Early Life
Swami Shivananda or Tarak's father was Ramakanai Ghoshal, a pious Brahmin who also had a substantial income as a lawyer. He was a follower of Tantra in his personal live. He and his first wife Vamasundari Devi who was the mother of Tarak, provided free boarding and lodging to twenty five to thirty poor students. Ramkanai also knew Sri Ramakrishna personally as he used to visit Dakshineswar on matters of business. Tarak was contemplative and meditative in his childhood and was not attracted towards conventional education. Like other young boys of his age he was drawn towards Brahmo Samaj. After completing his school studies, Tarak took up a job with Mackinnon Mackenzie in Calcutta in order to help his father, though he used to practise spiritual disciplines most of the time. He had heard about Sri Ramakrishna when he was working in Delhi and now he came to know about him through a relative of Ramchandra Dutta, a foremost householder disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.
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