A senior monk of Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Jyotirghanananda, popularly known as Santosh Maharaj, passed away at Ramakrishna Seva Pratishthan around 9.30pm on Tuesday.
He was 98.
Doctors said he had chronic ailments relating to the kidney along with diabetes and hypertension.
Swami Jyotirghanananda was initiated into the order by Swami Virajananda in 1952. He joined at the Jalpaiguri centre of the order and 16 years later, in 1968, he received sanyasa diksha from Swami Vireshwarananda, who went on to become the 10th president of the order.
Senior officials at Belur Math, the global headquarters of the order, said Swami Jyotirghanananda served at Rangoon, Bhubaneswar, Katihar, Kankhal, Almora, Purulia and Belur Math. He was assistant and later head of the Varanasi Advaita Ashrama.
Swami Jyotirghanananda headed the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama in Manasadwip in Sagar Islands in South 24-Parganas, managing daily affairs with Swami Vivekananda’s mantra of shiva jnane jiva seva or serving every being as full manifestation of god. For a brief period, Santosh Maharaj had also served the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service Hospital in Varanasi before joining actively in several relief operations.
Over the past few years, Swami Jyotirghanananda had been living at Jayrambati and Belur Math touching lives with his austere, quiet and amiable nature. He was cremated at Belur Math on Wednesday afternoon.