Swami Ranganathananda

Swami Ranganathananda (1908–2005), born Shankaran Kutty, was a distinguished Hindu swami and the 13th President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. He joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1926 and dedicated his life to spiritual work, serving in various capacities including as secretary of the Delhi and Kolkata centers, and president of the Hyderabad branch. Renowned as a scholar and orator, Swami Ranganathananda was a prominent interpreter of Vedanta, delivering lectures on Indian spiritual culture globally. His extensive body of work includes Democratic Administration in the Light of Practical Vedanta, and commentaries on major Hindu scriptures such as the Upanishads (e.g., उपनिषदांचा संदेश- The Message of the Upanishads) and the Bhagavad Gita (e.g., भगवद्गीतेचा सार्वजनीन संदेश- The Universal Message of the Bhagavad Gita), published in multiple languages including Bengali, Marathi, and Malayalam. He was a recipient of the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration and the Gandhi Peace Prize, both accepted on behalf of the Ramakrishna Mission.