Two very auspicious occassions are being celebrated in Ramakrishna mission on the 24th of February and 28th of February 2017.The former is consecrated to Mahashivaratri and the latter to the birthday of Bhagavan Swami Ramakrishna.You are invited to join in the celebrations and feel renewed and rejevanated with spiritual energy bringing comfort to your body , peace to your mind and enlightenment to your soul.Let the bhajans and chanting of mantras lighten your burdens and bring solace to you.Connect with divinity at these functions and enjoy fellowship with likeminded people during prasad( Lunch/dinner) of delicious satvic Indian vegetarian cuisine.This is specially prepared by devoted volunteers to nourish you.
Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. There is a Shivaratri in every luni-solar month of the Hindu calendar, on the month’s 13th night /14th day, but once a year in late winter (February/March) and before the arrival of spring, marks Maha Shivaratriwhich means “the Great Night of Shiva”.
It is a major festival in Hinduism, but one that is solemn and marks a remembrance of “overcoming darkness and ignorance” in life and the world. It is observed by remembering Shiva and chanting prayers, fasting, doing Yoga and meditating on ethics and virtues such as self-restraint, honesty, noninjury to others, forgiveness and the discovery of Shiva. The ardent devotees keep awake all night. Others visit one of the Shiva temples or go on pilgrimage to Jyotirlingams. This is an ancient Hindu festival whose origin date is unknown.Unlike most Hindu festivals which are celebrated during the day, the Maha Shivaratri is celebrated at night
Lord Shiva
At the highest level, Shiva is regarded as formless, limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman, and the primal Atman (soul, self) of the universe.[ Shiva has many benevolent and fearsome depictions. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic lifeon Mount Kailash as well as a householder with wife Parvati and his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya. In his fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also known as Adiyogi Shiva regarded as the patron god of yoga, meditation and arts.
Significance of Shivratri
Festival of Mahashivaratri is the most important festival for the millions of devotees of Lord Shiva. The festival has been accorded lot of significance in Hindu mythology. It says that a devotee who performs sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivratri is absolved of sins and attains moksha.
Significance of Shivaratri for Women
Mahashivratri Festival is also considered to be an extremely significant festival by women. Married and unmarried women observe fast and perform Shiva Puja with sincerity to appease Goddess Parvati who is also regarded as ‘Gaura’ – one who bestows marital bliss and long and prosperous married life. Unmarried women also pray for a husband like Lord Shiva who is regarded as the ideal husband
Swami Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836–1886), regarded as a 19th-century saint, was the inspirator of the Ramakrishna Order of monks and is regarded as the spiritual founder of the Ramakrishna Movement.[4][5] Ramakrishna was a priest in the Dakshineswar Kali Temple and attracted several monastic and householder disciples. Narendranath Dutta, who later became Vivekananda was one of the chief monastic disciples
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 17 February 1836 – 16 August 1886)[, born Gadadhar Chatterjee or Gadadhar Chattopadhyay was an Indian mystic and yogi during the 19th-century.
Ramakrishna was given to spiritual ecstacies from a young age, and was influenced by several religious traditions, including devotion toward the goddess Kali, Tantra and Vaishnava bhakti, and Advaita Vedanta.
Admiration for him amongst Bengali elites led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda, who acquired worldwide influence in the spread of modern Hinduism.
Ramakrishna was born on 17 February 1836 in the village of Kamarpukur, in the Hoogli district of West Bengal, into a very poor, pious, and orthodoxbrahmin family.[15] Kamarpukur was untouched by the glamour of the city and contained rice fields, tall palms, royal banyans, a few lakes, and two cremation grounds. His parents were Khudiram Chattopadhyay and Chandramani Devi. According to his followers, Ramakrishna’s parents experienced supernatural incidents and visions before his birth. In Gaya his father Khudiram had a dream in which Lord Gadadhara (a form of Vishnu), said that he would be born as his son. Chandramani Devi is said to have had a vision of light entering her womb from Shiva’s temple.
Quotes of Swami Ramakrishna
Knowledge leads to unity, but Ignorance to diversity.
So long as God seems to be outside and far away, there is ignorance. But when God is realised within, that is true knowledge
Meditate upon the Knowledge and Bliss Eternal, and you will also have bliss
Attend to all your duties but keep your mind fixed on God
Many are the names of God, and infinite the forms that lead us to know Him. In whatsoever name or form you desire to call Him, in that very form and name you will see Him.
Man cannot really help the world. God alone does that
RAMAKRISHNA MISSION
Ramakrishna Mission is an Indian religious organization which forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the Ramakrishna Movement or the Vedanta Movement. The mission is a philanthropic, volunteer organisation founded by Ramakrishna’s chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on 1 May 1897. The mission conducts extensive work in health care, disaster relief, rural management, tribal welfare, elementary and higher education and culture. It uses the combined efforts of hundreds of ordered monks and thousands of householder disciples. The mission bases its work on the principles of karma yoga
