"Knowledge leads to unity, as ignorance leads to diversity" – Ramakrishna
"Is there anything more important to teach than the unity of the universe and faith in oneself?" – Vivekananda
Swami Siddheswarananda
The specialization of science and technology is the result of their progress: today, no one can master a field without becoming a specialist or an expert. But this specialization fragments knowledge and makes it more difficult to gain a synthetic vision, an overall perspective.
Our ideal, said Vivekananda, should not be specialization but universalization. To realize this ideal, there is no need to travel the world or scrutinize every detail: "No knowledge comes from outside; everything is within us. If we spoke precisely, psychologically speaking, instead of saying a man 'knows', we should say he 'reveals'; what he 'learns' is in fact what he 'uncovers' by removing the veil that masks his soul, that soul which is a mine of infinite knowledge."
In this spirit, Swami Veetamohananda, president of the Vedantic Center from 1994 to 2019, founded the University of the Human Being — a university of the whole, integral, or universal human — thus continuing the work of his predecessor, Swami Siddheswarananda (president from 1937 to 1957). The first training sessions began in September 2014.
Like the four yogas — the yoga of service (karma yoga), of love (bhakti yoga), of knowledge (jñana yoga), and of meditation (rāja yoga) — which each invite the awakening of inherent potential, the University of the Human Being offers programs to develop the excellence of the human personality, for the benefit of each person and of humanity as a whole.
H.E. Mrs. Ruchira Kamboj
with Swami Veetamohananda
Under the high patronage of H.E. Mrs. Ruchira Kamboj, Ambassador of India to UNESCO, the University of the Human Being launched in June 2017, on the occasion of the International Yoga Days, a research group on the practice of yoga, laying the first foundations of what has now become the Institute for Research and Practice of Vedic Yoga (IRPYV). Engaging in the Institute means taking time to transform one's Being through Yoga, while actively participating in the life of the Center. This curriculum aims to develop autonomy, transmission of knowledge, and service to society. The Institute for Research and Practice of Vedic Yoga is a space for seekers.
Swami Atmarupananda
with Swami Atmapriyananda
It is in this spirit of openness that, in September 2019, Swami Atmapriyananda, Vice-Chancellor of the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RMVERI), made his first visit to the CVR. He then met with the teachers of the University of the Human Being and explored the possibilities of a partnership with RMVERI. He returned in April 2025 to discuss upcoming exchanges related to yoga, and ongoing projects related to Sanskrit.