised Lord Jagannath in a halo, and Jagannath gave the instruction — ‘ Go, Go, Go and give the Name.’ Thereafter, Sitaram started spreading Lord’s Name on a mass scale.

=As a Preacher and Guru=

From next day onwards, the preaching of Naam started in Jagannath Puri. Then began Chaturmasya and Akhanda Naam and Anna Daan at Kolkata, Puri, Dumurdaha, Digsui, Cuttack, Bankura, Burdwan, one after another every year. The inhabitants of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh were flooded with the stream of Naam for sometime.

Ram Naam Kshetra was a big establishment; the aspirants of that place were flooded with the tide of Sitaram’s love and took refuge in it. A remarkable impact in preaching Naam went on, sometimes in Madhya Pradesh, sometimes in Uttarakhand, or Rajasthan, East Bengal, Dwaraka, South India and in many other places. It went on sometimes in the houses and sometimes in the parks or streets of Kolkata. After this, for the next forty five years, in all corners of India, establishment of temples, renovation of dilapidated temples, feeding of the poor, distribution of clothes, help to the fathers of marriageable daughters, taking on the responsibility of lifetime maintenance of hundreds of poverty-stricken families, establishment of free schools for poor students, setting up twenty-nine Akhanda Naam Kirtan centers across India, establishing temples and Asrams, and several other activities of the kind went on continuously.

Millions of men and women took spiritual initiation from Sitaram. The fame of this prophet spread far and wide, and people gathered in large numbers wherever he resided. Besides the countless commoners - ministers, armymen, politicians, celebrities came to show respect. Love, miracles, spiritual guidance, fatherly concern, wisdom was mingled in his widespread attraction. Sitaram received cordial respect from contemporary prophets like Anandamyi Ma, Mohanananda Brahmachari, Dalai Lama, Peer Vilayat Inayat Khan, Swami Chidananda, Jain Muni Sushil Kumar and many others.

After reading the book 'The Gurus of India' by Sujan Singh Uban, many foreigners had come to India to see this prophet. Irrespective of nationality, religion, caste, gender, everyone received his warm welcome, and was motivated to follow his/her stipulated path. Sitaram did not advocate conversion to Hinduism, but spread the universal Mahamantra to one and all - Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

=Teachings=

Few of his messages are:

1)     As long as a man doesn’t become inward, his pains do not end. Keep calling Him, and become inward.

2)     Lord has two feet- Right and Left. The Right foot has joy, peace, happiness; the Left foot has disease, grief, sorrows. Whichever foot He puts forward, hold it and say ‘Guru Guru Guru’ - The end of Joys and sorrows.

3)     " Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare " Always chant this Mahamantra. You need not worry about anything...More Naam More Bliss.

4)     Blow away disease, grief, sorrow, pain, poverty, unrest with the Holy name, and proceed. Chant Naam while eating, lying down, rising, sitting – Hail Naam, Hail Naam.

5)     No need to renounce family. No need to go to forest. However you are, you can proceed towards the spiritual plane, the kingdom of Bliss.

6)     Speak the Truth – Truth is Lord. One who can resort to Truth quickly reaches the Goal.

7)     Leave evil company, evil discussion, all addictions. Always be pure.

8)     Happiness is not in material pleasures – happiness resides in restraint, renunciation and prayers always.

9)     Scriptures are true, scriptures are flawless; one who takes the shelter of scripture will be embraced by the Lord.

10)   Pure food habit, holy acts, worship in Time-- With this, Oh Dear! You will see the Divine.

11)   Instead of seeing the other’s faults, always look at your own faults. Your faults are keeping you away from your blissful identity.

12)   Lord is ready to appear – the mirror of your heart lacks mercury – how will you visualize His image there?

13)   Even if you are sinner, agonized, having thousands of faults – still if you take shelter by saying ‘ I am dedicated to you’ – you will surely attain Lord’s grace – There is no doubt about it.

14)   Bliss is within – it can be found when Man becomes inward.

15)   By knowing Guru, Mantra, Deity to be One and by chanting ‘Guru Guru’, Bliss is attained spontaneously. Of all worships, none is comparable to devotion for Guru.

16)   Knowing everything to be Lord’s images, practice offering Pranam[obeisance]. He only has taken all forms, Man sees friend-foe, good-bad because of his sins.

=Religious Order and Institutions=

Dagarathidev's Guru [Damodardas Ji] was a Ramanandi saint, and thus, Sitaram's religious order is a part of Shri Vaishnava of Ramananda cult. Since the Ramananda cult had emerged from Shri Vaishnava Ramanuja Sampraday of South India, Sitaram emphasized that Ramamanda and Ramanuja cults are streams of the same Shri Sampradaya. Thus he arranged for the Sanyasa Diksha of 8 chosen disciples in the Ramanuja cult of SriRangam. He had composed ‘Jagat Guru Ramananda’, ‘Guru Puja’ [where he illustrated the holy leela of Sri Ramanuja and his disciples], the biography of the twelve alvatars [great saints of the South].

