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| Ramakrishna Movement | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ramakrishna Movement |
| Founder | Ramakrishna |
| Founded | 19th century |
| Location | Calcutta, India |
| Notable people | Sarada Devi, Disciples of Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Keshab Chandra Sen, Debendranath Tagore, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Sister Nivedita, Christopher Isherwood, Werner Herzog, Paramahansa Yogananda, Sri Aurobindo, Annie Besant, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Karma, Bhakti, Vedanta, Advaita Vedanta, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Tantra, Brahmo Samaj, Hindu Renaissance, British Raj |
Ramakrishna Movement
The Ramakrishna Movement emerged in 19th-century Calcutta around the charismatic Bengali mystic Ramakrishna and his spiritual consort Sarada Devi. It influenced religious reform, monastic organization, and social service through figures like Swami Vivekananda and institutions such as the Ramakrishna Mission. The movement intersected with currents in Brahmo Samaj, Vedanta Society, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and the broader Hindu Renaissance amid the British Raj.
The movement developed during the later decades of the 19th century in Calcutta and rural Dakshineswar around Ramakrishna, whose mystical practices drew on Vedanta, Tantra, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism, while engaging with reformers like Debendranath Tagore and institutions such as the Brahmo Samaj. Interactions with personalities including Keshab Chandra Sen and responses to colonial figures like Lord Curzon and events such as the Indian Rebellion of 1857 shaped its social context. The formation of the monastic fraternity and the later public addresses by Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago marked key institutional and international turning points. The movement’s roots trace through contacts with contemporary thinkers such as Ram Mohan Roy and poets like Rabindranath Tagore.
Central teachings emphasized harmony among paths exemplified by Ramakrishna’s practice of Tantra, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and Advaita Vedanta modalities, prioritizing direct mystical experience akin to claims in Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Sutras. Vivekananda popularized a universalist interpretation connected to Vedanta and methods of Yoga that resonated with Western audiences alongside influencers like Paramahansa Yogananda and Annie Besant. The movement engaged with concepts found in texts such as the Chaitanya Bhagavata and traditions represented by figures like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and linked devotional praxis to social ethics echoed in the work of Mahatma Gandhi and reformers like B.R. Ambedkar.
Primary figures included Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi, with disciples such as Swami Vivekananda, Swami Brahmananda, Swami Saradananda, Swami Trigunatita, Swami Turiyananda, Swami Abhedananda, Swami Shivananda, Swami Vijnanananda, and lay supporters like Keshab Chandra Sen. Later leaders and interpreters included Christopher Isherwood as popularizer in the West, Sister Nivedita as educator and nationalist associate of Subhas Chandra Bose, and modern heads of institutions such as leaders of the Ramakrishna Mission and abbots associated with centers in Kolkata, Belur Math, Madras, Bengaluru, and New York City societies like the Vedanta Society of New York.
The principal institution is the Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda and registered in Calcutta; its twin, the Ramakrishna Math, oversees monastic life at centers including Belur Math headquarters, the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, and branches in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kanyakumari, Darjeeling, and internationally in San Francisco, New York City, London, Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, and Dhaka. The monastic order drew on precedents like the Dashanami Sampradaya and parallels with Brahmo Samaj and Theosophical Society foundations. Publications and archival institutions maintain manuscripts related to Ramakrishna and correspondence with contemporaries such as Keshab Chandra Sen and Rabindranath Tagore.
Under the auspices of the Ramakrishna Mission, the movement established hospitals, schools, vocational centers, relief projects, and rural uplift programs throughout India responding to crises like floods and famines under colonial and postcolonial administrations. Educational initiatives included schools modeled after ideas promoted by Sister Nivedita, teacher-training influenced by debates involving Rabindranath Tagore and Annie Besant, and technical institutes that cooperated with regional bodies in West Bengal and Orissa. Relief and welfare efforts intersected with public figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and initiatives comparable to work by Red Cross and development organizations.
The movement influenced literature, philosophy, and the arts through connections to Rabindranath Tagore, the writings of Swami Vivekananda, and translations by scholars in Oxford and Harvard. It shaped Western interest in Vedanta alongside movements led by Paramahansa Yogananda and institutions like the Vedanta Society in San Francisco and Los Angeles, affecting filmmakers such as Werner Herzog and writers like Christopher Isherwood. Nationalist leaders including Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru engaged with its ideas, while global interfaith forums such as the Parliament of the World's Religions and dialogues involving the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization showcased its comparative theology.
Critiques addressed issues of hagiography and historicity concerning Ramakrishna’s biography, editorial decisions over the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna records, and debates between proponents and scholars like members of the Brahmo Samaj and rationalist critics influenced by figures like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Controversies included disputes over monastic property, tensions with contemporary reformers such as Keshab Chandra Sen, and scholarly debates in journals of Indology and institutions like University of Calcutta. Accusations of syncretism and appropriation by Western interpreters were raised in comparative studies alongside critiques from academic historians at centers including Oxford University, University of Chicago, and Columbia University.