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Friday, January 22, 2010

An Apostle of Peace and Spirituality


An Apostle of Peace and Spirituality
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Swami Vivekanand was born on 12th January 1863 . His Name was Narendranath Dutta. His father Vishwanath Dutta was a well known lawyer in Kolkatta . His mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi was a pious lady .

A precocious boy narendra had excelled in his studies in his games and music too. His spiritual behavious was inherited from his loving mother. She taught him the teachings from Ramayan and Mahabharata

When he grew up he joined Presidency College. He studied the Western and Eastern religions. During his college days the Professor of English introduced him to Shri Ramakrishna Paramhaunse.

Shri Ramakrishna was a Saint and a priest in the Temple of Divine Mother Kali in Dakshineshwar.

Narendranath in his early youth was obsessed by the thought about the existence of God. He questioned a number of people of holy reputation , if they had seen God, but could not get a positive answer.

He questioned Shri Ramakrishna ,
“Sir, have you seen God?”
Pat came the answer from the saint,“Yes, I have seen God as clearly as I see you only in much intenser sense.”
Narendranath was astounded. Here was a man he was seeking for.
He got closer to Shriramakrishna. Not only did Shri Ramakrishna win his heart, he became his Guru.



Later, Narendranaths father died in 1884. The family was left penniless. Narendranath had to take the burden of the family-
The poverty crises deepened. He opened his heart to Shri Ramakrishna . His Guru asked him to ask his Divine Mother Goddess Kali for help. Narendranath entered the Temple of Divine Mother. No sooner did he see her he fell in trance . He could only utter three words –Bhakti Gyan(Knowledge)and Vairagya(Detachment). Thrice did Shri Ramakrishna sent him to ask help for his family. Thrice did he utter Mother grant me Bhakti Gyan Vairagya. His Guru was pleased and blessed him He gave him godly vision and transformed him into a dynamo of spiritually.

After the heavenly abode of his Master in 1886 Narendranath renounced the world. He became a monk of the Swami Order. He traveled throughout India . He was distressed to see majority of poor people were suffering had no proper food and shelter. They were illiterate. They had lost faith in their own self, still religion seemed alive in them. It was like a tree which seemed dried but its sap was still flowing inside and was not dead. It needed proper nurturing to bloom again. The poor people needed first and foremost proper food and shelter. They needed education ,and to revive faith in them, strengthen them to earn their living.
With a handful of co brothers, the disciples of Shri Ramakrishna
They traversed the whole of India, north south east west. Swami Vivekanand preached the masses Vedanta. He said,
“ 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.”

On one occasion while traveling on foot they encountered a narrow path between deep ravine and rocky mountains on the other. All of a sudden a herd of monkeys surrounded them. The people were scared to tread further. Swamiji exclaimed,“Face them!”
All of them carried sticks and could drive the monkeys away.
Any difficult situation arises in our life we should be able to face it boldly- was the message he taught.

Later on, he attended the World Parliament of Religion held in Chicago in 1893. He spread the message of Hindu Philosophy and the message of his Master.

His health deteriorated considerably. Swami Vivekanand breathed his last on 4th July 1902.

Sister Christine wrote: Blessed is the country in which he was born, blessed are they who lived on this earth at the same time,
and blessed thrice blessed are the few who sat at his feet.