BIOGRAPHY OF HIS HOLINESS SWAMI GHANANAND SARASWATI
The great Swami Vivekananda used to say that our Swamis ought to be the most humble, devoted and dynamic servants of humanity, renewing and re-vitalizing the lives of worldly people all the time and His Holiness, Swami Ghananand Saraswati passed this litmus test with distinction.
His Holiness Swami Ghananand Saraswati known in his early life as Guide Kwesi Essel was born to a traditional herbal doctor who had learnt the art from his father, who was very great in the knowledge of herbs and knew about many plants. He, however, got his spiritual interest from his mother, a traditional princess and a priestess.
Unfortunately, when he was a boy of about nine years, his mother who had enrolled him in school died which unfortunately interrupted his education. The void felt as the result of the demise of his dear mother at an early age stirred in His Holiness Swami Ghananand to seek solace in prayers.
At an early age His Holiness Swami Ghananand started to support his father in his trade of traditional herbal medicine. Innocently inspired by spirituality, Swami would voluntary oblige himself to also offer prayers for the sick who have come to his father for cure. As he realised that his prayers were effective and brought relieve to the sick, he deepened his practice of prayers and began to delve curiously into deeper spirituality.
His Holiness Swami Ghananand’s insatiable desire to seek deeper insight into spirituality led him to his friend who had returned from Burma and India and brought to him a catalogue from India which detailed discussions on Spiritism and that further deepened his curiosity about India. Swami Ghananand later on had the opportunity to write an address in India and was replied with a pamphlet which had at its back page pictures of some of the Hindu deities.
Although he was not literate in Sanskrit and was also ignorant about the images and symbols in the pamphlet he nonetheless got attracted to the images of the deities thus kept it and innocently offered to it prayers and devotion.
His Holiness Swami Ghananand despite his knowledge and exposure to native Spiritism through his mother was in search of a master, someone that will nature and guide him into the path of higher divine spirituality.
Over the years Swami Ghananand grew stronger and powerful in his practices and gained for himself the reputation as a successful healer thus he was consulted by people of all sort of life.
With an increasingly widespread reputation about his powers, Swami Ghananand was visited by two old men in Accra where he had relocated to from Senya Beraku in the Central Region which was his paternal home town.
These two prominent men in society, a traditional Chief and an advisor to Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, both expressed their respect for his abilities and advised him to visit India and find a Guru to guide his path; an opportunity he had been hoping for.
The interest of Yoga Science was a growing curiosity amongst some Ghanaians but the absent of Gurus and Temples undermined any opportunity for practice and initiation into the discipline.
His Holiness Swami Ghananand driven by spirituality established a prayer group. One faithful day as he went out to purchase incense and candles for prayers, a young man gave to him a Divine Life Society, India pamphlet and obviously excited about it went to have a discussion with the two old men who had encouraged him to consider a pilgrimage to India for further enlightenment. With the advice from the Old men, Swami Ghananand wrote to an address on the pamphlet about his interest to visit India.
Driven by his desire to seek deeper spirituality, support was sourced to unable the young Ghanaian, motivated by the idea of finding out about spirituality, began his journey to India and reached the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, in the early seventies.
After a few days at the Ashram, he had doubts regarding the purpose of his being there since both the language and culture were so different. It was then that some of the resident Brahmacharis approached His Holiness Swami Krishnananda, the General Secretary of the Ashram, and informed him that the young man from Ghana appeared confused and disturbed.
His Holiness Swami Krishnananda then called him and asked what the problem was and he explained his difficulty in understanding and appreciating the discipline taught at the Monastery as he was only familiar with his native spirituality and Christianity.
His Holiness Swami Krishnananda then told him to just listen to whatever they said and that understanding would follow much later. Due his special and peculiar needs the Vedanta School which was closed was reopened to support him.
After studying at the Ashram for two years, he indicated to His Holiness Swami Krishnananda his desire to return home to which Swami happily obliged and told him to go and spread the knowledge he had gained.
