Swamy Vivekananda
Swamy Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863, in Calcutta, Bengal, India. His birth name was Narendranath Datta. He a Hindu monk from India. He was a philosopher, author, religious teacher and a Patriot. And basically, he was a follower of the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. He was a follower of mystic Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. In 1881, he met Ramakrishna. Initially Vivekananda ridiculed Ramakrishna Paramahansa’s visions and ecstasies as hallucinations. Nevertheless, he eventually recognized him as his guru and subsequently established the Ramakrishna mission in 1897. (स्वामी विवेकानंद, స్వామి వివేకానంద)
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan referred to Vivekananda like this, ‘My pride as a Hindu, roused by the enterprise and eloquence of Swami Vivekananda, was deeply hurt by the treatment accorded to Hinduism in Christian missionary institutions’.
Vivekananda participated in the World Parliament of Religions that took place in Chicago, USA, in 1893. He arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka from America in January 1897. He practiced meditation at the renowned Vivekananda rock in Rameswaram. He then journeyed to Madurai, Kumbakonam, Madras, and ultimately arrived in Culcatta. It is noteworthy that while He emphasized India’s rich spiritual heritage in the West, he consistently focused on Indian concerns in India, tackling prevalent poverty, the abolition of the caste system, advancement in science and industrialization, and the fight against colonial oppression. The lectures, issued as Lectures from Colombo to Almora, exhibited his passionate patriotism.
He once said that, “The only hope of India is from the masses. The upper classes are physically and morally dead”.
And he Passionately condemned the meaningless metaphysical discussions and arguments about ceremonials, and especially the touch-me-notism of the upper classes. “Our religion is in the kitchen. Our God is in the cooking-pot, and our religion is: `don’t touch me, I am holy’.”
Born Philosopher
Narendranath Datta comes from an affluent family in the city of Calcutta. He received his education at the Metropolitan school founded by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. He attended school in Raipur due to his father’s occupation. He pursued his advanced education at Presidency College in Calcutta. He explored diverse topics such as philosophy, history, social sciences, art, and literature. He has studied Hindu texts such as Vedas, Upanishads, Itihasas, Bhagavadgita, among others. He has also learned music. He would engage in physical workouts, sports and take part in athletic competitions. He also studied Logic, philosophy, and Western history at Scottish Church College. He completed the Fine Arts examination in 1881 and received his B.A degree in 1884.
He examined the writings of numerous western philosophers such as David Hume, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Auguste Comte, J.S. Mill, and Charles Darwin. He was captivated by Herbert Spencer’s theory of evolutionism and communicated with him. He rendered Spencer’s book Education (1861) into Bengali.
Thus, Swamy Vivekananda was inherently a philosopher.
The untimely passing of Narendranath Datta’s father in 1884 altered the trajectory of his life. His family went bankrupt. His efforts to secure employment did not succeed. He doubted God’s existence but discovered comfort in Ramakrishna. He began going to Dakshineswar often, where Ramakrishna resides.
Following the passing of his Guru Ramakrishna, he founded the Ramakrishna Mission in 1887. In 1888, Narendranath departed from the monastery as a Parivrâjaka – a wandering monk, accompanied by his companions carrying a kamandalu (water pot) and a danda (staff) in their hands. He journeyed throughout India on foot and by train for five years, exploring centers of knowledge and familiarizing himself with various religious practices and social structures. While traveling, he encountered and resided with Indians of various faiths and backgrounds: academics, dewans, rajas, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, paraiyars, and civil servants, acquiring direct insights into the socio-economic realities of India.
Perhaps, Swamy Vivekananda was the second person to traverse the expanse of India following Surendranath Benerjee.
World Parliament of Religions
He was also part of the Brahmo Samaj. Mr. Protap Chandra Mazumdar from Brahmo Samaj, who happened to be a member of the selection committee for the Parliament of World Religions, endorsed Swamy Vivekananda’s application to take part in the Parliament.
