During Shivananda’s presidency, the activities of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission expanded considerably. Several new centres were opened in India, Singapore, Europe, North America, and South America. He inspired the monks to carry out philanthropic activities and at the same time advised them to harmonize the four yogas in their lives so that they could realize the Atman. One day he said to a monk: “Please practise japam and meditation regularly, because that is the source of power. Do not curtail time from meditation.” Another day a monk suggested that the monks should place more emphasis on meditation than activity. Shivananda gravely answered: “The importance of meditation was in the past, is in the present, and will be in the future also. You are talking about work? Without practising japam and meditation, one cannot work according to the ideal of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. One should work and worship simultaneously.” (Source: God Lived with Them)
All four yogas — karma, jnana, bhakti, and raja — are harmoniously practised in the Ramakrishna Order. Shivananda always encouraged the monks to devote more time to meditation, but at the same time to serve suffering humanity. He reminded the monks: “It is true that work brings attachment; but this Order of the Master, Holy Mother, and Swamiji is different. This Order does not stand exclusively for spiritual practices — the practice of renunciation and austerity only. This Order has a mission that will reestablish the religion of the age. Here one must perform action along with contemplation. Those who will work at our [the disciples of the Master] direction will never get attached. The Master himself will be responsible for them.”
According to Vedanta philosophy the real nature of human beings is the Atman, which is actionless; It cannot be attained through action. Some people think that if we do not perform actions we will be established in the Atman, but this notion is wrong. The Vedantic tradition states that unselfish action purifies the mind, then spiritual practices make the mind one-pointed, which eventually leads to the experience of the Atman. Shivananda wrote to a monk:
May the Lord give you indomitable enthusiasm and courage! Know for certain that the ashrama is bound to flourish. Don’t worry on that score. Never forget what Swamiji said regarding work. Whatever you do in connection with the monastery or in the way of service to the country is not inferior to spiritual practice. All that you do is His work — even japam and meditation. Never doubt this. Even as repeating His name and thinking about Him is spiritual practice, so is the service of humanity when done selflessly. You are wholly mistaken, in fact, irrational, if you think that you have wasted your life in doing service. Spiritual practice is not of one kind only; it is various. It is renunciation of the ego or the self. (Source: God Lived with Them)