Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol.

An Appeal For our Auditorium and Universal Prayer Hall

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol.

(A Brunch Centre of Ramakrishna Math & Mission Belur Math.)

Vivekananda Sarani, (Kanyapur Link Road),
Asansol, Dt. Burdwan, West Bengal 713 305. India.
Phone : 0341-225 2373 & 225 2937, 0341-225-4567
Telefax : 0341 225-4567. Email : rkmasansol@gmail.com

An Appeal For our Auditorium and Universal Prayer Hall

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol was started in 1926 on a small piece of land near G.T.Road and sifted later to its present location near National Highway-2. It runs at present:-

Secondary school with about 800 students, which is now the Best Bengali Medium School in Bardwan District.

Two Urban Junior Basic School with about 300 boys.

Vocational Training Centre (VTC) for about 1300 unemployed youth.

Free Coaching Centre for about 200 underprivileged Children’s.

Free Milk Distribution Unit for about 160 poor children’s.

Library- cum- Reading Room with 6985 book’s. 15 periodicals, 4 deferent types News Papers.

Charitable Dispensary ( Allopathic, Homeopathy, Dental, Psychotherapy, E.N.T. Etc) treating yearly almost 5000 patients to name only a few.

Not only this. It is the only brunch of the Ramakrishna Mission in the entire district of Bardhaman, and at its direct and indirect influence, more than 25 centres have come up in the vast industrial range of Bardhaman, Durgapur, Andal, Raniganj, Asansol and Chittaranjan, the centers that are not affiliated with the Ramakrishna Mission but engaged in various humanitarian services and ideological preaching’s in the same lines as of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Our Immediate Need: An Auditorium & Universal Prayer Hall.

A part from our 1100 School Students & 1300 VTC Students for the youth and common people of Asansol in general, we were badly in need of a commodious Auditorium to hold our intended Cultural or Religious Program’s, Seminars, Conventions etc. in befitting way.

Keeping these in mind, with the financial assistance of various well-wishing individuals & organizations, we started the construction work of “Two Storied Colossal Structure of an Auditorium with 1188 sitting capacity and an Universal Prayer Hall accommodating about 800 persons, in Dec’ 2008. With an estimation of ` 5 Crore.

Our Appeal to You

At present, after the completion of the superstructure only, due to the coupled effect of fund constraints and materials & services, an overshooting amount of ` 3.92 Crore still required to finished the project. As each branch of Ramakrishna Mission has to fend for itself we are frantically looking forward to the generous individuals and organizations to collect the remaining amount.

We therefore, place our humble appeal before you to extend your helping hands through monetary support, as much as possible kindly help us to help society.

Your contributions will be duly acknowledged with valued respect.

Notes for the donors

Donations to Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol are exempted from Income Tax under section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Your Donations can send Direct through Internet Banking to our bank account. Our Bank details :-

Payee Name: Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol.

Account NO: 813787811

Bank Name: Indian Bank. Branch: RKM Branch. Branch Code: 00R083

IFSC Code: IDIB000R083.

(Kindly inform your Name, Address, PAN no. after transaction and mentioning the purpose of the donation ( i.e. for Auditorium & Prayer Hall)

by Email to our Mail Address: rkmasansol@gmail.com

Cheques / Drafts may be made in the name of Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol , and send to the above address giving the full address of the donor and mentioning the purpose of the donation ( i.e. for Auditorium & Prayer Hall)

Donors contributing ` 1 Lakh or more may do so in memory of his/her dear once. His/her contribution will be acknowledged by installing a plaque near the structure.

