Sri Sarada Math is a convent named after

Sri Sarada Devi Sri Sarada Devi (Bengali language, Bengali: সারদা দেবী; ; 22 December 1853 – 20 July 1920), born Kshemankari / Thakurmani / Saradamani Mukhopadhyay, was the wife and spiritual consort of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a nineteent ...

, the consort of

Sri Ramakrishna Ramakrishna (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886——— —), also called Ramakrishna Paramahansa (; ; ), born Ramakrishna Chattopadhay,M's original Bengali diary page 661, Saturday, 13 February 1886''More About Ramakrishna'' by Swami Prab ...

, founded on 2 December 1954. Headquartered at Dakshineshwar, Kolkata, the organisation has branch centres in other parts of India, and in Sri Lanka and Australia. The nuns use the title "Pravrajika" before their ordained name, and are usually addressed as "Mataji" meaning 'revered mother'.

Overview

Sri Sarada Math is the monastic order for women established as an independent counterpart to

Ramakrishna Order The Ramakrishna Order ( Bengali: রামকৃষ্ণ সংঘ) is the monastic lineage that was founded by Ramakrishna Paramhansa, when he gave the ochre cloth of renunciation to twelve of his close disciples, in January 1886 at the Cossip ...

. The main aim of the organisation is to fulfill the mission of Swami Vivekananda, that is 'Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva' serving God in Man, irrespective of caste, creed, and nationality as well as the upliftment and empowerment of women. The organisation mainly propagates the Hindu philosophy of

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

– Advaita Vedanta and four yogic ideals– jnana,

bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

, and

Raja Yoga Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The title has a long ...

.Pravrajika Atmaprana, ''Monasticism for Indian Women, Monasticism Ideal and Traditions'' (Sri Ramakrishna Math Chennai: Chennai1991), p.303 Apart from religious and spiritual teaching, the organisation carries out educational and philanthropic work in India. The Sri Sarada Math and its sister organisation, the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, publish many Vedanta and Ramakrishna-Vivekananda texts. Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, its sister organisation also shares the same headquarters at Dakshineshwar, Kolkata.

History

2 December 1954, the Sarada Math was inaugurated. From 1954 to 1958 Sri Sarada Math was a branch centre of the Ramakrishna Math at Belur. The Trustees of

Belur Math Belur Math () is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located in Belur, West Bengal, India on the west bank of Hooghly River. Bel ...

assumed the responsibility of its administration. In 1958 eight Brahmacharinis of the women's Math were ordained into formal Sannyasa and given new names prefixed by 'Pravrajika' and ending with 'prana'. On 26 August 1959, the Sri Sarada Math was recognised as an independent organisation and the full administration was handed over to the nuns. Seven of its nuns were elected to be the Trustees. The Trust deed was registered on 9 September 1959 and it was officially registered as a non-government trust on 11 September 1959. With this an independent Order of Sannyasinis was created.

Sankaracharya Shankaracharya (, , "Adi Shankara, Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive ...

did not sanction

sannyasa ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hinduism, Hindu system of four life stages known as ''ashrama (stage), ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), ''Gṛhastha, grihast ...

for women. Following the legal establishment of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, the two institutions run by the

Ramakrishna Mission Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a spiritual and philanthropic organisation headquartered in Belur Math, West Bengal. The mission is named after the Indian Hindu spiritual guru and mystic Ramakrishna. The mission was founde ...

for women, the Matri Bhavan (maternity hospital) in south Kolkata and the Entally Ashrama, Women's Welfare Centre in central

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

were handed over to Ramakrishna Sarada Mission in 1961.A Blessed Life, Biography of Pravrajika Bharatiprana (Pravrajika Jnanadaprana, Sri Sarada Math: Dakshineswar, 2012), p.138 In 1963, the

authorities handed over the

Sister Nivedita Girls' School Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Sister Nivedita Girls' School or Sister Nivedita Girls' School is a girls' school at Bagbazar, North Kolkata. It was established by Scottish-Irish social worker Sister Nivedita in November 1898. History 1898–191 ...

to the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission.

Motto

The motto of

Ramakrishna Math Ramakrishna Math is the administrative legal organization of the Ramakrishna Order, of Daśanāmi Sampradaya. It was set up by sanyasin disciples of Ramakrishna Paramhansa headed by Swami Vivekananda at Baranagar Math in Baranagar, a place ne ...

and Mission, 'Atmano Mokshartham Jagad Hitaya Ca' is also shared by Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission.

Presidents

# Pravrajika Bharatiprana # Pravrajika Mokshaprana # Pravrajika Shraddhaprana # Pravrajika Bhaktiprana # Pravrajika Anandaprana

Branches

There is a branch centre in New South Wales, Australia.

Publications

''Nibodhata'', is its

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

journal published every two months. ''Samvit'' is its English journal, first published in 1980.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.srisaradamath.org/
Rasik Bhita

Sister Nivedita Girls School
Hindu new religious movements Ramakrishna Mission Hindu organisations based in India Hindu monasteries in India Hindu religious orders