Ramakrishna Mission: Its Idea, Ideal and Practice

General Secretary of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission and functions

- SWAMI SUVIRANANDA

Introduction

There are periods in the history of a nation when peculiar circumstances produce men of great genius who are justly honoured as saviours of humanity. The spiritual history of India bears testimony to the fact that the eternal teachings have been restructured and then re-presented by the World Teachers to the masses as per the need of the time. Their noble life and work prove to be an unfailing source of comfort and encouragement not only to those in their proximity but also for many centuries to come. Buddha, Christ, Mohammed, Sankaracharya and their like were born to guide, by their rare wisdom and clear insight, the faltering steps of devoted humanity to the ultimate object of all religions that is spiritual realization.

The latest among the long list of such saviours is Sri Ramakrishna. His spotless holiness, unspeakable blessedness, endless wisdom, childlike simplicity and peacefulness, and an all-absorbing love of God makes him one of the most fascinating characters in the religious hagiography of the world. The advent of Sri Ramakrishna’s chief disciple Swami Vivekananda is also to fulfil this purpose. They came to make religion simple and practical and also to unleash its positive powers and limit its negative applications. Swami Vivekananda considered that his life’s purpose was to bring the precious truths of Vedanta within the reach of common people.