Swami Brahmananda(1901–1922)

Swami Brahmananda, the first President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on Tuesday, 21 October 1863 at the village Sikra-Kulingram in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. His pre-monastic name was Rakhal Chandra Ghosh. His father Anandamohan Ghosh was the landlord of that village and practised law at Kolkata. His mother was Kailashkamini Devi. From his early childhood Rakhal was in-drawn by nature. He was brought to Kolkata for pursuing his high school studies. Eventually he became a close friend of Narendranath Dutta, later known as Swami Vivekananda. Rakhal's brother-in-law was a great devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and it was he who brought Rakhal to Sri Ramakrishna, in 1881. At the very first sight, Sri Ramakrishna recognized him as his ‘spiritual son’ and also as a ‘cowherd boy of Vrindavan in Sri Krishna’s divine play’. Under the spiritual guidance of Sri Ramakrishna, Rakhal gradually attained high spiritual states including 'samadhi'. After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, Rakhal took the monastic vows in January 1887, renouncing the worldly life. He left home assuming the monastic name, Swami Brahmananda.

From the monastery at Baranagore, Swami Brahmananda went to practise disciplines at various places like Vrindavan, Dwaraka, Varanasi, Narmada, Mt. Abu and other places. During that period, he had many mystical experiences. After that, when Swami Vivekananda returned from the West in 1897, Swami Brahmananda again returned to the monastery at Alambazar. When the Ramakrishna Mission was founded on 1 May 1897, Swami Brahmananda was made the President of the Calcutta Centre. In 1901, at the instance of Swami Vivekananda he became the President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.

Swami Brahmananda contributed immensely towards spreading the message of the Ramakrishna Order throughout the world. Discipline by means of spiritual growth was his style of functioning. He was a ‘spiritual dynamo’. Whosever came in contact with him could feel tangibly his electrifying spirituality. He was practical and capable of dynamic administration. Many of the guidelines in the  Ramakrishna Order that are followed till date in terms of administration, accounts, relief services, philosophical orientation etc. were formulated by him. Under his able stewardship the Order attained remarkable progress. Swami Brahmananda founded a Centre at Bhubaneshwar which bears the unmistakable signs of his genius. He entered into 'Mahasamadhi' on 10 April 1922 in Kolkata at the age of 60.

Swami Shivananda-(1922–1934)

Swami Shivananda, the second President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on Saturday, 16 December 1854, at Barasat in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. His pre-monastic name was Taraknath Ghosal. His father was Ramkanai Ghosal, a tantrik sadhaka and his mother was Vamasundari Devi. His father had been acquainted with Sri Ramakrishna, because he was the solicitor of Rani Rasmoni's estate. From his early childhood, Taraknath had a spiritual inclination and always aspired for attaining 'samadhi' although he did not know the exact implication of 'samadhi'. Due to family constraints he had to marry but never consummated the marriage. Acknowledging his perfect control over lust, Swami Vivekananda used to call him 'Mahapurush', meaning a great soul, and this later became his popular name. He first met Sri Ramakrishna probably in May or June of 1880. He heard the Master speak on 'samadhi' and also that he used to enter into that ecstatic state himself. Taraknath was convinced that he could also attain 'samadhi' if he got the spiritual guidance from the Master.

After the death of his wife, Taraknath gave up his job and left home for practising 'sadhana' under the spiritual guidance of Sri Ramakrishna. He was much fascinated by the life and teachings of Buddha and moulded himself accordingly. When he visited Bodhgaya along with others, he had some visions of Buddha. Sri Ramakrishna once commented that Taraknath belonged to a high state of divine power 'shakti' from where 'nama-rupa' originates. After the passing away of the Master, a monastery was founded at Baranagore in October 1886. Taraknath was among the first inmates of that monastery.  In January 1887, he took the vows of 'sannyasa' and was renamed as Swami Shivananda. Since then he engaged himself in practising austerity at various places in the Himalayas and other places of pilgrimage. During this phase, he also spread the message of Sri Ramakrishna and Vedanta in South India and Sri Lanka.

