He received initiation from the Holy Mother at Jayrambati in March 1909 and subsequently joined the monastery in Chennai in January 1910.
[2] Later, his younger brother Vimal joined the Order, adopting the name Swami Dayananda.
There, he initiated the publication of a Hindi-language periodical called Samanvaya, with the assistance of the Hindi poet Suryakant Tripathi, 'Nirala'.
Madhavananda played a significant role in promoting the teachings of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda in Gujarat and in establishing the Rajkot Center.
He translated various scriptures, including the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhasha Paricchheda.