SWAMIS

"A human child is a human being. Similarly, if we are the children of God, we are also divine.This is our birthright. We are the inheritors of the Immortal Bliss!"

Swami Baneshananda

The Vedanta centre in Germany is headed by the Indian monastic teacher Swami Baneshananda. He has been living a practical life in Vedantic tradition for more than 45 years. He has been taught by a living and flourishing tradition of the Vedanta under grinding disciplines in the Ramakrishna Order of India. The Ramakrishna Order is the most eminent spiritual and charitable organisation in that country. [Visit the website: www.belurmath.org] This Order is known for its appreciation of what is good in other religions too.

From November 2019 to September 2021, Swami Baneshananda was the interim President of the Centre Vedantic Ramakrishna, Gretz, France.

He has served the Order in different capacities — at its international headquarters in Belur Math near Kolkata as the head of the Law Department, at its branch centres like in Kankurgachi (Kolkata) as the personal assistant to Rev. Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj (who was a Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Order), Shillong (capital of Meghalaya) as the chief accountant and chief Warden of the Students' Home, and Chennai Math (as the Editor of an English monthly).

He is conversant in a few languages like, Sanskrit, English, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Oriya, and one tribal language Khasi, and he is learning German.

From January 2001 to March 2004, he was the editor of one of the two English monthlies of the Ramakrishna Order, The Vedanta Kesari, published form its centre in Chennai.

He had had the rare opportunity to serve Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj. Swami Bhuteshanandaji was the 12th President of the Ramakrishna Order, who was a fine scholar of Vedanta and other philosophies. Swami Baneshananda learnt some scriptures under him.

Swami Baneshananda has translated with copious explanatory comments the famous Vedantic treatise, Panchadasi, from original Sanskrit into Bengali.

He holds regular online classes on the sciptures, and on invitation speaks in different institutions, groups and Universities in Europe, USA, Canada, and other countries. Many of his lectures are available on YouTube under the name Swami Baneshananda. He also regularly contributes articles to different journals and magazines in English, German and Bengali.

Swami Baneshananda also teaches the authentic Theories and Steps of Meditation and conducts classes on Guided Meditation to demonstrate the applied aspects of Indian Yoga-Vedanta meditation.

Swami Shailasutananda

After acquiring a master’s degree in economics Swami Shailasutananda joined the Ramakrishna Order of monks as a novice in 1997 at its headquarters at Belur Math, India. Thereafter, as a novice, he did a bachelor’s in education in 2000. He underwent special training at Belur Math for two years. He was ordained into Sannyasa vows in 2007.

He served at various educational centres of the organization located at Narendrapur, Aalo, Sohra, Katihar and Taki in different capacities. He was the administrative head of our schools in Sohra, Katihar and Taki centres. While in Sohrah also famously known as Cherrapunjee he had the great privilege to work among the tribal population and students in Meghalaya.

Swami Shailasutananda also organized medical camps, values education programmes, students’ counselling sessions, youth meet, and gave talks on religion and spirituality. He actively participated in relief operations in the wake of calamities – natural and otherwise – especially during Covid-19 pandemic.