FAQ

According to Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna's foremost disciple, this is the message of Sri Ramakrishna to the modern world:
"Do not care for doctrines, do not care for dogmas, or sects, or churches, or temples; they count for little compared with the essence of existence in each man which is spirituality; and the more this is developed in a man, the more powerful is he for good. Earn that first, acquire that, and criticise no one, for all doctrines and creeds have some good in them. Show by your lives that religion does not mean words, or names, or sects, but that it means spiritual realisation. Only those can understand who have felt. Only those who have attained to spirituality can communicate it to others, can be great teachers of mankind. They alone are the powers of light."

Swami Vivekananda continues:
The more such men are produced in a country, the more that country will be raised; and that country where such men absolutely do not exist is simply doomed nothing can save it. Therefore my Master's message to mankind is: Be spiritual and realise truth for Yourself. He would have you give up for the sake of your fellow-beings. He would have you cease talking about love for your brother, and set to work to prove your words. The time has come for renunciation, for realisation, and then you will see the harmony in all the religions of the world. You will know that there is no need of any quarrel. And then only will you be ready to help humanity. To proclaim and make clear the fundamental unity underlying all religions was the mission of my Master. Other teachers have taught special religions which bear their names, but this great teacher of the nineteenth century made no claim for himself. He left every religion undisturbed because he had realised that in reality they are all part and parcel of the one eternal religion.

Extract from http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_4/lectures_and_discourses/my_master.htm

An Extract from http://www.belurmath.org/sriramakrishna.htm
Click here to read the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna Online

Sri Ramakrishna, who was born in 1836 and passed away in 1886, represents the very core of the spiritual realizations of the seers and sages of India. His whole life was literally an uninterrupted contemplation of God. He reached a depth of God-consciousness that transcends all time and place and has a universal appeal. Seekers of God of all religions feel irresistibly drawn to his life and teachings. Sri Ramakrishna, as a silent force, influences the spiritual thought currents of our time. He is a figure of recent history and his life and teachings have not yet been obscured by loving legends and doubtful myths. Through his God-intoxicated life Sri Ramakrishna proved that the revelation of God takes place at all times and that God-realization is not the monopoly of any particular age, country, or people. In him, deepest spirituality and broadest catholicity stood side by side. The God-man of nineteenth-century India did not found any cult, nor did he show a new path to salvation. His message was his God-consciousness. When God-consciousness falls short, traditions become dogmatic and oppressive and religious teachings lose their transforming power. At a time when the very foundation of religion, faith in God, was crumbling under the relentless blows of materialism and skepticism, Sri Ramakrishna, through his burning spiritual realizations, demonstrated beyond doubt the reality of God and the validity of the time-honoured teachings of all the prophets and saviors of the past, and thus restored the falling edifice of religion on a secure foundation. Drawn by the magnetism of Sri Ramakrishna's divine personality, people flocked to him from far and near -- men and women, young and old, philosophers and theologians, philanthropists and humanists, atheists and agnostics, Hindus and Brahmos, Christians and Muslims, seekers of truth of all races, creeds and castes. His small room in the Dakshineswar temple garden on the outskirts of the city of Calcutta became a veritable parliament of religions. Everyone who came to him felt uplifted by his profound God-consciousness, boundless love, and universal outlook. Each seeker saw in him the highest manifestation of his own ideal. By coming near him the impure became pure, the pure became purer, and the sinner was transformed into a saint. The greatest contribution of Sri Ramakrishna to the modern world is his message of the harmony of religions. To Sri Ramakrishna all religions are the revelation of God in His diverse aspects to satisfy the manifold demands of human minds. Like different photographs of a building taken from different angles, different religions give us the pictures of one truth from different standpoints. They are not contradictory but complementary. Sri Ramakrishna faithfully practiced the spiritual disciplines of different religions and came to the realization that all of them lead to the same goal. Thus he declared, "As many faiths, so many paths." The paths vary, but the goal remains the same. Harmony of religions is not uniformity; it is unity in diversity. It is not a fusion of religions, but a fellowship of religions based on their common goal -- communion with God. This harmony is to be realized by deepening our individual God-consciousness. In the present-day world, threatened by nuclear war and torn by religious intolerance, Sri Ramakrishna's message of harmony gives us hope and shows the way. May his life and teachings ever inspire us.

