Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Literature: The Bookshop & Library
The Ramakrishna Movement has been characterised by the development of a multi-dimensional body of intellectual work on virtually every aspect of spiritual life, Indian philosophic & spiritual tradition, the lives of the holy, and simple good-advice on how to lead one’s life.

Written by monks who have lived lives in conformance to their spoken and written words, this literature has the power to make an impact on one’s life, and perhaps change the course of one’s destiny.

Varied readership in the Library

Access to these books is not easy, restricted as it is to only bookstores that focus on spiritual life or bookstores run by the Ramakrishna Maths/ Missions in various cities and towns.

Some significant aspects of Ramakrishna Mission bookstores and libraries
1. One advantage of these books is that come in all major languages

The Bookshop

2. These are available for all age-groups – from the very young to the mature and reflective readers

3. They cater to all levels of spiritual engagement – from curiosity about spirituality to intense sadhana.

4. Access to these books – all reasonably priced, many subsidised by those who wish to serve through this medium – is available at the Ramakrishna Mission Bookshop & Library.

The Library
The Shivananda Library is on the top floor of the Vivekananda Hall building. It offers a collection of over 75,000 books from many of the worlds religions and sciences.

The Library

These include various languages such as English, Marathi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu, and subjects such as Religion, Philosophy, Literature, Science, History, Geography, Art, Music, Computers, Medical Engineering, and Languages.

The Library also offers a free reading room for study and reading of multiple topics. Besides the books, newspapers and periodicals in various languages can also be accessed.

The Library is open from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. The reading room, including newspapers, magazines is open to all. To borrow books, you can become a member at nominal rates.

Feel free to contact Swami Amurtananda on +91-22-26464363/ 26007276 (ext. 41) for any queries related to the Library.

The Bookshop

The bookshop is open in the morning between 8.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and in the evening between 4.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.

Besides an excellent selection of spiritual writings of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Literature, it also offers holy pictures, incense, music, etc.