When the Ramakrishna Mission was founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897, Swami Shivananda dedicated himself to its cause. He was one of the active workers in the Plague Relief organized by the Mission in 1899, landslide relief and other service activities. In 1902, he was sent to Varanasi for organizing an ashrama. He started the Ramakrishna Advaita Ashrama at Varanasi and stayed there as the head of it, till 1907. After that, he joined at the monastery at Belur. Later he helped in establishing another ashrama at Almora, in deference to Swami Vivekananda’s wish. 

Swami Shivananda, popularly known as Mahapurush Maharaj, became the Vice President of the Order on 25 August 1910. After the demise of Swami Brahmananda, he became the President of the Order, in May 1922. He toured extensively through various parts of India, initiated   innumerable disciples and consolidated and expanded the organization. The remarkable features of his character were his childlike simplicity, unshaken faith in God and overflowing love for all. In many respects he was compared with Shiva. His faith in God remained unshaken even amidst trials and tribulations. In 1933, he had a stroke of thrombosis and remained in a paralytic condition till he passed away on 20 February 1934, at the ripe age of 80.

Swami Akhandananda-(1934–1937)

Swami Akhandananda, the third President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on Friday, 30 September1864, in North Kolkata. His pre-monastic name was Gangadhar (Gangopadhyay) Ghatak. His father was Srimanta Ghatak and his mother was Vamasundari Devi. Gangadhar had an austere disposition since his boyhood. His spiritual bent of mind and search for the highest truth brought him to Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar in May 1883. Gangadhar was very young at that time. He was dear to Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda fondly used to call him 'Ganges'.  After the 'Mahasamadhi' of Sri Ramakrishna, he went on a pilgrimage, wandering throughout Northern India. As a wandering mendicant, he climbed the untrackable hills and mountains of the Himalayas and visited many places. His wanderings took him to Tibet   more than once. He then came back to the   Baranagore monastery and took the monastic vows in July 1890 and was named Swami Akhandananda, meaning unbroken joy. After this, he travelled with Swami Vivekananda and visited many parts of Northern India and the Himalayas as well as Gujarat and Rajasthan.

During his stay at Rajasthan, Swami Akhandananda started a school for the children of the   slaves (called 'Gola') of the kings of Khetri. This sort of services rendered was a pioneering one ever-attempted in history. Later, during his visit to the parts of famine- stricken Bengal in Murshidabad district, he took upon himself the task of serving the famished people by distributing rice as ration, on 15 May 1897. This was the first public undertaking of relief work launched by the newly formed Ramakrishna Mission.

Swami Akhandananda successfully carried out the work of service. As a part of the follow-up programme of the relief work, he started an orphanage which developed into a full-fledged school at Sargachhi. Since 1897, Swami Akhandananda devoted his entire life working for the poor and the orphans, at Sargachhi. He became the Vice President of the Order in 1923. In March 1934, he was made the President of the Order, after the demise of Swami Shivananda. His monastic life was remarkable for his unprecedented service activities, when India was facing the blow of natural calamities. He was hard- working by nature and had studied diverse subjects. But large-heartedness was his hallmark. He inspired many young people to take up service activities as a path to spiritual attainment. Amidst the centenary celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Akhandananda left for his eternal abode on Sunday, 7 February 1937 at the ripe age of 72 years 4 months.

Swami Vijnanananda-(1937–1938)

Swami Vijnanananda, the fourth President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on Friday, 30 October 1868 at Etawah in Uttar Pradesh where his father Taraknath Chattopadhyay was working in the Commissariat of the British Government. His pre-monastic name was Hariprasanna Chattopadhyay. After the untimely death of his father, Hariprasanna came back to their ancestral house at Belgharia in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal along with his mother Nakuleshwari Devi and family.  He was a young boy when he first had a glimpse of Sri Ramakrishna on 15 June 1879. But his regular contact with the Master began from 15 September 1883 when he visited him at Dakshineswar with some of his friends. Sri Ramakrishna jokingly wrestled with him that day and later recalled that Hariprasanna (or Peshan as he used to call) was 'guileless' and that he was an incarnation of Jambavan who had wrestled with Sri Krishna. 

