Science & Spirituality

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Born in the village of Trikkur, Kerala State, on December 15, 1908, Swami Ranganāthānanda joined the Ramakrishna Order, the international spiritual and cultural movement founded by Swami Vivekananda, at its branch in Mysore in 1926. He was formally initiated into Sannyasa in 1933 by Swami Shivananda, one of the eminent disciples of Sri Rama- krishna and the second President of the Order.

After spending the first twelve years as a young monk in the Order's Mysore and Bangalore branches, he worked as Secretary and Librarian at the Rama- krishna Mission branch at Rangoon, from 1939 to 1942, and thereafter as President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Karachi, from 1942 to 1948.

From 1949 to 1962, he worked as the Secretary of the New Delhi branch of the Mission, and from 1962 to 1967, he was the Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta, Director of its School of Humanistic and Cultural Studies, and Editor of its monthly journal.

He has undertaken extensive lecture tours from 1946 to 1972 covering 50 coun- tries, including 5 communist ones, and has been visiting annually Australia, U.S.A., Holland, West Germany, Berlin-East and West-during the last several years.

He has a versatile and facile pen, and has to his credit a number of publications, chief amongst which are The Christ We Adore, The Essence of Indian Culture, Bhagavān Buddha and Our Heritage, India's Educational Vision, Indian Philoso- phy of Social Work, Vedanta and Modern Science, The Message of the Upanisads, A Pilgrim Looks at the World, Vols. I and II, The Call of Human Excellence, Politics and Administration for Total Human Development, Social Responsibilities of Public Administrators, The Science of Human Energy Resources, Science and Religion, Vedanta and the Future of Mankind, Divine Grace, seven L. P. Records expounding, verse by verse, the second and third chapters of the Gira, six prerecorded cassettes expoun- ding the greatest book on Bhakti, The Srimad Bhagavatam, and 12 pre- recorded cassettes expounding the Vedanta treatise: Vivekacüdämant, by Sankarācārya.

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan-that Institute of Indian Culture in Bombay-needed a Book University, a series of books which, if read, would serve the purpose of providing higher education. Particular emphasis, however, was to be put on such literature as revealed the deeper impulsions of India. As a first step it was decided to bring out in English 100 books, 50 of which were to be taken in hand almost at once.

It is our intention to publish the books we select, not only in English, but also in the following Indian languages: Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

This scheme, involving the publication of 900 volumes, requires ample funds and an all-India organisa- tion. The Bhavan is exerting its utmost to supply them.

The objectives for which the Bhavan stands are the reintegration of Indian culture in the light of modern knowledge and to suit our present-day needs and the resuscitation of its fundamental values in their pristine vigour.