Life and work of swami vivekananda biography

He represented Hinduism in the Parliament of Religions in in Chicago and due to this an unknown monk of India suddenly leaped into fame. National Youth Day is observed on 12 January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda founded Ramakrishna Mission on 1 May for one's own salvation and for the welfare of the world.

Do you know his lectures, writings, letters, and poems are published as The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda? He always focuses on teaching universal principles rather than personalities. He had tremendous intellect. His unique contributions always enlighten and awaken us. He was a spiritual leader and social reformer. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.

If anyone wants to study the origin of the Vedanta movement in America then study Swami Vivekananda travels across the US. He was a great thinker, great orator, and passionate patriot. It is not wrong to say that he was more than just a spiritual mind. Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 Januaryin Kolkata earlier Calcutta. His lectures, writings, letters, poems, and ideas motivated not only the youth of India but also the whole world.

He is the founder of Ramakrishna Mission and Belur Math in Calcutta, which are still working towards helping the needy. He was a man of wisdom and a very simple human being. Vivekananda's childhood name was Narendranath Dutta, belonged to an affluent Bengali family in Calcutta. He was one of the eight children of Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvneshwari Devi.

On the occasion of Makar Sankranti, he was born on 12 January His father was an attorney and an influential personality in society. Vivekananda's mother was a woman who has faith in God and has a great impact on his son. He was exposed to Western philosophy, Christianity, and science. InNarendra was invited to Antpur village, where he took monastic vows at the Radha Gobinda Jiu Temple and decided to live as their master lived.

Here he took the name Swami Vivekananda. From tohe travelled across India, met people from various religions and introduced himself to varied social and religious traditions. He lived on alms and walked or travelled in a train, to many places in India.

Life and work of swami vivekananda biography

Moved by the poverty in the country, he resolved to work towards uplifting the Indian society. On May 31,Vivekananda started traveling to the West. In September that year, Parliament of Religions was held over there. It was an initiative to create a global dialogue of faiths. Later Vivekananda was called upon to speak at Harvard University, and his speech impressed the listeners.

For this introduction, he received a 2-minute standing ovation. At that time, his oratory skills and deep knowledge caught media attention, and he was recognized as an excellent speaker and the greatest figure in the Parliament of Religions. He established the Vedanta Society of New York in Later he gave private lectures to his students. He met some Indologists in the next some time.

He was given academic positions in two American universities which he refused to take, believing that this role would conflict with his work as a monk. InVivekananda started the periodical Brahmavadin to teach Vedanta. During his stay in Europe, he engaged in social service while also corresponding with his followers in India. On December 30,he started his return journey to India from Naples.

He reached Colombo in Januarywhere he gave his first public speech in the East. He quickly gained popularity among the common masses who waited for him to speak. At the age of 18 he met Ramakrishna, later becoming a devoted follower and sannyasin renunciate. After the death of RamakrishnaVivekananda toured the Indian subcontinent as a wandering monk and acquired first-hand knowledge of the often terrible living conditions of Indian people in then British India.

In he traveled to the United States where he participated in the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Here he delivered a famous speech beginning with the words: "Sisters and brothers of America One American newspaper described him as "an orator by divine right and undoubtedly the greatest figure at the Parliament". After the great success of the Parliament, Vivekananda delivered hundreds of lectures across the United StatesEnglandand Europedisseminating the core tenets of Hindu philosophy.

In India, he founded the Ramakrishna Mathwhich provides spiritual training for monastics and householders, and the Ramakrishna Missionwhich provides charity, social work and education. Vivekananda is widely regarded as one of the greatest figures of modern India. He was one of the most influential philosophers and social reformers of his time, and the most successful missionary of Vedanta to the Western world.

He was a major force in contemporary Hindu life and work of swami vivekananda biography movements and in the development of nationalism in colonial India. His birthday is celebrated in India as National Youth Day. Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta name shortened to Narendra or Naren [ 18 ] in a Bengali Kayastha family [ 19 ] [ 20 ] in his ancestral home at 3 Gourmohan Mukherjee Street in Calcutta, [ 21 ] the capital of British India, on 12 January during the Makar Sankranti festival.

His mother said, "I prayed to Shiva for a son and he has sent me one of his demons". Inat the age of eight, Narendranath enrolled at Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's Metropolitan Institutionwhere he went to school until his family moved to Raipur in Narendra was trained in Indian classical music[ 33 ] and regularly participated in physical exercise, sports and organised activities.

William Hastie the principal of Christian College, Calcutta, from where Narendra graduated wrote of him: "Narendra is really a genius. I have travelled far and wide but I have never come across a lad of his talents and possibilities, even in German universities, among philosophical students. He is bound to make his mark in life". It was in this cultic milieu that Narendra became acquainted with Western esotericism.

Not satisfied with his knowledge of philosophy, Narendra came to "the question which marked the real beginning of his intellectual quest for God. Instead of answering his question, Tagore said, "My boy, you have the Yogi ' s eyes. Narendra first met Ramakrishna in When Narendra's father died inRamakrishna became his primary spiritual focus.

This prompted Narendra, among others in the class, to visit Ramakrishna. They probably first met personally in November[ note 1 ] though Narendra did not consider this their first meeting, and neither man mentioned this meeting later. Ram Chandra Datta accompanied him to Surendra Nath Mitra 's house where Ramakrishna had been invited to deliver a lecture.