Hariprasanna became a civil engineer and worked under the Government of Uttar Pradesh. However, his monastic inclination brought him to the Alambazar Math in 1898. He took the monastic vows on 9 August 1899 and was named Swami Vijnanananda. After spending a few years with Swami Vivekananda and at the monastery, he settled himself at the Allahabad Centre. He led a very austere life and it is said that he had many mystic experiences and spiritual visions. He was entrusted by Swami Vivekananda for building the monastery at Belur which he accomplished successfully. Moreover, he was associated with the construction work in many centres like the Homes of Service at Varanasi, Kankhal and other places. He was appointed a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission and also the Vice President of the Order in 1934.  Later, after the demise of Swami Shivananda he became the fourth President of the Order on 5 March 1937.

Swami Shuddhananda (1938–1938)

Swami Shuddhananda, the fifth President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission was born in October 1872, in Kolkata. His pre-monastic name was Sudhir Chandra Chakraborty. His   father was Ashutosh Chakraborty. Though of frail health, he had a spiritual inclination since his childhood. He, along with some of his friends, used to visit the Baranagore Math. Moreover, he was close to some of the householder disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. When Swami Vivekananda returned from the West in 1897, Sudhir met him and decided to join the Order in April 1897.  He was initiated by Swami Vivekananda in May 1897. Finding him intelligent and proficient in scriptures, Swamiji blessed him, saying, 'You will become a wise man'. This came true in later years when he was considered to be an authority in Sanskrit scriptures as well as in the ideals of Swami Vivekananda.

On 7 May 1903, Swami Shuddhananda was appointed a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission. Moreover, he was made a Joint Secretary (now called the Assistant Secretary) of the Order. He also took up as the editor of the Bengali organ of the Order, Udbodhan, for some time. He contributed many scholarly articles in the journal. He was an untiring worker, strict disciplinarian and principled administrator, yet in the heart of hearts he was an all-renouncing monk. In 1927, he was made the Secretary (now called the General Secretary) and continued in that post till 1934. After that, he went for tapasya. During his tenure as the Secretary, he had to face many crises but remained composed and firm in principle. In 1937, Swami Shuddhananda became the Vice President of the Order. After the ‘Mahasamadhi’ of Swami Vijnanananda, Swami Shuddhananda took the onus of Presidentship, on 18 May 1938. His tenure as the President of the Order was very short as he passed away on 23 October 1938, at the age of 66. 

Swami Virajananda (1938–1951)

Swami Virajananda, the sixth President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on Tuesday, 10 June 1873, in Kolkata. His pre-monastic name was Kalikrishna Bose. His   father Dr. Trailokyanath Bose was the house-physician of Keshab Chandra Sen, the famous Brahmo leader. His mother Nishadkali Devi was a pious lady. Due to his soft nature and mild disposition, Kalikrishna was loved by all. During his school days, he developed friendship with a group of boys, some of whom later became the monks of the Ramakrishna Order. The group included Sudhir (Shuddhananda), Haripada (Bodhananda), Sushil (Prakashananda), Khagen (Vimalananda) and others.

This group of young boys used to discuss religion, practise spiritual discipline and lead good moral life. They gradually came in touch with the householder disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and later with the monastic disciples. They veered round the Baranagore Math. Consequently, Kalikrishna joined the Math as an ascetic, in the second half of 1891. He was among the first ones to join the Order, after the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. He was initiated by the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, sometimes in the middle of 1893. He went to various holy places like Varanasi, Vrindavan, etc. for practising spiritual disciplines. After his return from the West, Swami Vivekananda initiated Kalikrishna into sannyasa, on 2 January 1897, at Alambazar. Swami Virajananda served the Order in various forms.

Swami Shankarananda (1951–1962)

Swami Shankarananda, the seventh President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on Tuesday, 9 March 1880 at his material uncle's house at Baje Pratappur in Hooghly district of West Bengal. His pre-monastic name was Amritalal Sengupta. His father Navinkrishna Sengupta was an engineer. Due to his posting at various places, Amritalal had to move about frequently, with the family. Swami Sadananda, the first monastic disciple of Swamiji, was his   distantly related maternal uncle in his pre-monastic life. As a child Amritalal had a glimpse of Swami Vivekananda after his return from the West. From his childhood, Amritalal was very energetic, yet possessed a gentle disposition. His gentleness developed remarkably in his monastic life. He left home in 1902 and joined at the Belur Math. He was initiated by Swami Brahmananda who had developed great liking for the boy and fondly called him Amulya, meaning 'precious'. Eventually, he became popular as Amulya Maharaj.

