Hindu religious organization founded
in 1897 by Swami Vivekananda to propagate the religious message of Vivekananda’s teacher, Ramakrishna. Since
its inception, the Ramakrishna Mission
has been equally dedicated to spiritual
uplifting and to social service, based on
Vivekananda’s realization that India
needed material development as much
as it needed religious instruction. The
mission has sought to fulfill part of this
charge by publishing inexpensive editions of religious texts, including but not
restricted to the teachings of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, and by sponsoring social service in the fields of
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Ramakrishna
education, medical care, and other
charitable works. For further information see George M. Williams, “The
Ramakrishna Movement: A Study in
Religious Change,” in Robert D. Baird
(ed.), Religion in Modern India, 1998.