Swami Turiyananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, was a rare combination of extreme asceticism, sympathy, devotional fervour, scholarship and modern outlook. This book, by Swami Ritajananda, contains incidents, conversation, and extracts from diaries of disciples on the life and teachings of the great Swami. A fine note on Swami Turiyananda in the midst of the peaceful Shanti Ashrama setting, published in the San Francisco Chronicle, is included in this volume as an appendix. This book will appeal to all spiritual seekers who will find the treasurable spiritual values embedded in the life and teachings of Turiyananda.
‘As I grow older’, said Swami Vivekananda, ‘I find that I look more and more for greatness in little things. I want to know what a great man eats and wears, and how he speaks to his servants [and so on].’ This book presents an intimate picture of Revered Swami Yatiswarananda Maharaj, one such spiritually great man in the Order of Monks founded by Swami Vivekananda—the Ramakrishna Order (popularly known as Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission). This volume does this by putting together the reminiscences of monks, initiated lay devotees or even casual visitors or people who heard his lectures as well as some of the personal letters and instructions he wrote or gave and other related material.
This classic work of research published by Advaita Ashrama, a Publication centre of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, India, brings under a single volume around 600 persons inspired by the ideals of Sri Ramakrishna and his disciples. Notable personalities whose connection with the Vedanta Movement in the West is delineated include Aldous Huxley, Arnold Toynbee, Albert Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Carl Jung, Mark Twain, J D Salinger and Joseph Campbell among others. For the scholars it is a mine of information presented precisely, and for the devotees of Ramakrishna, it is an inspiring account of western admiration for Ramakrishna and his disciples. (Pdf version).
This humble work is an honest attempt to briefly study how Sri Ramakrishna's mission proceeded particularly during its early years towards fulfillment and in the process how The Ramakrishna Movement grew and developed in the early days. One charming feature of the book is the number of photos, illustrations and maps which explain the texts. This book will surely become the authoriatative source book for anyone doing research on the Ramakrishna Movement.
Swami Brahmananda, regarded as the spiritual son by Sri Ramakrishna, was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and the first president of the Ramakrishna Order. This book is a compilation of the personal accounts of monastic and lay members who intimately knew Swami Brahmananda and had many occasions to closely observe his daily life and day-to-day dealings. These reminiscences record the charm of his unassuming personality, the silent influence of his deep spirituality, his practical hints for living a spiritual life, and his keen sense of humour and insights into human mind. An unpublished letter and a couple of speeches of Swami Brahmananda and some remarkable articles on his life and precepts are included in this book. The impressive volume is interspersed with valuable illustrations. This book will be of immense help and inspiration to all spiritual seekers.
This is an enlarged edition of our earlier publication, the Apostles of Sri Ramakrishna. The book contains the life and teachings of the sixteen monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Brief life sketches of some of the lay disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, both men and women, have also been added. Compiled and Edited by Swami Gambhirananda and published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication house of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, India, readers will find in this work invaluable guidance and instructions for enriching their spiritual life, as well as plenty of much needed inspiration.
Stories of Vedanta Monks presents the reminiscences of the Second-Generation Monks of the Ramakrishna Order. The monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna constitute the first generation; their disciples in turn constitute the second. The second-generation monks had not seen Sri Ramakrishna. Nevertheless, they met many of the first-generation monks who had lived with Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda. Just as the direct impact of the Holy Trio on the life and character of the first-generation monks is marked and distinct, so is the impact of the first generation of monks on the second. They are repositories of invaluable information about Sri Ramakrishna, his monastic disciples, and the glorious traditions of the Ramakrishna Order. The author, Swami Chetanananda, had close associations with some of these monks and has put on record the information that he gathered from them. In and through the life events of these monks, we find brahmavidya (Knowledge of Brahman) pervading their thoughts, speech, and actions in so many ways. The behavioural standards set by them and sacred traditions followed in the Ramakrishna monasteries also stand revealed. When carefully protected and passed on to the next generation, it is these living traditions and practices that become the conduit for the spiritual force and Divine knowledge that emanated from Sri Ramakrishna to pass on and enrich one and all. Published by Advaita Ashrama, a publication branch of Ramakrishna Math. Belur, this is volume 1 of the reminiscences and is a translation of the Bengali title ‘Prachin Sadhuder Katha – Vol. 1
The life and message of Swami Vivekananda are a source of great inspiration to many in their individual as well as collective life. The present short biography published by Advaita Ashrama, a Publication House of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, is intended to meet the needs of those who have neither the time nor the opportunity to read bigger works about the Swami. A versatile genius as the great Swami was, and many-sided as were his activities, it is idle to hope that a complete picture of his wonderful life could be given in such a small compass. Here an attempt is made to give only a glimpse of this great personality so that people may become interested to know more about him.
Swami Vivekananda the matchless personality of the second millennium emphasized the word ‘Original’ while describing the unfathomable uniqueness and greatness of his master Sri Ramakrishna the greatest incarnation and embodiment of renunciation, austerity, and love. Swamiji wished that his brother-disciples should also possess originality of their own. An extensive research has been carried out to find out the testimonies of originality of not only the Master but of Holy Mother and their sixteen monastic disciples also. A painstaking attempt has been made to focus on the contribution of the illuminated souls to the history of genesis of the Ramakrishna order along with its multifaceted non-political, global philanthropic movement in this magnum opus. Once Swami Vivekananda said to his disciple Sharat Chandra Chakraborty: “Do you think these Sannyasin Children of Sri Ramakrishna are born simply to sit for meditation under trees lighting dhuni-fires? Whenever any of them will take up some work, people will be astonished to see their energy. Learn from them how to work.’’ Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings are very useful and relevant to people of all ages. The world heard the short but significant utterances—‘As many faiths so many paths.’, ‘To serve jiva as Shiva’; first from his lips. Swamiji a leading exponent of fearlessness and positive thinking, introduced ‘man-making religion’—a universal religion. He said,’’ The first of all worship is the worship of the Virat—of those all around us….These are all our gods—men and animals, and the first gods we have to worship are our countrymen.’’ In this age of the ‘the fret and the fever’ these historic proclamations are the antidote to fanaticism, intolerance towards different religions and pessimism. The author has meticulously discussed how the direct monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna had made Vedanta an organized religion that does not stress rituals, a rigid set of practices, theory, dogma or doctrine and the living being and its reason is the centre of the religion and how they had shown quite apart from their scrupulous honesty and unfailing dedication—a degree of organizational, managerial and administrative ability that could be the envy of professional specialists in different spheres of activity. This glorious history deserves wide circulation for the promotion of religious tolerance, catholic outlook and the ideals of equality and fraternity. Target Readers: People interested in spirituality, researchers, people fond of thought-provoking repository articles and curious book-lovers.