A new chapter was to begin for Swami Ghananand Saraswati. On his return home, he started regular Pujas every Saturday and Sunday at his place of residence at Odorkor in Accra, now the Hindu Monastery of Africa. At the time, he knew nothing about his guru to be, His Holiness Swami Krishnanand Saraswati of the Human Service Trust and as the saying goes, 'whenever the student is ready, the Master appears.
So it came to pass that, His Holiness Swami Krishnanand Saraswati happened to have visited Ghana and heard of a young Ghanaian who conducted satsang (puja) regularly and therefore invited this young man now known as Esselji after his visit to India.
Swami Krishnanand asked him to work with him and he readily obliged. Esselji then approached Swami Krishnanand and indicated to him his desire of becoming a Swami of which Swami Krishnanand dismissed. He went again the second time and was sent away again. However due to the persistence plead by Esseji to be initiated, Swami Krishnanand eventually obliged to the request to initiate the former.
Swami Krishnanand then requested to see his parents, wife and children. After meeting with them, they told Swami Krishnanand that he used to fast for months and looked like a skeleton and they knew they could not stop him. Swami Krishnanand said to them, 'he is going to renounce and will not come to you anymore. The family agreed and said,' once we see that he is not dying, and is sitting here, we will be happy.
With the family's consent, Swami Krishnanand agreed to initiate Esselji, a ceremony that brought together Chiefs, Government Ministers, Royals, Judges and the Indian Community in Ghana, etc., to witness the initiation ceremony in March, 1975, where Esselji was given the Monastic name, Swami Ghananand Saraswati. Therefore, the Divine Life Society, Ghana, was reconstituted as the Hindu Monastery of Africa by His Holiness Swami Krishnanand making Swami Ghananand its first Monk.
Since then, Swami Ghananand Saraswati has made a huge contribution to the spread of the knowledge of Sanatana Dharma. Under his divine leadership the Hindu Monastery has established five (5) branches in Ghana and a branch in Togo. His Holiness Swami Ghananand Saraswati has to his credit fifteen (15) books all on Hinduism.
His Holiness Swami Ghananand Saraswati known in his early life as Guide Kwesi Essel was born to a traditional herbal doctor who had learnt the art from his father, who was very great in the knowledge of herbs and knew about many plants. He, however, got his spiritual interest from his mother, a traditional princess and a priestess.
Unfortunately, when he was a boy of about nine years, his mother who had enrolled him in school died which unfortunately interrupted his education. The void felt as the result of the demise of his dear mother at an early age stirred in His Holiness Swami Ghananand to seek solace in prayers.
At an early age His Holiness Swami Ghananand started to support his father in his trade of traditional herbal medicine. Innocently inspired by spirituality, Swami would voluntary oblige himself to also offer prayers for the sick who have come to his father for cure. As he realised that his prayers were effective and brought relieve to the sick, he deepened his practice of prayers and began to delve curiously into deeper spirituality.
His Holiness Swami Ghananand’s insatiable desire to seek deeper insight into spirituality led him to his friend who had returned from Burma and India and brought to him a catalogue from India which detailed discussions on Spiritism and that further deepened his curiosity about India. Swami Ghananand later on had the opportunity to write an address in India and was replied with a pamphlet which had at its back page pictures of some of the Hindu deities.
Although he was not literate in Sanskrit and was also ignorant about the images and symbols in the pamphlet he nonetheless got attracted to the images of the deities thus kept it and innocently offered to it prayers and devotion.
His Holiness Swami Ghananand despite his knowledge and exposure to native Spiritism through his mother was in search of a master, someone that will nature and guide him into the path of higher divine spirituality.
Over the years Swami Ghananand grew stronger and powerful in his practices and gained for himself the reputation as a successful healer thus he was consulted by people of all sort of life.
