Vivekananda in Chicago, September 1893. In note on the left Vivekananda wrote: "One infinite pure and holy – beyond thought beyond qualities I bow down to thee".[1]
Swami Vivekananda[a] (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), bornNarendranath Datta[b] was an IndianHindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mysticRamakrishna.[4][5] He was a key figure in the introduction ofVedanta andYoga to the Western world.[6][7][8] He is credited with raisinginterfaith awareness and bringingHinduism to the status of a major world religion in the latenineteenth century.[9]
Born into an aristocraticBengali Kayastha family inCalcutta, Vivekananda was inclined from a young age towards religion and spirituality. At the age of 18 he met Ramakrishna, later becoming a devoted follower andsannyasin (renunciate). After thedeath of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda toured theIndian subcontinent as a wandering monk and acquired first-hand knowledge of the often terrible living conditions of Indian people in thenBritish India. In 1893 he traveled to the United States where he participated in theParliament of Religions inChicago. Here he delivered a famous speech beginning with the words: "Sisters and brothers of America ..." introducing the ancient Hindu religious tradition to Americans and speaking forcefully about the essential unity of all spiritual paths, and the necessity of embracing tolerance and renouncing fanaticism.[10][11] The speech made an extraordinary impression. One American newspaper described him as "an orator by divine right and undoubtedly the greatest figure at the Parliament".[12]
Vivekananda is widely regarded as one of the greatest figures of modern India. He was one of the most influential philosophers and social reformers of his time, and the most successful missionary ofVedanta to theWestern world. He was a major force in contemporaryHindu reform movements and in the development ofnationalism incolonial India.[14] He is considered to be a patrioticsaint. His birthday is celebrated in India asNational Youth Day.[15][16]
Early life (1863–1888)
Bhubaneswari Devi (1841–1911); "I am indebted to my mother for the efflorescence of my knowledge."[17] – Vivekananda
3, Gourmohan Mukherjee Street, birthplace of Vivekananda, now converted into a museum and cultural centre
Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta (name shortened to Narendra or Naren)[18] in aBengali Kayastha family[19][20] in his ancestral home at3 Gourmohan Mukherjee Street in Calcutta,[21] the capital of British India, on 12 January 1863 during theMakar Sankranti festival.[22] He was one of nine siblings.[23] His father,Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney at theCalcutta High Court.[19][24] Durgacharan Datta, Narendra's grandfather was aSanskrit andPersian scholar[25] who left his family and became a monk at age twenty-five.[26] His mother, Bhubaneswari Devi, was a devout housewife.[25] The progressive, rational attitude of Narendra's father and the religious temperament of his mother helped shape his thinking and personality.[27][28] Narendranath was interested in spirituality from a young age and used tomeditate before the images of deities such asShiva,Rama,Sita, andHanuman.[29] He was fascinated by wandering ascetics and monks.[28] Narendra was mischievous and restless as a child, and his parents often had difficulty controlling him. His mother said, "I prayed to Shiva for a son and he has sent me one of his demons".[26]
William Hastie (the principal of Christian College, Calcutta, from where Narendra graduated) wrote of him: "Narendra is really a genius. I have travelled far and wide but I have never come across a lad of his talents and possibilities, even in German universities, among philosophical students. He is bound to make his mark in life".[42] He was known for his prodigious memory and speed reading ability, and a number of anecdotes attest to this.[43] Some accounts have called Narendra ashrutidhara (a person with a prodigious memory).[44]
It was in this cultic milieu that Narendra became acquainted with Westernesotericism.[49] His initial beliefs were shaped by Brahmo concepts, which denounced polytheism and caste restrictions,[29][50] and proposed a "streamlined, rationalized, monotheistic theology strongly coloured by a selective and modernistic reading of theUpanisads and of the Vedanta."[51]Rammohan Roy, the founder of the Brahmo Samaj who was strongly influenced byunitarianism, strove towards auniversalistic interpretation of Hinduism.[51] His ideas were "altered [...] considerably" by Debendranath Tagore, who had aromantic approach to the development of these new doctrines, and questioned central Hindu beliefs like reincarnation and karma, and rejected the authority of theVedas.[52] Tagore, and later Sen, also brought this "neo-Hinduism" closer in line with westernesotericism.[53] Sen was influenced bytranscendentalism, an American philosophical-religious movement strongly connected with unitarianism, which emphasised personalreligious experience over mere reasoning andtheology.[54] Sen's focus on creating "an accessible, non-renunciatory, everyman type of spirituality" that introduced "lay systems of spiritual practice" was an influence on the teachings Vivekananda later popularised in the west.[55]
