F - Ramakrishna

• Early influences

  • Bhakti expressing deep yearning to goddess Kali
  • All-consuming meditation – began seeing divine in everything
  • Achieved darshan with multiple Hindu Gods
  • Focus on divine mother – Durga + Saraswati
• Neo Vedanta


  • Saw the oneness of everything + wanted to express love towards it
  • Idea of elevating deprived sections of society and uniting everything
  • Essentially unified all approaches to Hinduism
• Ram Mohan Roy


  • Rejected 'idol' worship and bhakti
  • Focused on upanishadic / philosophical teachings of Hinduism to make it more palatable to western ideas
  • Influenced Vivekenanda – began by rejecting murti-puja as regressive and superstitious
• Vivekenanda


  • Began in RMR's political party, then met Ramakrishna and had a religious experience
  • Became initiated as a monastic disciple
  • Charged by Ramakrishna with mission to spread message of the unity of all humanity
• Ramakrishna mission


  1. Vivekenanda travelled around India, seeing poverty in the world

  2. Travelled to chicago world fair to spread message of Hinduism

  3. Now international organisation that seeks to actively serve all

  4. Hospitals, charities, educational institutions