Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), was born Narendranath Datta, in a traditional Kayastha Bengali family in Calcutta. He was one of seven siblings (three brothers and four sisters). His father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney at the Calcutta High Court. Durgacharan Datta, Narendra’s grandfather was a Sanskrit and Persian scholar who left his family and became a monk at age twenty-five. Narendranath’s mother, Bhubaneswari Devi, was a devout housewife. The progressive, rational attitude of Narendra’s father and the religious temperament of his mother helped in shaping Narendra’s thinking and personality in the childhood. Narendranath was interested in spirituality from a young age and used to meditate before the images of deities such as Shiva, Rama, Sita, and Hanuman.
Education
In 1871, at the age of eight, Narendranath enrolled at Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s Metropolitan Institution, where he went to school until his family moved to Raipur in 1877. In 1879, after his family’s return to Calcutta, he was the only student to receive first-division marks in the Presidency College (now known as Presidency University) entrance examination. Narendra studied Western logic, Western philosophy and European history at the General Assembly’s Institution (now known as the Scottish Church College). In 1881, he passed the Fine Arts examination, and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1884. He was an avid reader in a wide range of subjects, including philosophy, religion, history, social science, art and literature. He was also interested in the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharat and the Puranas. Narendra was trained in Indian classical music, and regularly participated in sports and other activities. Narendra studied the works of David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Baruch Spinoza, Georg W. F. Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill and Charles Darwin. He became fascinated with the evolutionism of Herbert Spencer and corresponded with him, translating Herbert Spencer‘s book Education (1861) into Bengali.
Spiritual pursuits
In 1880, Narendra joined Keshab Chandra Sen‘s Nava Vidhan, which was established by Sen after meeting Ramakrishna and reconverting from Christianity to Hindu Dharma. Narendra became a member of a Freemasonry lodge at some point before 1884..He was also a member of the Brahma Samaj a social and religious group that believed all religions are legitimate pathways to God, and that concepts such as caste and vigraha worship were redundant. The Brahmo Samaj also advocated the idea that service to humanity is an important form of worship, and thus, worked to end child marriage and illiteracy among women and the poor.
From 1881 to 1884, Narendra was also active in Sen’s Band of Hope, which tried to discourage youth from smoking and drinking.
Not satisfied with his knowledge of philosophy, Narendra came to “the question which marked the real beginning of his intellectual quest for God.” He asked several prominent personalities if they had seen God, but none of their answers satisfied him. It was Ramakrishna who really answered Narendra’s question, by saying “Yes, I have. I see Him as clearly as I see you, only in a much intense sense.”
Narendra’s first introduction to Ramakrishna occurred in a literature class (1881) at General Assembly’s Institution when he heard Professor William Hastie, the Principal of the Scottish Church College lecturing on William Wordsworth‘s poem, The Excursion. While explaining the word “trance” in the poem, Hastie suggested that his students visit Ramakrishna of Dakshineshwar to understand the true meaning of trance. This prompted some of his students (including Narendra) to visit Ramakrishna.
In 1881 when Narendra was preparing for his upcoming F. A. examination, Ram Chandra Datta ( a relative of Narendra and disciple of Ramakrishna) accompanied him to Surendra Nath Mitra‘s ( another prominent devotee of Ramakrishna), house where Ramakrishna was invited to deliver a lecture. At this meeting Ramakrishna asked young Narendra to sing. Impressed by his singing talent, he asked Narendra to come to Dakshineshwar.
In late 1881 or early 1882, Narendra went to Dakshineshwar with two friends and met Ramakrishna. This meeting proved to be a turning point in his life. Although he did not initially accept Ramakrishna as his teacher and rebelled against his ideas, he was attracted by his personality and began to frequently visit him at Dakshineshwar. He initially saw Ramakrishna’s ecstasies and visions as “mere figments of imagination” and “hallucinations”. As a member of Brahmo Samaj, he opposed vigraha worship, polytheism and Ramakrishna’s worship of Kali. He even rejected the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. Narendra tested Ramakrishna, who faced his arguments patiently: “Try to see the truth from all angles”, he replied.