Not satisfied with his knowledge of philosophy, Narendra came to "the question which marked the real beginning of his intellectual quest for God."[47] He asked several prominent Calcutta residents if they had come "face to face with God", but none of their answers satisfied him.[56][36] At this time, Narendra met Debendranath Tagore (the leader of Brahmo Samaj) and asked if he had seen God. Instead of answering his question, Tagore said, "My boy, you have theYogi's eyes."[47][41] According to Banhatti, it was Ramakrishna who first truly answered Narendra's question, by saying "Yes, I see Him as I see you, only in an infinitely intenser sense."[47] De Michelis, however, suggests that Vivekananda was more influenced by the Brahmo Samaj and its new ideas than by Ramakrishna.[55] According to De Michelis, it was Sen's influence that brought Vivekananda fully into contact with western esotericism, and it was via Sen that he met Ramakrishna.[57]Swami Medhananda agrees that the Brahmo Samaj was a formative influence,[58] but affirms that "it was Narendra's momentous encounter with Ramakrishna that changed the course of his life by turning him away from Brahmoism."[59]
Narendra first met Ramakrishna in 1881. When Narendra's father died in 1884, Ramakrishna became his primary spiritual focus.[60]
Narendra's introduction to Ramakrishna occurred in a literature class at General Assembly's Institution, when Professor William Hastie was lecturing onWilliam Wordsworth's poem,The Excursion.[50] While explaining the word "trance" in the poem, Hastie suggested that his students visit Ramakrishna ofDakshineswar to understand the true meaning of trance. This prompted Narendra, among others in the class, to visit Ramakrishna.[61][62][63]
They probably first met personally in November 1881,[note 1] though Narendra did not consider this their first meeting, and neither man mentioned this meeting later.[61] At the time, Narendra was preparing for his upcoming F. A. examination.Ram Chandra Datta accompanied him toSurendra Nath Mitra's house where Ramakrishna had been invited to deliver a lecture.[65] According to Makarand Paranjape, at this meeting Ramakrishna asked Narendra to sing. Impressed by his talent, he asked Narendra to come to Dakshineshwar.[66]
Narendra went to Dakshineswar in late 1881 or early 1882 and met Ramakrishna.[61] This meeting proved to be a turning point in his life.[67] Although he did not initially accept Ramakrishna as his teacher and rebelled against his ideas, he was attracted by his personality and frequently visited him.[68] He initially saw Ramakrishna's ecstasies and visions as "mere figments of imagination"[27] and "hallucinations".[69] As a member of Brahmo Samaj, he opposed idol worship,polytheism, and Ramakrishna's worship ofKali.[70] He even rejected theAdvaita Vedanta teaching of "identity with the absolute" as blasphemy and madness, and often ridiculed the idea.[69] Ramakrishna was unperturbed and advised him: "Try to see the truth from all angles".[68]
Narendra's father's sudden death in 1884 left the family bankrupt; creditors began demanding the repayment of loans, and relatives threatened to evict the family from their ancestral home. Once the son of a well-to-do family, Narendra became one of the poorest students in his college.[71] His attempts to find work were unsuccessful. He questioned God's existence,[72] but found solace in Ramakrishna, and his visits to Dakshineswar increased.[73]
One day, Narendra asked Ramakrishna to pray to the goddess Kali for his family's financial welfare. Ramakrishna instead suggested he go to the temple himself and pray. Narendra went to the temple three times, but did not pray for any kind of worldly necessities. He ultimately prayed for true knowledge and devotion from the goddess.[74][75][76] He gradually became ready to renounce everything for the sake of realising God, and accepted Ramakrishna as hisGuru.[68]
In 1885, Ramakrishna developedthroat cancer. He was transferred to Calcutta and then to a garden house inCossipore. Narendra and Ramakrishna'sother disciples took care of him during his last days, and Narendra's spiritual education continued. At Cossipore, he experiencedNirvikalpasamadhi.[77] Narendra and several other disciples receivedochre robes from Ramakrishna, forming his first monastic order.[78] He was taught that service to men was the most effective worship of God.[27][77] Ramakrishna asked him to take care of the other monastic disciples, and likewise asked them to see Narendra as their leader.[79] Ramakrishna died in the early morning hours of 16 August 1886 in Cossipore.[79][80]
After Ramakrishna's death, support from devotees and admirers diminished. Unpaid rent accumulated, forcing Narendra and the other disciples to look for a new place to live.[81] Many returned home, adopting aGrihastha (family-oriented) way of life.[82] Narendra decided to convert a dilapidated house atBaranagar into a newmath (monastery) for the remaining disciples. Rent for the Baranagar Math was low, and was raised bymādhukarī (holy begging). It became the first building of theRamakrishna Math, the monastery of themonastic order ofRamakrishna.[67] Narendra and other disciples used to spend many hours practicingmeditation and religious austerities every day.[83] Narendra recalled the early days of practice in the monastery:[84]
We used to get up at 3:00 am and become absorbed injapa and meditation. What a strong spirit of detachment we had in those days! We had no thought even as to whether the world existed or not.