Amulya was initiated into sannyasa by Swami Brahmananda in 1906. He served his guru as his attendant. He moulded his life under the active guidance of Swami Brahmananda. Amulya's visits to various places in India with Sister Nivedita and a visit to Japan with Swami Sadananda, helped him to gather educative experiences related to culture, religion and architecture. He was instrumental in building the monastery at Bhubaneswar, under the guidance of Swami Brahmananda. Many important temples like the temples of the Holy Mother and Swami Brahmananda were later built under his supervision. Swami Shankarananda was austere and meditative by nature and took up spiritual discipline at places like Darjeeling, Bhubaneswar, Puri and other places.

Swami Shankarananda became a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission, in 1910. He served as one of the Joint Secretaries of the Order since 1929 and later became its Treasurer in 1938. For brief periods he served as the head of the Bhubaneswar Centre and also of the Delhi Centre of the Order. In 1947, he became a Vice President of the Order. After the passing away of Swami Virajananda, the mantle of the office of Presidentship fell on Swami Shankarananda on 19 June 1951. He was a man of few words and outwardly maintained a stern appearance, but had motherly love and concern for all. His tenure as the President of the Order was marked by the consolidation of the Ramakrishna Movement in various parts of the country. 

During the Presidentship of Swami Shankarananda many outstanding achievements took place like the establishment of the independent monastic Order for the nuns, known as the Sarada  Math, and the Birth Centenary Celebration of the Holy Mother was conducted successfully. Moreover, the Seminary for the novice monks called the Probationers' Training Centre was founded under him, at the Belur Math. On Saturday, 13 January 1962, Swami Shankarananda entered into ‘Mahasamadhi’ at the Belur Math, at the ripe age of nearly 82.

Swami Vishuddhananda (1883-1962)

Swami Vishuddhananda, the eighth President of the Ramakrishna Order, was born on Wednesday, 13 June 1883 at Gurap village in Hooghly district of West Bengal. His pre-monastic name was Jitendranath Singha Roy. He was orphaned at his young age and stayed at Kolkata for his further studies. From his childhood, he was meditative by nature and spent much time in spiritual practices.  After reading about Sri Ramakrishna, Jitendra was very much moved. So he used to visit Dakshineswar and spent some time there practising spiritual disciplines.  At Dakshineshwar, he came to know about the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. He went to Jayrambati, along with two of his friends, Khagen (Swami Shantananda) and Girija (Swami Girijananda) to meet her and pay homage. They were initiated by the Holy Mother on 16 December 1906, at Jayrambati. Thereafter as they felt an urge to renounce the worldly life, they took ochre robe of monks from the Holy Mother. With her permission they went on foot to Varanasi for tapasya. There they stayed at the Varanasi Advaita Ashrama, where Swami Shivananda formally initiated them into sannyasa.  

Swami Vishuddhananda spent his time in meditation and other spiritual practices, while at Varanasi. He later came to the Belur Math and stayed with Swami Brahmananda and other disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.

At the time of sending Swami Vishuddhananda to the Chennai Math as a monastic worker, Swami Brahmananda conveyed his impression regarding him through a remark, "I am sending you a person who knows nothing but God". Swami Vishuddhananda also served at the Mayavati Ashrama in the Himalayas. In 1922, he became a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1926, he was made the head of the Bhubaneswar Ashrama and then from 1927 to 1952 he served as the head of the Morabadi Centre at Ranchi. 

In 1947, Swami Vishuddhananda became a Vice President of the Order and stayed at his favourite place, Varanasi. After the passing away of Swami Shankarananda, he took up the onus of Presidentship on 6 March 1962.

