Er P L Khushu
Swami Vivekanand’s original name was Narendranath. He was born on 12th January, 1863 at Kolkata (Swami’s Jayanti i.e. birth anniversary is celebrated as the ‘International Youth Day’). Right from childhood, two aspects of his behavior could clearly be noticed. One was his devout and compassionate nature and the other was his readiness to perform any act of courage. Since his whole family was spiritually inclined, he received an appropriate religious upbringing. Swami Vivekananda was admitted to the school founded by Mr. Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar in 1870. While in school he focused both on studies as well as body building. He had great respect for his mother tongue. One such incident was when he had and English language class in school, he said, “I shall not learn the language of the white master.” At least for 7 – 8 months he abstained from learning that language. Later he learnt English owing to compulsion. Swami Vivekananda stood first in his matriculate examination and added to the glory of his family and school. Then he joined the Presidency College in Kolkata and completed his MA in Philosophy.
Swami Vivekananda was a versatile scholar and a spiritual guru as also a great missionary too, who was born with a mission for the cause of the revival of Hinduism. He was an Indian Hindu monk, a chief disciple of the 19th -century Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. He was a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India, and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India. He blended religion with nationalism, and applied this reinterpretation to various aspects of education, faith, character building as well as social issues pertaining to India. His influence extended also to the west, and he was instrumental in introducing Yoga to the west. Born into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta, Vivekananda was inclined towards spirituality. He was influenced by his Guru, Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa, from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self; therefore, service to God could be rendered by service to mankind. After Ramakrishna’s death, Vivekananda toured the Indian subcontinent extensively and acquired first-hand knowledge of the conditions prevailing in British India. He later travelled to the United States, representing India at the 1893 Parliament of the World Religions. He is best known for his speech which began, “Sisters and brothers of America, in which he introduced Hinduism at the “Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893”. Swami Vivekananda conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating tenets of Hindu philosophy in the United States, England and Europe. His work was more spread across the west. In his brief life span of 39 years, he achieved great successes in his mission both in the West as also in India. He is known to be a great world preacher and a spiritual ambassador of India, which he was probably preordained.
In 1881 Narendra first met Ramakrishna, who became his spiritual focus after his own father had died in 1884. Ramakrishna gradually brought Narendra to a Vedanta-based worldview that “provides the ontological basis for ‘?ivajñ?ne j?ver sev?’, the spiritual practice of serving human beings as actual manifestations of God. Swami Vivekananda along with Taraknath, another disciple of Ramkrishna, established the Ramkrishna Mission after Mahasamadhi of Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa. It began its activities from a dilapidated building at Varahnagar, near Kolkata. Shri Ramkrishna had decided to give Narendra the responsibility of carrying on his incomplete mission. One day Shri Ramkrishna wrote on a piece of paper, “Narendra will perform the task of enlightening the masses.” Somewhat hesitantly Narendranath replied, “I won’t be able to do all this.” Shri Ramkrishna immediately spoke with great resolve, “What? Won’t be able? Your bones will perform this task?” Later Shri Ramkrishna initiated Narendranath on the path of Sanyas and gave him the name Swami Vivekanand.
Vivekananda played a major role in the growing Indian nationalist sentiments in the late 19th and the 20th century, encouraging many Indians with his success and appeal in the West. His example helped to build pride in India’s cultural and religious heritage, and supported the Indian independence movement. Vivekananda participated in several of these movements, calling for Indian independence from British rule. Swami Vivekananda believed that India is the blessed Punyabhumi, the “land of virtue”: the land where humanity has attained its highest towards generosity, towards purity, towards calmness, above all, the land of introspection and of spirituality – it is India. According to Vivekananda, a country’s future depends on its people, stating that “man-making is my mission. Religion plays a central role in this man-making, stating “to preach unto mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life. It is coordinated willpower that would lead to independence, even with forty millions Britons ruling three hundred million people in India. According to Vivekananda, those forty million Britons put their wills together and that resulted infinite power, and that was the reason of their success. Vivekananda prescribed, to make a great future India the whole serest will lie in organization, accumulation of power, co-ordination of wills.
Vivekananda realized three things are necessary to make every man great, every nation great, namely conviction of the powers of goodness; absence of jealousy and suspicion; and helping all who are trying to be and do good. Swami Vivekananda suggested trying to give up jealousy and conceit and learn to work unitedly for others. He told that purity, patience and perseverance overcome all obstacles. He suggested taking courage and work on. Patience and steady work, according to Swami Vivekananda, this is the only way to get success.