=Spiritual Doctrine=

Just like other pominent prophets, Thakur established a philosophical doctrine. He has not countered any doctrine, nor has he debated with anyone. According to him, all paths are correct, all paths are good, just a difference in realizations! The Realized Truth of Thakur is the concluding platform of all theoretical conflicts - Omkar, the Truth kept secret by the scriptures - Omkar is Brahma[Almighty].

Here, there is acknowledgement of all theories of Jeeva Jagat Iswar, Dvaita Advaita, Visistadvaita Dvaitadvaita, Suddhadvaita, Achintyavedaved—and without going into revert or debate, Thakur has transcended all ‘Vaad’s [doctrines] and has established His own philosophy. Whoever does spiritual practice in whichever way or proceeds religiously through whatever doctrine, will ultimately reach Omkar Brahma, by divine way, without any vague analysis. So, this unique and unprecedented ‘Vaad’[doctrine] by Thakur, is named – OmkarVaad/ Pranav Vaad.

=Books=

Sitaram composed more than 150 books. His spiritiual literature is not just vast and exhaustive, his compositions encompass all scriptures of Ancient India, and summarizes the essence of spiritual philosophy and paths.

In the books of Thakur, there is a great union of all these streams of spirituality. When we read the plays ‘Shiva Vivaha’ or a text like ‘Naamamrita Lahiri’, we feel Thakur is a great Shaivite. When we read ‘Ashrubadal’, ‘Ranchod’ or ‘Brajanath Leela Lahiri’, we become aware that he was singularly devoted to the adept of Vrajaraj- Krishna. His books such as ‘Katha Ramayana’, ‘Vijane Vijya’ and ‘Milan Yajna’ are principal sources of acquainting us of his devotion to Ram. Compositions like ‘Matru Gatha’ and ‘Chokher Jale Maayer Pooja’ (Mother’s worship through tears) make us feel that he is an ardent follower of the Shaktas. After reading ‘Yogarahasya’ and ‘Naad Leelamrita’ one feels he is the traveller of the path of yoga. ‘Pranavapiyush Bhashya’ of Sri Sri Gita, ‘Omkar Bhashya’ of the Brahmasutras, or of Sri Sri Chandi, the deeply philosophical as well as spiritual texts like ‘Sri Sri Brahmanusandhan’ or ‘Sri Sri Omkar Sahastra Giti’ – all these go to prove that he is the proponent of Upanishadic Brahmavada and Shabdabrahmavada.

=Demise=

On the night of 5th of December before attaining to depths, he called the disciples and gave them an inexplicable indication in Sanskrit: “When the sun rises and dispels darkness, the crows shriek from fear: ‘We are crows, we are mere crows! We are not darkness; don’t kill us please!’Before this, he had remarked: “Take me! Come, take me!” Sri Madhav Swami, a disciple and a part of his retinue, asked: “Where are you asking to be conducted Baba? Where?” He answered in solemn voice: “Within ...!” Into the inner being of everyone, perhaps! In the midnight of 6th of December, at about one thirty, in a sitting posture, with his gaze fixed upwards, Sri Sri Sitaram breathed his last. His body was placed in Sri Ramashram at Dumurdaha. By the night and day lakhs of disciples came to offer their obeisance to his body. In the early dawn of the 8th of December in the midst of Naam Kirtan and Vedic chants sung in voice of thousands of disciples, inundated with tears, Sitaram’s mortal body mixed with the dust at Sri Ramashram in sandalwood pyre.

=References=

THE GURUS OF INDIA -By Sujan Singh Uban ... East-West Publications[U.K.]

CLOUDBURST OF A THOUSAND SUNS -By Raj Supe ... Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd

NABO NABO RUPEY ESO[Bengali] -By Kinkar Bitthal Ramanuj ...Shastra Bhagwan Press

=External links=

http://www.omkarnathmission.org/ http://streamsofnectar.com/ http://guravenamah.com/ https://sites.google.com/site/thakursitaramdasomkarnathdev/ http://www.anandamayi.org/ashram/sitaramdas.htm http://naamavatar.hpage.com/ http://jaiguru.webs.com/ http://www.anandamayi.org/ashram/sitaramdas.htm http://sriradhakund.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/an-introdruction-to-sri-sitaramdas-omkarnath/ http://www.somnathmahadev.com/en/shri-swami-ganeshanandji/shri-shri-sitaramdas-omkarnath-thakur/ http://www.themotherdivine.com/index.html http://www.calcuttayellowpages.com/adver/108892historicalbg.html

=Wikimaps of some Asrams/Mutts=

http://wikimapia.org/153748/Mahamilan-Math http://wikimapia.org/11718696/Ashram-of-Sri-Sri-Sitaramdas-Omkarnath http://wikimapia.org/14783894/Sri-Sitaramdas-Omkarnath-Ashram http://wikimapia.org/16126171/Shyamashankar-Math-founded-by-Shri-Shri-Sitaramdas-Omkarnath-Dev

Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnathdev Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnathdev Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnathdev Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnathdev Category:Hindu mystics Category:Hindu saints Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnathdev Category:People from Dehradun Category:People from Haridwar

Category:Bengali Hindus