The Hindu Monk: Swami Vivekananda.

By Manoj Kumar([email protected],HSE Professional).

Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu monk and one of the most celebrated spiritual leaders of India.
He was more than just a spiritual mind; he was a prolific thinker, great orator and passionate
patriot. He carried on the free-thinking philosophy of his guru, Ramakrishna Paramhansa forward
into a new paradigm. He worked tirelessly towards betterment of the society, in servitude of the
poor and needy, dedicating his all for his country. He was responsible for the revival of Hindu
spiritualism and established Hinduism as a revered religion on world stage. His message of
universal brotherhood and self-awakening remains relevant especially in the current backdrop of
widespread political turmoil around the world. The young monk and his teachings have been an
inspiration to many, and his words have become goals of self-improvement especially for the
youth of the country. For this very reason, his birthday, January 12, is celebrated as the National
Youth Day in India.

Early Life and Education

Born Narendranath Dutta, into an affluent Bengali family in Calcutta, Vivekananda was one of the
eight children of Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi. He was born on January 12, 1863,
on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Father Vishwanath was a successful attorney with
considerable influence in society. Narendranath’s mother Bhuvaneshwari was a woman endowed
with a strong, God-fearing mind who had a great impact on her son.

As a young boy, Narendranath displayed sharp intellect. His mischievous nature belied his
interest in music, both instrumental as well as vocal. He excelled in his studies as well, first at the
Metropolitan institution, and later at the Presidency College in Calcutta. By the time he graduated
from the college, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects. He was active in sports,
gymnastics, wrestling and body building. He was an avid reader and read up on almost
everything under the sun. He perused the Hindu scriptures like the Bhagvad Gita and the
Upanishads on one hand, while on the other hand he studied western philosophy, history and
spirituality by David Hume, Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Herbert Spencer.

Spiritual Crisis and Relationship with Ramkrishna Paramhansa

Although Narendranath’s mother was a devout woman and he had grown up in a religious
atmosphere at home, he underwent a deep spiritual crisis at the start of his youth. His well-
studied knowledge led him to question the existence of God and for some time he believed in
Agnosticism. Yet he could not completely ignore the existence of a Supreme Being. He became
associated with Brahmo Movement led by Keshab Chandra Sen, for some time. The Bramho
Samaj recognised one God unlike the idol-worshipping, superstition-ridden Hinduism. The host of
philosophical questions regarding the existence of God roiling through his mind remained
unanswered. During this spiritual crisis, Vivekananda first heard about Sri Ramakrishna from
William Hastie, the Principal of the Scottish Church College.

Earlier, to satisfy his intellectual quest for God, Narendranath visited prominent spiritual leaders
from all religions, asking them a single question, “Have you seen God?” Each time he came away
without a satisfying answer. He put forward the same question to Sri Ramkrishna at his residence
in Dakshinewar Kali Temple compounds. Without a moment's hesitation, Sri Ramakrishna
replied: "Yes, I have. I see God as clearly as I see you, only in a much deeper sense."
Vivekananda, initially unimpressed by the simplicity of Ramkrishna, was astonished with
Ramakrishna's reply. Ramakrishna gradually won over this argumentative young man with his
patience and love. The more Narendranath visited Dakshineshwar, the more his questions were
answered.

Spiritual Awakening

In 1884, Naredranath underwent a considerable financial distress due to the death of his
father as he had to support his mother and younger siblings. He asked Ramakrishna to pray
to the Goddess for the financial welfare of his family. On Ramakrishna’s suggestion he himself
went to the temple to pray. But once he faced the Goddess he could not ask for money and
wealth, instead he asked for ‘Vivek’ (conscience) and ‘Bairagya’ (reclusion). That day marked
the complete spiritual awakening of Narendranath and he found himself drawn to an ascetic
way of life.

Life of a Monk
During the middle of 1885, Ramakrishna, who had been suffering from throat cancer, fell
seriously ill. In September 1885, Sri Ramakrishna was moved to Shyampukur in Culcutta, and
a few months later Narendranath took a rented villa at Cossipore. Here, he formed a group of
young people who were ardent followers of Sri Ramakrishna and together they nursed their
Guru with devoted care. On 16 August 1886, Sri Ramakrishna gave up his mortal body.

