Math & Mission

Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are worldwide, non-political, non-sectarian spiritual organizations which have been engaged in various forms of humanitarian, social service activities for more than a century.

Inspired by the ideals of renunciation and service, the monks and lay devotees of the Math and Mission serve millions of men, women and children, without any distinction of caste, religion or race, because they see the living God in them.

The organizations were brought into existence by Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886), the great 19th century saint from Bengal who is regarded as the Prophet of the Modern Age, and Sri Ramakrishna’s chief disciple, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), one of the foremost thinkers and religious leaders of the present age, who is regarded as ‘one of the main moulders of the modern world’, in the words of an eminent Western scholar A.L. Basham.

Although Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are legally and financially separate, they are closely inter-related in several ways and are regarded as twin organizations.

The main goals and objectives of the twin organizations Ramakrishna Math and Mission, based on the principles of Practical Vedanta, are:

  • To spread the idea of the potential divinity of every being and how to manifest it through every action and thought.
  • To spread the idea of harmony of religions based on Sri Ramakrishna’s experience that all religions lead to the realization of the same Reality known by different names in different religions. The Mission honours and reveres the founders of all world religions such as Buddha, Christ and Mohammed.
  • To treat all work as worship, and service to man as service to God.
  • To make all possible attempts to alleviate human suffering by spreading education, rendering medical service, extending help to villagers through rural development centres, etc.
  • To work for the all-round welfare of humanity, especially for the uplift of the poor and the downtrodden.
  • To develop harmonious personalities by the combined practice of Jnana, Bhakti, Yoga and Karma.
  • To work for the all-round welfare of humanity, especially for the uplift of the poor and the downtrodden.
  •  To develop harmonious personalities by the combined practice of Jnana, Bhakti, Yoga and Karma.

The motto of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission is:

“Atmano mokshartham jagad hitaya cha”
“For one’s own salvation, and for the welfare of the world”.

Sri Sarada Math

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, the great patriot saint of India, had an unerring vision of the rejuvenation of his motherland. With a firm conviction, he said, “The national ideals of India are renunciation and service. Intensify her in those channels, and the rest will take care of itself.” With this end in view, he founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission organizations to train a band of Sannyasins to attain Self-realization, to serve the world in all possible ways and to preach Vedanta.

While founding the above organizations, Swami Vivekananda had an idea of starting similar organizations for women, for he knew that there would be no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women was improved as it was not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing. In one of his letters, he said, “Hence it is that my first endeavour is to start a Math for women.” He also wrote, “With Holy Mother as the centre of inspiration, a Math is to be established on the eastern bank of the Ganga. As Brahmacharins and Sadhus will be trained in this Math (Belur Math) so in the other Math also, Brahmacharinis and Sadhvis will be trained.”

Though the Swami was very eager to have a women’s Math started as quickly as possible where a band of educated Sannyasinis could be trained to serve humanity, his idea, however, could not take shape at that time because of lack of education among women and the prevailing social conditions.

Fifty years after his passing away, a number of educated women, inspired with his ideals of renunciation and service, came to dedicate their lives for their own spiritual growth as well as for the uplift of their sisters. In 1954, in the year of Holy Mother’s birth centenary, the authorities of the Belur Math thought that it was high time to give a concrete shape to the ideas of Swami Vivekananda. Accordingly, a suitable piece of land with some buildings was procured on the eastern bank of the Ganga, a little north of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple.

On the 2nd December, in the same year, Swami Sankarananda, the seventh President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, performed the opening ceremony of the Women’s Math in the presence of a large number of senior monks and Trustees of the Ramakrishna Order, including Swami Vishuddhananda, who was then the Vice-President, Swami Madhavananda, the General Secretary, Swami Vireswarananda, one of the Assistant Secretaries, besides the Brahmacharinis and a large number of devotees assembled from far and near.

The opening of Sri Sarada Math, as contemplated by Swami Vivekananda, added a new and very significant chapter to the socio-religious history of India.

The Math was run by the Brahmacharinis for some years successfully under the guidance of the Trustees of the Belur Math. Then it was decided to hand it over to the Brahmacharinis so that their work would be carried on independently.

On the 1st January, 1959, on the birthday of Holy Mother, eight senior members of the Sarada Math were invested with Sannyasa by Swami Sankarananda, who was then President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, in the old shrine of Belur Math. This was a preliminary step to the formation of an independent women’s organization. On the 26th August, 1959, Sri Sarada Math was given independent status and the Sannyasinis became its Trustees by virtue of a Deed of Trust executed by the President of the Ramakrishna Math.

On the 13th May, 1960, the Trustees of Sri Sarada Math, acting on the advice of the authorities of the Belur Math, founded the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Association which was registered under Act XXI of 1860 with the object of carrying on educational, cultural, charitable and similar activities among women and children, looking upon them as veritable manifestations of the Divine irrespective of caste, creed and nationality. Thus, Sri Sarada Math and the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, though legally separate, are basically one with the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, being their counterparts.

Source: www.belurmath.org, www.srisaradamath.org