Life and Teachings of Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was born on January 12th, 1863. Growing up as a young man, Narendranath Dutta, acquired many attributes of a strong leader and quickly commanded the respect of many of his peers. Curious about whether God could be known intimately, Narendranath found himself seeking the sage of Dakshineshwar, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Narendranath and many others were deeply inspired by Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings. After the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, he wandered all over India and touched the hearts of many people. He reached the Himalayas and from there travelled south until he reached the southernmost tip of India. There he meditated for three days on top of Kanyakumari.

During his wandering days he met the poverty-stricken and illiterate as well, and saw the effects of Hinduism’s social caste system. However, he understood that religion was the backbone of mother India and that it must also be the foundation of modern India. For him religion was not the Brahminical customs, but rather it was the perpetual scriptures of the Vedas, which held the Vedantic truths. Seeking to spread this message to the world, Vivekananda travelled to the United States to represent Hinduism at the Parliament of Religions on September 11th, 1893 and brought the spiritual teachings of India to the West. He has greatly influenced the last hundred years of spiritual growth in Europe and America.

Swami Vivekananda was not a retiring or reticent figure. Neither was he an aloof monk with a superior attitude or a spiritual ego. His down-to-earth policies of beneficial action coupled with an unsurpassed knowledge of the scriptures place him in a league all his own. Yet, he was not content to work slavishly in an imperfect world, only to advocate profound philosophy to secular and materialistic societies. His was a plan that incorporated selfless service to suffering millions with the living realization of God both within the world and beyond it as well. The eternal religious principles he espoused were, to him, directly realizable in everyday life, and not content to merely point them out, he fashioned new and refreshing avenues of spiritual expression for them. The Advaitic aspect of Vedanta was very dear to him and he saw in it the solution for all the problems of relative existence.

In addition to the humanistic element in his work, the Swami broke through many other types of antiquated taboos concerning outmoded traditional values. Being the first to leave India in order to teach the timeless message of Vedanta to the rest of the world, Vivekananda broke with the tradition and lost his caste as a result. Criticized for this and for teaching the Vedic wisdom to foreigners, the Swami explained that the lover of God has no caste restrictions that the devotees of the Lord form their own caste. By this fearless action and in many other ways, Vivekananda destroyed old conventions and concepts, opening the way for spiritual teachers from the east to come westward.

The regeneration of India that is taking place at present, as well as the new respect and reverence for its ancient culture and spiritual treasures the world over, is also greatly due to his untiring efforts. His many admirers, both eastern and western acknowledge him as a modern Buddha and an emanation of Lord Shiva. Like Shankara, who lived a very short physical life but who regenerated India and added considerably to the world's spiritual wealth, Swami Vivekananda possessed an illumined intellect, a vast and retentive memory, a heart devoted to God that was full of compassion for his fellow human beings and an ever-present realization of his true nature, whether working, worshiping or meditating.

In him it is clearly seen, elements of non-dual realization harmonized perfectly with the diverse modes and expressions of spiritual life. Vedantic Truth, Tantric practice and Yogic realization were all fused perfectly in him. His ability to reveal the Truth, implement the practice and lead the way unto realization was a special quality he possessed. He encouraged all to seek the unalloyed bliss of freedom and the profound peace of inner realization. Appreciated as both a spiritual luminary of the highest order and a patriot acting for the well being of his country, Swami Vivekananda stands out as a leader of souls.

Acknowledged as the foremost of Sri Ramakrishna's many notable disciples, both lay and monastic, Swami Vivekananda was an illumined being of the highest Order. He received an important teaching from Ramakrishna that "Jiva is Shiva." This became his Mantra, and he coined the concept of Daridra Narayana Seva - the service of God in and through (poor) human beings. With this thought in mind he founded the Ramakrishna Order on the principle of “Atmano Mokshartham Jagathitaya Cha” "For the realization of the Self and for the good of the world." The Ramakrishna Mission came into existence in 1897 and since then continues to function and inspire one and all, all over the world. Swami Vivekananda was a mighty inspiration to youth throughout his lifetime, and continues to inspire the youth of today. He believed that the essence of Hinduism was best expressed in the Vedanta philosophy. He summarized the Vedanta's teachings as, “Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy—by one, or more, or all of these—and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.”

Vivekananda dedicated his life to teaching and guiding the youth the importance of social service and laying the groundwork of character and leader attributes. He passed into Mahasamadhi (final absorption into Absolute Reality) on the July 4^th 1902.