Collection of Audio Lectures by various prominent monks of the order

Swami Virajananda

Swami Virajananda was a disciple of Swami Vivekananda and became the 6th President of the Ramakrishna Order, following the death of Swami Shuddhananda. He was also responsible for successful completion of compilation and publishing of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. 

He was the main source of inspiration behind the founding of two educational institutes of Ramakrishna Mission viz., Vidyamandir and Sarada Pith. 

This is a 4-minute historic recording , of his voice in January,1950.

Swami Shankarananda

 

Swami Shankarananda was initiated into sannyasa by Swami Brahmananda in 1906. He served his guru Swami Brahmananda as his attendant.

After the passing away of Swami Virajananda, Swami Shankarananda became the 7th President of the Order. 

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. The Probationers' Training Centre was founded under him, at the Belur Math.

This is a 6-min historic  recording of his voice, on the ocassion of Birth Centenary Celebration of the Holy Mother  in 1957.

Swami Bodhanananda

Swami Bodhananda was a disciple of Swami Vivekananda. He arrived in April 1906 to assist and continue the work in New York , as Swami Abhedananda had left for a trip to India.Later, he left New York to take charge of the new Center in Pittsburgh.

Swami Bodhananda closed down the Pittsburgh honourary in October of 1912 and returned to take charge of the New York Society. For forty years, thereafter Swami Bodhananda, assisted periodically by younger Swamis sent from India , sustained the society. He continued to work with small group of devotees rebuilding the New York society.He passed away in New York on May 18, 1950.

This is a 30-minute recording of his talk , delivered in August 1948.

 

Swami Madhavananda

 

Swami Madhavananda (1888-1965) was the 9th president of the Ramakrishna Mission (1960–1965). A great scholar in Sanskrit, he has many works to his credit.

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 was sent to the USA for preaching Vedanta at the San Francisco monastery. He was well-versed in scriptures and translated many scriptures like the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Brahmasutra, Bhasha Paricchheda, etc.

This is a 50-minute recording of his talk titled "The Immortality of the Soul", delivered in April 1956 at Vedanta Society, New York.

Swami Yatiswarananda

 

Swami Yatiswarananda (1889-1966), a senior monk and former Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Math.Besides seven years of pioneering work in spreading Vedanta in Europe and ten years of teaching Vedanta in the U.S.A.(Philadelphia).

The Swami was an initiated disciple of Swami Brahmananda (the great direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna), and was widely respected for his high spiritual attainments, Yogic insight and mature wisdom. He advocated and lived a well-harmonized spiritual life with meditation as the keynote.

This is a 70–minute recording of his talk in two parts titled "Essentials of Meditative Life".

Essentials of Meditative Life, Part-1

 

Essentials of Meditative Life, Part-2

Swami Nikhilananda

 

Swami Nikhilananda (1895–1973) was a direct disciple of Sri Sarada Devi. In 1933, he founded the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, a branch of Ramakrishna Mission, and remained its head until his death in 1973. An accomplished writer and thinker, Nikhilananda's greatest contribution was the translation of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita from Bengali into English published under the title The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942).

 His most important works include translations of The Upanishads, The Bhagavad Gita, biographies of Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda, and his many articles written for various journals. 

This is a 58-minute recording of his talk titled "What to do with Troublesome Ego", delivered in January 1967.

 

Swami Ashokananda 

Swami Ashokananda (1893-1969) was Swami-in-charge of the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco from 1932 until his death in December 1969 at the age of 76.

He was ordained into Sannyasa by Swami Shivananda , and served as the editor of the Prabuddha Bharata, English monthly organ of the Ramakrishna Order, from 1926 to 1930.

The Swami rendered great service to the cause of the Vedanta movement in the West by his clear and through expositions of Vedantic teachings through lectures and classes for nearly four decades. 

This is a 47-minute recording of his talk titled "The Ladder of Love", delivered in July 1954.

Swami Vividishananda

Swami Vividishananda was the disciple of Swami Brahmananda. After working in several American cities, he came to Seattle in 1938 and founded The Ramakrishna Vedanta Center of Seattle.

His works include "A Man of God" and translation of For Seekers of God: Spiritual Talks of Swami Shivananda. He passsed away in September 1980.

This is a 49-minute recording of his talk titled "You are the Master of your Destiny", delivered in October 1966.

 

 Swami Vishwananda

Swami Vishwananda was a disciple of Swami Brahmananda.

 A few years after his arrival in Chicago, Swami Vishwananda moved the Center to 506 Deming Place, a rented apartment with a large living room where he held classes on the Gita while continuing to give Sunday lectures in a rented hall usually at a Unity Church.In his lectures and classes he was profound and brilliant: an accomplished story-teller with a photographic memory for incidents and names, nourished by his extensive readings in world literature.He gave up his body on July 25, 1965.

