Swami Turiyananda (1863-1922) was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, and one of the earliest monks of the Ramakrishna Order. He was born as Harinath Chattopadhyay in a small village in present-day Bangladesh, and was attracted to spiritual life from a young age. As a young man, Turiyananda traveled to Calcutta (now Kolkata) to …

Swami Paradevatananda

    The singing of Ramnam Sankirtan in the centres of the Ramakrishna Order was started by none other than Swami Brahmananda. Rama's name is often chanted or sung within the many traditions of Hinduism. In Mahabharata, Shiva states that uttering "Rama" three times is equal to pronouncing the thousand other names of God. "Ram Naam Satya Hai" (transl. The …

  The Katha Upanishad is one of the primary Upanishads, which are ancient Hindu texts that explore philosophical and spiritual concepts. It is part of the Yajurveda, one of the four Vedas, the foundational scriptures of Hinduism. The Katha Upanishad is a dialogue between a young boy named Nachiketa and Yama, the god of death. …

The Bhagavad Gita, popularly known as the Gita, comprises eighteen chapters in the Mahabhārata. It takes the form of an inspired dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna on the battle-field of Kurukshetra. The setting of the battle-field contributes a dramatic element to the book and relates religion to the realities of life. It is that …

Swami Divyananda is the Vice-President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Swami Divyananda Maharaj joined Ramakrishna Mission in 1972. He did his post-graduation in physics and served RKM Vidyamandira, Belur Math as Vice Principal and Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, as a Principal. He took classes for two decades, served as secretary of Agartala, Malda and …

The Chaitanya Charitamrita (Sanskrit: चैतन्यचरितामृत, romanized: Caitanya-caritāmṛta; Bengali: চৈতন্যচরিতামৃত, romanized: Côitônyôcôritamṛtô), composed by Krishnadasa Kaviraja in c. 1557, is written in Bengali with a great number of Sanskrit verses in its devotional, poetic construction, including Shikshashtakam. It is one of the primary biographies detailing the life and teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the founder of Gaudiya …

Ramcharitmanas (Devanagari: रामचरितमानस rāmacaritamānasa), is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1511–1623). It has many inspirations, the primary being the Ramayana of Valmiki. This work is also called, in popular parlance, Tulsi Ramayana, Tulsikrit Ramayana, Tulsidas Ramayana or simply Manas. The word Ramcharitmanas literally means …