
Retreats with the Pravrajikas of Sri Sarada Math, India
A pravrajika is a woman sannyasini or monastic who has taken her final vows in the Indian tradition. Pravrajika is a Sanskrit word which means "a wandering religious mendicant" or "one who has left the ways of the world". As the Pravrajikas of Sri Sarada Math, India, travel to Europe and the Americas, our members and friends have requested retreats and informal opportunities for holy company to deepen our spiritual understanding.
Science of Focus - Pravrajika Divyanandaprana

What is Sri Sarada Math?
Sri Sarada Math was founded in 1954 and is now the largest independent self administered women's monastic order in the world. Its purpose is to help individuals work out their own liberation and also to train them to serve the world in accordance with the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda. This is done through religious, cultural, educational and charitable activities, mainly among women and children. Headquarters are located in the Kolkata, India suburb of Dakshineswar, a little to the north of the famous Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Sri Sarada Math has centers throughout India and one in Sri Lanka and another in Australia.
Sri Sarada Math
In the letters of Swami Vivekananda during his lecture tours in the West,
…he prophesied that the wave of spiritual influence that arose from the advent of Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother would inundate the world for many centuries to come and the lives of people especially all aspects of the lives of women would see unprecedented advancement.
-Swami Vivekananda's Dream, Sri Sarada Math. 2005.
Pravrajikas of Sri Sarada Math
Sri Sarada Math, Kolkata, India
Past Samiti Retreats
Samiti Retreats with Pravrajikas Bhavaniprana and Divyananadaprana
Revered Pravrajika Bhavaniprana, the President of Sri Sarada Math and the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission, Guntur, India, and Pravrajika Divyanandaprana of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi, and Editor of Samvit: Knowledge that Leads to Enlightenment, made a pilgrimage to Thousand Island Park from July 18th to 22nd, 2019. They read from Swami Vivekananda’s Inspired Talks with other pilgrims while sitting on Vivekananda Landing along the St. Lawrence River; meditated in the shrine at Vivekananda Cottage; walked to the tree under which Swamiji experienced nirvikalpa samadhi; and imbibed the spiritual atmosphere tangible everywhere. The Sri Sarada Society of New York sponsored the pilgrimage through the generosity of Joan Shack, Caroline Williams, Bhrama Mandalapu, and other devotees. Their past Samiti retreat topics have included:
Samiti Retreats with Pravrajika Bhavaniprana
2022 “The Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Her Key Teachings”, Mercy Center of Auburn
2022 “Mother Kali: the Power behind the Ramakrishna Order”, Vedanta Society of Sacramento
2024 “Holy Mother’s Vision of Vedanta for Everyday Life”, Mercy Center of Auburn
Samiti Retreats with Pravrajika Divyanandaprana
2022 “Self Discovery: Unraveling the Ultimate Truth about Human Existence”, Mercy Center
2022 “Practical Aspects of Spiritual Sadhana”, Vedanta Society of Sacramento
2024 “The Significance of Shakti Sadhana for Spiritual Awakening”, Mercy Center Auburn
Samiti Retreats with Pravrajika Vivekaprana
Pravrajika Vivekaprana is a senior pravrajika of Sri Sarada Math. She spoke at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1993 and has traveled and taught widely throughout Europe, India, South America, and the United States. Vivekaprana helped establish the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission and Nivedita School in Delhi. She is currently in charge of the Retreat Center of the Ramakrishna Sarada Mission in the Himalayas at Pangot. Many of her talks have been published in the journal Samvit: Knowledge that Leads to Enlightenment and the Understanding Vedanta Lecture Series. Her past Samiti retreat topics have included:
2016:
"The Guru-Disciple Relationship between Sister Nivedita (Margaret Noble) and Swami Vivekananda"
"Understanding Raja Yoga for the West"
"The Universe and the Individual: the Macrocosm and the Microcosm"
"Inquiry into the Nature of the Seer and What is Seen"
2013:
"The Three Steps of Vedanta"
"Advaita Vedanta"
"Karma Yoga: Service as a Way to Freedom"
2005:
"Introduction to Practical Vedanta"
"Practical Vedanta"
"Sister Nivedita and Swami Vivekananda"
"Holy Mother and Advaita Vedanta"
"Chapter Two of the Bhagavad Gita"
2001:
"Vivekachudamani"
2000:
"Set a Steady Course: Spiritual Practice for Everyday Life"
"The Purpose and Meaning of Sri Ramakrishna's Incarnation"
"Drg Drishya Viveka"
1999:
"Sri Chandi"
"Katha Upanishad"
"Jnana Yoga"
1996:
"Hinduism"
"The True Self - Who Am I Really?"
"Eastern Religion In A Western Culture"
"The True Self - Who am I Really?"
"The Science and Practice of Vedanta"
"Beyond Traditional Roles of Mother, Father, Wife, or Husband: The Search for Identity
Samiti Retreats with Pravrajika Satchitprana
Pravrajika Satchitprana is a senior sannyasini of Sri Sarada Math. She travels extensively throughout India, South America, Europe, and North America to conduct retreats and give lectures. Her past Samiti retreat topics have included:
2017:
"Silent Retreat on Ashtavakra Samhita”
2014:
"Bhagavad Gita: Liberation through the Practice of Yoga and Dharma”
2006:
"What Holy Mother Means to Me"
"Women's Retreat on Mother's Life Story”
2004:
"The Life of the Holy Mother"
"Approaching God as Mother"
"Kena Upanishad"
"On Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother"
Samiti Retreats with Pravrajikas Satchitprana and Prabuddhaprana
Pravrajika Prabuddhaprana is American-born and a senior sannyasini of Sri Sarada Math. She has authored a number of books including Tantine: the Life of Josephine MacLeod, Friend of Swami Vivekananda; and Saint Sara: The Life of Sara Chapman Bull, the American Mother of Swami Vivekananda. Their past Samiti retreat topics included:
2002:
"Women Disciples of the Master"
"Holy Mother's Last Message"
"Karma Yoga for All"
"The Motherhood of God”
Samiti Retreats with Pravrajika Prabuddhaprana
2023 “Vedanta Women of America”. Olema Women’s Retreat
2024 “ Reflections on Sri Sarada Math”. Parlor Talk Sacramento.
Samiti Retreats with Pravrajika Amalaprana Mataji
Pravrajika Amalaprana was the General Secretary of Sri Sarada Math, Dakshineswar, India, until April 2024. She spoke at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1993 and subsequently toured the United States and returned again in 1997. She has traveled widely throughout India, Europe, South Africa, and North America. Before moving to the Sri Sarada Math headquarters, she served as the Principal of the Girls’ College, Vivekananda Vidya Bhavan in Dum Dum, Kolkata. Her past Samiti retreats included:
1997:
"Spiritual Life...the First Steps"
"God as Mother: A talk with Huston Smith"
"Prayer and Its Efficacy"
"Equanimity-How to Attain It"