With an increasingly widespread reputation about his powers, Swami Ghananand was visited by two old men in Accra where he had relocated to from Senya Beraku in the Central Region which was his paternal home town.
These two prominent men in society, a traditional Chief and an advisor to Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, both expressed their respect for his abilities and advised him to visit India and find a Guru to guide his path; an opportunity he had been hoping for.
The interest of Yoga Science was a growing curiosity amongst some Ghanaians but the absent of Gurus and Temples undermined any opportunity for practice and initiation into the discipline.
His Holiness Swami Ghananand driven by spirituality established a prayer group. One faithful day as he went out to purchase incense and candles for prayers, a young man gave to him a Divine Life Society, India pamphlet and obviously excited about it went to have a discussion with the two old men who had encouraged him to consider a pilgrimage to India for further enlightenment. With the advice from the Old men, Swami Ghananand wrote to an address on the pamphlet about his interest to visit India.
Driven by his desire to seek deeper spirituality, support was sourced to unable the young Ghanaian, motivated by the idea of finding out about spirituality, began his journey to India and reached the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, in the early seventies.
After a few days at the Ashram, he had doubts regarding the purpose of his being there since both the language and culture were so different. It was then that some of the resident Brahmacharis approached His Holiness Swami Krishnananda, the General Secretary of the Ashram, and informed him that the young man from Ghana appeared confused and disturbed.
His Holiness Swami Krishnananda then called him and asked what the problem was and he explained his difficulty in understanding and appreciating the discipline taught at the Monastery as he was only familiar with his native spirituality and Christianity.
His Holiness Swami Krishnananda then told him to just listen to whatever they said and that understanding would follow much later. Due his special and peculiar needs the Vedanta School which was closed was reopened to support him.
After studying at the Ashram for two years, he indicated to His Holiness Swami Krishnananda his desire to return home to which Swami happily obliged and told him to go and spread the knowledge he had gained.
A new chapter was to begin for Swami Ghananand Saraswati. On his return home, he started regular Pujas every Saturday and Sunday at his place of residence at Odorkor in Accra, now the Hindu Monastery of Africa. At the time, he knew nothing about his guru to be, His Holiness Swami Krishnanand Saraswati of the Human Service Trust and as the saying goes, 'whenever the student is ready, the Master appears.
So it came to pass that, His Holiness Swami Krishnanand Saraswati happened to have visited Ghana and heard of a young Ghanaian who conducted satsang (puja) regularly and therefore invited this young man now known as Esselji after his visit to India.
Swami Krishnanand asked him to work with him and he readily obliged. Esselji then approached Swami Krishnanand and indicated to him his desire of becoming a Swami of which Swami Krishnanand dismissed. He went again the second time and was sent away again. However due to the persistence plead by Esseji to be initiated, Swami Krishnanand eventually obliged to the request to initiate the former.
Swami Krishnanand then requested to see his parents, wife and children. After meeting with them, they told Swami Krishnanand that he used to fast for months and looked like a skeleton and they knew they could not stop him. Swami Krishnanand said to them, 'he is going to renounce and will not come to you anymore. The family agreed and said,' once we see that he is not dying, and is sitting here, we will be happy.
With the family's consent, Swami Krishnanand agreed to initiate Esselji, a ceremony that brought together Chiefs, Government Ministers, Royals, Judges and the Indian Community in Ghana, etc., to witness the initiation ceremony in March, 1975, where Esselji was given the Monastic name, Swami Ghananand Saraswati. Therefore, the Divine Life Society, Ghana, was reconstituted as the Hindu Monastery of Africa by His Holiness Swami Krishnanand making Swami Ghananand its first Monk.
Since then, Swami Ghananand Saraswati has made a huge contribution to the spread of the knowledge of Sanatana Dharma. Under his divine leadership the Hindu Monastery has established five (5) branches in Ghana and a branch in Togo. His Holiness Swami Ghananand Saraswati has to his credit fifteen (15) books all on Hinduism.