Swami Vivekananda

Born as Narendra Nath Datta on January 12^th 1863, and more famously known as Swami Vivekanda. He was singularly known for popularizing the Indian philosophies of Yoga and Vedanta to the western world. Vivekananda was the major driving force for the revival of Hinduism in its land of birth, and he even contributed to the idea of nationalism in the then colonial India. Swami Vivekananda is famously known for his inspiring speech at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1893.

Life

Born in an aristocratic Bengali family, Narendranath had always shown an inclination towards spirituality from a very young age. On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranthi was when Narendranath was born, maybe this was sign from the divine of a part of divinity being born!

His father Vishwanath Datta was an attorney at the Calcutta High Court and his mother was a housewife. It was the mixed rational approach and the religious temperament of his mother that helped shape his unique personality and interesting thinking style. From a very young age, Narendranath was interested in the wandering monks and ascetics of the world.

Even though a voracious reader, Narendranath was an average student. His interest spread across a variety of subjects like arts, literature, social sciences, philosophy, religion and history. He even displayed a great interest in the Hindu scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, Vedas, Ramayana, Upanishads, Puranas and the Mahabharata.

Trained in Indian classical music, Narendranath had even participated in numerous sports, physical exercise and other activities. In 1871 he joined Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s Metropolitan Institution, he was here till 1877. After which he and his family moved to Raipur. However Narendranath and his family returned after 2 years.

After his family moved back to Kolkata, Narendranta went to the Presidency College after passing the entrance exam. While here he studied western philosophy, western logic and history of the European nations in the Scottish Church College. He soon passed the fine arts examination and 1884 he completed his BA.

Achievements

Narendranath devoted most of his time studying the famous works of David Hume, Baruch Spinoza, Charles Darwin, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, John Stuart Mill, Herbert Spencer, Arthur Schopenhaure and Auguste Comte. Soon Narendranath became the member of the Freemason’s Lodge. He initially believed that God was formless, with time however with time his interest and curiosity towards God and religion started growing. Soon in a literature class, when he was listening to a lecture on William Wordsworth’s poem The Excrusion. It was while his professor was explaining the word trance, he suggested his students to visit Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar to know the real meaning of trance. This prompted Narendra and some other to visit Ramakrishna.

This meeting proved to be the turning point in his life. Narendranath said that –

“Ramakrishna looked just like an ordinary man, with nothing remarkable about him. He used the most simple language and I thought ‘Can this man be a great teacher?’. I crept near to him and asked him the question which I had been asking others all my life: ‘Do you believe in God, Sir?’ ‘Yes’, he replied. ‘Can you prove it, Sir?’ ‘Yes’. ‘How?’ ‘Because I see Him just as I see you here, only in a much intenser sense.’ That impressed me at once. […] I began to go to that man, day after day, and I actually saw that religion could be given. One touch, one glance, can change a whole life.”

While Narendranath was attracted by his personality, he did not accept Ramakrishna as his teacher and even revolted his ideas. During those days Narendranath saw Ramakrishna’s visions and ecstasies as hallucinations and mere figments of imaginations. Narendranath was against idol worship and Ramakrishna worshipped Kali.

While he mocked Ramakrishna initially, he could not neglect him, so he tested Ramakrishna with examinations and arguments. To which Ramakrishna said one thing – “Try to see the truth from all angles.” In 1884 Narendranath’s father passed away and left his family bankrupt, it was during this time that Narendranath questioned the existence of God, as he was unable to find employment and faced poverty. Narendranath soon found lot of solace in Ramakrishna, and he visited Dakshineswar often. It was during this time he accepted Ramakrishna as his guru.l

When Ramakrishna passed away, the Cossipore Math stopped receiving funding, and soon the rents and other expenses piled up and his disciples including Narendranath had to find another place to live. Many went home and got involved in family lives. Narendranath soon went to an old house and set up a new math for his remaining disciples.

In his book Swami Vivekananda: A Reassessment, Narasingha Prosad Sil writes, “the Math was an adult male haven, a counter–culture community of freedom–seeking youths on the fringe of society and the city”.

Soon in 1887 Narendranath along with 8 other disciples took the formal monastic vows, and then he came to be known as Swami Bibidishananda. Later Ajit Singh the Maharaja of Khetri gave him the name Vivekananda. Soon after Vivekanada went on to become a wandering monk, he travelled all over the country. He soon went on to travel the world around.

He soon went to the US in the Parliament of World Religions; he visited several cities in Japan, Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo and Yokohama on the way. In July 1893 he arrived at Chicago. However after a long journey he faced disappointment as no one without credentials from a bona fide organization could be accepted as a delegate.

When he went to the Harvard University for a speech he met Professor John Henry Wright, when he heard that Vivekananda was not allowed to speak at the Parliament as he lacked credentials he said, “To ask for your credentials is like asking the sun to state its right to shine in the heavens.” On the Professor, Vivekananda himself writes “He urged upon me the necessity of going to the Parliament of Religions, which he thought would give an introduction to the nation.”

On September 11^th 1893 the Parliament of World’s Religions opened at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Vivekananda gave his first brief speech on Hinduism and India. He ended the speech with a standing ovation from an audience of over 7000 people that lasted for over 2 minutes.

He greeted 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.” He 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.” Despite being a short speech, it voiced the spirit of the Parliament and its sense of universality.”

Dr. Barrows, the president of the Parliament said, “India, the Mother of religions was represented by Swami Vivekananda, the Orange-monk who exercised the most wonderful influence over his auditors.” He attracted widespread attention in the press, which dubbed him as the “Cyclonic monk from India”. 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.” The New York Herald wrote, “Vivekananda is undoubtedly the greatest figure in the Parliament of Religions. After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to send missionaries to this learned nation.” The American newspapers reported Vivekananda as “the greatest figure in the parliament of religions” and “the most popular and influential man in the parliament”. The Boston Evening Transcript reported that Vivekananda was “a great favorite at the parliament…if he merely crosses the platform, he is applauded”. He spoke several more times at the Parliament on topics related to Hinduism, Buddhism and harmony of religions. The parliament ended on 27 September 1893. All his speeches at the Parliament had the common theme of universality, and emphasized religious tolerance.