Emblem

"May that Supreme Spirit illumine us."

This is the emblem of the Ramakrishna Order, designed by Swami Vivekananda himself. In Vivekananda’s own words:

“The wavy waters in the picture are symbolic of Karma; the lotus, of Bhakti; and the rising-sun, of Jnana. The encircling serpent is indicative of Yoga and the awakened Kundalini Shakti, while the swan in the picture stands for the Paramâtman (Supreme Self). Therefore the idea of the picture is that by the union of Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, and Yoga, the vision of the Paramatman is obtained.”