Sri Sarada Math is named after Sri Sarada Devi, the consort of Sri Ramakrishna, and founded on 2 December 1954. Built by a group of eight sadhavis, as per the instructions given by Swami Vivekananda, it serves as a monastic order for women. Headquartered at Dakshineshwar, Kolkata, the organisation has branch centres all over India, in Sri Lanka and Australia. The nuns of this order use the title "Pravrajika" before their ordained name, and are usually addressed as "Mataji" meaning 'revered mother'.
Overview
Sri Sarada Math is the monastic order for women established as an independent counterpart to Ramakrishna Order. The main aim of the organisation is to fulfill the mission of Swami Vivekananda, that is ‘Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva’ serving God in Man, irrespective of caste, creed, and nationality as well as the upliftment and empowerment of women.
The organisation mainly propagates the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta–Advaita Vedanta and four yogic ideals–jnana, bhakti, karma, and Raja Yoga.
Apart from religious and spiritual teaching, the organisation carries out educational and philanthropic work in India. The mission bases its work on the principles of karma yoga, the principle of selfless work done with a dedication to God. The Sri Sarada Math and its sister organisation, the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, publish many important Vedanta and Ramakrishna-Vivekananda texts. Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, its sister organisation also shares the same headquarters at Dakshineshwar, Kolkata.
History
2 December 1954, the Sarada Math was inaugurated by the then President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Revered Swami Sankarananda. During its formative days, the women who joined this order was from a family of Sri Ramakrishna devotees, such as Brahmacharini Renu, Brahmacharini Asha, Brahmacharini Lakshmi, Brahmacharini Gauri, Brahmacharini Kalyani, and others.
Brahmacharini Asha had in 1946 written an article entitled, ‘Hindu Women’s Right to Sannyasa’ published in Udbodhan magazine, in which she expressed her strong desire for the life of renunciation. It created interest among intellectual circles, especially in the circles of Ramakrishna followers.
From 1954 to 1958, Sri Sarada Math was a branch centre of the Ramakrishna Math at Belur. The Trustees of Belur Math assumed the responsibility of its administration. However, only the inmates of the Sri Sarada Math conducted the day-to-day work of the Math. When the necessity arose, they sought advice from the senior monks of Belur Math. After the inaugural of the Sri Sarada Math, Swami the Belur Math authorities instructed that monks would no longer visit it without proper reason or prior permission.
In 1958, eight Brahmacharinis of the women's Math were tonsured, and they performed the Shraddha ceremony. Then on 2 January 1959, in the Old Shrine of Belur Math, the President, Swami Shankarananda and other senior monks conducted the Viraja Homa, and the eight Brahmacharinis were ordained into formal Sannyasa. They were given the ochre robes and new names. Swami Madhavananda had compiled the names. They would be prefixed by ‘Pravrajika’ and ended with ‘prana’. So the names of the eight pioneer sannyasinis were Pravrajika Bharatiprana, Pravrajika Mokshaprana, Pravrajika Muktiprana, Pravrajika Dayaprana, Pravrajika Vidyaprana, Pravrajika Shraddhaprana, Pravrajika Bhaktiprana, and Pravrajika Medhaprana.
On 26 August 1959, the Sri Sarada Math was recognised as an independent organisation and the full administration was handed over to the nuns. Seven of its nuns were elected to be the Trustees. The Trust deed was registered on 9 September 1959 and it was officially registered as a non-government trust on 11 September 1959. With this, the President of the Sri Sarada Math was also given the responsibility to give spiritual initiation (Mantra Diksha), brahmacharya initiation and the conferring of Sannyasa to eligible women. Thus, an independent Order of Sannyasinis was created.
Sri Sankaracharya did not sanction sannyasa for women. But Swami Vivekananda laid the foundation to admit women into the Puri Sampradaya, one of the ten Orders of the Dasanami Sampradaya started by Sankaracharya. Not only this but the nuns were also given the right to confer Sannyasa upon other women. This was an epoch-making incident in the history of the Hindu religion.