Vedanata Centre of Sydney

The Vedanta Centre of Sydney was established in 1984 as an extension of the Ramakrishna Mission which was first founded in India on 1st May 1897 by Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna's foremost disciple.

The Vedanta Centre was made possible by the  dedicated work of Mrs Kanaka Ramakrishna and Mr B. Ramakrishna with the support of Mrs Wilma Spencer. The couple hosted Swamis from Fiji and India every year 1984 to 2000, to continue the work of Vedanta and for getting a permanent branch of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in Sydney. Prior to this, the Ramakrishna Sarada Vedanta Society of New South Wales was established in 1982 (which is a branch centre of the Ramakrishna Sarada Math and Mission, Dakshineswar, Kolkata, a women's organisation run by the nuns of the Ramakrishna Order).

However, due to the earnest request of devotees, the Trustees of the Ramakrishna Math at Belur Math in Kolkata deputed a Swami in October 2000 to take charge of the Centre, which was declared to be an official Branch of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, India.

On arrival, the Swami In Charge started meeting friends, devotees and admirers of the Ramakrishna Movement, as well as the disciples of the Ramakrishna Order. The Australian activities took shape in the form of preaching and teaching of Vedanta, a philosophy enunciated by Sri Ramakrishna in his own life; by his divine consort, Sri Sarada Devi, and his illustrious disciple, Swami Vivekananda.

An associate Swami was deputed shortly thereafter, to help manage the growing demands of the activities. He arrived in March 2001. Demands on the Vedanta Centre of Sydney from devotees and friends living in other State capitals are growing day by day. The resident Swamis currently take turns in visiting these capital cities, mostly on a monthly basis. More monastic members joined the Swami to help manage the growing demands of the activities.

Vedanta groups are already functional in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth, in addition to Sydney, under the guidance of the Sydney Centre Swamis. As and when the participation and involvement of devotees in these cities grow in measure, the activities presently undertaken by the Sydney Centre will become the guiding beacon for the formation of full-fledged Vedanta Centres in these locations.

The centre at 2 Stewart Street Ermington is embarking on a project to build a community hall, classrooms, library and guest facilities in its spacious premises. We seek the active participation of members of the public in achieving these goals.