Swami Vishuddhananda was very loving by nature. His motherly affection, compassion and sympathetic understanding of others' problem made him dear to his devotees. He used to speak to people untiringly on spiritual matters.  He inspired many to strive for realizing God. His tenure as the President was of three months only.  He left for the heavenly abode on 16 June 1962 at the age of 79.

Swami Madhavananda (1962–1965)

Swami Madhavananda, the ninth President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on Saturday, 15 December 1888 at Baghanchra in Nadia district of West Bengal. His pre-monastic name was Nirmal Chandra Basu. His father was Hariprasad Basu. He was a brilliant   student and did his graduation from the University of Calcutta with distinctions. During his student life he read the works of Swami Vivekananda and was inspired by the ideals and message of Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji. He was initiated by the Holy Mother at Jayrambati in March 1909. The Holy Mother considered him to be as commendable as 'the elephant's tusk covered with gold'. He joined the monastery at Chennai in January 1910. He was initiated into sannyasa by Swami Brahmananda in January 1916. Later, his younger brother Vimal also joined the Order and came to be known as Swami Dayananda.

Swami Madhavananda spent a few years at the Udbodhan office assisting in the publication of the journal. He was later sent to Mayavati as the head of the Advaita Ashrama. He made several improvements there and started a Hindi organ of the Order called 'Samanvaya', with the assistance of the renowned Hindi poet, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'. He was instrumental in spreading the ideals of    Sri Ramakrishna-Swami Vivekananda in Gujarat and also in founding the Rajkot Centre. He was sent to the USA for   preaching Vedanta at the San Francisco monastery.

Swami Madhavananda became a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission, in 1922. He was called back to India in 1929, for serving as a Joint Secretary of the Order. He took the charge of the General Secretary in May 1938 and continued working in that capacity till he was made a Vice President in March 1962.  Till date, his tenure as the General Secretary is the longest one. After the demise of Swami Vishuddhananda, he became the President of the Order on 4 August 1962. As the President of the Order, Swami Madhavananda presided over the Birth Centenary Celebrations of Swami Vivekananda, in 1963.

Swami Madhavananda was austere by nature and used to practise japa and meditation for long hours despite his rigorous work schedule. He was very well-versed in scriptures and translated many scriptures like the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Brahmasutra, Bhasha Paricchheda, etc. His adherence to principles, able administration, scholarship and loving disposition made him a legendary monk of the Order.  More remarkable were his poise and forbearance.  

Swami Vireshwarananda (1966–1985)

Swami Vireshwarananda, the tenth President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on 31 October 1892 at Chennai. His pre-monastic name was Pandurang Prabhu and so was later known as Prabhu Maharaj. After his father's death at an early age, his mother moved with them to his maternal uncle's house at Mangalore. It is said that at the age of 5, Prabhu had the blessings of Swami Vivekananda.  

Pandurang Prabhu studied at Madras (Chennai) Law College where he had a chance to read the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. He joined at the Belur Math in the first half of 1916 and was initiated by the Holy Mother, in June 1916. He received his monastic vows from Swami Brahmananda on 12 January 1920.

After his initiation into sannyasa, Swami Vireshwarananda stayed at Varanasi. In 1921, he was sent to the Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati as a monastic worker. Later, he became its Manager at Kolkata Office and was made its head in 1927. He became a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission, in 1929.  He was made one of the Joint Secretaries of the Order on 7 April 1938.

An efficient organizer and able administrator as he was, Swami Vireshwarananda was sent to  Varanasi, Orissa, Madras Presidency, Ceylon and other places for organizing the workings of   ashramas.  In 1942, he finally returned to the Belur Math. When the Indian subcontinent and Asia were passing through a critical period during 1942 to 1947, he had successfully conducted several   relief operations. When Swami Madhavananda took leave from his office of the General Secretary on health ground, Swami Vireshwarananda officiated on his behalf from 1949 to 1951. Later in May 1961, he was made the General Secretary of the Order. After the demise of Swami Madhavananda, he became the President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, on 22 February 1966.

As the President of the Order, Swami Vireshwarananda travelled extensively throughout India for spreading the message of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Movement and inspired innumerable persons.  His tenure is remarkable for both unprecedented growth and consolidation of the Order. He introduced many philanthropic activities like rural development, 'Pallimangal' and training of youth in self-employment, 'Janashiksha', which encouraged the Order to venture into newer fields and thus expand its scope of service. He encouraged in adopting modern means of services for serving the distressed in a better way. His efficiency and administrative capabilities made him a legendary monk of the Order.

