May 1, 1897, marks an important event in the history of Indic renaissance: the formal establishment of the organization that is known today as the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission (RKM). The seed planted by Swami Vivekananda (SV) that day has today blossomed into a global organization spread over 25 countries that is renowned for the academic excellence of its publications related to Hinduism (the most widely used and cited English translations of the प्रस्थानत्रयी texts – the ten principal उपनिषद्, the ब्रह्म सूत्र, and the भगवद्गीता, and many other important jewels of Vedānta, are all published by the RKM order), and especially in India, medical and educational institutions, and relief and rehabilitation services in all types of disasters. As we celebrate 125 years of exemplary contributions by this movement, let us analyze the foundational principles that have been the cause of this success.

1. Three Spiritual Gurus Merged Into One

The movement was founded in the name of Sri Ramakrishna (SRK), the 19th-century mystic and spiritual guru of Swami Vivekanand, 11 years after his demise. Sri Ramakrishna had expressed a desire to band together his 16 disciples who had left their homes for a monastic life, but it was left to Swami Vivekananda to make this dream a reality after his highly successful voyage to the West (1893-1897). 

Although Swami Vivekananda was their undisputed leader, his brother disciples were also fired with spiritual zeal and complete allegiance to Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings. The role played by Sri Sarada Devi (SD, 1853-1920), the spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna, is pivotal in the first two decades of this organization, especially after SV’s demise in 1902, just five years after founding this movement. She was not only the संघ माता, the spiritual mother of the monks and the householder devotees, but her not-well publicized talents in organizational management, interpersonal skills, and unwavering moral support to Swami Vivekananda’s guru bhais in the face of fierce adversities (financial, hardships for attendants upon the suspicion of the British authorities that it was harboring terrorists), enabled Ramakrishna Mission to be resilient and to carry on after her demise. 

This unique feature of three coequal spiritual gurus (Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda) provides the completeness of the Ramakrishna Mission. What is most revealing is the recollection of many old sadhus that they joined the order after being mesmerized by Swami Vivekananda’s speeches, but soon after realized that Sri Ramakrishna permeates every fiber of this entity, and again, it is the divine motherhood of Sarada Devi that provides the glue, i.e., these three personalities merge into one ideal. This three-in-one, one-in-three quality will continue to help the movement thrive in the future.

2. Marriage Of Contemplation And Service

Ramakrishna Mission was founded on a radical idea: the monks would not be confined to the monastery but participate in many activities for the society, but be completely detached from all benefits/recognition that may accrue from this involvement. This philosophy seemed to be a lose-lose proposition; the traditional monastic orders saw this as a complete abandonment of their basic goal of a completely contemplative life, and at the same time, many social organizations and common citizens ridiculed the idea of a religious organization trying to provide social services, something that could be delivered much better by professional NGOs and governmental agencies. But it was the genius of Swami Vivekananda that was reflected in the motto of this organization, आत्मनो मोक्षार्थं जगद्हिताय च,- For the salvation of our individual selves and for the well-being of all on earth.  

The service aspect is guided by the Bengali axiom that Swami Vivekananda was fond of, Śiva jñāne jīva sevā (serve all beings with the realization that they are manifestations of the divine). It began with relief activities to fight the Calcutta plague of 1898–1899. But Swami Vivekananda realized the urgent need for medical care for the sick, aged, and destitute across India. 

A few followers started medical sevā activities in Varanasi and Haridwar at the dawn of the 20th century with no funds and universal disapprobation but with steely resolve. No funds were available to hire any helpers; the swamis were responsible for all activities; rudimentary medicines, diet, and sanitation, including cleaning body wastes and laundering soiled clothes. The swamis in Kankhal, Haridwar, were derisively called भंगी साधु, scavenger monks, and were made pariahs by the other monks in the area who considered these acts to be so impure and sacrilegious. Today, a full-fledged hospital with over 200 beds serves patients in both the cities, Haridwar and Varanasi, but the governing adage remains the same: Śiva jñāne jīva sevā. In what may be the only case, even today, a new set of clothes is gifted to each patient in the Varanasi hospital once a year.  Medical sevā is not just restricted to these two hospitals; there are too many activities to be listed within the scope of this article.

The Ramakrishna Mission is renowned for its educational institutions, especially the boarding schools for boys. The schools employ outside teachers, but the monks of the order shoulder all the administrative responsibilities and important teaching assignments, including being the hostel warden. Some Ramakrishna Mission schools have a stellar reputation for producing high-ranking students year after year in grade 12 board exams, but the more consequential effect is the development of the students’ character based on the disciplined lifestyle, internalization of the teachings of the holy trio, and association with the selfless monk-teachers. 

