Author – Awadhesh Sharma
Swami Vivekananda was a Sanyasi, Hindu monk, who spread the Hindu philosophical doctrines overseas in the USA and Europe. He advocated working for the welfare of poor and neglected people of society. Using teachings of the Upanishads, he proclaimed to the general masses of India to arise, awake and learn to achieve one’s material and spiritual objectives.
He was born in Kolkata on 12 January 1863, a day of Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti. He was named Narendranath Datta at birth. Affectionately he was called Naren. Two more sons and four daughters, two of whom died at an early age, were born to his parents.
His family was renowned for philanthropy, affluence and an independent spirit. His grandfather Durgacharan Datta became a Sanyasi after the birth of his first son. Naren’s father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney at the Calcutta High Court. Naren’s mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was a pious Hindu woman who used to tell him stories from the sacred books of Hinduism.
Naren was attracted to spiritualism from an early age and was fascinated by the stories of deities such as Shiva, Ram, Sita, Hanuman and others. He was especially drawn to wandering ascetics and donated to them whenever an opportunity appeared.
Naren was very energetic in his childhood. His mother used to call him a Shiva Gana, “soldier of Shiva”.
At the age of eight, in 1871, Naren was admitted to school. He displayed an extraordinary intelligence at school and could memorise texts easily. He also demonstrated leadership qualities during his childhood by acting kings or commanders while playing games with other children.
His family moved to Raipur in 1877 due to his father’s work. After returning to Kolkata in 1879, he was the only student to receive first division in the Presidency College entrance examination. He studied for a year in the Presidency College and then joined the Scottish Church College. It was there that he first heard of Shree Ramakrishna from the principal of the college, Mr Hastie. He completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1884. He studied works of famous Western philosophers as well as learnt Indian scriptures and history.
In 1880, Naren joined Brahmo Samaj, a society founded by social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy. He familiarised himself with the philosophy and practices of Brahmo Samaj, but his quest for spiritual awakening was not satisfied. He was looking for a person who had seen and realised God. He asked Devendranath Tagore, the spiritual leader of Brahmo Samaj, whether he had seen God in person. Devendranath answered that he had not.
About this time Naren’s father suggested him to marry as many proposals were on offer but he refused. He was interested in becoming a wandering monk and householder’s life would have been a barrier to his pursuit.
Naren first met Ramakrishna in 1881. Ramakrishna was a priest at Dakshineshwar Kali Temple. He believed that the statue of Kali is the embodiment of the devine mother Kali. He often experienced ecstasy and had become a famous mystic Guru. Many devotees had become his disciples.
Initially, Naren did not accept Ramakrishna as his spiritual teacher and was sceptical about his philosophy and practices. Naren believed that Ramakrishna’s ecstasy and spiritual visions were simply hallucinations. However, Ramakrishna was impressed by Naren’s character, intelligence and insight. He was convinced that Naren would advance his philosophy at home and abroad. It was Ramakrishna who answered to Naren’s query on seeing the God. Ramakrishna told Naren that he had seen the God as he saw him in person now. On another occasion, Naren was mesmerised by Ramakrishna’s claim of being an incarnation of God, like divine incarnations of Ram and Krishna.
In 1884, Naren’s father suddenly passed away. He left his family in dire financial conditions. The responsibility for looking after the family fell on Naren. He found solace in Ramakrishna and his visits to Dakshineshwar Kali Temple became more frequent. His domestic problems were reduced with the support and guidance of friends and sympathisers.
Gradually, Naren’s interest in realising God grew. He renounced his attachments to family and possessions, and accepted Ramakrishna as his spiritual Guru. In 1885, Ramakrishna developed throat cancer. He was transferred to a garden house in Cassipore, where his disciples took care of him. Some of these disciples had renounced their families and were living as monks of Ramakrishna Order. Ramakrishna asked Naren to take care of his monk disciples after his death. Ramakrishna died on 16 August 1886. Thereafter, the responsibility to maintain the Ramakrishna Order fell on Naren.
With the help of a householder devotee of Ramakrishna, Naren hired a house in Baranagar, which became and remained a monastery of the Ramakrishna Order from 1886 to 1892. Disciples took formal initiation into monkhood and acquired new names. Naren’s monastic names were Vividishananda, Satchidananda and Vivekananda. New names were necessary to erase old identities. The term Swami is used as a title before a monk’s name. Swamiji is an honorific address for a monk.
Naren had visited Bodh Gaya during his time with Ramakrishna. His love for wandering became very intense and he wanted to see India of ancient glory. As a monk of Ramakrishna Order, Swami Vivekananda travelled to Varanasi, Gajipur, Ayodhya, Vrindavan, Mathura and other sacred places. He also visited North India and sacred places in the Himalayas. Everywhere, he saw poverty, disease and people living in unhygienic conditions. He blamed priests, moneylenders and landlords for their callous approach to the poor. He was disappointed with the prevailing living conditions of the general population. He noticed false practices being followed in the name of Hindu religion.
