History: The Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago

Established on January 19, 1930 at 120 East Delaware

Place, Chicago

Swami Jnaneshwarananda: First Monk-In-Charge &

President (1929 - 1937)

1. December 1929: Arrived in Chicago to start a center in

the city of Swami Vivekananda's triumph.

2. Jan 19, 1930: Established center at 120 East

Delaware Place.

3. Held Classes at Masonic Temple.

4. 1933: Convention to commemorate 40th anniversary of

Swami Vivekananda's advent in Chicago.

5. 1936: Centenary celebration of Sri Ramakrishna was

held.

6. Swami Jnaneshwarananda left his mortal frame on

Nov 14, 1937.

Swami Vishwananda: Second Monk-In-Charge &

President (1938 - 1965)

1. May 1938: Arrived in Chicago.

2. Center Moved To: 506, Deming Place.

3. Center Moved To: 44, Elm Street.

4. Swami Vishwananda left his mortal frame on July 25,

1965.

Swami Bhashyananda: Third Monk-In-Charge &

President (1965 - 1996)

1. July 28, 1965: Arrived in Chicago.

2. 1966: Center moved to 5423 S. Hyde Park Blvd.

(Purchased with support from Chester Carlson, the

inventor of the Xerox.)

3. 1967: Women's cottage at 5407, S. Hyde Park Blvd.

was purchased. 4. 1970: Building at 5419 S. Hyde Park

Blvd was purchased.

5. 1974: Both buildings (5423 and 5419) were joined

from inside.

6. 1968: Land was purchased at Ganges; MI.

Vivekananda Monastery & Retreat was constructed.

7. Swami Bhashyananda left his mortal frame on Oct. 4,

1996.

Swami Chidananda: Fourth Monk-In-Charge &

President (1993 - Date)

1. May 1991: Arrived in Chicago.

2. 1993: Centenary Celebrations of the Parliament of

World Religions.

3. 1993: Monk's Conference.

4. September 11, 1995: A Bronze Plaque was installed

commemorating Swamiji's Historic Address (At the

Parliament) at the Art Institute of Chicago (Site of the

Parliament of Religions in 1893.)

5. November 11, 1995: The portion of Michigan Avenue

directly in front of The Art Institute was renamed

"Honorary Swami Vivekananda Way."

6. July 12, 1998: A 10' 2" Bronze Statue of Swami

Vivekananda (The largest public statue in America) was

installed at The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago,

Lemont, Illinois.

7. June 2001: Vedanta in the Third Millennium: Monk's

Conference.

8. June 2005: Platinium Jubilee Celebrations: Vedanta

for the Global Village: Monk's Conference.

9. 2003: Land purchased in Homer Glen to build Sri

Ramakrishna Universal Temple.

10. Sept, 2008: Center moved to 14630 Lemont Road,

Homer Glen.

Swami Jnaneswarananda: Monk-In-Charge &

President (1929 - 1937)

Swami Jnaneswarananda was born as Satindra

Chakravarty in the village of Shekharnagar, about 12

Bengal, on June 28, 1893. miles from Dhaka in East

Because he was born on a particularly rainy day, his sister

season) by which he gave him the nickname "Badal" (rainy

was affectionately known. As a boy, Badal was always the

leader of the village boys. He was a good actor as a child,

and had a strong, beautiful voice for singing. He had a

taste for religious drama and kirtan (singing the name of

God) from his early years. In 1914, Swami

Premananda, one of the direct disciples of Sri

Ramakrishna, came to Dhaka for the first time. Badal was

still a student and only 21 years old. In a talk entitled,

"The Mysticism of Love," given in Chicago, he referred

to this meeting with Swami Premananda and the

impression the Swami made on him. "At that time, I was

a rebel, almost an anarchist, as could be expected in India

in those days. That holy man did not impress me by talk or

philosophy, but by the sheer power, the sheer "mysticism of

love. “ Badal had already joined the revolutionary party in

Dhaka, which was committed to the overthrow of British

rule in India. Soon after his meeting with Swami

Premananda, however, Badal changed his mind about

using guns to end the British dominion. He began to see

that Swami Vivekananda's method was sounder, so he

decided to drop his membership in the party. This took

some courage, as joining required signing a pledge that

stated anyone leaving the party would be shot. Badal told

the party quite frankly that the path chalked out by them was

not the right path, and if they spared his life he would join

the Ramakrishna Mission and never divulge any

information about their activities. After much

argumentation, the leader's great respect for Badal's

character won out and he was allowed to leave

unconditionally. In 1914 he graduated from college and

continued his postgraduate work for two years. Then he

visited Belur Math where he received the vows of

brahmacharya in 1917 and Sanyasa in 1919, both from

Swami Brahmananda. He was given the monastic name

Jnaneswarananda, meaning the infinite bliss of knowledge

The new swami was first posted for five years of God.

