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The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) mourns the death of Swami Ranganathananda, the 13th President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna
Mission, on April 25, 2005.
A learned scholar and servant of humanity, Swami Ranganathananda continued the work of the institutions inspired by the universal and
pluralistic message of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami
Vivekananda. |
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A Vedantist, he promoted the liberal and liberating Hindu
belief that every person has the potential for spiritual transcendence.
His very life is illustrative of the possibilities for every human being,
since Swamiji first started in the Ramakrishna Order’s branches in Bangalore and Mysore, India, as a cook, dishwasher and house-keeper,
before going on to become one of the finest exponents of Vedanta of the twentieth century, lecturing extensively in over 50 countries around
the world on Vedanta. He emphasized the kinship between Vedanta and modern science, where, religion expounded as a verified and verifiable
science has a message for all humanity: that spiritual life is a fact, that the consciousness within man is a spark of divinity, and that this same
divine consciousness pervades all of nature and the universe of physics.
Swamiji also continued the social service activities of the Ramakrishna Mission, focusing on the underprivileged communities in India. With his
death, India and Hindus have lost a leader. HAF urges the Indian government to honor his legacy with a national day of mourning.
HAF hopes that a smooth transition to new leadership in the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission will continue the institution’s agenda of
effectively tackling the problems facing Hindus in India, and providing spiritual succor to humanity in general.
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) is a human rights group whose purpose is to provide a voice for the 2 million strong Hindu American
community. HAF interacts with and educates government, media, think tanks, academia and public fora about Hinduism and issues of concern to
Hindus locally and globally. Promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding, tolerance and pluralism, HAF stands strong against hate,
discrimination, defamation and terror. The Hindu American Foundation is not affiliated with any religious or political organizations or entities.
HAF seeks to serve Hindu Americans across all sampradayas (Hindu religious traditions).
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