Swamiji visited territories ruled by Indian kings, assuming that they would follow rules and edicts for the welfare of the nation. He visited Rajas and Maharajas of Rajputana, West Coast and Southern India. Conditions of general masses were not better there. He held discussions with kings, ministers, priests and social reformers during his travels. He experienced immense hardship and sometimes hungers. He realised the truth in Ramakrishna’s saying that religion was not for hungry stomachs.
He had one encounter with a king, who mocked worshipping idols, the traditional way of Hindu worship. Swamiji saw a portrait of the king’s father. He asked the king’s minister to take down the portrait and spit on it. Everyone witnessing the event was stunned on his fearless call. Then Swamiji explained that the idol was a symbol of the divine, just like the photograph, and should be treated with respect.
In Kanya Kumari, Swamiji was so fascinated by seeing the rock near the shore that he swam to it and meditated there. It is now known as Vivekananda Rock Memorial. In the South, he learnt about the Parliament of Religions, which was being organised in the USA. Many people were impressed by his talent and devotion to India and encouraged him to represent Hinduism in the Parliament of Religions. The king of Khetri, who was blessed with a son thanks to his blessings during a previous meeting, met Swamiji again in the South. He arranged for his trip to America and at the king’s request, Swamiji assumed the name of Swami Vivekananda. He left for America on 31 May 1883. On the way, he visited many countries including China, Japan, Korea and others Asian countries. He was thrilled to see the effect of Indian civilisation in those countries.
The Parliament of Religions opened on 11 September 1893. Swamiji had to go through many difficulties in gaining entrance to the Parliament of Religions as a delegate representing Hinduism. He opened his speech with an invocation of sacred Mantras dedicated to goddess Saraswati and address to audience as “My sisters and brothers of America”. His address to the audience drew a standing ovation from the delegates of the Parliament. His speech on Hinduism was well received and brought him to the attention of the press, academics and influential people.
Parliament’s President Mr Barrow said, “India, the mother of religions, was represented by Swami Vivekananda, the orange-monk who exercised the most wonderful influence over his audience”. Swamiji attracted widespread attention in the press, which called him the “cyclonic monk from India”. He visited major cities of the USA and delivered lectures on Hindu philosophy. He gathered a large number of devotees and followers and established Vedanta Centres in various cities. He also visited UK, France and other European countries. He met notable contemporay personalities in the USA and Europe.
After over three years, Swamiji returned to India in 1897. A grand reception was held in Chennai in the South. He came to Kolkata where he was recognised for his achievements overseas. He established the Ramakrishna Mission and Math in Belur, on the western bank of River Ganga.
He travelled extensively throughout India and worked to help the common people. He stressed the importance of religion but at the same time focussed on performing services for the poor. He used his influence gained overseas towards these activities. He criticised conversion from Hinduism to other religions and stressed on learning new skills rather than changing religion to improve their material condition.
Many of his devotees from the West followed him to India to help him with his mission of social work. Notable among them is Ms Margaret Noble, who came from England and was renamed Nivedita. She devoted her life to the welfare of Indian women. She established schools for girls. Mr and Mrs Sevier established a Ramakrishna Mission monastry at Mayavati in the Himalayas. Mr Goodwin was a companion of Swamiji. He recorded Swamiji’s speeches and teachings, which later became available as books and publications .
At the request of his western devotees, Swamiji left for Europe and America a second time in June 1899. He visited his old friends in Europe and USA, as well the Vedanta Centres established there. He delivered a number of public lectures. He returned to India by December 1900.
He wrotes books and commentries on Yoga and Vedanta Sutra. His teachings were based on Vedantas, also known as Upanishads. He advocated Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy advanced by Adi Shankaracharya. Ramakrishna united his devotion to goddess Kali with the Advaita Philosophy. A well known quote ascribed to Ramakrishna is that “All religions lead to a single supreme God”. Swami Vivekanand strived to implement his theory into practice.
Swamiji worked long hours for the welfare of common people. He delivered religious discourse as well worked to spread the teachings of Ramakrishna Mission, highlighting the importance of serving the poor people. His relentless work ethic had a debilitating effect on his health. He was suffering from asthma and diabetes. Swamiji died on 4 July 1902 at the age of 39 years.
Swami Vivekananda was and is an inspiration for Indians as well as for people of Indian origin overseas. His philanthropical work continues through the Ramakrishna Mission. His birthday is celebrated as Indian Youth Day.