INTRODUCTION Swami Vivekananda born as Narendranath Dutta was

an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple ofRamakrishna Paramhansa.

He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indianphilosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the westernworld.

Swami Vivekananda was a major force for revivalism ofHinduism in India and contributed to the concept ofnationalism among youth of India in Colonial India.

Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and theRamakrishna Mission.

EARLY LIFE Swami Vivekananda was born in Calcutta on 12th

January 1863 during the Makar Sankrant festival. His father was Vishwanath Dutta who was an attorney

at Calcutta High Court and mother wasBhuvaneshwari Devi a devout housewife.

He belonged to a traditional Bengali Kayastha family. Swami Vivekanda was spiritual from a very young age

and was fascinated by wandering ascetics. As a child he was very naughty and restless. His mother would often say, ‘ I prayed to Lord Shiva for

a son and he has sent one of his demons.’

EDUCATION Swami Vivekananda did his primary schooling from

IshwarChandra Vidyasagar School and secondaryschooling from Presidency College.

Swamiji completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Artsfrom the prestigious Scottish Church College in Kolkata.

He was an avid reader and was interested in a wide range ofsubjects like religion, science, philosophy, history, art andliterature.

He was also interested in Hindu scriptures including theVedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayan,the Mahabharat and the Puranas.

EDUCATION Vivekananda studied the works of eminent people like

David Hume, Charles Darwin, Immanuel Kant, J.S. Mill, August Comte. He was fascinated by the evolutionism of Herbert Spencer and corresponded with him and translated his work ‘Education’ into Bengali.

SPIRITUAL APPRENTICESHIP Vivekananda’s first introduction to Ramakrishna

Paramhansa occurred during a literature class in ScottishChurch College.

During the class of Professor William Hastie whileexplainig the meaning of trance he urged his students tovisit Ramakrishna Paramhansa to understand the true

meaning of trance.

SPIRITUAL APPRENTICESHIP A meeting with Ramakrishna Paramhansa at

Dakshineshwar proved to be a turning point in his life.

Initially Swami Vivekananda rejected Ramakrishna ashis teacher and rebelled against his ideas but he wasattracted by the personality of Ramakrishna and sofrequently visited him.

Narendra tested Ramakrishna and Ramakrishnaanswered all his questions and queries patiently.

SPIRITUAL APPRENTICESHIP Vivekananda had to go through financial crunch following

his father’s early death.

He started visiting Ramakrishna more frequently.

Swami Vivekananda finally accepted Ramakrishna as hisguru and renounced everything for realisation of GOD.

During the last days of Ramakrishna when he experiencedNirvikalpa Samadhi he appointed Swamiji as his successor.

Ramakrishna Paramhansa died during the early hours of 16August 1886 in Cossipore, Kolkata.

TRAVELS IN INDIA Swami Vivekananda toured the whole of India to explore it

and experience and learn from its diversity. Vivekananda’s first destination was the oldest city in the

world and also the spiritual capital of India Varanasi. Hemet various ascetics and monks there from throughoutIndia.

He later visited Ayodhya, Rishikesh, Agra, Lucknow,Vrindavan and Hathras.

He intiated Sharat Chandra Gupta into sannyasa order andasked him to serve the country.

Swami Vivekananda toured the Himalayas and interactedwith various sannyasins. Nainital, Almora, Srinagar,Dehradun and Haridwar were blessed by Swamiji’s tour.

RAJPUTANA Swami Vivekananda toured erstwhile Rajputana and visited

places like Alwar, Jaipur, Ajmer and Mount Abu.

In Rajasthan he studied Panini’s Ashtadhyayi with the helpof a sanskrit scholar.

He visited Akbar’s palace and Dargah Sharif in Ajmer.

At Mount Abu he met Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri, who

became his ardent devotee and supporter.

WEST INDIA Next on Swamiji’s map were Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Swamiji’s stayed for a brief time at Ahmedabad, Wadhwan,Dwarka and Porbander.

At Kathiawar he heard of World Parliament of Religionsand was urged by his followers to attend it.

He then visited Bombay, Pune, Mahabaleshwar and metBal Gangadhar Tilak during a train journey.

In the course of his journey he learnt about and masteredscriptures of various religions like Jainism, Islam andChristianity.

SOUTH INDIA Swami Vivekananda was the guest of Maharaja of Mysore

State and visited various places like Thrissur, Ernakulam,Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram.

At Kanyakumari Swamiji meditated on the last bit ofIndian rock which later came to be known as VivekanandaRock Memorial.

At Kanyakumari only Vivekananda had the vision of OneINDIA in which he urged the need to raise the masses.

PARLIAMENT OF WORLD RELIGIONS At the parliament of world religions Swamiji gave a

thunderous speech and represented India and Hinduism.

He started his speech with ‘Brothers and Sisters of America’for which he got a standing ovation from the 7000 strongcrowd for about 2 minutes.

By his speech at America he created a niche for INDIA onthe world stage.

He was referred to as the ‘cyclonic monk’ and orator bydivine right.

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PARLIAMENT OF WORLD RELIGIONS American media printed that it was very foolish of them to

send Christian missionaries to such a learned nation.

The World Parliament of Religions was the diplomatic aswell as spiritual victory for India and it raised standard andposition of INDIA among world citizens

LECTURES IN THE US AND ENGLAND Swami Vivekananda spent two years giving lectures in

the US. He established the VEDANTA SOCIETY inNew York.