(1917-1922) to Benares Sevashram serving the sick.

While in Benares he came under the influence of Swami

Turiyananda. From Swami Turiyananda he learned

fearlessness and mindfulness. In 1922, Swami

Turiyananda suggested that Jnaneswarananda be sent to

open a center in Patna, Bhiar. The work began modestly

with two small mud-walled, thatched-roof huts. Among the

devotees was Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who later became the

first President of Independent India.

In the latter part of 1926, the Swami was transferred to

Belur Math, and after a short time he was sent to America

to assist Swami Bodhananda at the Vedanta Society of

New York. In December 1929, he left New York for

Chicago to start a center in the city of Swami

Vivekananda's triumph. The center was established at 120

East Delaware Place. The swami had his living quarters

there, and this is where he gave interviews and held public

and private classes. Public lectures were given in a lecture

In 1933 the hall at the centrally located Masonic Temple.

Swami began to suffer from a heart condition. A trip to

India in 1934 only aggravated his condition, and Swami

Jnaneswarananda passed away on Sunday, November

14, 1937 from a sudden massive heart attack.

Swami Vishwananda: Monk-In-Charge &

President (1938 - 1965)

Swami Vishwananda was a disciple of Swami

Brahmananda, one of the direct disciples of Sri

Ramakrishna. Born in Bengal, he graduated from the

University of Calcutta with a Master of Arts degree in

Philosophy. He came from a remarkable family: two of his

brothers also joined the Ramakrishna Order after college,

one being also a medical doctor.

The swami joined the Order as a novice in 1920, and after

receiving brahmacharya worked for some time at the

Madras Center, finally receiving Sanyasa in 1923.

Within the year he was assigned to start a center in

Bombay.

Those who knew the swami at this time characterized him

as “The sociable Swami, strikingly resembling a

Christian priest or pastor with his flock...moving among

them and casually visiting the homes of people. He did not

talked with everyone inflict any religious discourse, but

with a streak of humor. He readily accepted invitations to

dinner and had no restrictions on food." When the call

came to go to America, an unusual "culture shock" awaited

the swami. He had been used to the life of a Mohanta, with

all devotees eager to serve him. The gregarious nature of

his predecessor, Swami Jnaneswarananda had drawn to

the Chicago center an avant-garde group of anarchists,

saints, mystics, "hippies," and musicians: a group used to

treating a swami as a jolly good fellow and a friend.

For whatever reason, the Swami became rather a recluse,

with a deep meditative life revealed only occasionally in

talks with his brother-monks and chosen devotees. In his

lectures and classes he was profound and brilliant: an

accomplished story-teller with a photographic memory for

incidents and names, nourished by his extensive readings

in world literature. On the voyage from India to America,

he met the author W. Somerset Maugham, who was so

impressed by The Swami that he modeled a Swami

character in his book "The Razor's Edge" on

A few years after his arrival in Chicago, Vishwananda

Swami Vishwananda moved the Center to 506 Deming

Place, a rented apartment with a large living room where

he held classes on the Gita while continuing to give

Sunday lectures in a rented hall usually at a Unity

Church. Then in 1955 a building was purchased at 44

East Elm Street in a quiet, respectable neighborhood.

Swami Vishwananda's last days were especially

revealing. least three observers confirm that during much

of the time when the doctors said he was in "coma," the

swami was actually quite alert, but in deep meditation from

which he could be only briefly roused by questions from

near ones or bodily pains. Even then, only to smile or

indicate that he was all right. And so he gave up his body

on July 25, 1965.

Swami Bhashyananda: Monk-In-Charge &

President (1965 - 1996)

Born April 18, 1917 in Akola in Maharashtra state,

Swami Bhashyananda was given the name Vasant

Vishvanath Natu. His father, Vishwanath Vasudev Natu,

and his mother, Annapurna, were pious, orthodox

Brahmins, and he began his Vedic studies in early

childhood. At the age of five his father began to teach him

how to sit for meditation.Vasant received his Master in

Arts from the University of Nagpur in central India, and

held the highest academic degree at that time in Sanskrit

from a recognized Indian university. Before graduating

from college, he began to attend and finally joined the

Ramakrishna order in Nagpur in about 1936.

