Swami Shri Yukteswar and Shri Sanyal Mahasaya were brothers disciples (gurubhai). Both were householders to start and later Shriyukteswar took sannyasa. Shri Lahiri Mahasaya initiated Swami Shriyukteswarji (Priyanath Karar) into Kriya Yoga on August 19, 1883, the fifth day of the waxing moon of Shravana. Shriyukteswarji was quite senior to Shri Sanyal Mahasaya in the practice of Kriya. Shri Sanyal Mahasaya was the youngest disciple and had not had too much association with his beloved Gurudev. For this reason, he always tried to be in the company of other disciples of his great master. By divine providence, both men established ashrams in Puri, a few hundred meters from each other. Swami Shriyukteswarji was a good source of inspiration to him, and although there is no written mention of their meetings, other disciples attested they had a very closed relationship. One example of their mutual respect is seen when writing the explanation of the Gita, Shri Sanyal Mahasaya used Shriyukteswarji´s book on the Gita as a source of inspiration and wisdom..
Prominent disciples of Shriyukteswarji such as Paramahamsa Yoganandaji, Swami Satyananda Giri, And later on Brahmachari Rabinarayan (Paramahamsa Hariharanandaji) all had intimate relationship with Shri Sanyal Mahasaya.
Swami Satyananda Giri described in Acharya Samlapa (Part 2; pp39-40):
“In the year 1911, I was more intimately introduced to Acharya Shrimat Bhupendranath Sanyal”.
He went on to say that he had been benefitted greatly from regular contact with this great householder yogi and direct disciple of Shri Lahiri Mahasaya. In his book Yogananda Sanga he described:
“Here we came to know that from the very beginning of the establishment of the Brahmacharya Ashram at Santiniketan, Acharya Bhupendranath Sanyal had become a person of trust and love to Rabindranath, and had rendered immense service acting as the superintendent here. He brought Pandit Bidhushekhar Shastri Mahasaya to this ashram first. After having a conversation with Bidhushekhar Shastri Mahasaya, we learned that our revered Acharya Shastri Mahasaya (Hamsa Swami Kevalanandaji) was adored as a talent teacher by many highly qualified people and renowned scholars in Bengal.”
The disciples of Shri Sanyal Mahasaya said that while Yoganandaji, Satyanandaji, and Ananda Mohan Lahiri (the grandson of Shri Lahiri Mahasaya) were visiting Puri to spend time with their beloved Gurudev Swami Shriyukteswarji, they often went to meet with Shri Sanyal Mahasaya. Not only was he loving and caring to these young seekers but he also fed them occasionally. They al loved meals prepared by Shri Sanyal Mahasaya´s wife, Kali Dasi Ma. Swami Shriyukteswarji was very strict about food. During meditation, if the young disciples were drowsy, Shriyukteswarji used to ask humorously, “Have you gone to visit Shri Sanyal Mahasaya today? Surely you have eaten a lot.”
E usava como repreensão, simita bhojana asimita sadehana, asimita bhojana simita sadhana:
“Moderate food, endless meditation; sumptuous food, less meditation.”
Excerpt from the book written by Paramahamsa Prajnanananda, “Sanyal Mahasaya – A Life of Humility“.
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