According to Swami Vivekananda, “faith in ourselves and faith in God- this is the secret of greatness”. Swami Vivekananda observed the history of the world is the history of a few men who had faith in themselves, and it is faith which calls out divinity within. So he told, if people have faith in three hundred and thirty millions of Hindu mythological gods, and in all the gods which foreigners have now and still have no faith in themselves, there will be no salvation. To Vivekananda, religion was not mere theory, but an actual practice to be applied in life, raising the brute into man, and man into God, stating “it is being and becoming, not hearing or acknowledging; it is the whole soul becoming changed into what it believes. He hated the religious rituals that were in practice during that time. Vivekananda also noted that meditation in isolation won’t suffice. Swami Vivekananda shines at the World Parliament of Religions He had a premonition regarding the visit to Chicago. Swami Vivekananda was half asleep on one night, he saw a miraculous dream. Shri Ramkrishna’s blazing form was moving ahead over the seas and beckoning Swamiji to follow him. Swami Vivekananda opened his eyes. His heart was filled with indescribable ecstasy. At the same time he heard very clearly a divine voice saying, “Go”. Then he resolved to go abroad and completed all arrangements within a day or two. Swami Vivekananda left the Indian shores, aboard the ship, ‘Peninsular’ on 31st May, 1893. He reached Vancouver port in Canada on 15th July. From there he travelled by train to the famous city of Chicago in America. He came to know that a World Parliament of Religions was going to be held on 11th September. Swami Vivekanananda did not have the Invite required to participate in this conference. Further even the date to register as a Representative had lapsed. Yet, wherever he went people were attracted to him. On the very first day he met Prof. J.H. Wright, who was teaching Greek at Harward University. The two of them conversed for almost four hours. The professor was so impressed by Swami Vivekananda’s talent and intellect that he accepted the responsibility of giving Swami admittance to the World Parliament of Religions as a representative.
Swami Vivekananda proved to be a true representative of Hinduism as he made his fervent appeal for tolerance to the whole world from the dais of the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago on 11th September, 1893. It must have been the divine plan to allow this saint to introduce the world to the great Hindu Dharma. This conference was inaugurated with the Chanting of Hymns by the various religious heads. It was a melodious beginning the conference. On the dais, at the centre, was the religious head of the Roman Catholic Sect of America. Swami Vivekananda was not the representative of any particular sect. He had arrived at the conference as the representative of the Sanantan Hindu Vaidik Dharma of all Bharatvarsha. The conference was attended by almost 6 to 7 thousand ladies and gentlemen. As per the instructions by the chairperson, each representative on the dais was reading out his pre-prepared speech. Swami Vivekananda had not prepared any written speech. Finally he stood up from his seat having sent a silent prayer to his Guru. He addressed the conference with the words, “Sisters and brothers of America”. These words had such miraculous strength in them that those thousands gathered stood up and there was continuous applause. The emotional appeal in those compassionate words had stirred every heart. It was the first time ever that any orator had referred to the whole of mankind as ‘Sisters and brothers’. Further he entranced all present with his brilliant and powerful oration. Swami Vivekananda felt that the Hindu Samaj has the potential to become the spiritual teacher to the world. After centuries someone had again shown to the Hindu society its own wide horizons. Yet Swami ji did not criticize any religion. He did not degrade any religion. He only wiped the dirt that had accumulated on the Hindu Dharma owing to its ill-treatment and affronts at the hands of its invaders. Swami Vivekananda showed Hindu Dharma its own irradiant self and placed it on the highest pedestal of the World Parliament of Religions. When speaking about Hindustan, he says that it is a sacred land, a land with a divine purpose. Hindustan is the abode of spirituality and introspection. Right from the ancient ages, founders of religious tenets were born here. They satiated the scorched earth with the cooling waters of the Eternal truth – Sanatan Satya. It’s the only land where one can experience not only tolerance but also affection for other religions.
Swami Vivekananda returned back to Kolkata to a grand welcome after projecting Bharat in its deserved glory. ‘The Plan of my movement’, ‘Vedanta in everyday life of Bharat’, ‘Our duty for the day’, ‘The great sons of Bharat’, ‘ Future of Bharat’ were some of the subjects on which he started delivering lectures. His language at all times remained resplendent throughout all his speeches. His incisive thoughts had a great impact on both Indian as well as foreign minds. He could spread the message of Vedanta all around the world. This speaks about his spirit of ‘Hindutva’ (Indian-ness) through the medium of Vedic scriptures which teach tolerance, brotherhood and equality amongst all the humans.
(The author is a Chartered Consultant Civil Engineer
who has fascination for his Motherland the
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir).