Swami Vivekananda

Biography

Birth and Early life

Narendranath Dutta was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India on 12 January 1863 as the son of Viswanath Dutta and Bhuvaneswari Devi. Even as he was young, he showed a precocious mind and keen memory. He practiced meditation from a very early age. While at school, was good at studies, as well as games of various kinds. He organised an amateur theaterical company and a gymnasium and took lessons in fencing, wrestling, rowing and other sports. He also studied instrumental and vocal music. He was a leader among his group of friends. Even when he was young, he questioned the validity of superstitious customs and discrimination based on caste and religion.

Related Topics:
Kolkata - West Bengal - India - Meditation - Gymnasium - Fencing - Wrestling - Vocal music - Caste

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In 1879, Narendra entered the Presidency College, Calcutta for higher studies. After one year, he joined the Scottish Church College, Calcutta and studied philosophy. During the course, he studied western logic, western philosophy and history of European nations.

Related Topics:
Presidency College, Calcutta - Scottish Church College, Calcutta - Philosophy - Europe

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There started to arise questions about God and the presence of God in young Narendra's mind. This made him associate with the Brahmo Samaj, an important relegious movement of the time, led by Keshab Chandra Sen. But the Samaj's congregational prayers and devotional songs could not satisfy Narendra's zeal to realise God. He would ask leaders of Brahma Samaj whether they have seen God. He never got a satisfying answer. It was during this time that Professor Hastie of Scottish Church College told him about Sri Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar.

Related Topics:
God - Brahmo Samaj - Keshab Chandra Sen - Sri Ramakrishna - Dakshineswar

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With Ramakrishna

Narendra met Ramakrishna for the first time in November 1881. He asked Ramakrishna the same old question, whether he had seen God. The instantaneous answer from Ramakrishna was, "Yes, I have seen God, just as I see you here, only in a more clear sense." Narendra was astounded and puzzled. He could feel the man's words were honest and uttered from depths of experience. He started visiting Ramakrishna frequently.

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Though, Narendra could not accept Ramakrishna and his visions, nor could he neglect him. It has always been in Narendra's nature to test something thoroughly before he can accept it. He tested Ramakrishna to the maximum, but the master was patient, forgiving, humorous and full of love. He never asked Narendra to abandon reason, and he faced all of Narendra's arguments and examinations with infinite patience. In time, Narendra accepted Ramakrishna, and while he accepted, his acceptance was whole-hearted. While Ramakrishna predominantly taught duality and Bhakti to his other disciples, he taught Narendra the Advaita Vedanta, the non-dual philosophy.

Related Topics:
Bhakti - Advaita Vedanta

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During the course of five years of his training under Ramakrishna, Narendra was transformed from a restless, puzzled, impatient youth to a mature man who was ready to renounce everything for the sake of God-realization. Soon, Ramakrishna's end came in the form of a throat cancer in August 1886. After this Narendra and a core group of Ramakrishna's disciples took vows to become monks and renounce everything, and started living in a supposedly haunted house in Baraganore. They took alms to satisfy their hunger and their other needs were taken care of by Ramakrishna's richer householder disciples.

Related Topics:
Throat cancer - Baraganore

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Wanderings in India

Soon, the young monks of Baraganore wanted to live the life of a wandering monk with rags and a begging bowl and no other possession. On July 1890, Vivekananda set out for a long journey, without knowing where the journey would take him. The journey that followed took him to the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent. During these days, Vivekananda assumed various names like Swami Satchidananda, etc., It is said that he was given the name Vivekananda by Maharaja of Khetri for his discrimination of things, good and bad.

Related Topics:
Indian subcontinent - Khetri

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During these wandering days, Vivekananda stayed on king's palaces, as well as the huts of the poor. He came in close contact with the culture of different regions of India and various classes of people in India. Vivekananda observed the imbalance in society and tyranny in the name of caste. He realised the need for a national rejuvenation if India was to survive at all. He reached Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent in 24 December 1892. There, he swam across the sea and started meditating on a lone rock. He thus meditated for three days and said later that he meditated about the past, present and future of India. The rock went on to become the Vivekananda memorial at Kanyakumari.

Related Topics:
Kanyakumari - 24 December - 1892 - Vivekananda memorial

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Vivekananda went to Madras and spoke about his plans for India and Hinduism to the young men of Madras. They were impressed by the monk and urged him to go to the United States and represent Hinduism in the World Parliament of Religions. Thus, helped by his friends at Madras, Raja of Ramnad and Maharajas of Mysore and Khetri, Vivekananda set out on his journey to the USA.

Related Topics:
Madras - United States - Hinduism - Mysore

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In the west

Vivekananda perhaps, is best remembered as the man who "stole the show" at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Illinois, where he earned wild applause for beginning his address with the famous words, "Sisters and brothers of America." This event marks the beginning of western interest in Hinduism not as merely an exotic eastern oddity, but as a vital religious and philosophical tradition that might actually have something important to teach the West. Within a few years of the Parliament, he had started Vedantic centres in New York City, New York and London, lectured at major universities and generally kindled western interest in Hinduism. After four years of constant touring, lecturing and retreats in the West, he came back to India in the year 1897.

Related Topics:
1893 - World Parliament of Religions - Chicago, Illinois - Hinduism - New York City, New York - London

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Swami Vivekananda, moved by the spirit of America's Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1898, wrote a poem titled, To the Fourth of July.

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Move on, O Lord, in the resistless path!

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Till the high noon overspreads the world,

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Till every land reflects thy light,

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Till men and women with uplifted head

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behold their shackles broken, and

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know in springtime joy, their life renewed.

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Back in India

He was overwhelmed by the reception he received on his return. In India, he delivered a series of lectures, and this set of lectures known as "Lectures from Colombo to Almora" is considered to have uplifted the morale of the then downtrodden Indian society. He founded the Ramakrishna Mission. This institution is now one of the largest monastic orders of Hindu society in India. He once again toured the west from January 1899 to December 1900.

Related Topics:
Ramakrishna Mission - Monastic order - Hindu - India

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Death

He was 39 when he passed away on July 4 1902 at Belur Math near Kolkata.

Related Topics:
July 4 - 1902 - Belur Math - Kolkata

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