Introduction
In this summary ,you will learn about the life of swami Vivekananda .Who was he as a kid .How did he become a great leader? What is his legacy? You will learn about these and more from this book.
Early Years
Swami Vivekananda was born on January 12,1863. It was the day of Makar sankranti. Millions of worshippers along the ganga river. The prayers and songs of devottes could be heard from his house. His mother was very riligious, she prayed and fasted for days so that she would be blessed with a son who would give honor to her family. One night, she dreamt of lord shiva who told her that he would be born again as her child.
Bhuvaneswari wanted to name his son vireswara but the family chose the name Narendranath instead. His devotion toward Hinduism was evidnet since childhood. He was born into the datta family in calcutta. His family as known for honor,scholarship and philanthropy. Naren’s father was a lawyer. He served on the the high court of calcutta.
Swami vivekananda was not like his father, he was more like his grandfather who followed a monastic life. His first teacher was his mother who taught him the alphabets and some english words. She also used to tell him the stories of ramayana and the mahabharata. He loved the story of lord and his love sita.
One day, Naren hasked his father “what have you done for me?” his father was wise and said “look at yourself in the mirror and see what i have done for you”. He also asked another day.”How shall I present myself to the world? ” his father replied, “son, never show surprise anything” that’s how he learned how to behave himself and not to offend others. When he become monk, he stayed calm when visiting a prince’s palace or beggar’s straw hut.
At the feet of RamaKrishna
Naren had two visions. The first one was of an educated man who enjoyed riches and high status in society. He had a nice home,a good wife and beautiful children. The second vision was of wandering a monk. Naren knew that he could become either of the two. But he reflected within himself and realized that he wanted to follow the life of a monk.
Naren soon had a clear goal. He wanted to experience god. He wanted to be under the guidance of man who had seen god. In his search for spiritual guidance, he joined Bramho samaj. One day he asked the leader of the group “sir, have you seen the god ?” The Devendranath was surprised and said “my boy, you have the spirit of yogi. it is best that you practice more meditation.” Naren was dissapointed. He felt that the Devendranath was not the teacher he needed.
Then he heard of Rama Krishna, the man who experienced religious trances because of extreme concentration and purity of heart. Naren met Sri Ramkrishna in Dakshineswar temple. The master was instantly impressed by Naren.
The master was delighted to finally see a student to whom he could share his strong faith. There was no teacher who had admitted that they had seen GOD, only ramakrishna. Naren knew then that he had fund what he was looking for. “sir, have you seen god” He asked. Th master replied, “yes, i have seen god. I see him as I see you here”. God can be seen. Once can talk to him. People cry for their families, for their wealth and property. But who cries for a vision of GOD? if a person truly desire for God, he can surely see him.”
Training of the Disciple
The young monks were homeless when Sri RamaKrishna died. Swami vivekananda was already 23 years old. It become his responsibility to look after the younger monks. A follower of RamaKrishna offered to rent a house for all of them and that’s how Baranagore Math started. Naren devoted his whole self to teh training of the disciples. On the day, he used to perform his duties as the eldest man in the family. At night he went to the monastery to guide his brothers.
The young monks fully accepted the monastic life, They spend their days in worship,study,meditation and devotional music. The monks used to eat only rice, their clothing was very simple. Ecah member owned two pieces of loincloth. They shared among themselves some regular clothes, which they used only if they had to leave the monastery. At night, they layout straw mats on the floor. Just a few images of gods , goddesses and saints are pinned on the wall. Naren educated them with plenty of knowledge. He read books from all over the world and taught them about Plato,Aristotle,Buddha,Hegal,kant and many more like that. He enlightened them in the concept of karma, yoga,Bhakti and jnana.
As a Wandering Monk
Later, Naren decided to set off on his journey, he fulfilled his longing to be a wandering monk. He had nothing with him except for a begging bowl and a staff. Naren just kept ongoing. This was how he transformed from being an ordinary monk to the swami vivekananda that hindus are proud of.