The uniqueness of the Ramakrishna Mission schools is the high importance given to the attainment of समत्व, equanimity, as highlighted in the भगवद्गीता (2:48). As an example, a student won a prestigious intercollegiate competition. Overjoyed and excited, he delivered the news to his monk-teacher, but the latter asked the student to temper his excitement and try to maintain equipoise. The student was disheartened and puzzled, but when he did not win a prize in a subsequent competition, he understood the import of the monk’s advice.

The Ramakrishna Mission is perhaps best known in India for its relief and rehabilitation activities. Whenever any natural or man-made disaster strikes in any part of India—flood, drought, earthquake, landslide, tsunami, etc.—Ramakrishna Mission responds immediately and often stays well beyond the immediate relief operations and into the rehabilitation phase until the victims can stand on their own feet. 

While RKM is not the only organization undertaking such activities, its governing motto – Śiva jñāne jīva sevā  – sets them apart. As an example, a senior monk once asked a junior monk who had returned after conducting relief operations, “What did you accomplish?.” The junior monk rattled off some data about the quantity of items donated. The senior monk rephrased the question, “What you just said is merely moving some objects donated by others (in cash or kind). “What was your contribution?.” As the junior monk struggled to answer, the senior monk then elaborated, “Never forget that all you possess is your purified mind (possible due to the infinite grace of Sri Ramakrishna) that you then direct toward service of others while seeing the divine in them.” This philosophy of निष्काम कर्म, selfless action, serves as the guiding principle of all sevā. This spirit is the glue that binds all the monks of the order. 

A novitiate came face-to-face with the President of the order, who is highly revered and regarded by monks and householder devotees alike as the living representative of the holy trio. The novitiate was awed, nervous, and speechless, but the President put him at ease with the comment that there is no difference between the two of them; both are monks striving for individual salvation and both serve humanity as a service to the divine. But service to humanity has strict conditions. Once, upon receipt of the news of a natural disaster, the General Secretary, who is the administrative head of the order, immediately decided to start relief services in the affected area and deputed a few monks from Belur Math (the headquarters of the twin organization) to take the next available train. In those days, buying a 3rd class train ticket entailed taking a bus from Belur Math to Howrah Station and standing in the ticket line for many hours. When the monk returned to Belur Math exhausted, hungry, and sweating profusely, the GS asked if he had purchased the tickets. The monk replied in the affirmative and also conveyed the good news that he was able to get reservations on the overnight train. The GS immediately asked the monk to return to Howrah Station and cancel the reservation, stating that the money paid by the devotees (which is the source of all funds) cannot be used for “luxury” benefits such as reservations!  

Meditation and japa are practiced in tandem with sevā by all swamis of the Ramakrishna Mission order.  No matter how intense the daily work schedule is, all monks start the day with early morning meditation and japa and repeat this before they retire for the evening. Contemplation and sevā do not compete for the monk’s time but complement each other in a perfect example of a positive feedback loop; meditation enables the monk to separate the ego from any work done and thus perform selfless service, and this in turn purifies the mind and quietens it so that disturbances and distractions during meditation are held at bay.  The quantum of japa— repetition of the mantra received from the guru during initiation – varies but the minimum is 108 times.  Sarada Devi – the sangha janani – was reputed to perform 100,000 repetitions of the mantra daily. Many swamis of the order are known to repeat their mantra internally all the time.

3. Rigorous Training Of Novices

Any male in the 18-28 age group can join as a novice, provided they have completed their undergraduate education. The age limit is relaxed to 30 for those who have a professional degree in engineering, medicine, law, management, or a Master’s degree. Once a novice joins at any Ramakrishna Mission ashrama, then begins a rigorous daily regimen of training over the next 9-10 years. And the novice is almost always thrown into the deep end of the swimming pool. 

A novice joined the order at an ashrama that also ran a boarding school for boys.  It was on his third day at the ashrama when the head remarked, “Now that you have had food for two days, it’s time to get to work; go and manage the 40 boys in that hostel.” Another novice recalled that his job was to sweep the courtyard of the monastery. Thinking that he was lucky to get an assignment that would require minimal time and effort, he swept the courtyard and was taking some rest when he realized the wind had brought a fresh batch of leaves and dirt, and he had to get at his task again, and this would be a continuous process. And no work is off-limits, including cleaning toilets. The Bengali proverb, জুতো সেলাই থেকে চণ্ডী পাঠ, is a favorite of senior monks. It literally means the range from stitching shoes to reciting the Chandi, and metaphorically, the ability to perform all tasks that may be required and not be dependent on others.

As exhausting as the daily routine of a novice is, it experiences a quantum jump when, after about three years of joining, he is made to undergo a two-year rigorous course of study—the Probationers’ Training Center—at the seminary in Belur Math. A number of Vedantic scriptures, Sanskrit grammar, the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (the one book that all novices are expected to study from end to end), details of ritualistic worship, and many other subjects are packed into these two years in a routine from early dawn to late evening. 

