Swami Vivekananda and the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, the dual organization he founded, often come under political scrutiny due to the involvement of political leaders and parties who draw inspiration from Vivekananda’s life and teachings. However, this does not define the organization’s political stance. Swami Vivekananda preached and practiced a policy of staying away from politics and explicitly instructed the Ramakrishna Order to do the same. This principle has been strictly adhered to by the organization to this day.
The Ramakrishna Math and Mission welcomes devotees and ardent followers from all walks of life, including celebrities, politicians, and laypersons. While the doors of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission are open to all, the organization itself remains apolitical.
Swami Vivekananda believed that political attachment could distance individuals from God, a viewpoint he reiterated in his writings and speeches. On September 27, 1894, in a letter to Alasinga Perumal, Swami Vivekananda wrote:
“One thing I find in the books of my speeches and sayings published in Calcutta. Some of them are printed in such a way as to savour of political views; whereas I am no politician or political agitator. I care only for the Spirit—when that is right everything will be righted by itself…. So you must warn the Calcutta people that no political significance be ever attached falsely to any of my writings or sayings. What nonsense I… I heard that Rev. Kali Charan Banerji in a lecture to Christian missionaries said that I was a political delegate. If it was said publicly, then publicly ask the Babu for me to write to any of the Calcutta papers and prove it, or else take back his foolish assertion. This is their trick! I have said a few harsh words in honest criticism of Christian governments in general, but that does not mean that I care for, or have any connection with politics or that sort of thing. Those who think it very grand to print extracts from those lectures and want to prove that I am a political preacher, to them I say, ‘Save me from my friends.”
In an interview published in the San Francisco Examiner on March 18, 1900, Vivekananda explicitly stated:
- I do not wish to talk of politics.
- I do not wish to discuss politics.
On September 9, 1895, in another letter to Alasinga from Paris, Vivekananda clearly articulated his stance:
“I will have nothing to do with cowards or political nonsense. I do not believe in any politics. God and truth are the only politics in the world, everything else is trash.”
Even at the height of his popularity, after his triumph at The Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda remained steadfast in his apolitical stance. Despite meeting freedom fighters and political leaders upon his return to India, he declined offers to join politics. Notably, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress, approached him during a visit to Poona with an appeal to join politics, which Vivekananda immediately declined.
Throughout its history of more than 125 years, the Ramakrishna Math and Mission has upheld Swami Vivekananda’s instructions. Since its inception, the monks of the order have abstained from voting and any political processes.
Swami Vivekananda’s firm stance against political involvement continues to define the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Despite external and political accusations, the organization remains dedicated to spiritual and social service, in accordance with its founder’s vision. This commitment to staying apolitical ensures that the focus remains on the spiritual upliftment and welfare of humanity, aligning with Swami Vivekananda’s enduring legacy.
