INTRODUCTION

• Narendranath Dutta, the original name of Swami Vivekananda, was a magnificent personality.

• He was educated in both Western and Indian philosophy and history, and was highly sensitive to the existential problems of society.

• Swami Vivekananda was considered a Radical and Patriot-Prophet of modern India.

• He received significant public acclaim outside India during the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century.

• In 1893, he appeared at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, becoming a spiritual ambassador of Indian Culture in America.

• He spoke about combining East and West, and religion and science, based on practical Vedanta.

• Swami Vivekananda’s personality and deep understanding of spirituality, along with his knowledge of both Eastern and Western ideals, made an irresistible appeal to many Americans and Europeans who came in contact with him.

Early life

• Swami Vivekananda was born on 12th January, 1863, into an aristocratic Kayastha family in Calcutta.

• His family was known for their affluence, philanthropy, scholarship, and independent spirit.

• Vivekananda’s mother, Bhuvaneswari Devi, was highly pious and observed religious vows. She taught him austerity, self-control, the Bengali alphabet, English words, and stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

• His father, Viswanath Dutta, was an attorney-at-law at the High Court of Calcutta. He was well-versed in English and Persian literature, had a progressive vision, and supported poor relatives.

• Vivekananda acknowledged his mother’s influence on his knowledge and spiritual development.

• At the age of six, he was sent to primary school. By 1879, he graduated in the first division from high school.

• Swami Vivekananda developed a keen interest in scholarly matters, reading books on literature and history and participating in public meetings.

• He joined Presidency College of Calcutta in 1879 for higher studies and later studied at the General Assembly’s Institution (which later became Scottish Church College).

• He studied Western logic and had a phenomenal memory, absorbing Green’s History of the English People in just three days.

• Vivekananda first learned about Sri Ramakrishna from Mr. Hastie, the principal of his college, who mentioned Ramakrishna’s trances during a lecture.

• In November 1881, Vivekananda met Sri Ramakrishna at the house of Surendranath Mitra, a devotee of Ramakrishna.

• Sri Ramakrishna was deeply impressed by Vivekananda’s sincerity and invited him to visit him at Dakshineswar.

• At the age of eighteen, Vivekananda became a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and committed himself to spreading his teachings.

• After Sri Ramakrishna’s death in 1886, Vivekananda made an extensive tour of India, often referred to as his parivrajya, learning about India’s past, culture, and the suffering of the people.

• He witnessed widespread poverty, social evils, and religious practices and decided to work for the upliftment of the poor and the restoration of India’s glory.

• Vivekananda’s mission of service to mankind earned him recognition in the West, where he toured in 1893 and attracted large audiences at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago.

• He laid the foundation of the Vedanta Society of New York in 1894 and left behind four important works: Jnana-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, and Raja-Yoga.

• Swami Vivekananda died at the age of 39 (1863-1902).

• His legacy continues to influence both Indian society and the West. He is a source of pride in India, where National Youth Day is celebrated on his birthday.

• The Vivekananda Memorial at Cape Comorin has become a significant international pilgrimage site.

• The Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Vivekananda in 1897, remains one of India’s premier charitable organizations.

• Vivekananda’s ideals of religion and social service continue to impact society today.