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Swami Vivekananda is someone who needs no introduction. An eminent figure, he is recognised for shedding light on Hinduism for the West. He spoke for Hinduism in the 1893 Chicago Parliament of Religions, catapulting an obscure Indian monk into the spotlight. On January 12th, we celebrate National Youth Day in honour of Swami Vivekananda’s birthday.
Swami Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Mission on May 1st, 1897, with the dual goals of individual salvation and global betterment. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda collects his many works, including his lectures, essays, correspondence, and poetry. He never makes his lessons about himself and instead emphasises overarching ideas that apply to everyone. He was bright. His one-of-a-kind insights and perspectives never fail to reawaken and enliven us. A guru and a reformer, he left a lasting impression on society.
Early Years and Schooling
On January 12th, 1863, Vivekananda, Swami was conceived into a prosperous Bengali house of the Kayastha (scribes) caste. He received his education at a Western-style university, where he was exposed to concepts like rationalism, Christianity, and science. By this time, social change had become central to Vivekananda’s philosophy, and he had joined the Brahmo Samaj (Society of Brahma), which worked to end child marriage and illiteracy and promote education among women and members of lower castes.
Over time, he rose to prominence as Ramakrishna’s most devoted follower for demonstrating the underlying oneness of all faiths. His father, the accomplished lawyer Vishwanath Datta, had eclectic interests, and his mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was blessed with great devotion to God and other virtues. Narendra was a gifted youngster who showed early promise in various fields. He graduated from Calcutta University with extensive education in several fields, mainly Western history and philosophy. From an early age, his yogic temperament led him to meditate, and he later became involved with the Brahmo Movement.
Swami Vivekanand's meeting with Sri Ramakrishna
When Narendra was on the cusp of becoming a young adult, he went through a difficult moment of spiritual crisis during which he questioned God’s existence. One of his college English instructors was the first person he heard about Sri Ramakrishna from. In November 1881, Narendra visited the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar, where Sri Ramakrishna was residing. He wasted no time asking the Master, “Sir, have you seen God?”—a query he’d previously posed to numerous others with little success. Sri Ramakrishna said confidently, “Yes, I have. If anything, my perception of Him is clearer than my perception of you.
Sri Ramakrishna not only dispelled Narendra’s scepticism but also won him over with the selflessness of his love. It is marked as the beginning of a rare kind of guru-disciple connection in the annals of enlightened teachers. Once Narendra began making regular trips to Dakshineswar, he advanced quickly in his spiritual development at the hands of the Master. They all became good friends when Narendra met numerous young guys in Dakshineswar who were committed to Sri Ramakrishna.
Awakening to the Divine and Spirituality
After his father passed away in 1884, Naredranath was left in a difficult financial position, responsible for providing for his mother and younger siblings. For his family’s financial stability, he pleaded with Ramakrishna to petition the goddess.
In response to Ramakrishna’s advice, he visited the temple to offer his prayers. But when he was face to face with the goddess, he instead requested “Vivek” (conscience) and “Vairagya” (fortitude) (seclusion). On that day, Narendranath had a profound spiritual transformation that led him to choose an austere lifestyle.
Becoming a Monk
Ramakrishna’s throat cancer progressed rapidly during the middle of the year 1885. Around Sri Ramakrishna, he gathered a group of young men who became his most committed disciples. Sri Ramakrishna gave up his physical form on August 16th, 1886.
About fifteen of Sri Ramakrishna’s students, including Narendranath, came to live together in a wrecked structure at Baranagar, north of Calcutta, and founded the Ramakrishna Math, the monastic order of Ramakrishna. In 1887, they took monastic vows and renounced all contact with the outside world. Vivekananda, from which the new name of the fraternity, Narendranath, was derived, means “the delight of understanding knowledge.”
The monks performed yoga and meditation while subsisting on the alms kind donors gave them during the period known as “Madhukari.”
In 1886, Vivekananda left the Math and travelled on foot throughout India under the alias “Parivrajak,” during which time he became immersed in the culture and beliefs of the people he met. He saw the hardships and sorrows endured by the average person and vowed to dedicate his life to helping them.
Formation of Ramakrishna Mission
He returned to India in about 1897 and arrived in Calcutta, where he launched Ramakrishna Mission on May 1st, 1897, at Belur Math. The mission’s ideals were founded on Karma Yoga, whose principal purpose was to aid the country’s impoverished, suffering, or troubled populace. This goal includes establishing schools, universities, and hospitals, among other social services. Vedanta teachings were disseminated nationwide via seminars, conferences, workshops, and rehabilitation work.
Vivekananda’s teachings were primarily founded on Ramakrishna’s spiritual teachings of Divine manifestations and his internalisation of the Advaita Vedanta Philosophy. According to him, the ultimate objective of life is to acquire spiritual liberation, which embraces one’s complete faith.
Death
He anticipated that he would die before the age of 40. As a result, he died while meditating on July 4th, 1902. He is reported to have reached ‘Mahasamadhi’ and was cremated on the Ganga’s banks.
Swami Vivekananda’s teachings inspired not just the young but the whole globe. He established the true foundations of India’s national unity. He showed us how to coexist with so many differences. He was effective in building a virtual bridge between Eastern and Western cultures. He was instrumental in separating Indian culture from the world at large.