In 1887, Narendra compiled a Bengali song anthology namedSangeet Kalpataru with Vaishnav Charan Basak. Narendra collected and arranged most of the songs in this compilation, but unfavourable circumstances prevented its completion.[85]
Monastic vows
In December 1886, the mother of one of the monks, Baburam, invited Narendra and his brother monks toAntpur village. In Antpur, on the Christmas Eve of 1886, the 23 year old Narendra and eight other disciples took formal monastic vows at theRadha Gobinda Jiu temple.[86][83] They decided to live their lives as their master lived.[83]
In 1888, Narendra left the monastery as aParivrâjaka – a wandering monk, "without fixed abode, without ties, independent and strangers wherever they go".[87] His sole possessions were akamandalu (water pot), staff and his two favourite books: theBhagavad Gita andThe Imitation of Christ.[88] Narendra travelled extensively in India for five years, visiting centres of learning and acquainting himself with diverse religious traditions and social patterns.[89][90] He developed sympathy for the suffering and poverty of the people, and resolved to uplift the nation.[89][91] Living primarily onbhiksha (alms), he travelled on foot and by railway. During his travels he met and stayed with Indians from all religions and walks of life: scholars,dewans,rajas, Hindus, Muslims, Christians,paraiyars (low-caste workers) and government officials.[91] On the suggestion of his patron, friend and disciple RajaAjit Singh of Khetri, he adopted the name "Vivekananda"–a conglomerate of the Sanskrit words:viveka andānanda, meaning "the bliss of discerning wisdom". As Vivekananda he departedBombay for Chicago, on 31 May 1893, intending to participate in the World's Parliament of Religions.[92][93]
Vivekananda visited several cities inJapan (including Nagasaki, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo),[94]China andCanada en route to the United States,[95] reaching Chicago on 30 July 1893.[96][95] The "Parliament of Religions" took place in September 1893.[97] An initiative of theSwedenborgian layman and Illinois Supreme Court judgeCharles C. Bonney,[98][99] the Congress sought to gather all the religions of the world, with the aim of showing "the substantial unity of many religions in the good deeds of the religious life."[98] The Brahmo Samaj and theTheosophical Society were invited as representative ofHinduism.[100]
Vivekananda wished to participate, but learned that only individuals with credentials from abona fide organisation would be accepted as delegates.[101] Disappointed, he contacted ProfessorJohn Henry Wright ofHarvard University, who had invited him to speak at Harvard.[101] Vivekananda wrote of the professor: "He urged upon me the necessity of going to theParliament of Religions, which he thought would give an introduction to the nation".[102] On hearing that Vivekananda lacked the credentials to speak at the Parliament, Wright said: "To ask for your credentials is like asking the sun to state its right to shine in the heavens".[102] Vivekananda submitted an application introducing himself as a monk "of the oldest order ofsannyāsis ... founded by Sankara".[100] The application was supported by the Brahmo Samaj representativeProtapchandra Mozoombar, who was also a member of the Parliament's selection committee.[100]
Parliament of the World's Religions
The Parliament of the World's Religions opened on 11 September 1893 at theArt Institute of Chicago, as part of theWorld's Columbian Exposition.[103][104][105] On this day, Vivekananda gave a brief speech representing India andHinduism.[106] He bowed toSaraswati (the Hindu goddess of learning) and began hisspeech with "Sisters and brothers of America!".[107][105] At these words, Vivekananda received a two-minute standing ovation from the crowd of seven thousand.[108] When silence was restored he began his address, greeting the youngest of the nations on behalf of "the most ancient order of monks in the world, the Vedic order of sannyasins, a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance".[109][note 2] Vivekananda quoted two illustrative passages from the "Shiva mahimna stotram": "As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee!" and "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths that in the end lead to Me."[112] According to Sailendra Nath Dhar, "it was only a short speech, but it voiced the spirit of the Parliament."[112][113]