- Swami Adiswarananda
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York

To know more visit the Holy Trio Page on our website

Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi was the divine consort of Sri Ramakrishna, and forms an integral part of his spiritual self and of the saving message he delivered to humanity.

Born on December 22, 1853 at Jayrambati in rural West Bengal, she was married to Sri Ramakrishna as a young girl of five and came to Dakshineswar to live with him at the age of eighteen. Not only was there no carnality in the relation of this divine couple, Sri Ramakrishna worshipped her as the Divine Mother Herself.

Sarada Devi, after his passing away, accepted the mantle of his spiritual mission and became the Mother for all his followers. Her compassion was unconditional. Sinners and saints found equally affectionate welcome in her presence. Living like a common woman doing all the household chores, she could yet lift those who sought her to great spiritual heights. Even after she left her mortal coil on July 20, 1920, her children around the world feel her affectionate care in their lives. She was purity personified and was a living demonstration of the ideal of the motherhood of God.

Extract from https://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/guidinglights/Issd1.aspx
Click here to read about the life of Sri Sarada Devi

Born in Calcutta on January 12, 1863, Swami Vivekananda was the chief disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. He was a marvelous blend of all excellences. Eager to know if God is true and perceptible, he was guided to Sri Ramakrishna who assured him from personal realization that God is the only Reality and can be communed with.

Questioning the Master at every step and accepting nothing without rigorous proof, he was able to realize for himself the truth of his Master’s ideas. After the Master's passing away he was commissioned with the task of spreading the Master’s messages across the world. He put India on the spiritual map of the world by his famous addresses at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. He made Vedanta popular in the West, and in India he established the twin organizations, the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, to train those who had renounced the world in search of God and to integrate the activities of individuals who chose to serve fellow men and women unselfishly. His brilliant speeches and writings constitute a rich legacy for all who care for the higher values of life.

Extract from https://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/guidinglights/Issv1.aspx
Click here to read The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

The Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic association founded by Sri Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on May 1, 1897. The Mission conducts extensive work in healthcare, disaster relief, rural management, tribal welfare, elementary and higher education and culture through its 114 centers spread across India. It uses the combined efforts of hundreds of ordered monks and thousands of householder disciples. The Mission claims to draw inspiration from the karma yoga.

In 1998 the Mission was awarded the Indian government's prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize.

This two-fold aim of service activities, indeed the whole ideology of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, has been formulated by Swami Vivekananda and put in a nutshell in the MOTTO of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.

In Sanskrit: Atmano mokshartham jagat hitaya cha,
In English: 'For one's own salvation and for the welfare of the world',

The ideology of Ramakrishna Math and Mission consists of the eternal principles of Vedanta as lived and experienced by Sri Ramakrishna and expounded by Swami Vivekananda. 

This ideology has three characteristics: it is modern in the sense that the ancient principles of Vedanta have been expressed in the modern idiom; it is universal, that is, it is meant for the whole humanity; it is practical in the sense that its principles can be applied to solve the day-to-day problems of life.

Extract from http://www.belurmath.org/Ideology.htm

Strictly speaking, the Ramakrishna Math is a monastic order, and the Ramakrishna Mission is the section that carries on activities such as disaster relief, operation of schools and charitable hospitals, and other work.

However, because the humanitarian activities of the movement are more well-known than the monastic order, and because the monks of the order perform a great deal of the humanitarian work, "Ramakrishna Mission" is popularly used to refer to both institutions.

Designed and explained by Swami Vivekananda (in his own words):

Sri Ramakrishna says, ‘One must have an awakening of the Spirit within in order to see the one unchanging Imperishable Reality.’ Mere reading and talking about spiritual truths is not enough. One should directly perceive the Light within.

