West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday voiced strong disapproval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reference to the 19th-century mystic Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa as “Swami” in a message commemorating his birth anniversary. Banerjee described the term as “culturally insensitive” and “improper.”
In a statement posted on her WhatsApp channel, Banerjee expressed shock, accusing the Prime Minister of repeatedly showing disregard for Bengal’s revered cultural figures. She pointed out that while honoring the saint—whom followers regard as “Yugavatara,” or a divine incarnation of God for the modern age era, Modi used an “unprecedented and improper prefix” before his name.
Advertisement
Banerjee highlighted the traditional nomenclature followed by the Ramakrishna movement, explaining that Sri Ramakrishna has long been venerated as “Thakur,” meaning God, and that the title “Swami” is reserved for his monastic disciples.
Advertisement
Following Sri Ramakrishna’s death in 1886, his disciples established the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, where monks are customarily addressed as “Swami.” Banerjee referenced the revered “holy trinity” of the tradition: Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna), Ma (Holy Mother Sarada Devi), and Swamiji (Swami Vivekananda), noting that the master himself continued to be called Thakur.
She urged the Prime Minister to refrain from inventing new titles for Bengal’s great Renaissance icons who contributed to shaping modern India.
Sri Ramakrishna, a priest at Dakshineswar Kali Temple near Kolkata, is a pivotal figure in the 19th-century Bengal Renaissance. His teachings on religious unity and spiritual enlightenment significantly influenced Swami Vivekananda, who later popularized Vedanta philosophy in the West.
The Ramakrishna Math and Mission currently run numerous educational, medical, and charitable institutions across India and internationally.
This episode further intensifies political tensions between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, where cultural identity and heritage remain central themes in public debate.
Advertisement