Narendra’s father’s sudden death in 1884 left the family bankrupt. Narendra unsuccessfully tried to find work, but found solace in Ramakrishna and his visits to Dakshineshwar increased.
One day, Narendra requested Ramakrishna to pray to goddess Kali for their family’s financial welfare. Ramakrishna instead suggested him to go to the temple himself and pray. Following Ramakrishna’s suggestion, he went to the temple thrice, but failed to pray for any kind of worldly necessities and ultimately prayed for true knowledge and devotion from the goddess. Narendra gradually grew ready to renounce everything for the sake of realising God, and accepted Ramakrishna as his Guru.
In 1885, Ramakrishna developed throat cancer, and was transferred to Calcutta and (later) 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, Narendra experienced Nirvikalpa samadhi. Narendra and several other disciples received ochre robes (a symbol of renunciation of material life) from Ramakrishna, forming his first monastic order. Ramakrishna taught Vivekananda Advaita Vedanta, all religions are true and service to mankind was the most effective worship of God. Ramakrishna asked him to take care of the other monastic disciples, and in turn asked them to see Narendra as their leader. Ramakrishna left the mortal body in the early-morning hours of 16 August 1886 in Cossipore.
Monastery
After Ramakrishna’s death, Narendra decided to convert a dilapidated house at Baranagar into a new math (monastery) for the remaining disciples. The math became the first building of the Ramakrishna Math: the monastery of the monastic order of Ramakrishna. Narendra and other disciples used to spend many hours in practising meditation and religious austerities every day.
Monastic vows
In December 1886, the mother of Baburam (Baburam was a disciple of Ramakrishna) invited Narendra and his other brother monks to Antpur village. Narendra and the other aspiring monks accepted the invitation and went to Antpur to spend a few days. In Antpur, on the Christmas Eve of 1886, Narendra, aged 23, and eight other disciples took formal monastic vows at the Radha Gobinda Jiu temple and decided to live their lives as their master lived. Narendranath took the name “Swami Vivekananda”.
Travels in India (1888–1893)
In 1888, Narendra left the monastery as a Parivrâjaka— the Hindu religious life of a wandering monk. His sole possessions were a kamandalu (water pot), staff ( thick holy stick) and his two favourite books: the Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ. Narendra travelled extensively in India for five years, visiting centres of learning and acquainting himself with diverse religious traditions and social patterns. He developed empathy for the suffering and poverty of the people, and resolved to uplift the nation. Living primarily on bhiksha (alms), Narendra travelled on foot and by train (with tickets bought by admirers). During his travels he met, and stayed with people from all religions and walks of life.
First visit to the West (1893–1897)
During the course of his wanderings, Vivekananda came to know about the World Parliament of Religions being held in Chicago, America in 1893. He was keen to attend the meeting, to represent India, to share with the audience of the World Parliament of Religions about Hindu Dharma and his Guru Sri Ramakrishna’s philosophies. He took a firm resolve to attend the World Parliament of Religions while he was meditating on the rocks of Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. Money was raised by his disciples in Madras (now Chennai) and Ajit Singh, Raja of Khetri, and Vivekananda left for Chicago on May 31, 1893 from Bombay.
He visited several cities in Japan (including Nagasaki, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo), China and Canada en route to the United States. During this journey, Vivekananda inspired Jamsetji Tata to set up a research and scientific institution when they met accidentally while travelling from Yokohama to Chicago. This led to the birth of Indian Institute of Science, which gradually became one of India’s best-known research university of India.
