 | |
| Abbreviation | RKM |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1 May 1897; 128 years ago (1897-05-01) Calcutta,Bengal Presidency,British India (present-dayKolkata,West Bengal,India) |
| Founder | Swami Vivekananda |
| Type | Religious organisation |
| Legal status | Foundation |
| Purpose | Educational,philanthropic,religious studies,spirituality |
| Headquarters | Belur Math, West Bengal,India |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 22°22′N88°13′E / 22.37°N 88.21°E /22.37; 88.21 |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Swami Gautamananda | |
| Affiliations | Advaita Vedanta (Hinduism) |
| Website | belurmath |
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Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a spiritual and philanthropic organisation headquartered inBelur Math, West Bengal.[1][2] The mission is named after the Indian Hindu spiritual guru and mysticRamakrishna.[1] The mission was founded by Ramakrishna's chief discipleSwami Vivekananda on 1 May 1897.[1]The organisation mainly propagates theHindu philosophy ofVedanta–Advaita Vedanta and fouryogic ideals –Jnana,Bhakti,Karma, andRaja yoga.[3][1] The mission bases its work on the principles ofKarma yoga, the principle of selfless work done with a dedication to God.[1]
The Math and the Mission are the two key organisations that direct the work of the Ramakrishna movement. The Ramakrishna Math, alternatively referred to as the Ramakrishna Order, is a monastic institution associated with the religious movement established by Ramakrishna in 1886. The primary emphasis of the Math lies in the cultivation of spiritual development and the dissemination of the movement's doctrines.[4]
The Mission, founded by Vivekananda in 1897,[5] is ahumanitarian organisation that carries out medical, relief, and educational programs. Both organisations have headquarters atBelur Math.[4]
The Mission acquiredlegal status when it was registered in 1909 under Act XXI of 1860. Its management is vested in a Governing Body. Though the Mission with its branches is a distinctlegal entity, it is closely related to the Math.
The elected trustees of the Math also serve as the Mission's Governing Body.[4]
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836–1886), regarded as a 19th-century mystic, was the inspirer of theRamakrishna Order ofmonks[6] and is regarded as the spiritual founder of the Ramakrishna Movement.[7][8] Ramakrishna was a priest at theDakshineswar Kali Temple and attracted several monastic and householddisciples.
In 1886, shortly before his death, Ramakrishna gave the ochre cloths of renunciation to his young disciples, who were planning to become renunciants. Ramakrishna entrusted the care of these young aspirants to Vivekananda. After his death, the youngdisciples of Ramakrishna gathered and practised spiritual disciplines. They took informal monastic vows on the night of 24 December 1886.[6]
After the death of Ramakrishna in 1886, the monastic disciples formed the firstMath (monastery) atBaranagore. Later, Vivekananda became a wandering monk, and in 1893, he was a delegate at theParliament of the World's Religions held in the year 1893. His speech there, beginning with "Sisters and Brothers of America," became famous and brought him widespread recognition.Vivekananda went on lecture tours and held private discourses onHinduism andspirituality. He also founded the firstVedanta Society in the United States, in New York. He returned to India in 1897 and founded the Ramakrishna Mission on 1 May 1897.[6] Though Vivekananda was a Hindu sadhu and was hailed as the first Hindu missionary in modern times, he exhorted his followers to be true to their faith and respect all the religions of the world, as Ramakrishna, his guru, had taught that all religions are pathways to God. One such example is his exhortation thatone can be born in a church, but he or she should not die in a church, meaning that one should realise the spiritual truths for themselves and not stop at blindly believing in doctrines taught to them. The same year, famine relief was started at Sargachi bySwami Akhandananda, a direct disciple of Ramakrishna. Swami Brahmananda, a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, was appointed as the first president of the Order. After the death of Vivekananda in 1902,Sarada Devi, the spiritual counterpart of Ramakrishna, played an important role as the advisory head of a nascent monastic organisation.Gayatri Spivak writes that Sarada Devi "performed her role with tact and wisdom, always remaining in the background."[9]
The Board of Trustees holds all the authority inside the twin organisation, Ramakrishna Math and Mission. The governing body known as the Board of Trustees consists of several key positions, including an elected President, one or more vice presidents, a General Secretary, one or more Assistant General Secretaries, and a Treasurer.[10]