Present Tin-shaded Shrine

New Building in Progress

IDEOLOGY of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

IDEOLOGY of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

The ideology of Ramakrishna Math and Mission consists of the eternal principles of Vedanta as lived and experienced by Sri Ramakrishna and expounded by Swami Vivekananda. This ideology has three characteristics: it is modern in the sense that the ancient principles of Vedanta have been expressed in the modern idiom; it is universal, that is, it is meant for the whole humanity; it is practical in the sense that its principles can be applied in day-to-day life to solve the problems of life. The basic principles of this ideology are given below:

1. God realization is the ultimate goal of life:
One of the important discoveries made in ancient India was that the universe arises from and is sustained by infinite consciousness called Brahman. It has both impersonal and personal aspects. The personal aspect is known by different names, such as God, Ishvar, Jehovah and so on. Realization of this Ultimate Reality is the true goal of life, for that alone can give us everlasting fulfilment and peace.

2. Potential divinity of the soul:
Brahman is immanent in all beings as the Atman which is man's true self and source of all happiness. But owing to ignorance, he identifies himself with his body and mind and runs after sense pleasures. This is the cause of all evil and suffering. As ignorance is removed, the Atman manifests itself more and more. This manifestation of potential divinity is the essence of true religion.

3. Synthesis of the Yogas:
The removal of ignorance and mani

festation of inner divinity leading to God realization are achieved through Yoga. There are four main Yogas: Jnana Yoga (Yoga of Knowledge); Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion); Raja Yoga (Yoga of Meditation); Karma Yoga (Yoga of Work). Each Yoga is an independent means of realizing God. But since each Yoga involves the cultivation of one of the faculties such as reason, feeling or will, a combination of all the four Yogas is necessary for the development of a balanced, 'fully functioning' personality. It is this synthesis of Yogas that Swami Vivekananda regarded as the ideal of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. This ideal finds expression in the EMBLEM of the twin organizations shown here, which was designed by Swamiji himself. In the emblem the wavy waters represent Karma Yoga; the lotus flower represents Bhakti Yoga; the rising sun represents Jnana Yoga; the coiled serpent represents Raja Yoga; and the Swan represents the Supreme Self. The meaning of the ensemble is: by the combined practice of all the four Yogas the Supreme Self is realized.

4. Morality based on strength:
According to Swami Vivekananda, weakness is the main cause of immorality, evil and suffering in life, and the cause of weakness is ignorance about one's true nature as the Atman. Knowledge of the Atman gives us tremendous strength to overcome our weakness and lead a virtuous life. Everyone is endowed with so many potentialities, but owing to fear and weakness, most of these potentialities remain unactualized. When, through knowledge of the Atman, fear and weakness are overcome, these potentialities manifest themselves. Swamiji called this process 'man-making education'.

5. Harmony of Religions:
Although the idea that 'one Reality is known by different names' (Vedas) and the idea that 'different spiritual paths lead to the same goal' (Gita) are found in the Hindu scriptures and in the teachings of several Hindu saints, Sri Ramakrishna was the first person in history to show through direct experience the transcendental unity of all religions. His message implies two kinds of religious harmony: harmony within Hinduism and harmony among world religions.

a. Harmony within Hinduism:
Sri Ramakrishna did not identify himself with any particular sect of Hinduism but accepted Hinduism as a whole. He showed that Dualism, Non‑dualism and other schools of Hindu philosophy represent different stages of the integral experience of Reality, and that the various Hindu Deities are different aspects of one supreme Godhead. His message has brought about a great deal of harmony among the Hindu sects, and Sri Ramakrishna himself has become the symbol of the unity of Hindu religion.

b. Harmony among world religions:
It should be noted that Sri Ramakrishna recognized the differences among religions but showed that, in spite of these differences, they lead to the same Ultimate Goal. This is the meaning of his famous maxim, Yato mat, tato path, “As many faiths, so many

paths”.

Apart from this, Swami Vivekananda also held that the religions of the world are expressions of one eternal Universal Religion. Since Vedanta contains all the basic principles and laws of the spiritual world, Swamiji regarded Vedanta as that eternal Universal Religion. That is to say, Vedanta can serve as the common ground for all religions.

