Spiritual Leadership
Swami Atmajnananda
When the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre of Rio de Janeiro was raised to the status of an independent Centre directly affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order in India, Swami Atmajnananda was appointed head of our Ashrama in 2021, in response to our official request of June 2020.
Swami Atmajnananda is a senior monk of great sweetness, with wide experience in spiritual matters and in the service of the Order. A good singer, he was head of our prestigious centre in Mysore, Karnataka, and is now head of our centre in Chandigarh (a planned city, like Brasília) in northern India.
~ Swami Nirmalatmananda ~
Swami Atmajnananda joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1988, after graduating in Economics from Bangalore University. He had the privilege of receiving spiritual initiation in 1986 from Revered Swami Bhuteshananda, the 12th President of the Ramakrishna Order, and took his final monastic vows (sannyasa) in 1998. In his early years in the Order he was fortunate to meet many disciples of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Brahmananda, Swami Shivananda and others.
At his joining centre, Saradapitha, he looked after the accounts department, the monastery and the garden, and also learned puja and music. In 1994 he was posted to the Bangalore Ashrama, where he served in various departments. From 1998 he was closely involved in the publication work of the Mysore Ashrama and edited the journal Viveka Prabha for three years, from 2004 to 2007. In November 2007 he was posted to Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, and later served as one of its managers from 2009 to 2011. He was then chosen as personal secretary to Revered Swami Gautamananda, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order, moving to Chennai in 2012 and serving the Vice-President in that role until October 2016. He travelled to the USA, the UK, South Africa and the Middle East, as well as across India, helping with the Vice-President's programmes. He was appointed head of the Mysore Ashrama in 2016 and, in 2019, head of the Chandigarh Ashrama, a post he held until his appointment to Brazil.
Swami Atmajnananda has lectured widely in India and abroad. Besides his deep knowledge of Yoga-Vedanta literature and of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, he also speaks on personality development. He communicates in several languages: English, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. He has a special love of Indian classical and devotional music, and has written articles on many subjects for Prabuddha Bharata and other publications of the Order's centres in India.
In Brazil
The Swami arrived in Brazil on 7 November 2021 and stayed at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashrama in São Paulo until 5 December, the date of his first visit to the Rio de Janeiro ashrama.
About his guru, Swami Bhuteshananda
Born on 8 September 1901, his pre-monastic name was Vijay Chandra. In 1921 Swami Saradananda gave Vijay mantra initiation at the Holy Mother's house. In 1923, on the Holy Mother's birthday, Swami Shivananda gave him the vows of brahmacharya, with the name Priya Chaitanya. In 1936 he became head of the Ramakrishna Math, Shillong, and in 1945 of the Rajkot Math. In 1965 he became one of the Trustees and a member of the Governing Body of the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1975 he became one of the Vice-Presidents of the Order and moved to Yogodyan, Kankurgachi, in Kolkata. After the passing of Swami Gambhirananda, the 11th President, in 1989, he became the 12th President. During twenty-three years as Vice-President and President, he travelled to many countries, including Singapore, Fiji, Japan, Australia, the United States, Canada, England, France, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, bringing the ideals and ideas of Vedanta to countless people. He passed away on 10 August 1998.
Swami Nirmalatmananda
Swami Nirmalatmananda (born 1951) is the leader of the Ramakrishna Vedanta movement in Brazil. The first resident monk in our country, he consolidated the Ramakrishna movement in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza and Salvador. He is Spiritual Director of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashrama of São Paulo, the Order's main centre in Brazil, and of the sub-centres of Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba (until 2020) and Brasília (until 2021). These centres are officially affiliated with the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission of India, a monastic order founded in 1886 with branch centres across India and in many countries around the world (see belurmath.org).
Swami Nirmalatmananda continues working so that the sub-centres linked to the São Paulo Ramakrishna Ashrama become independent institutions with resident swamis. This vision is already a reality in Curitiba (since 2019), led by Swami Prajnatmananda, and in Rio de Janeiro (since 2021), led by Swami Atmajnananda.
Brief history
Inspired by his first readings of Swami Vivekananda and by the ideas and ideals of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, Swami Nirmalatmananda joined the Ramakrishna Order as a brahmachari (novice) at its New Delhi centre in October 1975, soon after graduating from the University of Madras in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
In Brazil
Swami Nirmalatmananda arrived in Brazil on 27 March 1999 to open and lead the first centre in the country officially linked to the Ramakrishna Order, and has since devoted himself to spreading Vedanta and the spiritual ideals of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda in Brazil. He keeps in close contact with the Vedanta groups in Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, where, besides giving talks, he receives for interviews those seeking guidance in their spiritual growth.
