Ramakrishna Sarada Math
Encyclopedia
Ramakrishna Sarada Math is a religious monastic order
, considered part of the Hindu reform movements
. It was established in the year 1929 at Bagbazar
, Kolkata
and Ramakrishna Mission
. The then manager of the Udbodhan Office, Bramhachari Ganendranath, had been accused of financial irregularities by the Mission authorities. Those charges were never established.
Ganendranath was an ardent 'sevak' of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi
. It can be seen in the biographies of the Holy Mother how deeply the Mother loved Ganendranath. Most of the photographs of the Mother were taken by him. Ganendranath was also an associate of Sister Nivedita
.
Kiran Chandra Dutt was one of the leading figures in Calcutta at that time. He belonged to the famous 'Dutt' family of Baghbazar. His family along with the family of Balaram Bose, a house holder disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, contributed much in the initial days of the Ramakrishna Order
.
Kiran Chandra and other lay devotees of the Math and Mission including Shyamadas Bachaspati, an ayurvedic
practitioner who treated the Holy Mother and Bhutnath Mukherjee, a renowned chartered accountant
, were opposed by the Belur Math administration during a general assembly session of the Mission in March, 1929.
Owing to difference of opinion with the then Belur Math
authorities, 22 monks and 107 house holder devotees of the order decided to form a new Math at a meeting at the legendary house of Pasupatinath Bose at Baghbazar to carry on the works on their own, based on the ideals of Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother and Swamiji. The Math was named as Sri Ramakrishna Sarada Math and the philanthropic Mission was named 'Vivekananda Mission'. The Math and Mission were registered according to government regulations on 13 December 1929.
By 1931 the Math and Mission had moved to its own house at 10, Ramakrishna Lane, Baghbazar.
(Tulsi Maharaj), one among the direct disciples of Ramakrishna and who devoted his life spreading the message of his Master in South India especially Kerala. He was also instrumental in developig the Bangalore
centre and establishig 18 Ashramas across Kerala mostly, two in present day Tamil Nadu and and one in Karnataka.But he held the post in a nominal way, while continuing to function as a representative of Ramakrishna Mission, founding ew centres and developing the existing centres. The first secretary of the Math was Kiran Chandra Dutt. The Vivekananda Mission did splendid relief work in the 1934 Bihar earthquake
.
After the demise of Tulsi Maharaj in 1938, Swami Amritananda, a disciple of the Holy Mother became its president till his death in 1941. Then Swami Chandreswarananda, a disciple of the Holy Mother and a brilliant orator became the president till he died in 1946. Swami Asitananda, a disciple of the Holy Mother, was the next president and he led the organisation till 1951.
Swami Tripurananda, a disciple of Swami Bramhananda, became the fifth president. He died in 1978. His disciple, Swami Vishnudevananda is the current president.
This Math used to publish a weekly magazine, 'Bharat'. Saralabala Sarkar, a leading Bengali writer, was associated with it and 'Sanjeevani' was the monthly organ. The first editor of 'Bharat' was Swami Chandreswarananda and the first editor of 'Sanjeevani' was Bramhachari Ganendranath. Swami Bhumananda published his famous biography of the Mother in the pages of 'Sanjeevani'.
Monasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work...
, considered part of the Hindu reform movements
Hindu reform movements
Several contemporary groups, collectively termed Hindu reform movements, strive to introduce regeneration and reform to Hinduism. Although these movements are very individual in their exact philosophies they generally stress the spiritual, secular and logical and scientific aspects of the Vedic...
. It was established in the year 1929 at Bagbazar
Bagbazar
There is also a bagbazar in Kathmandu, Nepal.Bagbazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
History
In 1929, an internal dispute arose within the ranks of Ramakrishna MathRamakrishna Math
Ramakrishna Math is a religious monastic order, considered part of the Hindu reform movements. It was set up by Swami Vivekananda to follow the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna...
and Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organizations which form the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement. The Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic, volunteer organization founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on...
. The then manager of the Udbodhan Office, Bramhachari Ganendranath, had been accused of financial irregularities by the Mission authorities. Those charges were never established.
