Ramakrishna

Glossaries

Term	Definition
Ramakrishna	Ramakrishna (1836–1886) was a Hindu mystic from Bengal whose spiritual teachings influenced religious thought in nineteenth-century India and inspired the later formation of the Ramakrishna Mission. Ramakrishna, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay on 18 February 1836 in the village of Kamarpukur in Bengal and deceased on 16 August 1886 in Cossipore near Kolkata, was a Hindu mystic and spiritual teacher. He is closely associated with the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, where he served as a priest and developed a devotional practice centered on direct spiritual experience. Ramakrishna maintained that different religious traditions could lead to the same ultimate spiritual reality. His teachings were transmitted mainly through accounts recorded by his disciples and emphasized devotion, spiritual discipline and mutual respect between religions. One of his most influential disciples was Swami Vivekananda, who introduced these ideas to wider audiences in India and abroad. After Ramakrishna’s death, his followers established the Ramakrishna Mission, an organization engaged in educational, social and spiritual activities. The headquarters of this organization is located at Belur Math, a monastic and religious complex on the western bank of the Hooghly River near Kolkata, which serves as an important center connected with Ramakrishna’s legacy.

Term

Definition

Ramakrishna (1836–1886) was a Hindu mystic from Bengal whose spiritual teachings influenced religious thought in nineteenth-century India and inspired the later formation of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Ramakrishna, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay on 18 February 1836 in the village of Kamarpukur in Bengal and deceased on 16 August 1886 in Cossipore near Kolkata, was a Hindu mystic and spiritual teacher. He is closely associated with the Kali temple at Dakshineswar, where he served as a priest and developed a devotional practice centered on direct spiritual experience. Ramakrishna maintained that different religious traditions could lead to the same ultimate spiritual reality. His teachings were transmitted mainly through accounts recorded by his disciples and emphasized devotion, spiritual discipline and mutual respect between religions. One of his most influential disciples was Swami Vivekananda, who introduced these ideas to wider audiences in India and abroad. After Ramakrishna’s death, his followers established the Ramakrishna Mission, an organization engaged in educational, social and spiritual activities. The headquarters of this organization is located at Belur Math, a monastic and religious complex on the western bank of the Hooghly River near Kolkata, which serves as an important center connected with Ramakrishna’s legacy.