Great Patriotic Saint, Swamy Vivekananda

Dear Steemians,

Some people live for a shorter span of life, yet leave their footprint as a mark of achievement and inspiration for others to achieve something in life. Swami Vivekananda, the great Indian patriotic saint is one such person.

As today is the 155^th Birthday of Swami Vivekananda, I thought I will use this blog to remember him and about his life and some of his sayings.

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Vivekananda was born on 12^th January 1863 into an aristocratic Bengal family of Calcutta(known as Kolkata). Vivekananda had a urge towards spirituality during his childhood days itself and use to meditate in-front of the images of deities such as Shiva, Rama, Hanuman.

It was in 1881, when Vivekananda was 18 years old, he first met Ramakrishna Paramahamsa(Indian mystic and yogi) and that meeting turned to be a turning point of Vivekananda, though he didn't accept Ramakrishna'a ideas, but was attracted by Ramakrishna's personality.

When his father died in 1884, Vivekananda started visiting Dakshineshwar, where Ramakrishna used to reside and Ramakrishna one day asked Vivekananda to pray to Goddess Kali to help him to get out of poverty. Instead, Vivekananda prayed to true knowledge and devotion from goddess. This made him closer to Ramakrishna and he started accepting him as his Guru.

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Ramakrishna died in 1886 due to throat cancer. But, before dying, Ramakrishna asked Vivekananda to look after other disciples and he asked other disciples to follow and see Vivekananda as their next leader.

After Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda and other disciples moved to Baranagar and resided in a new house as the rent use to be less there compared to Dakshineshwar and that house became the first building of Ramakrishna Math.

That was also the beginning of many of tours of Swami Vivekananda to all over India. This continued for 5 years from 1888.

It was in 1893, when Vivekananda left Bombay to Chicago, America and crossed many countries like Japan, China, Canada on the way to United States of America and reached there on 31^st May 1893 where the Parliament of Religions was taking place in September that year and Vivekananda was part of Brahmo Samaj and that was invited to attend the Parliament of Religions.

It was 11^th September 1893, the Parliament of Religions began and Vivekananda got to speak on India and Hinduism on the same day.

Though he was nervous, he began his speech by saying "Sisters and Brothers of America", which led for a 2 minute standing ovation and claps from the crowd and Vivekananda continued addressing young Americans and other participants from all over the world.

This short speech made Vivekananda famous across all the participants and President of Parliament of Religions, John Henry Barrows praised Vivekananda telling that "India was represented by Swami Vivekananda who exercised the most wonderful influence over his auditors".

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He became famous because of his speech at Parliament of Religions and American press hailed him as "Cyclonic monk from India" and The New York Herald quoted "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".

Vivekananda continued tour on America as a guest and he spent almost 2 years lecturing and in 1894 he founded Vedanta Society in New York.

He attracted many followers in US and later in UK and other western countries when he visited UK twice in 1895 and 1896 and returned back to India in 1897 where, he received a warm welcome as he became world famous by that time.

It was on 1^st May 1897, he founded Ramakrishna Mission with an aim of social service and to spread the messages of Ramakrishna.

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it is said that Jamshedji Tata(an Indian pioneer industrialist, who founded the Tata Group) was inspired by Swami Vivekananda and set up a research and education institution.

By 1899, Vivekananda's health started deteriorating, but that didn't stop him from his second visit to the west. He started to UK and then to US and that is when he established Vedanta Societies in New York. He continued his visits to Paris, Istanbul, Vienna and Egypt and ended his tour in 1900 when he returned back to Calcutta.

His health worsened because of the long tours to west and in 1902 on July 4^th Vivekananda died while meditating at the age of 39.

I would like to conclude this article with some of his famous quotes as below:

1. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religion as true.

2. Meditation can turn fools into sages, but unfortunately fools never meditate.

3. You will be nearer to heaven through football than through the study of the Gita.

4. Take up one idea, make that one idea your life. Think of it, dream of it, live on that idea let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.

5. May he, who is the Brahman of the Hindus, the Ahura-Mazda of the Zoroastrians, the Buddha of the Buddhists, the Jehovah of the Jews, the Father in Heaven of the Christians give strength to you to carry out your noble idea.

6. Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.

Thank you all, I hope you find this small piece of information useful and you find it inspirational.

References:
wikipedia.org
timesofindia.indiatimes.com