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Mahendranath Gupta
महेन्द्रनाथ गुप्त
M — the recorder of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
Years
1854 – 1932
Known as
Mahendranath Gupta — 'M', the disciple and chronicler of Sri Ramakrishna
Birthplace
Calcutta, Bengal
Field
Saints & Sages
“The words of the Master must be preserved for the world — they are the gospel of this age.”
— Mahendranath Gupta
The Story
Born in 1854, Mahendranath Gupta was a schoolmaster in Calcutta when, in 1882, he visited the temple of Dakshineswar and met Sri Ramakrishna. From that meeting he became the Master's devoted disciple — and, from the very first day, he began to note down in his diary the words and the moods of the saint.
For years M recorded the conversations at Dakshineswar and at the Master's later homes, and his notes preserve the living voice of Ramakrishna — his parables, his visions, his teaching of the unity of all religions. The book that grew from his diaries, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, published after the Master's death, became the scripture of the movement.
After the Master's passing, M continued as a teacher, expounding the Gospel to gatherings of devotees and helping to carry the message of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda to the world. He died in 1932, honoured as the evangelist of the tradition — the man who gave humanity the living word of its saint.
Core Ideas
The Gospel
His record of the Master's words is a world classic.
The Faithful Scribe
He noted the Master's words day by day.
The Disciple
Devoted to Sri Ramakrishna from 1882.
The Teacher
He expounded the Gospel to gatherings of devotees.
The Unity of Faiths
The teaching he preserved for all humanity.
Why it matters today
M is honoured wherever the tradition of Ramakrishna is known — the disciple whose faithful record gave the world its greatest portrait of a living saint. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is read across the globe, and its recorder's name stands with the Master's in the history of the spiritual movement of modern Bhārat.