Sri Ramakrishna Math : The Vedanta Kesari, The New Museum at Belur Math

Blessings of Revered President Maharaj, Srimat Swami Ranganathanandaji on the opening of the Ramakrishna Museum at the Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, Howrah on 7^th May 2001.

I am very happy to be here for this opening ceremony. I came from Bangalore just for this occasion. We have heard the description of this beautiful museum from Swami Prabhananda and Dr.Ghosh. There are plenty of museums in India and abroad, but a very important subject is depicted in this one. When the Buddha appeared, a new movement started, and now we have so many museums and monuments dedicated to his achievements and to the love and compassion he had for all beings. Today this museum is a reality, and it will help to create a new world order. It is not simply a record of the past century. Rather, it is recording a new era in India as well as the whole world. For, Sri Ramakrishna came for the whole world--not for India alone. Therefore, the world will soon begin to see some great things happening, such as unity and peace among humanity, the awareness of the divinity of man, and harmony among religions.

The great teachings of Ramakrishna and Swamiji will spread through the whole world through this kind of museum. So, it is an inspiration for the future and it will create a new kind of future, a new world order--and not just for India, but for the world at large. That is why Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swamiji came. All this is reflected in the museum.

I am very happy to see the city of Sri Ramakrishna depicted here--with the Cossipore garden house, the Baranagar Ashrama, Belur Math and other Math centres where the movement started. The museum shows how the Movement started, how it is spreading, and how it is working for the future. This is a great inspiration for all of us.

Today is a special day. It is the Buddha's birthday. Two thousand five hundred years ago the great Buddha was born and created a new world order. The Buddha, Jesus Christ, Sri Krishna, and Sri Rama were all great divinities as well as history makers. They created a new world. They did not merely repeat what others had done before them, but they started new movements. Now with the advent of Sri Ramakrishna, we again find that a new movement has started--and this time it is spreading not just in India but all over the world. His teachings are spreading through literature and with museums such as this.

Earlier world teachers came to us through legends and mythologies interspersed with history. We do not even know how they looked. Swami Vivekananda has referred to this in one of his lectures: Through the chiselling and modeling of thousands of years their lives have come to us. This life of Sri Ramakrishna has no mythology about it. We even have several of his photographs. We also have record of writings of scholars like Pandit Shivanath Shastri and others published during his life and great western scholars like Max Mueller and Romain Rolland wrote wonderful books about him a few years later. Then there is the Kathamrita (or Gospel) written by M. and the Lilaprasanga by Swami Saradananda. Books testifying to his greatness are still being written.

There are so many inspiring books on Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. It is this kind of literature that creates a new world order, for great souls like Sri Ramakrishna create new movements. Sri Ramakrishna was a history maker--a divinity and a history maker combined, in the way that Buddha was. Buddha also started a new movement, a new world order. In those days Indian ideas were not confined to India alone. Monks from India travelled around the world carrying nothing with them but Buddha's message of peace and harmony. This is the kind of message India has spread throughout the world, again and again.

We find that in the modern age the world has been united by various technologies. But people's minds have not been united. There is still so much violence in the world. But that will be changed when the message of this movement spreads far and wide. Now, with this museum, we have a new source of inspiration for the Ramakrishna Movement. I am sure this museum will be a great instrument in spreading the message of harmony and peace throughout the world.

I convey my best wishes to Swami Prabhananda. He has taken a lot of trouble to make this museum a reality, and I am happy that he has been successful in completing it. And now we are enjoying the opening ceremony of this great museum in the holy atmosphere of the Belur Math. I am happy that so many distinguished people have come. You may go through the museum. Here all are welcome, without distinction of caste, creed or nationality.