Under the guidance of his Guru, Swami Virajananda,

then president of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, he

practiced Raja yoga for several years. In 1962 he was

transferred to Calcutta to assist Swami Ranganathananda

in the work of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of

Culture, where he became assistant director.

In 1964 he was transferred to New York to assist

Swami Nikhilananda, where he became well adjusted to

American ways. And finally, on July 28, 1965, on the

passing of Swami Vishwananda, he was appointed

Swami-in-Charge of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society in

Chicago. Swami Bhashyananda's work in Chicago was

distinguished by vigorous expansion. Within a year of

taking charge, the congregation of the center tripled and in

1966 he moved the center from its Elm Street location to

Hyde Park, Chicago. In 1966, Swami bought a quarter

at 5423 South Hyde Park Boulevard in Chicago with the

assistance of a staunch devotee from New York, Chester

Carlson, and the inventor of the Xerox.

The new temple, which was located near the University of

Chicago, was dedicated on September 7, 1966.

In 1970 the house next to the main temple (5419 S. Hyde

Park Blvd.) was purchased and these two building were

joined into one in 1974. In 1967, a one-story building,

located at 5407 South Hyde Park Boulevard, was

acquired by the society and named "Holy Mother's

Cottage" to house women devotees who wished to lead a

spiritual life. The most dramatic expansion of the Society

was the purchase of 110 acres of land in 1968 &

subsequent development of the Vivekananda Monastery &

Retreat facility in Ganges Township, Michigan.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the new temple at the

Retreat was performed on May 15, 1971. The Monastery

land, with fruit trees, garden, a small lake and stream,

bee-hives, farm acreage and farm animals, is restful to the

eye and the mind. It now contains a temple, library,

museum, and book store, auditorium, dining hall, and

guest facilities for retreatants. Each year there is a

children's camp. Swami saw the Vivekananda Vedanta

Society grow from a small center on Elm Street to a large

complex of buildings at Chicago and Ganges. Swami

Bhashyananda was a frequent traveler, making semi-

annual pilgrimages to India and dividing his time between

Chicago and Ganges, as well as establishing over 40

"satellite" Vedanta groups throughout the United States

and Canada. A tall, well-proportioned, athletic man with

regal features and a broad smile, Swami possessed an

excellent sense of humor, and was an able story teller. His

knowledge of the Hindu scriptures was broad and he had a

talent of making lucid the most abstruse philosophical

points. In college, wrestling and soccer had been favorites

of his and after the Vedanta Center moved to Hyde Park,

Chicago, he would take long walks along the lakefront.

Once, he and two of the bramhacharis took a walk that

lasted for 22 miles! In the mid-1980's, Swami

Bhashyananda suffered the first of eight strokes. He

continued to perform his duties as Swami-in-Charge for

several more years. Swami Chidananda was sent by

Belur Math, India to assist him in 1991. After suffering

a series of strokes, Swami Bhashyanandae left the body

on October 4, 1996.

Swami Chidananda: Monk-In-Charge &

President (1993 - Date)

Swami Chidananda Born 9th

October 1932 (Vijaya

Dashami) in Banglore at Karnataka, India. Was Given

Name Laxmana. He got B.S.C. on Engineering. Joined

the Ramakrishna Order in 1956 at the Sri Ramakrishna

Ashrama, Bangalore, Karnataka, after completing his

university education. He was initiated by

Yatishwaranandaji, Vice President of the Ramakrishna

Order 1956 when he was 24. During the formative years

of his monastic career, he had the privilege of receiving

direct guidance from the Revered Maharaj, the author of

"Meditation and Spiritual Life."

Brahmacharya from Swami Vishudhanya 1966 given

name Gadadhar Chaitnya. As a monk, He took Sanyasa

at the Belur Math from Swami Vireshvarananda in 1966.

Swami Chidananda became President of Sri

Ramakrishna Ashram, Bangalore, in Nov. 1983. Some

of his most noteworthy achievements in this capacity

include: He oversaw several schemes such as the

Integrated Rural Development Project for the all-around

development of fourteen impoverished villages, providing

drinking-water facilities, school for the children of the

villages, mobile dispensary, and similar facilities.

1. Transliterated Yajur-Veda & Rig-Veda into Kannada

& Published Two Books (Saswar Veda Mantra)

2. Started Vivekananda Yuvak Sangha

3. Conducted Youth Conventions (Attended by over

25,000 Students)

4. In 1986, Organized Drought Relief & Rehabilitation

for Over 4000 Cattle.

5. Adopted 14 Impoverished Villages For Development, a

Far-Reaching, Visionary Project Involving.