Thus, he left Bombay for Chicago on May 31, 1893. Vivekananda had the chance to address the first day of the Parliament. He started by saying, “Brothers and sisters of America!” Upon hearing his remarks, approximately 7,000 attendees at the meeting rose to their feet and applauded with a standing ovation for 2 minutes. Once silence returned, he welcomed Americans on behalf of the ancient civilization of India recognizing their position as the youngest among Nations in contemporary terms.
Shiva mahimna stotram
He referenced a section from “Shiva mahimna stotram” (Verse 7):
Trayī sāṅkhyaṁ yogaḥ paśupatimataṁ vaiṣṇavamiti | prabhinne prasthāne paramidamadaḥ pathyamiti ca |
ruchīnāṁ vaichitryādṛjukuṭila nānāpathajuṣāṃ nṛṇām | eko gamyastvamasi payasāmarṇava iva
त्रयि सन्ख्यां यॊगः पशुपतिमतं वैश्णवमिति ।
प्रभिन्नॆ प्रस्थानॆ परमिदमदः पथ्यमिति च ।
रुचीनां वैचित्र्याद्र्जुकुटिल नानापथजुषाम नृणाम ।
ऎको गम्यस्त्वमसि पयसामर्णव इव
Meaning: 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!”. He also quoted a sloka from Bhagavad-Gita (sloka 4.11),
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāns tathaiva bhajāmyaham
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣhyāḥ pārtha sarvaśhaḥ
ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् |
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्या: पार्थ सर्वश: || 11||
Meaning, “Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths that in the end lead to Me.”
March of Advaita Vedanta
The prominence of Indian Hindu religion was well recognized by the scholars in the West. However, Vivekananda’s speech made an impact by connecting with ordinary people in the West, largely due to the media, particularly the newspapers and magazines of that era. Vivekananda was privileged to deliver speeches in the eastern and central United States, mainly in Chicago, Detroit, Boston, and New York. He spent almost two years in the United States. He received faculty positions at various Universities but declined the offers, expressing that they are incompatible with his status as a Monk.
In 1894, he established the Vedanta Society of New York.
He traveled to London several times during 1895 and 1896. He encountered Max Muller in Oxford. This event significantly enhanced the Vedanta philosophy in Germany and across Europe.
Following Vivekananda’s visits to France, the Centre Védantique Ramakrishna (France) was subsequently founded. Vedanta Gesellschaft (Germany) was founded in Germany in commemoration of Vivekananda’s visit to Professor Paul Deussen in 1896.
HE visited the US once more in 1899. On this occasion, he was joined by Sister Nivedita and Swamy Turiyananda. He founded the Vedanta society in San Francisco in 1900. He journeyed to Paris to participate in the Congress of Religions in 1900.
Swamy Vivekananda passed away due to health issues on 4th July 1902.
Ramakrishna Mission
His trips to Europe and America left such a strong impact on the Western people that they founded several Maths in his memory following his untimely and early passing.
Currently, there are approximately 7 Ramakrishna Centers in Europe dedicated to the study of Vedanta and spiritual practice, listed as follows:
France: Centre Védantique Ramakrishna (Gretz-Armainvilliers)
United Kingdom: Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre (Bourne End, near London)
Germany: Vedanta Gesellschaft (Berlin, Steinebach/Sieg, and Frankfurt region)
Russia: Vedanta Moscow
Switzerland: Centre Védantique (Geneva)
Netherlands (Holland): Ramakrishna Vedanta Society (Drenthe)
Ireland: Vedanta Ireland
The Ramakrishna Mission and its Math have 279 centers globally, including the USA, Russia, South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the UK, and Zambia.
The Ramakrishna mission’s Indian headquarters operates from Belur Math. It boasts 211 primary branches throughout India. The Indian mission also focuses on charitable endeavors. The Ramakrishna Mission serves as a revitalizer for Hinduism in India.
The Math and Mission operate 748 educational establishments (comprising 12 colleges, 22 higher secondary schools, 41 secondary schools, 135 institutions of other grades, 4 polytechnics, 48 vocational training centres, 118 hostels, 7 orphanages, etc.) in India. Around 200,000 students are enrolled in these institutions.
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