While this is uber exhausting and super rigorous, it is absolutely critical to mold the character of the novice so he can deal with all adversities thrown at him once he graduates. It is interesting to note from the reminiscences of many monks that they were puzzled as to how they had chosen this path to lead a life full of japa and meditation, but at the training center, they were tasked with so many duties that they didn’t find time for these two practices. They realized much later that learning the skill of karma yoga was the key to the success of a monk, and this was imparted during the 9–10 years of rigorous training.

4. Flexibility After Ordainment

Once a monk successfully completes their training, he is ordained and receives the final monastic vows. The monk also gets a new name ending with “ānanda” and a title “swami” according to Adi Shankaracharya’s दशनामि सम्प्रदाय, the tradition of naming a sadhu based on the ten schools of lineage. The monk now wears an ochre/gerua dress (it was a white dress earlier) and is ready to independently assume whatever duties are assigned by the order. Whereas life before was straitjacketed in a strict routine, now there is tremendous flexibility, although the demands of work are manyfold. 

As mentioned before, monks are graduates or postgraduates, and many bring their subject knowledge and expertise to serve the organization, be it in engineering, management, medicine, education, law (a monk with a law degree is jokingly called as Swami Māmlānanda), etc. There are also a few instances of monks continuing their research in theoretical physics and mathematics while staying in the order and even receiving prestigious national and international awards.

5. Abhorrence Of Miraculous Powers

Many Hindu gurus of spiritual organizations have been criticized for their overemphasis on using occult/miraculous powers to gain money, fame, and followers, but the Ramakrishna Mission order not only deemphasizes but has a strong abhorrence for miracle mongering. The order strongly believes that exercising such powers that may have been the result of intense spiritual साधना is a huge obstacle to spiritual growth. 

As an example, two swamis of the order were on a pilgrimage to Kashmir. After walking many miles of mountainous roads, they arrived at a village at dusk.  They were very hungry and tired and needed some shelter for the night. A villager invited them to stay at his house, and before taking leave for the night, pleaded with the monks, “Revered sirs, we haven’t had any rain for the past few months. Unless the rains come, we shall lose all our crops and will starve.  You are sadhus; you have yogic powers. Please bring us some rain.” So saying, the man left. 

Overwhelmed by the dire situation and the simplicity of the host, the senior swami told his junior, “Look at that villager’s faith in us! It seems we’ve no other recourse but to pray to Sri Ramakrishna. If He so desires, He can bring rain.”  Then the two monks bolted the door of their room and started praying to Sri Ramakrishna with great devotion. They were so deeply immersed in their prayers that they lost track of time. Suddenly, they heard a loud knock at the door. Upon opening, the villager fell flat at their feet and informed them that it was raining heavily outside. Convinced of the swamis’ miraculous powers, the villager soon brought many of his neighbors and they begged the swamis to stay in their village permanently, pampering them with food and whatever services they could render, and never letting the swamis out of their sight. The Swamis became extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable at this situation, and after a few days, sneaked out of the house in the dead of night, never to return to that village.

6. Apolitical 

Swami Vivekananda had a strict rule that the order would not be associated with any political activity. Many challenging situations tested the order’s ability to adhere to this rule, the most famous being Sister Nivedita’s decision to plunge headlong into the Indian freedom movement. Although she was a respected and famous disciple of Swami Vivekananda, the order stuck to its rules, and Sister Nivedita was forced to dissociate herself from the order and make a public pronouncement about it. Although the order has had exemplary personal relations with many politicians/VVIPs, it has stayed completely apolitical this entire time of 125 years.

7. Accounts

As mentioned before, the order has a vast national and international network and a portfolio of multifarious activities but has never had a whiff of any financial irregularity. This is again due to Swami Vivekananda’s strict admonition to maintain accounts so that nobody can raise a finger. The pressures of such an order to collect funds from individuals and businesses to maintain its existence and render the services are great, but there have been numerous instances of the order refusing to accept donations because they did not adhere to strict rules or the donors had some unwritten conditions.  

The example of Sarada Math and Mission (SMM), the sister organization of Ramakrishna Mission for women monks, is highly illustrative. The order undertook a project and sent out an appeal for funds. The response was overwhelming, and they realized that they had raised more money than the cost of the project. The President of SMM took the decision to return the extra money to the donors based on the cutoff date when the financial goal was reached.

The Ramakrishna Mission has had a glorious 125-year history. Although there are many challenges for this organization, it can be confidently predicted that it will successfully overcome these challenges and continue to serve humanity in greater measure in the years to come and be a beacon for the Hindu reawakening.  

Reference

– Bhaskarananda, Swami. Life In Indian Monasteries: Reminiscences About Monks Of The Ramakrishna Order. Viveka Press, Seattle, WA. 2004.