The individual holding the position of President serves as the highest authority within both Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, overseeing all affiliated branch centres and the central headquarters located at Belur Math.[10][11]
The composition of the Board of Trustees comprises elected members of the Ramakrishna Order who hold senior positions as monks. The appointment of a head is done by the Trustees, who designate the head of a branch centre of Ramakrishna Math.[10]
The Ramakrishna Movement comprises four distinct streams. The inclusion of ordinary devotees assuming the role of monks within the Ramakrishna Math constitutes the initial manifestation of the movement. The second stream consists of lay devotees who choose not to renounce the world but instead engage in voluntary activities. The third stream is Sarada Math and the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission. The fourth branch is the "Private Ashramas," which operate autonomously and are not administratively affiliated with the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.[12]
The aims and ideals of the Mission are purelyspiritual and humanitarian, and they have no connection with politics.[13] The mission strives to practice and preach these.[14] The Principles of theUpanishads andYoga in theBhagavad Gita are reinterpreted in light of Ramakrishna's life and teachings, and are the main source of inspiration for the Mission.[15]
Manifestation of the Atman can be realised through any of the four yogas. The Ramakrishna Mission also believes in the harmony of all religions, i.e. that all religions lead to the same goal if followed properly.[16]
After the death of Ramakrishna in 1886, his young disciples organised themselves into a new monastic order. The originalmonastery atBaranagar, known asBaranagar Math, was subsequently moved to the nearby Alambazar area in 1892, then to Nilambar Mukherjee's Garden House, south of the present Belur Math in 1898 before finally being shifted in January 1899 to a newly acquired plot of land atBelur inHowrah district by Vivekananda.[17]
Almost 95% of the monks possessvoter ID cards for the sake of identification and particularly for traveling, as they are forced by governmental authorities to seek a voter ID card. But they generally use it only for identification purpose and not for voting though they are not forbidden to vote. As individuals, the monks may have political opinions, but these are not meant to be discussed in public.[18][19]
The Mission, had, however, supported the movement ofIndian independence, with a section of the monks keeping close apolitical relations with freedom fighters of various camps. A number of political revolutionaries later joined the Ramakrishna Order.[20]
Former Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi and her mother went to theBelur Math headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission whereSwami Ranganathananda was her guardian.[21]
In interviews, current Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described visiting Hindu ashrams founded bySwami Vivekananda: theBelur Math nearKolkata, theAdvaita Ashrama inAlmora and the Ramakrishna Mission inRajkot. His stay at each ashram was brief because he lacked the required college education.[22] Vivekananda has had a large influence in Modi's life.[23]
Designed and explained by Swami Vivekananda in his own words:[24]
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Social service and health promotionat the Home of Service – Ramakrishna Mission, Varanasi, India
The principal workers of the mission are the monks. The mission's activities cover the following areas:[14]
The mission has its ownhospitals, charitable dispensaries,maternityclinics,tuberculosis clinics, and mobile dispensaries. It also maintains training centres fornurses.Orphanages and homes for the elderly are included in the mission's field of activities, along with rural and tribalwelfare work.[26]
The mission has established many renowned educational institutions in India, having its ownuniversity,colleges,vocational training centres,high schools andprimary schools,teacher-training institutes, as well as schools for the visually handicapped.[26] It has also been involved indisaster relief operations duringfamine,epidemic,fire,flood,earthquake,cyclone and communal disturbances.[26]
The mission played an important role in the installation ofphotovoltaic (PV) lighting systems in theSundarbans region of West Bengal. Due to the geographical features of theSunderbans, it is very difficult to extend thegrid network to supply power to its population. The PV lighting was used to provide electricity to the people who were traditionally depending on kerosene and diesel.[27]
The mission is a non-sectarian organisation[28][full citation needed][29] and ignores caste distinctions.[30]
