entrance examination from a school in Rangpur in Bangladesh. He studied in Rajshahi and cooch Behar colleges and then from Bangabasi college in Kolkata. He did his Bachelor of Arts (graduation) from Presidency College in Kolkata. He secured a gold medal for being the first in Sanskrit in Calcutta University. He continued post graduate study in Chemistry but did not complete it. He joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1911 at the age of 22 and came in contact with eminent monks and direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, like Swami Brahmananda, Baburam Maharaj (Swami Premananda) and Swami Shivananda. He was initiated into Sannyasa (monkhood) in 1917 by Swami Brahmananda in Madras. Monastic life Between 1921 and 1924 he was the editor of Prabuddha Bharata, in Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati. In 1924, he became the president of Ramakrishna Math, Bombay and continued till 1926. He remained the president of Sri Ramakrishna Math at Mylapore, Madras, between 1926 and 1933. In 1928, he was appointed a member of the Board of Trustees of Ramakrishna Math and the Governing Body of Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math. In 1933 his first book, Universal Prayers, was published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras. In 1933 at the invitation of the devotees he was deputed to Wiesbaden in the Rhineland (Germany) for preaching Vedanta philosophy to the interested people. He stayed in Wiesbaden and toured to St. Moris, Geneva and other places of Switzerland between 1935 and 1938. He extended his activities to Europe and preached Vedanta as propounded by Vivekananda and Ramakrishna in London, Paris, the Hague, and in Scandinavia. In 1935 his second book The Divine Life was published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, adras. When the war started in Europe, he left Germany for the United States and in 1942 started a Vedanta centre in Philadelphia. He continued as the minister in charge of the Philadelphia centre till 1949 and then returned to India via Europe in 1950. In 1951, he became the president of Ramakrishna Ashrama in Bangalore after the demise of the then head, Swami Tyagiswarananda. In 1952, he was authorized by the trustees of the Belur Math to give spiritual initiation. He continued as the head of Bangalore centre and traveled to Madras, Bombay, Rangoon, Malaysia, New Delhi, Nagpur and various other places where he initiated many people. He established the Vivekananda Balaka Sangha in Banaglore Ashrama and also actively encouraged a group of