RECALLING SWAMI ATULANANDA (Mar )

Summary

Swami Atulananda, born as Cornelius J Heijblom in 1870 in Amsterdam to a prosperous businessman, later became a prominent figure in the Ramakrishna Order. After migrating to the U.S. and working in New York, he suffered a back injury from a horse fall, which troubled him lifelong but did not hinder his spiritual journey. In 1898, he encountered the Vedanta movement in America and met Swami Vivekananda in 1899 and 1900 during the latter’s second U.S. visit. He regularly attended lectures by Swami Abhedananda, who initiated him into brahmacharya in 1899 with the name "Gurudas." His close association with Swami Turiyananda deepened his spiritual path, and he later managed Shanti Ashrama in California. In 1906, he visited India and faced initial hesitations from monks at Belur Math due to being a foreigner, but Swami Shivananda’s symbolic act of sharing a hookah with him dispelled their doubts. Gurudas received initiation from Sri Sarada Devi in 1911, describing the experience as feeling like a child in his mother’s lap. Health issues forced him to return to the U.S. multiple times before he finally adapted a balanced Western-Indian lifestyle in India. In 1915, he participated in a Kedar-Badri pilgrimage, where a mysterious priest allowed him and others into Kedarnath, later revealed by Swami Turiyananda as a divine encounter. Gurudas was initiated into sannyasa in 1923 by Swami Abhedananda, choosing him over the President, Swami Shivananda, out of respect for their prior relationship. He received blessings from direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, including Swami Turiyananda, who reportedly mentioned Gurudas in his final hours. Gurudas authored significant works like *With the Swamis in America and India*