The Swami regularly visits the Centres and private groups linked to the Ramakrishna Order in Brazil, and takes part in interfaith meetings and conferences in Brazil and abroad. At the São Paulo Ashrama he conducts the daily worship (arati) followed by meditation and reading, and receives devotees for conversations on spiritual subjects as well as personal counselling interviews.
About his guru, Swami Vireswarananda
Swami Vireswarananda was the 10th President of the Ramakrishna Order. He was born on 31 October 1892 in Chennai; his pre-monastic name was Pandurang Prabhu, and he was later known as Prabhu Maharaj. He joined Belur Math in the first half of 1916, received initiation from the Holy Mother in June 1916 and took monastic vows from Swami Brahmananda on 12 January 1920. As President he travelled all over India spreading the message of the Ramakrishna movement. He launched many philanthropic activities, including rural development (Pallimangal) and training young people for self-employment (Jana Shiksha), encouraging the Order to venture into new fields and widen its scope of service. Though busy with administration, he found time to read widely and translated many Sanskrit scriptures into English, including Sridhara's gloss on the Bhagavad Gita and the commentaries of Shankara and Ramanuja on the Brahma Sutras. He served as President until his passing on 13 March 1985.
Other swamis resident in Brazil
Swami Jitananda
Swami Jitananda is Brazilian. He lives at the Ramakrishna Ashrama in São Paulo as assistant to Swami Nirmalatmananda. He graduated in electronic engineering from IME (the Military Institute of Engineering).
Swami Tapoyajnananda
Swami Tapoyajnananda, from India, joined the Ramakrishna Order in 2003. He came to Brazil in 2021 to live at the Ramakrishna Ashrama in São Paulo as assistant to Swami Nirmalatmananda. He graduated in electronic engineering. A disciple of Swami Ranganathananda, he received his sannyasa vows from Swami Atmasthananda, both former Presidents of the Ramakrishna Order.
Swami Prajnatmananda
On 26 October 2019, Belur Math raised the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre of Curitiba to the status of an independent Centre directly affiliated with the Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, Howrah, India. In March 2020, Swami Prajnatmananda arrived in Curitiba as the direct representative of Belur Math, fulfilling the community's longing for a resident Swami. With the Swami's help we can build a safe harbour for souls longing for freedom. Each person's effort in their own spiritual quest contributes to the growth of all, leading to a fair and caring society that respects every tradition.
Swamis whose support was essential to the spread of Vedanta in Brazil
Swami Vijoyananda — the pioneer of Vedanta in South America
Swami Vijoyananda was the first monk of the Ramakrishna Order to come to South America. He founded the Ramakrishna Ashrama in Bella Vista, in Greater Buenos Aires, and also came to Brazil, where he sowed the seeds of Vedanta. His guru needs no introduction: Swami Brahmananda, the spiritual son of Sri Ramakrishna. He received his monastic vows from Swami Shivananda, was blessed with the darshan of Sri Sarada Devi and lived in the company of several of Sri Ramakrishna's direct disciples. He also had memorable meetings with distinguished figures of secular life: Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Henri Bergson, Jawaharlal Nehru, Romain Rolland and Rabindranath Tagore.
In 1957 the Swami was invited to Rio de Janeiro by a couple from the city, Dr Maria das Dores and Dr Carvalho; the invitation was extended to São Paulo by Professor Djalme A. Gomes. This began invaluable annual visits to both cities, which continued until 1972, shortly before his death in 1973. On one occasion the Swami told some disciples he had heard the Divine Mother whisper to him: "Your work will be finished only when Brazil has its own resident Swami." The Ramakrishna Vedanta movement is firmly established in our country thanks to Swami Vijoyananda.
Swami Paratparananda
Born in India in 1919, he was a disciple of Swami Shankarananda, the 7th President of the Ramakrishna Order. The Order sent him to its centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1968 to assist Swami Vijoyananda, and in 1973, after Swami Vijoyananda's passing, he became the centre's spiritual head. He devoted his life in the West to spreading the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, mainly in Argentina and Brazil, where he spent many years at the invitation of devotees in several cities. Thanks to the presence and help of Swamis Vijoyananda and Paratparananda, the Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashrama in São Paulo was established in 1974. The Swami returned to India in 1988 to live as a wandering monk.
Swami Pareshananda
Born in India in 1944, he joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1967. He arrived in Argentina in 1989, after Swami Paratparananda's return to India, and has since worked in the administrative and spiritual activities of the Argentine institution Hogar Espiritual de Ramakrishna as its Spiritual Director. During that time he supported the Ramakrishna movement in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte), gave spiritual initiation to many Brazilian devotees, and formalised the private study groups of Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte, whose statutes were registered in 1992.
The guru is our refuge forever.
There is a vast literature on Vedanta
In English, the Advaita Ashrama bookshop in India offers the Ramakrishna Order's publications. In Portuguese, Editora Vedanta works to translate major Vedanta titles, which are still few in our language.