How is the first awakening to be brought about? An illumined teacher does this for the disciple through a process of spiritual initiation. He does this through the process of “mantra diksha”— the granting of the Holy Name of God to the soul of the spiritual aspirant. Spiritual initiation brings the individual Self into harmony with the supreme Self. The power of initiation becomes manifest only in a pure soul who intensely yearns for God.

Extracted from 'Meditation and Spiritual Life' by Swami Yatiswarananda

The word mantra literally means ‘that which frees the soul through reflection’ (mananat trayate iti). To the dull-minded people, a mantra is a mere word or a formula. But for an advanced spiritual soul it is concentrated thought of great power leading to profound spiritual experiences. Through proper repetition of the mantra, one can attain the highest illumination and freedom.

Extracted from 'Spiritual Quest' by Swami Tapasyananda

According to Swami Tapasyananda;

“Consciousness is like a line with two ends, A and B; A standing for the subject side which is aware of the other; and B, which is forming itself continuously into various modes or images due to stimulations coming from outside through sensations or through the awakening of memories within. Now in the ordinary functioning of the mind, the subject side is very weak, taken up as it is entirely with B, the form-talking end of consciousness. Consequently we are totally ignorant of the nature of A and its background and are entirely identified with the body-mind and the experiences that are had through them.

Meditation is the process of stopping the image-forming tendency of B by shutting it off from the stimulations of external objects and of memory impressions and then making the undisturbed light of consciousness to look at itself (A) and its source. To counteract the memory impression, the mind will have to be concentrated in the early stages on contrary thought-images, which will gradually wean the mind from its mode-taking tendencies and settle it in the ultimate subject. This analysis is specially meant to show that meditation is not indulging in some sweet imaginings and seeking formations of one’s own subjective impressions. On the other hand meditation seeks to overcome all the subjective impressions and until this is achieved, thought will never settle in its own background. In the experience that is gained through really successful meditation, there is no place for the subconscious mind and its impressions. It is what takes us to the bedrock of reality.”

Extracted from 'Spiritual Quest' by Swami Tapasyananda

Vedanta is the source of one of the world's oldest major living religions, Hinduism. It is based on the philosophical books known as the Upanishads, which form the concluding portions of the ancient Indo-Aryan scriptures, the Vedas. The word "Vedanta" is, in fact, another word for the Upanishads. It means, literally, the end (anta) of the Vedas; it also means the culmination of spiritual knowledge (veda).

The basic teaching of Vedanta is that the essence of all beings and all things--from the blade of grass to the Personal God--is Spirit, infinite and eternal, unchanging and indivisible. Vedanta emphasizes that man in his true nature is this divine Spirit, identical with the inmost being and reality of the universe. There is, in short, but one reality, one being, and, in the words of the Upanishads, "Thou art That."

The Supreme Reality, Brahman, cannot be described; the most one can say of it is that it is Sat-Chit-Ananda--Absolute Existence, Consciousness, Bliss. Vedanta recognizes, however, that the absolute Brahman becomes manifest in various aspects and forms and is known by various names. In other words, Brahman, or God, is both formless and with form, impersonal and personal, transcendent and immanent.

Vedanta declares that one can realize God in whatever aspect one wishes, and, further, that one can realize him directly and vividly in this life, in this world. Such realization constitutes spiritual freedom and contains in infinite measure the fulfillment of all man's ideals and aspirations; it is indeed the true purpose of human life.

Vedanta holds that all religions lead to the same goal. Further, Vedanta reveres all great teachers and prophets, such as Sri Krishna, Lord Buddha, and Jesus Christ, and respects their teachings as the same eternal truth adapted to the needs of different times and peoples.

