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 …

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (sutras) compiled by the sage Patanjali around 400 CE. It provides a systematic framework for understanding the mind and achieving spiritual liberation. Patanjali defines yoga as the "cessation of the fluctuations of the mind-stuff"). The goal is to still the mental activity so that the "seer" (true self) can abide …

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 …

    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 Nam Sankirtanam …

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

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 …

Isha Upanishad or Īśopaniṣad holds a pre-eminent position in the age-old spiritual tradition of India. It forms the last chapter of the Shukla Yajur Veda Samhita. The message of this small Upanishad, having only eighteen verses, is as profound as it is all-comprehensive. It proclaims the divinity of man and nature and the spiritual oneness …

Swami Paradevatananda is an  Hon. Full Time Monastic Faculty in the Department of Philosophy at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira. He also serves as the Deputy Controller of Examinations at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira and is a member of the college's Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC).

Swami Urjitananda currently serves as the Controller of Examinations and an honorary faculty member at Ramakrishna Mission Sikshanamandira (B.Ed. College), Belur Math.

A spiritually illumined soul who has scaled the depths of the Divine is a constant source of inspiration to countless other seekers. Swami Shivananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, was such a person whose simple conversations with spiritual seekers were treasured by them as unfailing blessings for the rest of their life. Swami Shivananda, …

    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 Nam Sankirtanam …