30/04/2026
The person in the picture is Srimat Swami Hitanandaji Maharaj. He received initiation (mantra) from Swami Shivanandaji and took sannyasa in 1933. Maharaj served as the chief priest of the monastery’s main temple for more than 30 years from 1948 and was the author of the worship procedure of Sri Ramakrishna. Let me share a few words about him:
1) Maharaj lived in the first room on the right, upstairs on the eastern side of the monks’ residence. Whenever anyone came to his room—whether young or old—he would personally prepare tea or coffee and serve them. He never allowed anyone to wash the cups and plates; instead, he would clean them himself with a fresh cloth before serving. It felt as if Sri Sri Thakur Himself was present before him, and Maharaj was offering the food as sacred offering (naivedya) to Him—such was his devotion.
— Swami Shivamayanandaji
2) At night, after putting Thakur to rest, when Maharaj went upstairs to his room, he would climb the stairs very slowly. Likewise, when coming down for the Mangala Arati in the early morning, he would descend very slowly. At other times, however, he moved up and down quite quickly. Seeing this, a monk once asked him why he behaved this way. Maharaj replied: “Thakur has grown old; after being put to rest, He holds onto my shoulder and comes upstairs with me, and in the morning, He comes down again. That is why I must move slowly at those times.”
3) The same devotion with which he cleaned the temple altar or attended to his own body, he applied equally when cleaning common toilets and washrooms—this is something one would not believe without seeing Hitanandaji. Even after handing over the priestly duties to Sukumar Maharaj, he continued doing cleaning work.
— Swami Shivamayanandaji
4) Once, Maharaj was unable to sleep at night and was restless due to the intense heat. The reason was that he had forgotten to open the window of Thakur’s sleeping chamber that day. He got up in the middle of the night, went and opened the window, and only then was able to sleep peacefully.
As the scriptures say: “Devo bhutva devam yajet” — one must become divine oneself before worshipping the Divine. Through constant service, Maharaj seemed to have become one with Him.
5) “…Maharaj continued performing worship till the end. He worshipped with such calmness and steadiness that it felt as though the deity was living and vividly present.”
— Swami Shivamayanandaji speaking about Hitanandaji
6) “…When you sit for worship, perform it peacefully, joyfully, and sincerely with whatever materials are available. Do not keep a dissatisfied attitude thinking ‘this is missing’ or ‘that is not good.’”
— Swami Hitanandaji
