papa
In the KARMA system, papa is karmic demerit,
often translated as “sin.” All Hindu and Buddhist
traditions used this term, which is the opposite of
PUNYA or karmic merit. An accumulation of papa
over a lifetime causes a rebirth into a status that
accords with the sin. The various types of papa, or
sins, are detailed in the texts on proper conduct or
DHARMA. MANU’S DHARMASHASTRA, for example, has
long lists of sins and transgressions. In the Indian
context, however, there is no universal notion of
sin. Instead, sin is determined by one’s social place
and rank.
A BRAHMIN committing a crime, for instance,
will not be punished in any way as strictly as a
SHUDRA (person of the servant class) would be for
the same crime. On the other hand, a Brahmin
who would use alcohol or eat beef would be seen
to be committing a much greater sin than a Shu-
dra who did.
Further reading: Wendy Doniger and Brian K. Smith,
trans., The Laws of Manu (New York: Penguin Books,
1991); Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty, Karma and Rebirth
in Classical Indian Traditions (Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1980).
Paramananda, Swami (1884–1940) pioneer
teacher of Vedanta in the United States
Swami Paramananda was a leading teacher of
Vedanta in the United States. He founded the
ANANDA ASHRAMA AND VEDANTA CENTRE, which
carried on his teachings, including his respect for
women as spiritual leaders.
Born on February 5, 1884, to an affluent East
Bengali family in the village of Banaripara in
what is now Bangladesh, Suresh Chandra Guhu
Thakurta, the person who would later become
Swami Paramananda, was cherished by his par-
ents, Brahmamoyee and Ananda Mohan. His
mother died when Suresh was only nine years old.
When his father’s second wife died, Suresh turned
to an inner search. He began to read in his father’s
library and was introduced to the spirituality of
Sri RAMAKRISHNA. He visited the RAMAKRISHNA
MAT H AND MISSION at Belur Math near Calcutta
(Kolkata) and studied the life of the Bengali saint.
In 1900, only four years after the death of Ramak-
rishna, Suresh ran away from home and joined
the monastery. In 1902 he was initiated into the
renounced life of sannyas by Swami VIVEKANANDA,
student of Sri Ramakrishna and founder of the
Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
Paramananda then spent four years in Madras
(Chennai) with Swami Ramakrishnananda. While
there he received a vision of a mission to the West.
In 1906 he accompanied Swami ABHEDANANDA
to New York and served as his assistant at the
VEDANTA SOCIETY. He succeeded Abhedananda as
director of the New York Vedanta Center and later
founded Vedanta centers in Boston and Washing-
ton, D.C. While in New York, he became close to
Sister Devamata (Laura Franklin Glenn) (1867–
1942), who in the 1920s published his biography.
He traveled widely and was a popular and sensi-
tive spokesman for the message of VEDANTA.
As was his teacher Vivekananda, he was com-
mitted to including women in the spiritual life.
His first disciple, Sister Devamata, was given
considerable responsibility for giving talks and
spiritual guidance when he was away. Her talks
were published along with those of Paramananda.
Some of the Boston students regarded her, rather
than the SWAMI, as their spiritual teacher. Another
of his students, Sister Daya (Georgina Jones Wal-
ton) (1882–1955), as did Sister Devamata, gave
talks and spiritual guidance when Paramananda
was not in town.
Beginning in 1915, Paramananda began to
lecture and teach in Los Angeles, dividing his time
between that city and Boston. In 1923 he opened
the Ananda Ashrama at La Crescenta, California,
and in 1929 opened a second ashram at Cohasset,
Massachusetts.
Swami Paramananda died on June 21, 1940,
at his Cohasset, Massachusetts, center. During his
life, his three centers, in Boston, La Crescenta, andParamananda, Swami 323 J