He first went to Varanasi, which is the holiest place in India. This is the place where prophets like Buddha and Sankaracharya received the commandment of God. Swami vivekananda taught his audience the lesson ” You must learn to face challenges of life.No matter how scary it is, you should gather your strength and chose not to run away from obstacles.” From varanasi, he moved to Ayodhya, which is the hometown of Rama. Then he went to Lucknow, a city of Muslim palaces and gardens.
Next, he visited Taj Mahal; the magnificence brought tears to his eyes Then in Vrindavan, he was inspired by the life of krishna. All along he was walking barefoot and penniless.
Trip to America
In Rameswaram ,Swami met the raja of Ramned .The Raja became one of hierys disciples . It was the Raja who encouraged swami to go to Chicago in America so that he could represent hinduism in the parliament of religions.The Raja pledged to help with the expenses.The Swami dived through the waters of Cape Comorin.He was so happy complete his journey.
He became wiser by travelling throughout the subcontinent.The masses are burned with poverty. The landlords, the rulers,and the priests were being oppressive. The caste system was making life very difficult for the people.
Swami decided that he would use his abilities to serve god,who reveals himself in man.That’s when he realized that he could appeal to the outside world. He could share the suffering of India with the westerners.Swami saw America as a land of optimism and opportunity. There was no caste system there. The parliament of Religions would be a great occasion to seek help for the Indian people. Through Swami’s voice ,the West could have the ancient wisdom of India.In return ,could have modern technology.
From cape Comorin,Swami went to madras.Young men created Swami at the city. He announced to them his intention of travelling to America. Swami began having devotees in madras.They gathered money among themselves to fund Swami’s trip.It was also in Madras where Swami would start organised work years later.When the people gave him the money,the Swami did not accept it. He told them to distribute the funds among the poor people.
In Hyderabad, Swami Vivekananda did his first public lecture. He entitled it”My mission to the west”. Many people come to hear him. All people were impressed by his wisdom. Swami realized that he could be good at public speaking.
The Parliament of Religions
It was a long journey from Bombay to Chicago. Swami traveled by sea. He had many adventures and met many interesting people throughout the trip. He visited some temples in china and japan. The ship crossed the pacific ocean. Swami Vivekananda found out that he was one month early for the parliament of religions. The swami was raising curiosity with his orange robes and turbans. Children followed him as he walked in the streets.
The parliament of religions were officially opened in September 1983. The main goal of the exposition was to exhibit the progress of western science and technology. But since religion was a major factor in humanity, it was included as well. There were seven thousands people were inside the big hall. Religious leaders came from all over the world. There were delegates from Islam, Christianity,Shintoism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Swami Vivekananda was nervous. He didn’t know that he needed one. It was his first time attending this kind of gathering.
Swami’s first words were” sisters and brothers of America”. The audience was endeared. The westerners gave him a standing ovation. They all stood up and applauded. He talked about how India, even in ancient times, became the refuge of Zoroastrains and Israelites and explained that people of different religions are like small streams leading out to the sea.
Vivekananda spoke not only about his own religion but about all religions of the world. That was that made Swami Vivekananda stand out in gathering. The swami said that we are all the same. Each of us should do incorporated into single humanity, he never criticized other religions.
Swami did not want to depend on the generosity of his new western friends. He accepted invitations to lecture all over America so he could earn money. He spread his messages of kindness and acceptance. Swami had lectures in New York,Boston,Washington and Cambridge. He has made Hinduism known to the whole world.
Vedanta in America
A group of poor students rented a cheap apartment in New York. They raised the money so that swami Vivekananda could have regular lectures there. The swami was very happy to educate these young students.
Vivekananda taught them about Jnana yoga so that they would know the truth of Vedanta. He also taught them about raja yoga so that they would master concentration, meditation and self-control. The students also followed his vow of simplicity and chastity. There were more serious students with whom he meditated every day. he showed them now from intense consentration,a person could free himself from bodily consciousness.It was in America where Swami Vivekananda was able to publish his four classics,which were the Raja-yoga,Jnana-yoga,Bhagti-yogi,and Karma-yoga.They were well-recieved by his followers.Among them were proffessors,doctors,businessmen,and church leaders.