Ganendranath was an ardent 'sevak' of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi
Sarada Devi
Sarada Devi , born Saradamani Mukhopadhyaya , was the wife and spiritual counterpart of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a nineteenth century mystic of Bengal. Sarada Devi is also reverentially addressed as the Holy Mother by the followers of the Ramakrishna monastic order...
. It can be seen in the biographies of the Holy Mother how deeply the Mother loved Ganendranath. Most of the photographs of the Mother were taken by him. Ganendranath was also an associate of Sister Nivedita
Sister Nivedita
- A benediction to Sister Nivedita by Swami Vivekananda Sister Nivedita ; ; , born as Margaret Elizabeth Noble, was a Scots-Irish social worker, author, teacher and disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She met Vivekananda in 1895 in London and travelled to Calcutta, India in 1898...
.
Kiran Chandra Dutt was one of the leading figures in Calcutta at that time. He belonged to the famous 'Dutt' family of Baghbazar. His family along with the family of Balaram Bose, a house holder disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, contributed much in the initial days of the Ramakrishna Order
Ramakrishna Order
The Ramakrishna Order is the monastic organization founded by Sri Ramakrishna and his disciple Swami Vivekananda. It encompasses the twin organizations Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, both headquartered at Belur Math near Kolkata, India....
.
Kiran Chandra and other lay devotees of the Math and Mission including Shyamadas Bachaspati, an ayurvedic
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
practitioner who treated the Holy Mother and Bhutnath Mukherjee, a renowned chartered accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
, were opposed by the Belur Math administration during a general assembly session of the Mission in March, 1929.
Owing to difference of opinion with the then Belur Math
Belur Math
' or Belur Mutt is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta...
authorities, 22 monks and 107 house holder devotees of the order decided to form a new Math at a meeting at the legendary house of Pasupatinath Bose at Baghbazar to carry on the works on their own, based on the ideals of Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother and Swamiji. The Math was named as Sri Ramakrishna Sarada Math and the philanthropic Mission was named 'Vivekananda Mission'. The Math and Mission were registered according to government regulations on 13 December 1929.
By 1931 the Math and Mission had moved to its own house at 10, Ramakrishna Lane, Baghbazar.
Presidents
The first president of the Math was Swami NirmalanandaSwami Nirmalananda
Swami Nirmalananda, born as Tulasi Charan Dutta in Calcutta, was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, the 19th century mystic and saint from India, and Swami Vivekananda, the great philosopher monk from India who established the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission...
(Tulsi Maharaj), one among the direct disciples of Ramakrishna and who devoted his life spreading the message of his Master in South India especially Kerala. He was also instrumental in developig the Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
centre and establishig 18 Ashramas across Kerala mostly, two in present day Tamil Nadu and and one in Karnataka.But he held the post in a nominal way, while continuing to function as a representative of Ramakrishna Mission, founding ew centres and developing the existing centres. The first secretary of the Math was Kiran Chandra Dutt. The Vivekananda Mission did splendid relief work in the 1934 Bihar earthquake
1934 Bihar earthquake
The 1934 Bihar earthquake was one of the worst earthquakes in India's history. Some 30,000 people were said to have died. Munger and Muzaffarpur were completely destroyed. This 8.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on January 15, 1934 at around 2:13 PM and caused widespread damage in the northern...
.
After the demise of Tulsi Maharaj in 1938, Swami Amritananda, a disciple of the Holy Mother became its president till his death in 1941. Then Swami Chandreswarananda, a disciple of the Holy Mother and a brilliant orator became the president till he died in 1946. Swami Asitananda, a disciple of the Holy Mother, was the next president and he led the organisation till 1951.
Swami Tripurananda, a disciple of Swami Bramhananda, became the fifth president. He died in 1978. His disciple, Swami Vishnudevananda is the current president.
This Math used to publish a weekly magazine, 'Bharat'. Saralabala Sarkar, a leading Bengali writer, was associated with it and 'Sanjeevani' was the monthly organ. The first editor of 'Bharat' was Swami Chandreswarananda and the first editor of 'Sanjeevani' was Bramhachari Ganendranath. Swami Bhumananda published his famous biography of the Mother in the pages of 'Sanjeevani'.