Though Swami Vireshwarananda had to be thoroughly engaged in administrative work, he could find time for reading extensively.  His scholarship is evident in his translation in English of many Sanskrit scriptures that include the gloss of Sridhara on the Bhagavadgita, the commentaries of   Sankara and Ramanuja on Brahmasutra. His lectures and articles bear the impress of his brilliance. His discourses provide practical instructions and inspire one to follow the ideals of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Movement. The rare features of his personality made innumerable people his admirers.  He served the Order as the President for a very long period till he passed away on 13 March 1985.  He had left an indelible mark on the Ramakrishna Movement.

Swami Gambhirananda (1985–1988)

Swami Bhuteshananda (1989–1998)

Swami Bhuteshananda, the twelfth President of the Ramakrishna Order, was born on 8 September 1901 at Somsar in Bankura district of West Bengal. His pre-monastic name was Vijay Chandra Roy. His parents were Purna Chandra Roy and Charubala Devi. As a student in Kolkata, he met Brahmachari Jnan Maharaj, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda. Under his guidance, he along with a group of other young boys started frequenting the Belur Math and met many of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.

In 1921, Swami Saradananda initiated Vijay with Mantradiksha. He was bestowed with the vows of brahmacharya by Swami Shivananda on 30 December 1923 and was named 'Priyachaitanya'.  Swami Gambhirananda was among the others who were initiated into brahmacharya on the same day. He served at the Belur Math in the temple of Sri Ramakrishna and got scriptural lessons from a pandit. For some time he served Mahapurush Maharaj also. On 23 February 1928, Swami Shivananda initiated him into sannyasa.

Thereafter, Swami Bhuteshananda set out for tapasya and spent about two years in the Himalayas. On his return, he was sent to the Dhaka Centre where he served till 1932. Then he went to Mysore to join the study circle for studying scriptures. There he taught his brother-monks the Brahmasutra.

In 1936, Swami Bhuteshananda was made the head of the centre at Shillong. There he got the opportunity to serve the hill-tribes. In 1945, he was made the head of the Rajkot Math. During his tenure there, the ashrama thrived remarkably. He took much pain for getting the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature translated into Gujarati. He rendered untiring service in the relief operations organized by the Order in the flooded areas of West Bengal in 1926, as the Camp-in-charge of the Burma Evacuee Relief in 1942 and many others.

In 1965, Swami Bhuteshananda was made a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1966, he joined at the Belur Math as an Assistant Secretary. In 1975, he became one of the Vice Presidents of the Order and moved over to Yogodyan Math, Kankurgachhi at Kolkata. Following the ‘Mahasamadhi’ of Swami Gambhirananda, he took the onus of the President of the Ramakrishna Math and   Ramakrishna Mission, on 24 January 1989.

Though Swami Bhuteshananda was an extraordinary scholar and could speak untiringly on scriptural subjects, yet he did not author a book. However, his class lectures were transcribed and   brought out as books which are very popular for the lucid expositions of profound thoughts.

During the long period of twenty-three years as the Vice President and also as the President of the Order, he travelled to many countries including Singapore, Fiji, Japan, Australia, America, Canada, England, France, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He carried the ideals and ideas of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Movement to innumerable people.

Swami Bhuteshananda was austere yet jovial in nature. His extraordinary scholarship, simplicity and humanity made him an extraordinary monk. He was easily approachable and had motherly affection towards all. His erudition and total surrender to the Supreme Will were deeply ingrained in him and never were manifested externally, except under compelling situations. His personality beamed with universal love. He left his mortal body for his heavenly abode on 10 August 1998 at the age of 97.

