Ramakrishna Mission

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836–1886), a 19th-century mystic, was the spiritual founder of the Ramakrishna Movement and the inspiration for the Ramakrishna Order of monks. Ramakrishna was a priest at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple who drew a large number of monastic and lay followers. One of the most important monastic students was Narendranath Dutta, who eventually became Swami Vivekananda. According to Vrajaprana, Ramakrishna handed the ochre robes to his youthful students who were intending to become renunciates just before his death in 1886. Vivekananda was entrusted with the care of these young boys by Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna's youthful pupils gathered after his death and practised spiritual practises. On the night of December 24, 1886, they took informal monastic vows. The monastic disciples founded the first Math (monastery) in Baranagore after Ramakrishna's death in 1886. Vivekananda later became a travelling monk and was a representative to the World Parliament of Religions in 1893. His address, which began with "Sisters and Brothers of America," became well-known and earned him enormous acclaim. Vivekananda gave public lectures and private talks on Hinduism and spirituality. In New York, he also formed the first Vedanta Society in the United States. In 1897, he went to India and established the Ramakrishna Mission on May 1, 1897. He urged his followers to stay faithful to their faith while respecting other religions of the world, as his master Ramakrishna had taught that all religions are paths to God. He was a Hindu sadhu and was recognised as the first Hindu missionary in contemporary times. One example is his assertion that one can be born in a church but should not die in one, implying that one should discover spiritual truths for oneself rather than relying on ideas given to them. Swami Akhandananda, a direct student of Ramakrishna, began famine assistance in Sargachi the same year. The first president of the Order was Swami Brahmananda, a direct student of Ramakrishna. Sarada Devi, Ramakrishna's spiritual equivalent, played a significant role as the advising leader of a budding monastic organisation after Vivekananda's death in 1902. Sarada Devi "played her duty with tact and intelligence, always remained in the background," according to Gayatri Spivak.