Vivekananda reached Chicago on 30 July 1893, where the “Parliament of Religions” was to take place in September 1893. Vivekananda was disappointed to learn that no one without credentials from a bona fide organisation would be accepted as a delegate. Vivekananda contacted Professor John Henry Wright of Harvard University, who invited him to speak at Harvard. Vivekananda wrote of the professor, “He urged upon me the necessity of going to the Parliament of Religions, which he thought would give an introduction to the nation”. Vivekananda submitted an application, “introducing himself as a monk ‘of the oldest order of sannyāsis … founded by Sankara,'” supported by the Brahmo Samaj representative Protapchandra Mozoombar, who was also a member of the Parliament’s selection committee,” classifying Swami Vivekananda as a representative of the Hindu monastic order.
Parliament of the World’s Religions
The Parliament of the World’s Religions opened on 11 September 1893 at the Art Institute of Chicago, as part of the World’s Columbian Exposition. On this day, Vivekananda gave a brief speech representing India Hindu Dharma. He bowed to Saraswati (the Hindu goddess of learning) and began his speech with “Sisters and brothers of America!”. At these words, Vivekananda received a two-minute standing ovation from the crowd of seven thousand. According to Sailendra Nath Dhar (Author of Comprehensive Biography of Swami Vivekananda), when silence was restored, he began his address, greeting the youngest of the nations on behalf of “the most ancient order of monks in the world, the Vedic order of sannyasins, a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance”
Vivekananda quoted two illustrative passages from the “Shiva mahimna stotram“: “As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee!” and “Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths that in the end lead to Me.”
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”.
American newspapers reported Vivekananda as “the greatest figure in the parliament of religions” and “the most popular and influential man in the parliament”.
He spoke several times “at receptions, the scientific section, and private homes” on topics related to Hindu Dharma, Buddhism and harmony among religions until the parliament ended on 27 September 1893. Vivekananda’s speeches at the Parliament had the common theme of universality, emphasising religious tolerance. He soon became known as a “handsome oriental” and made a huge impression as an orator.
“I do not come”, said Vivekananda on one occasion in America, “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.”
After the Parliament of Religions, he toured many parts of the America as a guest.
Vivekananda spent nearly two years lecturing in the eastern and central United States, primarily in Chicago, Detroit, Boston, and New York. He founded the Vedanta Society of New York in 1894. By spring 1895 his busy, tiring schedule had affected his health. Hence, he ended his lecture tours but began giving free, private classes in Vedanta and yoga.
During his first visit to the West, he travelled to the UK twice, in 1895 and 1896, delivering lectures there. In November 1895, he met Margaret Elizabeth Noble an Irish woman who later became Sister Nivedita. During his second visit to the UK in May 1896 Vivekananda met Max Müller, a noted Indologist from Oxford University who wrote Ramakrishna’s first biography in the West. From the UK, Vivekananda visited other European countries.
From the West, Vivekananda continued his work in India. He regularly corresponded with his followers and brother monks, offering advice and financial support.
In 1895, Vivekananda founded the periodical Brahmavadin to teach the Vedanta. Later, Vivekananda’s translation of the first six chapters of The Imitation of Christ was published in Brahmavadin in 1899. Vivekananda left for India on 16 December 1896 from England. He was later followed to India by Sister Nivedita, who devoted the rest of her life to the education of Indian women and India’s independence. From England Vivekananda arrived Colombo on 15, January, 1897, receiving a warm welcome. From Colombo he reached Calcutta and Almora en route Pamban, Rameswaram, Ramnad, Madurai, Kumbakonam and Madras.
While in the West, Vivekananda spoke about India’s great spiritual heritage; in India, he repeatedly addressed social issues: uplifting the people, eliminating the caste system, promoting science and industrialisation, addressing widespread poverty and ending colonial rule. These lectures, published as Lectures from Colombo to Almora, demonstrate his nationalistic fervour and spiritual ideology.
Ramakrishna Mission
On 1 May 1897 in Calcutta, Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission for social service. Its ideals are based on Karma Yoga, and its primary objective is to serve the poor and distressed population of the country. Its governing body consists of the trustees of the Ramakrishna Math (which conducts spiritual and social activities). Both Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission have their headquarters at Belur Math.