Swami Ranganathananda (1998–2005)

Swami Ranganathananda, the thirteenth President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born on 15 December 1908 at Trikkur village near Trichur in Kerala.  His pre-monastic name was Shankaran Kutty. His parents were Neelakantha Sastri and Lakshmi Kutty Amma. Young Shankaran was deeply inspired by the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.  Consequently, he joined the Mysore Centre in 1926. He served at the Mysore Centre and also the Bangalore Centre for more than a decade, under Swami Siddheswarananda. Swami Shivananda gave him the spiritual initiation on 30 June 1926. Shankaran received his brahmacharya vows on 23 March 1929 and sannyasa on 23 January 1933, both from Swami Shivananda.

Swami Ranganathananda served as the Secretary and the Librarian at the Rangoon Centre, between 1939 and 1942. After the bombing of Rangoon during the Second World War, Maharaj left for India on foot along with other Indian evacuees from Burma. After his return, he served as the   head of the Karachi Centre, from 1942 to 1948, until the partition of India. The Mission found it difficult to continue its activities at Karachi after the partition and so it had been closed. The Swami served as the Secretary at the Delhi Centre, from 1949 to 1962.  His classes on scriptures at Karachi and later at Delhi were immensely popular and were attended by many distinguished personalities.

Swami Ranganathananda served as the Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, the Director of School of Humanistic and Cultural Studies and also the Editor of the Institute's journal. In 1973, he became the head of the Hyderabad Centre where he founded the   Vivekananda Vani School of Languages, a temple and a library. He used to deliver spiritual discourses regularly.

Swami Ranganathananda was chosen by the Government of India for the Padma-Vibhushan Award in 2000, but being wholly dedicated to the cause of the Order, he declined the honour as it was conferred on him in his individual capacity and not for the Order.

Swami Ranganathananda was regarded as a saint, savant and 'silver-tongued' orator. He had authored over 50 books, some of which have been published by noted institutions like the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and others, besides the publication centres of the Order. 

Many of the prominent personalities who had come in contact with Swami Ranganathananda were greatly impressed by him. Notable among them were Dr Sukarno, the President of Indonesia, the Dalai Lama, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Smt. Indira Gandhi, Dr Monmohan Singh, I.K.Gujral, L.K. Advani, Smt. M. Subhalakshmi, the great Carnatic singer, Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, MM Govindagopal Mukhopadhyay, Amritalingam Sinnathamby, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Archbishop Michael L Fitzerald, Sri C.V. Raman and P.C. Alexander.

‘Godward Passion and Manward Love’ was his motto. Swami Ranganathananda stressed on service as a way of life, and Vedanta as a science of religion. His personality was marked by simplicity, profound love for humanity and an attitude of equality to all. Oratorical skills and intellectual inclination marked him out among his peers.

Swami Ranganathananda passed away on Monday, 25 April 2005 at the age of a little over 96.  To commemorate the birth centenary of Swami Ranganathananda, the Government of India's  Department of Post released a postage stamp in the denomination of rupees five only, on 15  December 2008, at Kolkata.

Swami Gahanananda (2005–2007)

Swami Gahanananda, the fourteenth President of the Ramakrishna Order, was born in October 1916 at Paharpur village of Sylhet district (now in Bangladesh). His pre-monastic name was Naresh   Ranjan Roy Choudhury. Naresh was greatly influenced by the dedicated lives of some of the monks of the Ramakrishna Order, especially Swami Prabhananda (Ketaki Maharaj), who was his cousin in his pre-monastic life. He also had an opportunity to meet Swami Abhedananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.

His desire for joining the Ramakrishna Order of monks was enhanced by his contact with Swami Vamadevananda of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. In January 1939, at the age of 22, Naresh joined the Order at its centre in Bhubaneswar. He received mantradiksha in 1939, brahmacharya on 25 February 1944 and sannyasa on 12 March 1948 – all from Swami Virajananda.  While at Bhubaneswar, he had opportunities to serve some of the spiritual stalwarts of the Order, including Swami Achalananda (a disciple of Swamiji popularly known as Kedar Baba), Swami Shankarananda and others. 

Swami Gahanananda, popularly known as Naresh Maharaj, served at the Advaita Ashrama at Kolkata as its Manager, from 1942 to 1952. Then he served at the Shillong Centre from 1953 to 1958.  He had also served for a brief period of eight months at Bagerhat (now in Bangladesh) since June 1952.  When at Shillong, he had organized flood relief operations in Assam, for a couple of times. For his dedicated service he was very much respected by the tribal inhabitants in and around Shillong.