Ramakrishnaashrama's religious activities includesatsang andarati.Satsang includes communal prayers, songs, rituals, discourses, reading and meditation.Arati involves the ceremonial waving of lights before the images of a deity of holy person and is performed twice in a day.[31] Theirashramas observes majorHindu festivals, includingMaha Shivarathri,Rama Navami,Krishna Ashtami andDurga Puja. They also give special place to the birthdays of Ramakrishna,Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and his other monastic disciples.[31] 1 January is celebrated asKalpataru Day.[32]
The math and the mission are known for their religious tolerance and respect for other religions. Among the earliest rules laid down by Swami Vivekananda for them was, "Due respect and reverence should be paid to all religions, all preachers, and to the deities worshiped in all religions."[33] Acceptance and toleration of all religions is the one of ideals of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Along with the major Hindu festivals,Christmas Eve andBuddha's birthday are also devoutly observed.[31][33][34]Cyril Veliath a Jesuit ofSophia University writes that the Mission monks are a relatively orthodox set of monks who are "extremely well respected both in India and abroad", and that they "cannot be classified as just anothersect orcult, such as the groups led by thegurus". Veliath writes that "of the Hindu groups I have worked with I have found the Ramakrishna Mission to be the most tolerant and amenable to dialogue, and I believe that weChristians couldn't do better, than to cooperate wholeheartedly in their efforts towards inter-religious harmony.[35][36]
_to_meet_Swami_Atmasthananda_ji%2c_in_Kolkata_on_May_09%2c_2015.jpg)
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The Ramakrishna Mission has received numerous accolades throughout its lifetime:
In a speech made in 1993,Federico Mayor, Director-General ofUNESCO, stated:[45]
I am indeed struck by the similarity of the constitution of the Ramakrishna Mission which Vivekananda established as early as 1897 with that of UNESCO drawn up in 1945. Both place the human being at the center of their efforts aimed at development. Both place tolerance at the top of the agenda for building peace and democracy. Both recognize the variety of human cultures and societies as an essential aspect of the common heritage.
As of March 7, 2025, the Math and Mission have 263 centres all over the world: 200 in India, 26 in Bangladesh, 14 in the United States, two each in Canada, Russia, andSouth Africa and one each in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Fiji, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the UK, and Zambia. Besides, there are 44 sub-centres (14 within India, 30 outside India) under different centres.[46][47]
The centres of the Ramakrishna Order outside India fall into two broad categories. In countries such asBangladesh,Nepal,Sri Lanka,Fiji andMauritius, the nature of service activities is very similar to India. In other parts of the world, especially in Europe, Canada, the United States, Japan, and Australia, the work is mostly confined to the preaching ofVedanta, the publication of books and journals and personal guidance in spiritual matters.[48] Many of the centres outside India are called as the 'Vedanta Society' or 'Vedanta Centre'.
In 1980, in an act that caused "considerable debate" within the order, the mission petitioned the courts to have their organisation and movement declared a non-Hindu minority religion for the purpose of Article 30 of the Indian constitution.[49][50]
Many generations of monks and others have been of the view that the religion propounded and practised by Ramakrishna and his disciples was different from that practised by the Hindu masses then. They held that Ramakrishna's "Neo-Vedanta" is a truer version of the ideals of Vedanta. So it was honestly felt that this makes the followers of Ramakrishna eligible for the legal status of "minority". It is possible that the immediate cause for the appeal for minority status was the danger that the local Marxist government would take control of its educational institutions unless it could invoke the extra protection the Indian constitution accords to minority religions.[50][51]
While theCalcutta High Court accepted the Mission's pleas, theSupreme Court of India ruled against it in 1995, citing evidence that it had all the characteristics of aHindu organisation.[52] The Mission found it advisable to let the matter rest. The wisdom of the attempt by the Mission's leadership to characterise the Mission as non-Hindu was widely questioned within the membership of the organisation itself, and the leadership today embraces the Mission's status as both a Hindu organisation and as an organisation that emphasises the harmony of all faiths.[53]
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