Impressed by his talent, he asked Narendra to come to Dakshineshwar. Narendra went to Dakshineswar in late or early and met Ramakrishna. Narendra's father's sudden death in left the family bankrupt; creditors began demanding the repayment of loans, and relatives threatened to evict the family from their ancestral home. Once the son of a well-to-do family, Narendra became one of the poorest students in his college.

He questioned God's existence, [ 72 ] but found solace in Ramakrishna, and his visits to Dakshineswar increased. One day, Narendra asked Ramakrishna to pray to the goddess Kali for his family's financial welfare. Ramakrishna instead suggested he go to the temple himself and pray. Narendra went to the temple three times, but did not pray for any kind of worldly necessities.

He ultimately prayed for true knowledge and devotion from the goddess. InRamakrishna developed throat cancer. He was transferred to Calcutta and then to a garden house in Cossipore. Narendra and Ramakrishna's other disciples took care of him during his last days, and Narendra's spiritual education continued. At Cossipore, he experienced Nirvikalpa samadhi.

After Ramakrishna's death, support from devotees and admirers diminished. Unpaid rent accumulated, forcing Narendra and the other disciples to look for a new place to live. It became the first building of the Ramakrishna Maththe monastery of the monastic order of Ramakrishna. We used to get up at am and become absorbed in japa and meditation.

What a strong spirit of detachment we had in those days! We had no thought even as to whether the world existed or not. Narendra collected and arranged most of the songs in this compilation, but unfavourable circumstances prevented its completion. In Decemberthe mother of one of the monks, Baburam, invited Narendra and his brother monks to Antpur village.

In Antpur, on the Christmas Eve ofthe 23 year old Narendra and eight other disciples took formal monastic vows at the Radha Gobinda Jiu temple. During his travels he met and stayed life and work of swami vivekananda biography Indians from all religions and walks of life: scholars, dewansrajasHindus, Muslims, Christians, paraiyars low-caste workers and government officials.

Bonney[ 98 ] [ 99 ] the Congress sought to gather all the religions of the world, with the aim of showing "the substantial unity of many religions in the good deeds of the religious life. Vivekananda wished to participate, but learned that only individuals with credentials from a bona fide organisation would be accepted as delegates.

Parliament President John Henry Barrows said, "India, the Mother of religions was represented by Swami Vivekananda, the Orange-monk who exercised the most wonderful influence over his auditors". The New York Critique wrote, "He is an orator by divine right, and his strong, intelligent face in its picturesque setting of yellow and orange was hardly less interesting than those earnest words, and the rich, rhythmical utterance he gave them".

After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to send missionaries to this learned nation". Vivekananda's speeches at the Parliament had the common theme of universality, emphasising religious tolerance. He is an honor to humanity. His popularity gave him an unprecedented opportunity to communicate his views on life and religion to great numbers of people.

I do not come to convert you to a new belief. I want you to keep your own belief; I want to make the Methodist a better Methodist; the Presbyterian a better Presbyterian; the Unitarian a better Unitarian. I want to teach you to live the truth, to reveal the light within your own soul. Vivekananda spent nearly two years lecturing in the eastern and central United States, primarily in ChicagoDetroitBostonand New York.

He founded the Vedanta Society of New York in Beginning in Junehe gave private lectures to a dozen of his disciples at Thousand Island Park, New York for two months. Vivekananda travelled to the United Kingdom in and again in In Germany, he met Paul Deussenanother renowned Indologist. Vivekananda's success led to a change in mission, namely the establishment of Vedanta centres in the West.

While in America, Vivekananda was given land to establish a retreat for Vedanta students, in the mountains to the southeast of San Jose, California. He called it "Peace retreat", or Shanti Asrama. There is also a Vedanta Press in Hollywood which publishes books about Vedanta and English translations of Hindu scriptures and texts. From the West, Vivekananda revived his work in India.

He regularly corresponded with his followers and brother monks, offering advice and financial support. His letters from this period reflect his campaign of social service, [ ] and were strongly worded. Also, let them have oral lessons on geography and such other subjects. No good will come of sitting idle and having princely dishes, and saying "Ramakrishna, O Lord!

Sevier and J. Vivekananda arrived in ColomboBritish Ceylon now Sri Lanka on 15 January[ ] and received a warm welcome. In Colombo, he gave his first public speech in the East. Common people and rajas gave him an enthusiastic reception. I am It! He began accepting disciples, and inaccepted an invitation to speak at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago.

He set sail with little money and few contacts. On September 11th,Vivekananda gave a short speech on the opening day of the conference. I thank you in name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

The press covering the event frequently stated that Vivekananda was the star performer — captivating the audience with his personality and powerful speeches. Vivekananda spent two years giving speeches in American and accepting disciples to follow his Vedanta philosophy. Inhe founded the Vedanta Society of New York. From the US, Vivekananda began an increasing correspondence with his brother disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.

He exhorted his fellow sannyasins to throw themselves into social service, helping the poorest to gain an education. This dynamism was a new strand to Indian spirituality — and a break from the older tradition of retreating from the world. Vivekananda wanted his mission to help the world both materially and spiritually. Inhe returned to India to a rapturous welcome.

News of his success in the West was greeted with joy and pride in India. Vivekananda was now a well-known figure. Vivekananda was a clarion call for India to make progress. Kick out the priests who are always against progress, because they would never mend, their hearts would never become big. They are the offspring of centuries of superstition and tyranny.

Root out priest-craft first.