RIGBVEDA

The Rigveda or Rig Veda, is an ancient Indian Collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu Texts known as the Vedas. Only one Shakha of the many survive today, namely the Sakalya Shakha. Much of the contents contained in the remaining Shakhas are now lost or are not available in the public forum. Rigveda Samhita was composed in the northwestern region of the Indian Subcontinent ( Present day India, Afghanistan and Pakisthan )

SAMAVEDA

The Samaveda, is the Veda of melodies and chants. It is an ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, and is one of the sacred scriptures in Hinduism. One of the four Vedas, it is a liturgical text which consists of 1,875 verses. All but 75 verses have been taken from the Rigveda.  Three recensions of the Samaveda have survived, and variant manuscripts of the Veda have been found in various parts of India.

RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886), also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhay [ was an Indian Hindu mystic. A devotee of the goddess Kali, Ramakrishna after adhering to various religious practices from the Hindu traditions of Vaishnavism, Tantric Shaktism, and Advaita Vedanta, as well as from Islam and Christianity, proclaimed that various world religions are "so many paths to reach one and the same goal", thus validating the essential Unity of Religions.  His parable-based teachings espoused the ultimate unity of diverse religions as being means to enable the realization of the same God. He is regarded by his followers as an Avatar or divine Incarnation of God.

Ramakrishna experienced Spiritual escsasies from a young age and started his spiritual journey as a priest at the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple built by Rani Rashmoni. Soon the mystical temperament of Ramakrishna gained him widespread acclaim amongst the general public as a Guru, attracting to him various religious teachers, social leaders, Bengali, elites, and common people alike. Although initially reluctant to consider himself as a guru, he eventually taught his disciples, who later formed the Monastic Ramakrishna Order.

RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY

Raghavendra Tirtha (Raghavendra Swami) (Śrī Raghavendra Tirtha) (c.1595 – c.1671) was a Hindu scholar, theologian and Saint. He was also known as Sudha Parimalacharya . His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of Madhva, Layatirtha, and Vyasatirtha, interpretation of the Principal Upanishads from the standpoint of Dvaita and a treatise on Purva Mimamsa. He served as the pontiff of Matha at  Kumbakonam from 1621 to 1671.  Sri Raghavendra Swamy was also an accomplished player of the Veena and he composed several songs under the name of Venu Gopala.  His shrine at Mantralayam attracts Lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of visitors every year.

ATHARVEDA

The Atharva Veda, Atharvaveda from Atharvana and Veda, meaning "knowledge") or Atharvana Veda is the "knowledge storehouse of atharvāṇas, the procedures for everyday life". The text is the fourth Veda, and is a late addition to the Vedic Scriptures of Hinduism.

The language of the Atharvaveda is different from Rigveda Sanskrit, preserving pre-Vedic Indo-European Archaisms.  It is a collection of 730 hymns with about 6,000 mantras, divided into 20 books. About a sixth of the Atharvaveda texts adapts verses from the Rigveda, and except for Books 15 and 16, the text is mainly in verse deploying a diversity of Vedic meters.  Two different recensions of the text – the Paippalāda and the Śaunakīya – have survived into modern times.  Reliable Manuscripts of the Paippalāda edition were believed to have been lost, but a well-preserved version was discovered among a collection of palm leaf manuscripts in Odisha in 1957.

The Atharvaveda is sometimes called the "Veda of Magical formulas", a description considered incorrect by other scholars. In contrast to the 'hieratic religion' of the other three Vedas, the Atharvaveda is said to represent a 'popular religion', incorporating not only formulas for magic, but also the daily rituals for initiation into learning (upanayana), marriage and funerals. Royal rituals and the duties of the court priests are also included in the Atharvaveda.

RAMANUJAM

Ramanuja ; Middle Tamill: Ramanujan; Classic Sanskrit: Ramanuja c. 1077 CE – 1157 CE;), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a Social Reformer . He is noted to be one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavism tradition within Hinduism.  His philosophical foundations for devotionalism were influential to the Bhakti Movement.

Ramanuja's Guru was  Yadava Praksa, a scholar who according to tradition belonged to the Advaita Vedanta tradition,  but probably was a Bhedabheda scholar.  Sri Vaishnava tradition holds that Ramanuja disagreed with his guru and the non-dualistic Advaita Vedanta, and instead followed in the footsteps of Tamil Alvars tradition, the scholars Nathamuni and Yamunacharya. Ramanuja is famous as the chief proponent of Vishishtadvaita Subschool of Vedanta,  and his disciples were likely authors of texts such as the  Shatyayaniya Upanishad. Ramanuja himself wrote influential texts, such as Bhasya on the Bramha Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, all in Sanskrit