ABSTRACT
I have already described how the original five inmates of Sarada Mandiram came together to become the first saṃnyāsinis of the Ramakrishna Order. Four of the ‘pioneer’ members were still in Trichur in 1981, while the fifth had been transferred elsewhere in Kerala. Approximately one fifth of the entire Sarada Math had joined in (or through contact with) the Trichur branch. I would now like to discuss how candidates came to hear about, and eventually join the Order from the south west region of India.