Vedanta teaches that there are various methods by which the individual, in accordance with his temperament, can realize God. The four primary methods, or paths, are jnana yoga, the path of knowledge; bhakti yoga, the path of devotion; karma yoga, the path of selfless action (physical, intellectual, or spiritual service); and raja yoga, the path of concentration. All these paths presuppose a highly moral and self-disciplined life. By following one or more of them under the guidance of a qualified teacher, one can fully and permanently discover the existence of divine Reality as the very essence of oneself and the universe.

Extract from http://www.sfvedanta.org/
Click here for more on Vedanta

Extracts from http://www.ramakrishnamath.in/order and http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Ramakrishna-Math

Swami Vivekananda regarded the neglect of the masses and neglect of women as the two main causes for the downfall of India.  He believed that the life and message of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi had great significance for the upliftment of women.  In one of his letters to a brother monk, Swamiji wrote: ‘Mother has been born to revive that wonderful Shakti in India; and making her the nucleus, once more will Gargis and Maitreyis be born into the world.’  On several occasions he expressed the wish to have a separate women’s monastic order on the lines of Ramakrishna Math, with Holy Mother as its ideal and inspiration.

His wish came to be fulfilled nearly half a century later.  As per the decision taken by the Trustees of Ramakrishna Math, a group of women, who had been leading a life of renunciation and service for several years, were given the vows of Brahmacharya at Belur Math on 27 December 1953, the sacred birthday of Sri Sarada Devi, which was also the day of inauguration of the year-long celebration of the Birth Centenary of Holy Mother.  On 2 December 1954, a new monastic order for women, known as Sri Sarada Math, was started at a place on the eastern bank of the Ganga, a little away from Dakshineswar Kali Temple.  On 1 January 1959, on the birthday of Holy Mother, eight senior members of Sri Sarada Math were ordained Sanyasinis at Belur Math.

In May 1960, the Sanyasinis established the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission.  Both the institutions carry on spiritual, cultural, educational, medical and charitable activities among women and children.

Contact Address: Sri Sarada Math, Dakshineswar, Kolkata - 700 076, India
Phones: 91-33-2564 5411, 91-33-2564-6566
Fax:      91-33-2564 4388
e-mail:  srisaradamath.gs@gmail.com, srismath@gmail.com
Website: www.srisaradamath.org

Extracts from http://www.belurmath.org/womenmonastic.htm

7. Can I get some suggested readings?

All the following books can be purchased online from the Ramakrishna Mission, Chennai online bookstore and from the Bookshop at the Mumbai Mission at Khar

All the following books can be purchased online from the Ramakrishna Mission, Chennai online bookstore and from the Bookshop at the Mumbai Mission at Khar.

Address:
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission Marg
12th Road, Khar (West)
Mumbai 400 052
Phone: 022-2649 4760 & 2646 4363
Fax: 022-2604 8568
Email: rkmkhar@vsnl.com

For details on how to get here, please click on Connect with us

There is formal worship in the morning, starting with Mangal Arati (day-break vespers) at 4.30 am, Puja and Bhog (food offering) between 7.30 & 11.00 am, and Arati (evening vespers) at sunset (the exact timings differ depending on the sunrise and sunset).

Devotees congregate for Bhajans after the evening Arati, and Sankirtanams on Ekadashi, and special occasions such as Shiva Ratri and Ram Navami.

At any time of the day you will find at least 3-4 devotees meditating in the sacred precincts of the temple.

The Shivananda Library and Free Reading room of RKM at Khar is equipped with wide range of books in various languages like English, Marathi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu

Books are available in various subjects like Religion, Philosophy, Literature, Science, History, Geography, Art, Music, Computer, Medical Engg, Languages and many others.

It also provides newspapers and periodicals in many local languages.

Classes and Lectures are conducted in other parts of the city such as Goregaon(West), Chembur, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar and Thane on religion and culture emphasizing always on the harmony and brother hood of humanity.

In Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre at 64, S.K. Bole Road, Dadar, religious classes and discourses in Marathi and Hindi are held on every Sunday evening and similar programmes in English, for ladies only, are held at Mumbai at the behest of Ramakrishna Sarada Samiti, on every Wednesday of the month.