6. Avatarhood of Sri Ramakrishna:
According to the Hindu religious tradition, God incarnates himself as the Avatar in every Age in order to give a new message to humanity suited to the needs of each Age. In the Ramakrishna Movement, Sri Ramakrishna is adored as the Avatar of the Modern Age. What this means is that his life and teachings have opened a new way of salvation for humanity. The uniqueness of Sri Ramakrishna's Avatarhood is that it embodies the spiritual consciousness of earlier Avatars and prophets, including those who are outside the Hindu fold, and is in harmony with all religious traditions. In all the institutions of the Ramakrishna Order, worshipful reverence is shown to all Avatars and the founders of all religions.

7. A New Philosophy of Work:
Swami Vivekananda has given a new philosophy of work for the modern world. All work in the Ramakrishna Math and Mission is done according to this philosophy of work, which is based on the following principles:

a. According to Vedanta, the physical universe is a manifestation of God known as Virat. Hence, as Sister Nivedita has stated, there is 'no distinction between the sacred and the secular'. What this statement means is that all work is sacred. Even menial work such as sweeping the floor or mending shoes is to be done with as much attention and devotion as work in the shrine.

b. The Gita (18.46 & 9.24) states that the all-pervading God is the ultimate source of all work and the enjoyer of the fruits of all sacrifice. Hence all work is to be done as worship and the fruits of actions are to be offered to the Lord.

c. One of the important principles Swami Vivekananda learned from his Master was Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva, 'to serve Jiva as Shiva'. Since man is potentially Divine, service to man is indeed service to God. Instead of looking upon a needy person as an object of pity, he is looked upon as an object of worship. Such an attitude elevates both the giver and the recipient.

d. Swami Vivekananda was the first religious leader in India to speak for the poor and the downtrodden and to state boldly, 'He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak and the diseased, really worships Shiva; and … with him Shiva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples.' It was Swamiji who coined the word daridra-narayana to refer to the poor. Swamiji's love and concern for the poor continues as a directive principle in Ramakrishna Mission's service programmes.

e. When work, any work, is done fulfilling the above conditions, it becomes a spiritual discipline: the mind gets purified and the potential Divinity of the soul manifests itself more and more. Thus work done as worshipful service benefits the doer himself spiritually: it becomes a spiritual discipline or Yoga. It is with this understanding of work as a spiritual discipline (Karma Yoga) that all the service activities of the Ramakrishna Mission, such as giving food and clothing to the poor, nursing the sick etc, are undertaken. Thus service done as worship of God in man helps in two ways: it helps physically or mentally the person who is served, and it helps spiritually the person who serves.

M o t t o :

This two-fold aim of service activities, indeed the whole ideology of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, has been put in a nutshell in the MOTTO of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission,
Atmano mokshartham jagat hitaya cha,
'For one's own salvation and for the welfare of the world', formulated by Swami Vivekananda.

New Temple ( Under constraction)

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol

Address and Activities of Asansol Centre

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Asansol

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama
Vivekananda Sarani,
Asansol, Dt. Burdwan, West Bengal 713304
India
Phone : 0341-225 2373 & 225 2937,
0341-225-4567
Telefax : 0314-225-4567
Email : rkmasansol@gmail.com

Started in 1926 elsewhere in Asansol, this branch centre shifted to its present site in 2001.

Activities of the Mission centre :

A secondary school with 792 boys.

Two urban junior basic schools with 304 boys.

A vocational training centre with 548 students.

A students’ home with 91 boys.

A library and a reading room, with 7214 books, and 16 newspapers
and periodicals.

A free coaching centre with 63 students.

A mobile medical unit, which treated 2693 cases during the year.

Two free eye camps (93 patients operated on).

Welfare work by way of distributing milk to the needy and helping
poor people and students.

Religious activities: Daily worship, regular spiritual classes,
occasional lectures, and observance of Durga Puja, Kali Puja, and
the birthdays of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi,
Swami Vivekananda and other religious luminaries.

Additional Photos of the Activities of the Centre:

Educational
Hostel