Swami Smaranananda

Swami Smaranananda (25 December 1929 – 26 March 2024) was an Indian senior Hindu monk of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, and its 16th president. He joined the organization in 1952, and was elected president on 17 July 2017.

Early life and education Smaranananda was born in 1929 in the village of Andami, in the Tanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, India, to a Tamil Hindu family with joint identity. Real name Jayram Venkatraman. He was raised by his aunt, and finished secondary school in Chennai in 1946.

Religious career Smaranananda received initiation from Swami Shankarananda in 1952, and joined the Ramakrishna Order that same year at its Mumbai centre. He was granted vows of Brahmacharya in 1956 and Sannyasa in 1960, both by Swami Shankarananda.

In 1983, he was appointed a trustee of the Ramakrishna Math and a member of the governing body of the Ramakrishna Mission. In 1997, he became the general secretary of the organization, and was made a vice-president in 2007.

In December 2017, he opened the newly renamed headquarters building of the Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math, now named for its first general secretary, Swami Saradananda.

Srimat Swami Smarananandaji Maharaj attained Mahasamadhi (died) on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 8:14 pm at the Ramakrishna Mission Sevapratishthan, Kolkata at the age of 94.

Works Musings of a Monk : This book is a collection of 68 articles on a variety of subjects, from spiritual writings to a travelog of his many trips around India and to the west. Smriti Smaran Anudhyan : Bengali version of the book Musings of a Monk.