For his keen interest in service of the suffering people, Swami Gahanananda was sent to the   Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan, Kolkata, in 1958. There he served for the first five years as its Assistant Secretary under Swami Dayananda and then as its Secretary for 22 years. He worked tirelessly to develop the services of Seva Pratisthan to cater to the medical needs of as many people belonging to poor and low-income group as possible. He converted the original small maternity hospital into a huge modern and 550-bedded well-equipped hospital. 

Swami Gahanananda became a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission, in 1965. He was made an Assistant Secretary in 1979 and eventually he became its General Secretary in 1989. He served the Order in this capacity for three years, after which he became a Vice President of the Order in 1992, and from that time, he served the Order simultaneously   as the head of the Ramakrishna Math (Yogodyan) at Kankurgachhi, Kolkata. After the demise of Swami Ranganathananda, Swami Gahanananda took the onus of the President of the Order on 25 May 2005.

As the Vice President, Swami Gahanananda travelled extensively in various parts of the country and visited many branches of the Order. He also visited at different times various places in USA, Canada, England, France, Switzerland, Holland, Russia, Australia, Japan,  Myanmar, Sri Lanka,  Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia and Mauritius to spread the message of Vedanta and of   Ramakrishna-Vedanta Movement. In 1993, he represented the Ramakrishna Order at the commemorative function at Chicago, which was attended by 6500 people from all parts of the world, to celebrate the centenary of Swami Vivekananda's historic appearance at the World Parliament of Religions.

Swami Gahanananda was known for his composed character. He never lost his cool even in adverse and unwelcoming situations. His compassion for all and his relentless service to the   afflicted people were exemplary. He used to perform incessant japa inwardly without any external manifestation. One of his greatest contributions towards actualizing the ideal of the Movement was organizing the non-affiliated centres, engaged in spreading the message of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda, under one umbrella institution called the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Bhava Prachar Parisad, guided by the Belur Math. Thus, he integrated these centres in the mainstream and streamlined their activities.

After a prolonged illness, the Swami passed away on Sunday, 4 November 2007 at 5.35 p.m.

Swami Atmasthananda (2007–)

Swami Atmasthananda, the fifteenth President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, was born in May 1919 at Sabajpur, near Dhaka (now in Bangladesh). His pre-monastic name was Satyakrishna.  He was a student of the Ramakrishna Mission Calcutta Students' Home, now located at Belgharia. While a student, he came in contact with many luminaries of the Order including Swami Nirvedananda (a disciple of Swami Brahmananda and the founder of the   Students' Home) and Swami Achalananda.

Satyakrishna received his spiritual initiation from Swami Vijnanananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. He received the brahmacharya vows in 1945 and sannyasa in 1949 from Swami Virajananda. After serving the Order at the Belur Math, Deoghar Vidyapith, Ranchi T.B. Sanatorium  and Mayavati Advaita Ashrama, Swami Atmasthananda got the opportunity to serve Swami  Virajananda, the then President of the Order, for  a long period.

In 1958, Swami Atmasthananda was sent to Rangoon (now Yangon) Sevashrama as its Secretary. Soon, he developed the Sevashrama into one of the best hospitals in Burma (now Myanmar). When the military rulers took over the Rangoon Sevashrama, he returned to India in 1965.  He was then sent to Rajkot as its head.

In 1973, Swami Atmasthananda was made a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1975, he became an Assistant Secretary as well as the Secretary of the relief operations.

Under the stewardship of Swami Atmasthananda, the Order conducted massive relief and rehabilitation operations in various parts of India, Nepal and Bangladesh. In 1992, he became the General Secretary of the Order. In May 1997, he was made the Vice President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.

As a Vice President, Swami Atmasthananda travelled extensively in various parts of the country and visited many branches of the Order and also some unaffiliated centres. In all these places, he spread the message of Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and Vedanta. He gave spiritual initiation to many aspirants.

After the demise of Swami Gahanananda, Swami Atmasthananda succeeded to the Presidency of the Order, on 3 December 2007.