This is a 62–minute recording of his talk in two parts titled "Concentration and Meditation".

Concentration and Meditation, Part-1

 

Concentration and Meditation, Part-2

Swami Pavitrananda

Swami Pavitrananda, a disciple of Swami Brahmananda, was the Sixth Resident Swami and Minister of Vedanta Society of New York. He arrived in New York in February 1951, to assume charge of the Society, serving as spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York for twenty-six years.

Before coming to the US, he served as the editor of Prabuddha Bharata from 1931 to 1935 and was elected a Trustee of the Ramakrishna Order in 1947.The Swami was a great scholar and wrote several books on Vedanta. Among his books are "Common Sense about Yoga" and "Modern Man in Search of Religion". He passed away in 1977.

This is a 30-minute recording of his talk about his Trip to India, delivered in September 1958.

 

Swami Prabhavananda

Swami Prabhavananda (1893–1976) was the disciple of Swami Brahmananda. He founded the Vedanta Society of Southern California in 1930.

Under his administration the Vedanta. Society of Southern California grew over the years to become the largest Vedanta Society in the West, with monasteries in Hollywood and Trabuco Canyon and convents in Hollywood and Santa Barbara.

The Swami was a scholar, who authored a number of books on Vedanta and Indian religious scriptures and commentary. He was assisted on several of the projects by Christopher Isherwood or Frederick Manchester. He passed away on July 4, 1976.

This is a 60-minute recording of his talk titled "Inner Awakening", delivered in April 1956.

Swami Akhilananda

Swami Akhilananda was a disciple of Swami Brahmananda. He came to USA in 1927, first to Boston.Then with the idea of spreading the universal message of Vedanta in the other areas of United States, he decided to start a center in Providence in 1928. He found a fertile ground here for these great ideas to take root.

Swami Akhilananda gave regular classes at the Brown University and other educational institutions. He also started a center in Boston in 1941.He passed away in 1962.

This is a 45-minute recording of his talk titled "Some Saints I have Seen", delivered in January 1961.

Swami Vijayananda

Swami Vijayananda was a disciple of Swami Brahmananda and the pioneer of Vedanta in Argentina and South-America since 1932.He was privileged to meet the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna , some of their reminiscences by him are recorded in "Vedanta for East and West". He passed away in 1973 at the age of 75.

This is a 60-minute recording of his talk in two parts at Madras, delivered in 1968.

Swami Vijayananda at Madras, Part-1

  

Swami Vijayananda at Madras, Part-2

 

Swami Nityaswarupananda

Swami Nityaswarupananda (1899-1992), was a disciple of holy mother ,established the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture in Kolkata in 1938.He treasured the dream of creating a School of World Civilization, a dream he believed coincided with Vivekananda's plan for an "International University". He also started the building work of Udbodhan office in 1967-1968.

Amongst his notable works include translation of Ashtavakra Samhita. Shelley Brown has authored his much acclaimed biography " Centred in Truth".

This is a 85-minute recording in two parts of his reminiscences of Swami Ashokananda ,direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna  and Holy Mother , delivered in January - February 1988.

 Reminiscences of Swami Ashokananda and Swami Premananda, Part-1

 Reminiscences of Swami Premananda, Swami Turiyananda and Swami Brahmananda, Part-2

 

Swami Budhananda

Swami Budhananda , was a disciple of Swami Virajananda. He was the editor of the Vedanta Kesari, went to New York as assistant to Swami Nikhilananda in 1959, served in the Hollywood and San Francisco centres, reurned to India in 1967 and became the Secretary of the Chandigarh ashrama. He became the Jt-Editor of the Prabuddha Bahrata in 1968, later President of Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati. He was secretary of Delhi ashrama in 1976 .

He was a good orator, scholar and prolific writer. He authored many books including Thakurer Naren O Narener Thakur, Swamijir Sri Ramakrishna sadhana, The Mind and Its Control, Can One be Scientific yet Spiritual etc. and translated the "Life of Ramanuja" from Bengali by Swami Ramakrishnananda. He passed way in June 1983.

This is a 60-minute recording of his talk titled "Self-Lifting through Self Effort", delivered in Feburuary 1966. 

Swami Ghanananda

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Swami Ghanananda went to Europe to spread the message of Vedanta. He started the Vedanta Centre in London in November 1948. Until 1969 he guided its affairs, established its monastery; edited the publications and also spoke in many parts of the country.

 His works include "Women Saints of East and West", "Sri Ramakrishna and His Unique Message".

He passed away in 1969.

This is a 24-minute recording of his talk titled "Yoga Psychology and Human Consciousness", delivered in November 1947.

This is a 58-minute recording of his talk titled "Free Soul".