Ramakrishna Movement and Swami Vivekananda

At a Glance

• Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-86), priest at Dakshineshwar; “as many faiths, so many paths”
• Vivekananda Narendranath Datta (1862-1902); neo-Hinduism; Chicago 1893
• Organisation Ramakrishna Mission, 1897; Ramakrishna Math, Belur
• Idea Service of man is service of God
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Reform Movements and Their Leaders

Where Does It Fit?

This is the eighth topic of the category on reform movements and their leaders. The previous topic covered two service bodies of western India. This topic covers the Bengal movement that gave Hinduism a spiritual and social message. The next topic covers Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj. Previous topic: Servants of India Society and the Social Service League.

Who Was Ramakrishna Paramahamsa?

The didactic nationalism of the Brahmo Samaj appealed more to the intellectual elite in Bengal, while the average Bengali found more emotional satisfaction in the cult of bhakti and yoga. The teachings of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-86), a poor priest at the Kali temple in Dakshineshwar on the outskirts of Calcutta, found many followers. He was known in childhood as Gadadhar Chattopadhyay. Ramakrishna experienced spiritual trances from a very early age and is considered to have attained the highest spiritual experience available to Hindus. He did not write books; his conversations with people formed the basis of his teachings. He spoke simply, in parables and metaphors drawn from ordinary life and nature, but what he said was of universal relevance. The Brahmo background is in Raja Rammohan Roy and the Brahmo Samaj.

He sought salvation through traditional ways of renunciation, meditation and bhakti amidst increasing westernisation and modernisation. He recognised the fundamental oneness of all religions and said that Krishna, Hari, Ram, Christ and Allah are different names for the same God, and that there are many ways to God: as many faiths, so many paths. He used to say that the service of man is the service of God. His wife, Sarada Mukherjee, later Sarada Devi, whom he regarded as the embodiment of the Divine Mother, was known to the disciples as the holy mother and played an important role in the work of the math.

What Were the Two Objectives of the Movement?

The two objectives were: (i) to bring into existence a band of monks dedicated to renunciation and practical spirituality, from whom teachers and workers would be sent out to spread the universal message of Vedanta as shown in Ramakrishna’s life, and (ii) in conjunction with lay disciples, to carry on preaching, philanthropic and charitable works, looking on all men, women and children, irrespective of caste, creed or colour, as manifestations of the Divine.

The headquarters of the Math and the Mission are at Belur near Calcutta. They are twin organisations, though legally and financially separate.

Who Was Swami Vivekananda?

Narendranath Datta (1862-1902), later Swami Vivekananda, spread Ramakrishna’s message and tried to reconcile it with the needs of contemporary Indian society. He emerged as the preacher of neo-Hinduism. Certain spiritual experiences of Ramakrishna, the teachings of the Upanishads and the Gita and the examples of the Buddha and Jesus are the basis of his message to the world on human values. He held that Vedanta is a fully rational system with a superior approach. His mission was to bridge the gulf between paramartha (service) and vyavahara (behaviour), and between spirituality and daily life.

He believed in the fundamental oneness of God, and said that for the motherland a junction of the two great systems, Hinduism and Islam, is the only hope. Stressing social action, he said that knowledge without action is useless. He lamented the isolationist, touch-me-not attitude of Hindus in religion, and he frowned on religion’s tacit approval of the oppression of the poor by the rich. He held that it was an insult to God and humanity to teach religion to a starving man. The masses, he said, needed two kinds of knowledge: secular knowledge for their economic uplift, and spiritual knowledge to have faith in themselves and strengthen their moral sense. He called on countrymen to imbibe a spirit of liberty, equality and free thinking. He also said that no religion preaches the dignity of humanity in so lofty a strain as Hinduism, yet none treads upon the poor and low as Hinduism does.

What Happened at Chicago and After?

At the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, Vivekananda made a great impression by his learned interpretations. The keynote of his opening address was the need for a healthy balance between spiritualism and materialism. He envisaged a new culture for the whole world, a blend of the materialism of the West and the spiritualism of the East into a new harmony to produce happiness for mankind. He gave several lectures on Vedanta in the USA and in London before returning to India in 1897.

In India he delivered a series of lectures with several aims: to give the new generation pride in India’s past, faith in its culture and confidence in its future; to bring about a unification of Hinduism by pointing to the common foundation of its sects; and to make the educated see the misery of the downtrodden and work for their uplift by applying practical Vedanta. His emphasis was not only on personal salvation but also on social good and reform.

Subhas Chandra Bose called Vivekananda the spiritual father of the modern nationalist movement, so far as Bengal is concerned.

What Does the Ramakrishna Mission Do?

In 1897 Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission, which he used for humanitarian relief and social work. He advocated the doctrine of service of all beings: service of living beings is worship of Siva, and life itself is religion. He wanted technology and modern science used in the service of mankind. Since its inception the Mission has run schools, hospitals and dispensaries, and it helps people in earthquakes, famines, floods and epidemics. It is a worldwide organisation.

As an analytical point, the Ramakrishna movement differed from the Brahmo Samaj in tone: it used the language of bhakti rather than rationalism, but it reached similar social conclusions through the idea of service. The contrast with the Arya Samaj, in Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj, is also useful for answers, because the two movements treated image worship differently.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Core topic Vivekananda and the Mission appear in Prelims and Mains
• Philosophy Oneness of religions and service as worship are key phrases
• Comparison It is compared with the Arya Samaj on image worship

What Came Next?

The next topic covers Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj. Next topic: Dayananda Saraswati and the Arya Samaj.

Key People and Terms

• Neo-Hinduism The modernised Hinduism preached by Vivekananda
• Ramakrishna Math The monastic order founded on Ramakrishna’s teachings
• Ramakrishna Mission The service body Vivekananda founded in 1897
• Paramartha Service, in the chapter’s usage
• Vyavahara Everyday behaviour
• Belur The place near Calcutta where the headquarters are

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask for the contribution of Vivekananda. These points add depth.

• Practical Vedanta Vedanta applied to the uplift of the poor
• Cultural confidence Pride in India’s past and a vision for the future
• Organisation The Mission as a durable service body