After the demise of Sri Ramakrishna, around fifteen of his disciples including Narendranath
began to live together in a dilapidated building at Baranagar in North Calcutta, which was
named Ramakrishna Math, the monastic order of Ramakrishna. Here, in 1887, they formally
renounced all ties to the world and took vows of monkhood. The brotherhood rechristened
themselves and Narendranath emerged as Vivekananda meaning "the bliss of discerning
wisdom".

The brotherhood lived off on alms donated voluntarily by patrons during holy begging or
‘madhukari’, performed yoga and meditation. Vivekananda left the Math in 1886 and went on
a tour of India on foot as a ‘Parivrajak’. He travelled the breadth of the country, absorbing
much of the social, cultural and religious aspects of the people he came in contact with. He
witnessed the adversities of life that the common people faced, their ailments, and vowed to
dedicate his life to bring relief to these suffering.

Lecture at the World Parliament of Religions

During the course of his wanderings, he came to know about the World Parliament of
Religions being held in Chicago, America in 1893. He was keen to attend the meeting, to
represent India, Hinduism and his Guru Sri Ramakrishna’s philosophies. He found assertion of
his wishes while he was meditating on the rocks of Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of
India. Money was raised by his disciples in Madras (now Chennai) and Ajit Singh, Raja of
Khetri, and Vivekananda left for Chicago on May 31, 1893 from Bombay.

He faced insurmountable hardships on his way to Chicago, but his spirits remained as
indomitable as ever. On 11 September 1893, when the time came, he took the stage and
stunned everyone with his opening line “My brothers and sisters of America”. He received a
standing ovation from the audience for the opening phrase. He went on to describe the
principles of Vedanta and their spiritual significance, putting Hinduism on the map of World
Religions.
He spent the next two and a half years in America and founded the Vedanta Society of New
York in 1894. He also travelled to the United Kingdom to preach the tenets of the Vedanta and
Hindu Spiritualism to the western world.

Teachings and Ramakrishna Mission

Vivekananda returned to India in 1897 amidst warm reception from the common and royal
alike. He reached Calcutta after a series of lectures across the country and founded the
Ramakrishna Mission on May 1, 1897 at Belur Math near Calcutta. The goals of the
Ramakrishna Mission were based on the ideals of Karma Yoga and its primary objective was
to serve the poor and distressed population of the country. The Ramakrishna Mission
undertook various forms of social service like establishing and running school, collages and
hospitals, propagation of practical tenets of Vedanta through conference, seminars and
workshops, initiating relief and rehabilitation work across the country.

His religious conscience was an amalgamation of Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual teachings of

Swami Vivekananda was a prominent nationalist, and had the overall welfare of his
countrymen topmost in his mind. He urged his fellow countrymen to “Arise, awake and stop
not till the goal is reached”.

Death

Swami Vivekananda had predicted that he will not live till the age of forty. On July 4, 1902, he
went about his days’ work at the Belur Math, teaching Sanskrit grammar to the pupils. He
retired to his room in the evening and died during meditation at around 9. He is said to have
attained ‘Mahasamadhi’ and the great saint was cremated on the Banks of river Ganga.

Legacy

Swami Vivekananda revealed to the world the true foundations of India's unity as a nation. He
taught how a nation with such a vast diversity can be bound together by a feeling of humanity
and brother-hood. Vivekananda emphasized the points of drawbacks of western culture and
the contribution of India to overcome those. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose once said:
"Swamiji harmonized the East and the West, religion and science, past and present. And that
is why he is great. Our countrymen have gained unprecedented self-respect, self-reliance and
self-assertion from his teachings." Vivekananda was successful in constructing a virtual bridge
between the culture of East and the West. He interpreted the Hindu scriptures, philosophy and
the way of life to the Western people. He made them realize that in spite of poverty and
backwardness, India had a great contribution to make to world culture. He played a key role in
ending India's cultural isolation from the rest of the world.

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