About Us
शृण्वन्तु विश्वे अमृतस्य पुत्राः
May the progeny of Immortality listen!
Svetashvatara Upanishad 2.5
Krishna Yajurveda
VEDANTA CENTRE NEWS
Vivekananda Sandhya at the Gandhi Centre, Indian Embassy, Netherlands
on 23 August 2024
Lecture by Swami Sarvapriyanandaji at the Vedanta Society of Holland
on 8 September 2024
About Us and the Magazine
This monthly, free, online magazine is served from the Vedanta Society of Holland,which is a branch of the worldwide Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.
Welcome to Vedānta Vāni
By the grace of Sri Ramakrishna, Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, we present this issue of the monthly virtual magazine, Vedānta Vāni.
The purpose of this online magazine is for noble ideas to reach more and more people through the technological highway. Apart from spreading the message and encouraging more and more seekers to think higher thoughts, Vedānta Vāni also offers opportunities for various hidden talents to express themselves. All this and much, much more, by the grace of Sri Ramakrishna.
Who was Sri Ramakrishna?
Sri Ramakrishna lived an unimaginably great life between the years 1836 and 1886. Every moment of his life was lived in intense seeking and aspiration. He was a living laboratory. This living laboratory of the highest order experimented all the spiritual paths known to the world with utmost yearning, and attained the goal through all of them. In just about 50 years, Sri Ramakrishna ‘lived the life of 5000 years of collective human aspiration’. It was like packing the entire human aspiration of thousands and thousands of years into one single personality. Some people take years to realize one ideal. Sri Ramakrishna took a few hours to realize the same, owing to the superhuman intensity, plunge and complete dedication. Days and nights were spent in the deepest yearning. Sri Ramakrishna never slept for months at a stretch. What is more, Sri Ramakrishna is the only divine personality in history of humanity to have lived in the supreme state of nirvikalpa samadhi for six long months. Six long months. When he wept for the vision of the Supreme Being, his yearning would heat his body to such an extent that touching his arm, albeit covered with several blankets, would bring boils on the toucher’s palms. Such a life was never seen before. It was not for nothing that Swami Vivekananda, the most rational person ever born, struggled for decades to understand this great phenomenon called Ramakrishna and called him the source of incarnations.
Mother Sri Sarada Devi was Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual consort. She was the source of purity, stillness, quietness and divinity. A life of totally hidden but intense austerity, Mother’s realizations and experiences went beyond all scriptural limits. Her life is one long story of intense austerity, prayer and love for everyone. Sri Ramakrishna and Mother Sarada Devi showed the path to illumination to countless seekers. Of all their disciples, 16 young men formed the first monastic Order, led by Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda brought yoga, Hinduism, and Vedanta to the world. His participation in the World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893 in Chicago changed the world and the religious thinking of humanity forever. Apart from the 16 young illumined monks, the women disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and Mother too led glorious spiritual lives, attained the highest and, thus, eventually, came the women’s monastic order into existence too.
The Ramakrishna Monasteries [Math] and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organisations, founded by Swami Vivekananda [1863-1902] with the blessings of his divine Master, Sri Ramakrishna, and the Divine Mother, Sri Sarada Devi. The twin institutions follow the philosophy of Vedanta, as demonstrated in the lives of Sri Ramakrishna, Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. The twin institutions have more than 200 branches worldwide, and are working for the all-round well-being of everyone in every way possible. The goal is spiritual. The Headquarters of the Ramakrishna Order [Math and Mission] is in Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal, India. Ramakrishna Vedanta Vereniging Nederland is one of the branches of the Ramakrishna Math. It is in Hoogersmilde, near Assen city.
Vedānta Vāni [The Voice of Vedanta] is our online magazine, a humble effort to spread the wisdom of Vedanta virtually, through the electronic media. The purpose of this magazine is to bring all seekers together, to spread the knowledge of Vedanta, to inform every one of the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Mother Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, and to enrich the lives of everyone.
Vedanta Vãni is bilingual. It’s in English and Dutch. In today’s world of hectic activities and countless online information, if this little magazine can bring you a few good things, our effort shall be successful. Please inspire your friends and relatives to subscribe to this magazine.
Vedanta Vāni is free of charges.
Vedānta Vāni is published monthly from
Ramakrishna Vedanta Vereniging Nederland
Rijksweg 141 and 142
Hoogersmilde 9423PA
The Netherlands
Swami Sunirmalananda
Editor news…
The Vedanta Society of Holland [Ramakrishna Vedanta Vereniging] celebrated several occasions during the year 2023. In 2024, too, there shall be many events. You are welcome.
You are all welcome to participate in all our activities.