In England he met Margareth Elizabeth Noble an Irishwoman who became his disciple and later came to beknown as Sister Nivedita.

Vivekananda also met Max Muller and Paul Deussenwho were noted Indologists.

Swami Vivekananda was offered academic chairs atHarvard as well as Columbia Universtiy but hedeclined both the offers since his duties would conflictwith his commitment as a monk.

LECTURES IN THE US AND ENGLAND Vivekananda attracted followers and admirers in the U.S.

and Europe, including Josephine MacLeod, WilliamJames, Josiah Royce, Robert G. Ingersoll, Nikola Tesla, LordKelvin, Harriet Monroe,Sarah Bernhardt, Emma Calvéand Hermann Ludwig He initiated several followers : MarieLouise became Swami Abhayananda, and Leon Landsbergbecame Swami Kripanandaso that they could continue thework of the mission of the Vedanta Society.

LECTURES IN THE US AND ENGLAND Swamiji translated The Imitataion Of Christ and published

it in Brahmavadin in 1889.

Swamiji left for India in 1896 and on the way to Indiavisited France and Naples in Italy.

He was followed by Sister Nivedita to India and she devotedher whole life to educate Indian women and fight forIndia’s Independence.

BACK IN INDIA Swami Vivekananda returned to India and on 1st

May,1897 established Ramkrishna Mission in Kolkata. The ideals of the mission are based on Karma Yoga and

the its governing body consists of trustees of theRamakrishna Math.

The headquarters of the Mission is situated at BelurMath.

Vivekananda inspired Jamsetji Kanga to found anresearch and education centre .

Tata established Research Institute of Science andasked Vivekananda to head it but he declined humblyowing to his spiritual interests.

FINAL YEARS Swami Vivekananda gave lectures concerning worship of

lingam and authenticity of the Bhagavad Gita in Paris.

He then visited Brittany, Istanbul, Athens, Vienna andEgypt.

Swamiji then retreated to Belur Math where he coordinatedthe works of Ramkrishna Mission.

He had to restrict his activities due to deteriorating healthand did pilgrimages to Bodhgaya and Varanasi.

DEATH Swami Vivekananda left this materialistic world for

heavenly abode on 4th July 1902.

He attained Mahasamadhi on this day.

He was cremated on a sandalwood funeral pyre on thebanks of Ganga in Belur, opposite where his guruRamakrishna was cremated 16 years earlier.

TEACHINGS AND PHILOSOPHY Vivekananda believed that a country's future depends on its people,

and his teachings focused on human development. He wanted "to setin motion a machinery which will bring noblest ideas to the doorstepof even the poorest and the meanest". Vivekananda believed that theessence of Hinduism was best expressed in the Vedanta philosophy,based on Adi Shankara’s interpretation.

Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinitywithin by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either bywork, or worship, or mental discipline, 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.

TEACHINGS AND PHILOSOPHY "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 justleave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, thatis way great spiritual giants are produced".

INFLUENCE AND LEGACY Vivekananda revitalised Hinduism within and outside

India, and was the principal reason for the enthusiasticreception of yoga, transcendental meditation and otherforms of Indian spiritual self-improvement in the West.

Sri Aurobindo regarded Vivekananda as the one whoawakened India spiritually. Mahatma Gandhi counted himamong the few Hindu reformers "who have maintained thisHindu religion in a state of splendor by cutting down thedead wood of tradition".

INFLUENCE AND LEGACY The first governor-general of independent

India, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, said "Vivekanandasaved Hinduism, saved India". According to SubhasChandra Bose, a proponent of armed struggle for Indianindependence, Vivekananda was "the maker of modernIndia";for Gandhi, Vivekananda's influence increasedGandhi's "love for his country a thousandfold".Vivekananda influenced India's independencemovementhis writings inspired freedom fighters suchas Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghose, BalGangadhar Tilakand Bagha Jatin and intellectuals suchas Aldous Huxley, Christopher Isherwood, RomainRolland.

INFLUENCE AND LEGACY Many years after Vivekananda's death Rabindranath

Tagore told French Nobel laureate Romain Rolland, "If youwant to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everythingis positive and nothing negative". Rolland wrote, "Hiswords are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven,stirring rhythms like the march of Händel choruses. Icannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they arethrough the pages of books, at thirty years' distance,without receiving a thrill through my body like an electricshock. And what shocks, what transports, must have beenproduced when in burning words they issued from the lipsof the hero

INFLUENCE AND LEGACY Swami Vivekananda inspired Jamsetji Tata to establish IISc

which is one of the premier science research institute inIndia.

Scientist Nikola Tesla was influenced by the Vedicteachings of Swamiji.

National Youth Day is observed in India on 12th January inmemory of Swamiji’s speech at the parliament of worldreligions.

INFLUENCE AND LEGACY The 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda was

celebrate with great gusto in India as well as abroad.

Bengali director Utpal Sinha made a film The Light- SwamiVivekananda as a tribute to him.

PM of India Narendra Modi regards Swami Vivekananda ashis guru and constant source of inspiration.

Swami Vivekananda’s teachings continue to inspire peopleand instill in them a new vigour. Swami Vivekananda hasbecome immortal in world history as his message hasspread far and wide.

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