Direct Disciples
1) SWAMI BRAMANANDA
(Apostles of Ramakrishna page no. 90.)
After Omkarnath he with his brother-disciple and a devotee visited other places of pilgrimage like Panchavati, holy with the association of Ramachandra and Sita, Dwaraka, where there is famous temple of Shri Krishna, Porbandar, Girnar, Ajmer, etc., and afterwards returned to Vrindaban. For a soul like Swami Brahmananda, visiting these holy places did not simply mean the satisfaction of the idle curiosity of a sight-seer, but at every place he would identify himself with a deeper spirit of the environment. As a result he was constantly absorbed within himself, and though his lips were closed, his face indicated the spiritual fire within. Many were the persons who were attracted to him merely by his placid countenance and inward look. They would feel it a privilege to be of some service to him, and pressed Maharaj to receive it, but one whose mind was soaring high was altogether indifferent to any material comfort. It was difficult, if not impossible to persuade Maharaj to accept any gift. If extremely pressed, Maharaj would agree to accept something, but that would be so little and of such trifling nature that it would cause more astonishment than pleasure to the giver.
2) SWAMI ABHEDANANDA
(Apostles of Ramakrishna page no. 257)
He walked up to the sources of the Ganga and the Jmuna, spend most of the time in contemplation of the Absolute, visited sacred places like Kedarnath and Badrinarayan, Hardwar and Puri, Dwaraka and Rameswaram and met in the course of his extensive travels some of the greatest saints and scholars of the time in various centers of religious culture.
(God lived with them page no. 461)
He first went to Gaya and then Varanasi, Prayag, Agra, Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur, Khetri, Mount Abu, and Girnar. In Porbandar he heard that Vivekananda in Junagad; he went there and was delighted to see Swamiji. From Junagad Abhedananda went to Dwaraka, Krishna’s Kingdom on the cost of the Arabian Sea. A Gujarati devotee brought a ticket for him so that he could travel to Bombay by ship.
3) SWAMI TRIGUNATITANANDA
(Apostles of Ramakrishna page no. 351)
At last in 1891 he started on pilgrimage and visited Vrindaban, Mathura, Jaipur, Ajmer, and Kathiawar. At Porbandar in Kathiawar he unexpectedly met Swamiji, who during that time wanted to keep his whereabouts secret from his brother disciples. After visiting some other places on the way, Swami Trigunatitananda returned to Baranagor.
(God lived with them page no. 497)
After visiting various places, he arrived at Dwaraka, a place where Krishna had lived on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Then he went to Porbandar, or Sudama Puri, by boat and found lodging at the Hatkeshwar Shiva Temple. There he met some monks who planning to visit Hingalaj, a difficult pilgrimage in the western desert of India.
The group of monks thought it would be easier if they could go to Karachi by boat and then by camel to Hinglaj. But who could bear the expenses? They heard a learned Bengali monk living with Dewan of Porbandar, so they decided to go with Trigunatita, as he was Bengali, to ask the monk for financial help. This learned monk turned out to be Swami Vivekananda, who was surprised to se Trigunatita there. When Swamiji learned the cause of his visit, he said to him: “I can’t ask for money from anybody. Whatever you have, give to them.” However, when the Dewan heard about it, he fulfilled the wish of the pilgrims.
Trigunatita talked to Swamiji for long time and then returned to the Hatkeshwar Temple. The next day, when he was about leave with other monks, Swamiji came and took him to his residence. Trigunatita stayed with the Dewan and Vivekananda a couple of days and then, at Swamiji’s request, went to Junagad where he lived with Haridas Viharidas, the Dewan of Junagad, for several days. Then after visiting several other places, he returned to the Ramakrishna Monastery, which had been moved from Baranagor to Alabazar.
4) SWAMI SUBODHANANDA
(Apostles of Ramakrishna page no. 541)
In the early part of 1890 they went on pilgrimage to Omkarnath and Panchavati in Central India; Bombay, Dwaraka, Girnar, Puskar in west India, and later to Vrindaban, the playground of Sri Krishna.
5) SWAMI VIJNANANANDA
(Apostles of Ramakrishna page no. 611)
In 1932 he visited Chittrakut, where Lord Ramachandra stayed during his banishment; Dwaraka on the shore of the Arabian Sea, where the Lord Krishna lived; Rajkot in Gujarat; and Bombay.
6) SWAMI TURIYANANDA
(Swami Turiyananda page no. 37)
Soon after leaving the Alambazar Math, Swami Turiyananda went to places of pilgrimage in western India, in saurashtra. He found that the mountain region of Girnar had an atmosphere conducive to meditation, and so he settled down there in a cave. After few months he moved on towards the Ganges, and probably due to frequent changes of climate and bad food he fell ill. Day by day the sickness grew worse. Finally he thought it is wise to consult a doctor and started toward a village to find one. On the way suddenly he remembered verse which has special reference to a holy man if he falls ill: “For the sick Sadhu, the medicine is Ganges water and Lord Narayana is the doctor.” These words immediately made him feel ashamed to seek an ordinary doctor; it was as if he had lost his very faith in God. And so he did not go to the village, but went to the riverside, took some ships of Ganges water, repeated the Lord’s name, and returned to the cave. Strangely enough, soon after that he was cured.
7) SWAMI SARADANANDA
(Apostles of Ramakrishna page no. 182)
On the 7th February 1899, Swami Saradananda along with Swami Turiyananda started for Gujarat for preaching and collecting funds for the Math. After visiting Kanpur, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Limbdi, Junagad, Bhavnagar etc. they returned to Math in early May on receiving a wire from Swamiji who planed to start for west again.
8) SWAMI ADVAITANANDA
(Apostles of Ramakrishna page no. 302)
He traveled extensively and visited, at one time or other in his life, sacred places like Kedaranath, Badrinarayan, and Hardwar in the north, Dwaraka in the west, and Rameswaram and other places in the south. He kept sound good health till the good old age he lived to. After suffering for some time from stomach trouble, he passed away on 28th December 1909, at the age of eighty-one.