Psalm 122 starting "I was glad" was set to music by the British Composer Sir Hubert Parry. It was played during the Coronation of British Monarchs. It was also performed during the Royal Weddings of Charles & Diana and later of William & Kate.
Eleanor Parker wrote a children's classic called "Pollyanna" (1913). The eponymous heroine was also called "The Glad Girl" because even though she had a hard life, her father trained her to find out something to be glad about, however adverse the prevailing circumstances.
After losing her parents early, she comes to live with her unwelcoming aunt. Because of her sunny nature & undeniable charm, she wins over even the grumpy villagers with whom she has to live.
There are two references to the earlier children's classic "Winnie the Pooh". One is Pollyanna & Jimmy Bean, another orphan boy in the village are shown playing the game "Pooh sticks" (the game invented by Winnie) in the 2003 film & Pollyanna's nature is the opposite of the chronically depressed eyesore in "Winnie the Pooh."
She was not a "naïve child, but a gifted individual with an ability to direct her optimism & good nature towards positively influencing the negative, worldly, cynical or disillusioned emotions of the adults that inhabit her life". (quote from Wikipedia)
Her bronze statue was installed in Littleton, New Hampshire) in 2002.
Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ma Sarada Devi & Swami Vivekananda form a most unusual Holy Trinity in religion. They broke all conventions in gender, guru-shishya relationship. Sri Ramakrishna worshipped his consort as an embodiment of the Divine Mother.
Here it might be noted that in an instance only recorded in Bengali in a devotee's memoirs, he, while prostrating before the Holy Mother, wondered how this old woman can be regarded as the Divine Mother. He suddenly noticed a change & looked up at Her. He was awe-struck to see a divinely beautiful gorgeously dressed & bejewelled young woman as is pictured as the Devi in front of him. He promptly lost consciousness & was surprised on regaining it to see the same old woman tending him & saying "My son, what happened to you?".
When Swamiji was touring northern India, another religious man got jealous & cursed him. Swamiji underwent great suffering & had to leave that place. He came back & complained to the Holy Mother that Sri Ramakrishna (then having left his body) could not help him. She surprisingly agreed with him, proving even evil person's curses may harm holy people.
Even Sister Nivedita, in her extreme devotion to Swamiji, told the Holy Mother that Swamiji was even greater than Sri Ramakrishna! She took it with a smile!
An Advaita Ashrama was set up in the north by Swamiji for the exclusive meditation on the formless God. On a later visit, he noticed a photo of Sri Ramakrishna being worshipped there. He jokingly said "Oh, the old man has come here also!" & ordered it removed! This, from the man, who in his famous hymn "Khandana Bhava Bhanjana" had a line calling Sri Ramakrishna as the greatest incarnation of God (avatara varishtaya)!
Swamiji also once mimicked Sri Ramakrishna's frequent divine trances, by staggering about to the great amusement of his fellow monks! This, in the Hindu tradition where the guru is held in the highest veneration!
These instances show that the Holy Trinity broke all traditions to revitalise Hinduism, to bring it to the world platform & most importantly preach that all religions are equally valid, which idea was unheard of until then.
Josephine MacLeod (1858-1949), nicknamed "Joe" by Swamiji, was easily the most interesting of his associates in the West. However, she did not become a sannyasin like her friends Sister Nivedita & Sister Christine, but remained a Christian, claiming Swamiji made her a better Christian. She also did not like to be called his disciple, but a "friend."
She first met Swamiji in 1895, a day she remembered as her "Spiritual Birthday." He said that he could never repay the service she had done for the Ramakrishna Order & India. She funded the start of the "Udbodhan Press", the publications wing of the order.
After Swamiji's passing away, she went into depression for 2 years & after recovery, helped the Order in many ways. She & her married sister had access to people in high places, which they used to ward off the problems caused to the Order by the British government, which suspected that the monks of the Order were sympathisers of the Freedom movement.
Many anecdotes are extant of her colourful personality. When she had a stomach upset, she would fast for many days, ending with a lobster dinner! When Swami Brahmananda, the first President of the Order was visiting Bangalore, she also happened to visit & wanted to meet him. But Swami Brahmananda was averse to meeting ladies, however elderly they may be & tried to avoid her. But she was not to be put off & tracked him down exclaiming, "You naughty boy, why are you avoiding me?" She also visited Belur Math frequently, admonishing the monks there for any perceived lapses, so that she had become a "Holy Terror" to them!
She remained unmarried & passed away, fittingly at the Vedanta Society at California.
Psalm 122 starting "I was glad" was set to music by the British Composer Sir Hubert Parry. It was played during the Coronation of British Monarchs. It was also performed during the Royal Weddings of Charles & Diana and later of William & Kate.
There are two references to the earlier children's classic "Winnie the Pooh". One is Pollyanna & Jimmy Bean, another orphan boy in the village are shown playing the game "Pooh sticks" (the game invented by Winnie) in the 2003 film & Pollyanna's nature is the opposite of the chronically depressed eyesore in "Winnie the Pooh."