Return to India
Thousands of people were waiting for Swami Vivekananda at the port.They were filled with joy when they finally saw his robes.They were cheering out for him.All of them flung themselves to the ground to respect him.The Swami was welcomed back by the leaders of Ceylon.A huge procession was prepared for his path.He was sprinkled with rosewater and holy water from Ganga.The people offered him fruits and other gifts.Swami appreciated this warm welcome.He accepted everything that the people did for him.
He was not a prince or a wealthy man.He was not an army general either.Yet ,he was given much respect and honor.He is a sannyasin,a beggar ,and a homeless monk .What the people did for him is a high indication of spirituality .For that,he was very thankful.Swami went to Madras and then to Calcutta .Everywhere he went, people waited for him.They were eager to see him and hear his teachings.one follower asked him if he ever got tired in all his activities.Swami replied that a man never gets tired og spiritual activities.There were those who came to debate with him or to challenge his teachings.,
There were also those who came to test this knowledge.The Swami still received them.But he chose to focus on the young men who desired to be trained by him.He had always been passionate about educating the youth.There was one frustrated young man who came to Swami.He complained that he could not find spiritual awakening.The young man said that he had tried everything.He followed all the advice of his teacher, worshiped images the best way he could.
He shut all the doors in his rooms, kept his eyes closed .He willed himself to sit still in meditation.But still,the young man could not achieve peace of mind.”what should i do?”He asked the Swami .The voice of Swami was full of sympathy .”My son,you should open all the doors and open your eyes as well.Look around you.”He told the young man to seethe many poor and helpless people in his community.
He should give all his efforts in serving them.”If they hungry ,give them food .If they are sick ,give them medicine .If they are ignorant ,give them an education .Dedicate yourself to taking care of poor neighbors .If you offer yourself fully in serving them ,it is only then that you will have peace of mind.”
In northern India
The doctors advised the Swami to go to the North,where the climate was better .He was suffering from asthma.Swami obliged because the people of Northern India were also requesting for him.Swami had lectured in all the provinces of Northern India .He has been to Almora , Jammu , Lahore,and the others.In all these places, he spread the message of individual character.Swami promoted unity by preaching about the intermarriage between castes.
Many young men were inspired by Swami’s ability to lead a monastic life.They came to him to train as sannyasin.Swami dedicated himself to teach them how to experience God and serve humanity. A new monastery called Belur math was built with the help of Swami’s Western friends.It became the headquaters of Ramakrishna Order.He also received hundreds of letters.People were seeking his help for spiritual guidance.
Towards the End
Towards the end,Swami Vivekananda was was staying at the Belur Math.His asthma was getting worse.The doctors requested for him to retire.Swami spent his days mostly inside the monastery and sometimes he walked around the grounds in his loincloths. He occupied himself in deep study. His body getting weaker day by day but his mind was as sharp as ever. Vivekananda had a prophecy that he would not reach 40 years old. He was already 39 years and 5 months old by then.
It was Friday evening. At 7 PM, the bell rang signifying worship. The swami went to his room to pray and meditate. He asked his attendant to not disturb him. After that, swami called out his attendant to help him. They opened all the windows to let the breeze in. Swami lay down on his bed . There was calm expression on his face. He had long, deep breaths. Blood dripped from his nose, from his eyes, and from his mouth. According to the yoga texts, the soul of an illumined yogi goes through the opening in the head, which causes bleeding. The great ecstasy happened around 9PM.
The monks covered him in orange robes and surrounded him with flowers. The procession was done the next day.The monks carried his body through the courtyard toward the tree where swami Vivekananda wanted to be cremated. They prayed as the funeral pyre burst into flame.
Conclusion of Swami Vivekananda: A Biography
Swami Vivekananda saw God in his fellow human being. He used his voice and his strength to seek help for the poor Indian people. He saw poverty everywhere when he wandered all over the country. From this summary you learned about swami Vivekananda and about his sincerity, his strong faith and his kindness. He is truly a great person to be admired.
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