A unique feature of the activities of the Ramakrishna Math and ramakrishna Mission is the special emphasis it places on the practicalisation of the Vedantic teachings  in the form of "worship of God in man." The Ramakrishna Mission is well-known worldwide for its services in the following areas: (for more details visit the HQ website).

Educational Work: The Math and Mission run 748 educational institutions (including 12 colleges, 22 higher secondary schools, 41 secondary schools, 135 schools of other grades, 4 polytechnics, 48 vocational training centres, 118 hostels, 7 orphanages, etc) with a total student population of more than 200,000.

Medical Service: The twin organizations run 15 hospitals (with 2182 beds), 125 dispensaries, and 48 mobile medical units which treat about 8,000,000 patients every year. Besides these, a considerable number of medical camps are organized, mostly in rural areas, where thousands of patients are treated and more than 3000 operated on for cataract free of cost every year. The Math and Mission run a medical research institute and 5 nurses' training centres.

Work in Rural and Tribal Areas: For rural and tribal people, the Math and Mission run 3 institutes of agriculture and 4 rural development training institutes.  Besides, farmers are taught improved methods of cultivation and also provided with agricultural inputs and financial help.  Projects such as construction of pucca houses, wasteland development, planting of fruit and forest trees, etc are undertaken.  Drinking water is provided by digging bore wells and tube wells.

Relief Services: During natural or man-made disasters, the Mission’s work includes primary relief with food, clothes, medicine and permanent relief activities like construction of new full-fledged townships, bridges, and roads,sometimes a project going over Rs. 150 million. 

Publication of Vedanta Literature: The Mission’s publication centres produce some of the best publications on religion, philosophy, and spiritual culture.  The total turnover in 2004-05 was Rs. 86 million.

For more details please visit the websites of Advaita Ashrama, and Ramakrishna Math, Chennai

Spreading Religion and Culture: The Math and Mission spread the spiritual teachings and cultural ideals through a large number of public libraries, lectures, discourses and seminars, audio-visual units, exhibitions, museums, retreats and publishing books, journals, etc. Books on Vedanta, the message of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, spirituality and world religions in almost all the major languages of India and in some of the important languages of other countries are published form the 21 publication centres of the Math and Mission.