Construction of homes for villagers

Introduction of modern agricultural technologies to

increase food production

Vocational & Practical Training To Upgrade Village

Economy

Establishment of a Fair-Price Depot For Village Trade

Founding of School for 350 Village Children

Instituting Mobile Dispensary to Bring Regular

Modern Medical Care to 70 Villagers.

In May 1989, He was named Assistant Secretary of the

Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta.

In August 1993, Swami Chidananda Was Appointed As

Minister-In-Charge & President of The Vivekananda

Vedanta Society of Chicago, Illinois, & The Vivekananda

Vedanta Monastery in Ganges, Michigan.

The Swami has recorded CD of Devotional Songs, of

selected mantras (Vedic Chanting) of the Upanishads, of

the 18 Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita (Bhagavad Gita

chanting).

Swami Chidananda’s weekly classes on the Gospel of Sri

Ramakrishna and Bhagavad Gita Discourses.

Swami Chidananda has great emphasis on Spiritual

Retreats.

Every year, Swami Chidananda invites Swamis of the

Ramakrishna Mission to conduct retreats.

These monthly retreats are well attended & have a become

a spiritual staple of the devotees. Annually, 10-11 retreats

are conducted with a retreat every month.

Under his dynamic leadership following special

events were conducted: 1993: Centenary Celebrations of the Parliament of World

Religions.

1993: Monk's Conference.

2001: Vedanta In The Third Millennium: Monk's

Conference.

2005: Vedanta For The Global Village: Monk's

Conference.

These conferences are attended by all the Monks of The

Ramakrishna Order in the West. Over Thousands of

devotees attend these programs & are greatly benefitted by

them.

Swami Chidananda has made great strides to publicly

honor the memory of Swami Vivekananda in Chicago.

Under his dynamic initiative and leadership the following

honors were made:

September 11, 1995: A Bronze Plaque was Installed

Commemorating Swamiji's Historic Address (At the

Parliament) At the Art Institute of Chicago (Site of the

Parliament of Religions in 1893)

November 11, 1995: The Portion of Michigan Avenue

Directly In Front of The Art Institute Was Renamed

"Swami Vivekananda Way."

July 12, 1998: A 10' 2" Bronze Statue of Swami

Vivekananda (The Largest Public Statue in America)

Was Installed At the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago,

Lemont, Illinois.

Swami Vivekananda visualized a "Temple Universal in

The West". To fulfill Swamiji's vision, in 2003,

Swami Chidananda purchased 15 acres of land in Homer

Glen, a suburb of Chicago to build new Sri Ramakrishna

Universal Temple. Temple moved from Hyde Park to

Homer Glen on 21st September 2008.

Activities

Weekly Classes & Monthly Retreats on Spiritual topics

Major Pujas & Celebrations.

Sanskrit, Yoga & Childrens Classes

Book-shop & Library

Free Medical Clinic

Exhibition Gallery: (Swami Vivekananda in Chicago)

Sanskrit Class

Time: Saturday: 9:00 - 10:30 am

Instructor: Dr. Usha Mahisekar

Dr. Usha Mahisekar (Medical Practioner) is a

Samskrita Bharati Instructor.

Students will learn to read, speak & write Sanskrit.

(Prior knowledge is not needed.)

Samskrit Bharati has developed a curriculum to help

anyone with no prior knowledge of Sanskrit to learn &

start understanding Scriptures (Bhagavad Gita,

Ramayana etc.) within 2 years.

Yoga (Pranayama) Class

Time: Sunday: 9:00 - 10:30 am

Instructor: Dr. Brij Kumar Kamboj

Dr. Brij Kumar Kamboj is a "Certified Level 3 Yoga

Teacher" from Swami Baba Ramdev's Patanjali

Yogapeeth Trust, Haridwar, India.

Classes are based on:

1. The 5 principles advocated by Swami Ramdevji

2. A mix of Yoga Asanas, Pranayama, Natural Living

& Balanced Thinking.

Free Health Clinic

Time: Sunday: 12:00 - 1:00 pm & by appointment.

Attending Doctors:

1. Dr. Deepak Bakane: M.D.

2. Dr. Subhash Vaikar: M.D.

3. Dr. Ramesh Kharwadkar: M.D.

Medical consultation is available free of cost by eminent

Medical Practitioners

Sunday school For Children

Time: Sunday: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Some of The Topics Are:

1. Introduction To Sanskrit.

2. Introduction to Deities

3. Srimad Bhagavatam

4. Great Spiritual Masters of India