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SHRI
RAMAKRISHNA MATH AND RAMAKRISHNA MISSION
ORIGIN AND OBJECT |
"For
self-realization and service to the world" |
|
- The fountain
- Shri Ramakrishna, born in 1836, lived only for 50 years. His was a
life of intense spiritual enlightenment. The confused age of political and religious
conflicts in India and abroad finds in his life, actions and utterances a flood of light
to dispel all doubts of the age of inquiry and challenge. Shri Ramakrishna established the
truth behind the major world religions. He was, in fact the embodiment of the Vedas.He
came to demonstrate the verities of the different major religions of the world. By his
realization of the Truth and Godhead through the varying paths, he proved the truth of the
Vedic adage: "truth is One; sages call it by various names." By his concern and
love for the miserable, he combined and harmonized the human and the spiritual. the
secular and the sacred, the temporal and the transcendental. By his spiritual sadhana at
Dakshineshwar in the suburb of Calcutta he, brought the hidden treasury of the Himalayan
caves to the crowded society. By his pure and absolute dedication to God, experimentation
with the religions and constant communion with God, Shri Ramakrishna proved that religion
and spirituality can stand the acid test of modern times thus creating new faith,
revitalising the higher values of life in a renascent India, rejuvenating her cultural and
spiritual heritage.
For the implementation of the Divine Mission for which Shri
Ramakrishna was born, he attracted in (1880-1886) a group of talented, bold, and heroic
young men of Calcutta, besides a few great men and women devotees. This band of youth was
headed by Swami Vivekananda. Prior to his Mahasamadhi, Shri Ramakrishna trained and
commissioned these few young men in the an and science of the spiritual life and gave them
the mission to spread the message all over the world.
- The Brotherhood And the Beginning of Ramakrishna Math
Soon after the Mahasamadhi of their great Master, the
band of selected young men were found in a monastery' started by them in haunted
house. Thus came into existence the first wing Of the organization, the Ramakrishna Math.
Those were days of intense spiritual practices and constant vigil. The brotherhood was
forgetful even about their bare food and minimum rest. The physical disappearance of the
Beloved Master from amongst them set ablaze the spirit of intense renunciation and
inspired them to be absorbed only in one-pointed devotion for God-vision. Then started the
period of Pravrajya. Vivekananda and his brother- disciples were out on pilgrimage over
the holy land of India. At the conclusion of his pilgrimage of all the four corners of
India, Swami Vivekananda sat on the island rock of Kanyakumari and in a flash visualized
the past glory of India, her present decadence and her future rise. He had a full vision
of the work ahead, the plan of his campaign for resurgent India and the spiritual good of
the world. He got his Guru's mandate to work out the Mission.
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- Destiny Sets The Stage
The Chicago Parliament of Religions provided for him the
platform in 1893. Unknown, Swami Vivekananda truly represented the great heritage of India
and became the hero there. The world was awakened to an altogether new awareness of India,
her great culture and spiritual treasure and began to look up to India now as a great
nation.
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- Beginning of the Ramakrishna Mission
- In India his brother disciples were organized for the great work
in the offing. Swami Vivekananda now wanted to set in motion another machinery to fulfil
the great objectives his Master Shri Ramakrishna lived for. On his return home, he
initiated this movement in 1 897.This was the beginning of Ramakrishna Mission.
Finally fired with the twin ideals of the Swami began to train a
band of monks for self-realization and to serve the world.In conjunction with the lay
disciples he now began missionary and philanthropic work looking upon all irrespective of
caste, creed or colour as vertiable manifestations of the Divine. The present home of this
Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission was established in Belur Math In 1899.
Subsequently the institution was registered under the name of the Ramakrishna Mission in
1909 under Act XXI of 1860.
- Ramakrishna Math And Mission Today
- Since then the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission
extended their spheres of activity, and had branches in different parts of the country and
abroad. Briefly stated the aims, objects and the activities of both Ramakrishna Mission
and Ramakrishna Math are as follows.
Aim : Self-realization and service to the world
Objects :
- To practice and propagate the Universal teachings of Vedanta as
preached by Shri Ramakrishna and practically illustrated in his own life, and promote
religious harmony and universal brotherhood.
- To look upon men and women, irrespective of caste, creed and
colour as vertiable manifestations of the Divine and serve all by ministering to their
physical, intellectual and spiritual needs.
Activities:
- Worship; training of monastic aspirants; religious preaching;
general and technical education with an ethical and spiritual background; medical service
famine distress, and other relief work ; rural uplift and work among the toiling and
emerging people of all classes; religio-cultural activities.
- Though the Ramakrishna Mission and the Ramakrishna Math their
respective branches, are distinct legal entities, they are closely related. The Governing
Body of the Mission is made up of the Trustees of the Math; the administrative work of the
Mission is mostly in the hands of monks of the Ramakrishna Math; and both have their
Headquarters at the Belur Math.The Math is constituted under a Trust with
well-defined rules of procedure. The Mission is a registered society. Both the
organizations take up charitable and philanthropic activities in a spirit of worship of
God in man. It is Ramakrishna or Swami Vivekananda by any institution does not necessarily
imply that it is controlled by the central organization at Belur.
- The Math and the Mission own separate funds and keep separate
accounts of them. Though both the Math and the Mission receive grants from the Central and
State Government and public bodies for their social activities, the other activities of
the Math are financed from offerings, publications, etc. and the Mission is supported by
fees from students, public donations, etc. Both the Math and the Mission funds are
annually audited by qualified auditors.
- Excluding the Headquarters at Belur Math, there are 134 branches
of the twin oraganizations of which 57 were Mission centres and 52 were Math centres and
25 combined Math & Mission centres. Moreover, attached to some of the branches. there
were 26 sub-centres where monastic workers resided more or less permanently. and the
Mission funds are annually audited by qualified auditors.and the Mission funds are
annually audited by qualified auditors.
| Types of
Activities | Word-Wide Centre |