Vedanta Kesari

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The cover page of an issue of The Vedanta Kesari. A special number is brought out every year on a contemporary theme.

Vedanta Kesari ("the lion of Vedanta") is a spiritual and cultural monthly in English being published from Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, since 1914.

[edit] History

Under the inspiration of Swami Vivekananda, a group of his disciples in Madras, which included G. Venkataranga Rao, M.C. Nanjunda Rao and Alasinga Perumal, started on 14 September 1895 a monthly journal bearing the title Brahmavadin. It continued to be brought out regularly for 14 years, until Alasinga’s demise in 1909. From 1909 to 1914, the publication of Brahmavadin became quite irregular. The last issue was brought out in 1914 (March-April). Soon after, the Brahmavadin’s legacy was continued by a new journal, Vedanta Kesari, started by Ramakrishna Math, Madras (now Chennai), and has been in circulation ever since.

[edit] Circulation

The cover page of a recent issue of the magazine featuring a temple of Sri Ramakrishna. The magazine has articles focusing on the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Now in its 94th year, Vedanta Kesari is one of India’s oldest religious magazines in English in circulation. It has a monthly circulation of nearly 10,000 copies of which 4000 go to public and institutional libraries across India. The magazine has its subscriber-base in 40 countries.

[edit] Contents of the magazine

Vedanta Kesari contains articles on Indian spiritual traditions and scriptures, mainly focusing on Vedanta as expounded by Swami Vivekananda, the illustrious disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the nineteenth century mystic of India. The focus of the magazine is to promote a spiritual and matured outlook towards life. It advocates renunciation of selfish desires along with the service to others in a spirit of worshipfulness.

Most articles published in the Vedanta Kesari are originally written for the magazine, though a few transcriptions of the lectures and speeches are also published.

The Vedanta Kesari has a long scholarly tradition. Its contributors include John Woodroffe (Arthur Avalon, the Englishman known for pioneering work in Tantra studies), Mahatma Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, C. Rajagopalachari (the first Governor General of Independent India), T.L. Vaswani (the founder of Vaswani Mission, Pune), K.M. Munshi (the founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan), Dr Karan Singh, H.H.Dalai Lama and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Many learned monks of the Ramakrishna Order also contribute to the magazine.

The usual pattern of the contents published in the Vedanta Kesari include editorial, Simhavalokanam (articles from the Archives of the Vedanta Kesari), articles based on the teachings and incidents in the lives of the Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda - on Vedanta, Indian culture and philosophy, self-improvement and the ideal of service. There is a section on book review where latest books published in religion, philosophy, culture and self-improvement are reviewed by eminent men in the concerned fields. And also a news section detailing service activities carried out by world-wide centres of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.

This cover page shows the Siva temple at Rameswaram —the magazine has articles focusing on Hinduism and the cultural heritage of India.

Since 1978, the magazine has been regularly bringing out an annual number dedicated to a theme. Some of its popular theme-based issues published so far are: Yoga and its Aspects, Values for the Present Age, Globalization, Religion Today, Culture and Civilization, Channeling Youth Power, Nurturing Inter - personal Relationship, Upanishads in Daily Life, among others.

Many of these numbers have later been made into books and published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Some of the well-known books published from the Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, were originally serialized in the Vedanta Kesari. Among such are included such popular volumes such as Upanishad Series (Sanskrit, with English translation by Swami Sharvananda), Sri Ramakrishna, the Great Master (by Swami Saradananda), Bhakti Schools of Vedanta (by Swami Tapasyananda), and so on.

[edit] Editors

From May 1914 to April 1928, there was no name of the editor mentioned. Towards the end of the April 1926 issue, page 478 it was mentioned in the News and Reports: “Swami Sharvananda who has been the President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in Madras since 1911 and has been editing the Vedanta Kesari from its very start is retiring from work after nineteen years of strenuous labour. He means to lead at present a life of perfect solitude and retirement.

“Swami Yatiswarananda who has been in charge of the Ramakrishna Ashrama in Bombay for nearly the last two years has come over to take charge of the Math and Mission in Madras. He has spent eight years of his monastic life in South India and has an intimate knowledge of several of its parts. He is the late editor of the Prabuddha Bharata and is well-known for his scholarship and literary abilities. He was also intimately connected with the editorial work and the publication of the Vedanta Kesari for a long period. Our Journal will appear under his editorship from May next. All official correspondence must hereafter be addressed to him. We pray to the Lord to crown his work with complete success.'

1928 May onwards, The Vedanta Kesari started printing the names of the editors. It would mention both the names (president of Madras Math and the actual editor) as 'Editors'. September 1993 onwards, nomenclature was changed over to 'Managing Editor & Editor'

[edit] External links

Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai Website
The Vedanta Kesari magazine page
Download Archives ( Selected articles ) of Vedanta Kesari
Several Editorials of Vedanta Kesari by Swami Paratparananda, a former Editor

[edit] See also

• Ramakrishna Math
• Sri Ramakrishna
• Swami Vivekananda
• Prabuddha Bharata