Vivekananda founded two other monasteries: one in Mayavati in the Himalayas (near Almora), the Advaita Ashrama and another in Madras (now Chennai). Two journals were founded: Prabuddha Bharata in English and Udbhodan in Bengali.
Despite declining health, Vivekananda left for the West for a second time in June 1899 accompanied by Sister Nivedita and Swami Turiyananda. Following a brief stay in England, he went to the United States. During this visit, Vivekananda established Vedanta Societies in San Francisco and New York and founded a shanti ashrama in California, a retreat for Vedanta students . He then went to Paris for the Congress of Religions in 1900. From there Vivekananda visited Brittany, Vienna, Istanbul, Athens and Egypt and returned to India on 9th December, 1900. After a brief visit to the Advaita Ashrama in Mayavati, Vivekananda settled at Belur Math, where he continued co-ordinating the works of Ramakrishna Mission, the math and the work in England and the US. Although Vivekananda was unable to attend the Congress of Religions in 1901 in Japan due to deteriorating health, he made pilgrimages to Bodhgaya and Varanasi. Declining health (including asthma, diabetes and chronic insomnia) restricted his activity.
On 4 July 1902 (his last day), Vivekananda awoke early, went to the monastery at Belur Math and meditated for three hours. He taught Shukla-Yajur-Veda, Sanskrit grammar and the philosophy of yoga to pupils, later discussed with colleagues a planned Vedic college in the Ramakrishna Math. At 7:00 pm Vivekananda went to his room, asking not to be disturbed; he attained mahasamadhi at 9:20 p.m. while meditating. Vivekananda fulfilled his prophecy that he would not live forty years. He was cremated on the bank of the Ganga in Belur, opposite where Ramakrishna was cremated sixteen years earlier.
Vivekananda propagated four yogas model, which includes Karma yoga, Raja yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana yoga, which offered a practical means to realise the divine force within. In 1896, his book Raja Yoga was published, which became very popular and was highly influential in the Western understanding of yoga.
Vivekananda was one of the main representatives of Neo-Vedanta, a modern interpretation of selected aspects of Hindu Dharma in line with western esoteric traditions, especially Transcendentalism, New Thought and Theosophy. He was one of the most influential philosophers and social reformers and the most successful and impactful missionaries of Vedanta to the Western world. Indian independence activist Subhas Chandra Bose regarded Vivekananda as his spiritual teacher.
Vivekananda maintained that addressing the issue of poverty was a prerequisite for national awakening. His nationalistic ideas influenced many Indian thinkers and leaders. Sri Aurobindo regarded Vivekananda as the one who awakened India spiritually. While National Youth Day in India is observed on his birthday, 12 January, the day he delivered his masterful speech at the Parliament of Religions, 11 September 1893, is “World Brotherhood Day”. Posts of India and Sri Lanka issued several commemorative stamps of Vivekananda in 2013 (on his 150th birth anniversary). Vivekananda was also featured on other stamps of India in 1963, 1993 and 2015 and of Sri Lanka in 1997. In 2018, India and Serbia issued joint stamps of Vivekananda.
Before his Mahasamadhi he had written to a Western follower: “It may be that I shall find it good to get outside my body, to cast it off like a worn out garment. But I shall not cease to work. I shall inspire men everywhere until the whole world shall know that it is one with God.”
Vivekananda elevated social service to the status of divine service and the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are engaged in various forms of humanitarian, social service activities for more than a century serving millions of men, women and children, without any distinction of caste, religion or race, because they see the living God in them. The author of this article is one such beneficiary of Ramakrishna mission’s education having studied there and blessed with getting orientation to the spiritual walk of life.
Reference:
- https://belurmath.org/swami-vivekananda/.
- https://ramakrishna.org/vivekananda.html.
- The Life of Swami Vivekananda by his Eastern and Western disciples.
- https://vedanta.org/our-teachers/swami-vivekananda/.
