Swami Omkaranandaji Maharaj is remembered in the Ramakrishna Order as an erudite scholar, a forceful speaker, and an expert in ritualistic performances.

He was born in Kolkata in November 1894. His father was a man of letters and his mother a devout lady. They named the newborn Anangamohan Niyogi.  When Ananga was of the school-going age, he was admitted to Martin Institution where ‘M’ or Mahendranath Gupta, a great devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and the chronicler of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, taught.  Admission to such a school paved the way for Ramakrishna-Vivekananda thoughts to make an impression on his fresh mind. As a brilliant student, Ananga endeared himself to ‘M’ and other teachers at the school.

After finishing school, Ananga enrolled for a BA degree at Scottish Church College in Kolkata. He visited Belur Math for the first time during his college days and started spending a day or two in that holy atmosphere. After obtaining the BA degree, he started studying for a MA degree which also he successfully secured.  At this stage, he decided to take a plunge into the monastic life and received much encouragement in this regard from Holy Mother Sarada Devi and Mahapurush Swami Shivanandaji.  The Holy Mother also bestowed mantra diksha on Ananga on the eve of his joining the order.

Ananga began his monastic life in Belur Math under the loving care and guidance of great monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Especially, Swami Premananda Maharaj’s devotion and service to Sri Ramakrishna made a great influence on him.

Ananga was deeply attached to Mahapurush Swami Shivanandaji from whom he received sannyasa diksha in 1923. Ananga now became Swami Omkarananda. While in Belur Math, he was engaged in various works of the monastery from dawn to dusk. The authorities also sent him occasionally to conduct relief operations at various places. Amid all these works Swami Omkarananda managed to study scriptures with interest and determination.

He was appointed a trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a Governing Body member of the Ramakrishna Mission in 1929.  That he was only 35 years old then indicates his talent and capacity which could not go unnoticed.

Feeling a sense of void in his heart following the Mahasamadhi of Swami Shivanandaji in 1934, Swami Omkarananda expressed his keen desire to take a break from his duties at Belur Math and go to Varanasi. He went there the next year (1935) and stayed for sixteen long years. In Varanasi, he set himself to the study of scriptures and giving classes to monks and lay devotees. From 1943 he also served as the head of Ramakrishna Advaita Ashrama, Varanasi, until he was called back to Belur Math in 1951.

Just a few days after his return to Belur Math, he moved to Ramakrishna Math (Yogodyan), Kankurgachhi, to take charge as its head. Till the end of his life, he discharged this responsibility with utmost sincerity and dedication, working for the all-round development of the centre. Side by side with his other duties, he strove for the propagation of Vedantic ideas as desired by Swami Vivekananda.  His lectures and classes in and around Kolkata were full of insights and received much appreciation from devotees.

After being elected a Vice-President of the twin organizations in 1966, he started giving mantra diksha to devotees. While his burning renunciation and high spiritual endowments were a source of constant inspiration to the younger monks, his sound advice and able guidance were of great value in the administrative matters of the Math and the Mission.

In the last few years of his life, Swami Omkarananda suffered from heart ailments. Nevertheless, he continued to preach the message of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda and Vedanta undeterred.

He attained Mahasamadhi on 8 May 1973 at the age of 79.