Parliament PresidentJohn Henry Barrows said, "India, the Mother of religions was represented by Swami Vivekananda, the Orange-monk who exercised the most wonderful influence over his auditors".[107] Vivekananda attracted widespread attention in the press, which called him the "cyclonic monk from India". TheNew York Critique wrote, "He is an orator by divine right, and his strong, intelligent face in its picturesque setting of yellow and orange was hardly less interesting than those earnest words, and the rich, rhythmical utterance he gave them". TheNew York Herald noted, "Vivekananda is undoubtedly the greatest figure in the Parliament of Religions. After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to sendmissionaries to this learned nation".[114] American newspapers reported Vivekananda as "the greatest figure in the parliament of religions" and "the most popular and influential man in the parliament".[115]TheBoston Evening Transcript reported that Vivekananda was "a great favourite at the parliament... if he merely crosses the platform, he is applauded".[116] He spokeseveral more times "at receptions, the scientific section, and private homes"[109] on topics related to Hinduism,Buddhism and harmony among religions. Vivekananda's speeches at the Parliament had the common theme of universality, emphasising religious tolerance.[117] He soon became known as a "handsome oriental" and made a huge impression as an orator.[118] Hearing Vivekananda speak, Harvard psychology professorWilliam James said, "that man is simply a wonder for oratorical power. He is an honor to humanity."[119]
Lecture tours in the UK and US
After the Parliament of Religions, Vivekananda toured many parts of the US as a guest. His popularity gave him an unprecedented opportunity to communicate his views on life and religion to great numbers of people.[118] During a question-answer session at Brooklyn Ethical Society, he remarked, "I have a message to the West asBuddha had a message to the East." On another occasion he described his mission thus:
I do not come to convert you to a new belief. I want you to keep your own belief; I want to make theMethodist a better Methodist; thePresbyterian a better Presbyterian; theUnitarian a better Unitarian. I want to teach you to live the truth, to reveal the light within your own soul.[120]
Vivekananda spent nearly two years lecturing in the eastern and central United States, primarily inChicago,Detroit,Boston, andNew York. He founded theVedanta Society of New York in 1894.[121] His demanding schedule eventually began to affect his health,[122] and in Spring 1895 he ended his lecture tours and began giving free, private classes in Vedanta andyoga. Beginning in June 1895, he gaveprivate lectures to a dozen of his disciples atThousand Island Park, New York for two months.[122] Vivekananda was offered academic positions in two American universities (one the chair inEastern Philosophy atHarvard University and a similar position atColumbia University); he declined both, since his duties would conflict with his commitment as a monk.[122]
Vivekananda travelled to the United Kingdom in 1895 and again in 1896.[123] In November 1895 he met an Irish woman, Margaret Elizabeth Noble, who would become one of his closest disciples, known asSister Nivedita (a name given her by the Swami, meaning "dedicated to God").[122] On his second visit, in May 1896, Vivekananda metMax Müller, a notedIndologist fromOxford University who wrote Ramakrishna's first biography in the West.[113] From the UK, he visited other European countries. In Germany, he metPaul Deussen, another renowned Indologist.[124]
Vivekananda at Mead sisters' house,South Pasadena in 1900.
Vivekananda's success led to a change in mission, namely the establishment of Vedanta centres in the West.[126] He adapted traditional Hindu ideas and religiosity to suit the needs and understandings of his western audiences, who were more familiar with western esoteric traditions and movements.[127] An important element in his adaptation of Hindu religiosity was the introduction of his "four yogas" model, based inRaja yoga, which offered a practical means to realise the divine force within, a central goal of modern western esotericism.[127] In 1896, his bookRaja Yoga, an interpretation and adaptation ofPatanjali'sYoga sutras,[128] was published, becoming an instant success; it became highly influential in the western understanding ofyoga, inElizabeth de Michelis's view marking the beginning ofmodern yoga.[129][130]
While in America, Vivekananda was given land to establish a retreat for Vedanta students, in the mountains to the southeast ofSan Jose, California. He called it "Peace retreat", orShanti Asrama.[137] There were twelve main centres established in America, the largest being the Vedanta Society of Southern California in Hollywood. There is also a Vedanta Press in Hollywood which publishes books about Vedanta and English translations of Hindu scriptures and texts.[138]
From the West, Vivekananda revived his work in India. He regularly corresponded with his followers and brother monks, offering advice and financial support. His letters from this period reflect his campaign of social service,[139] and were strongly worded.[140] He wrote toAkhandananda, "Go from door to door amongst the poor and lower classes of the town of Khetri and teach them religion. Also, let them have oral lessons on geography and such other subjects. No good will come of sitting idle and having princely dishes, and saying "Ramakrishna, O Lord!"—unless you can do some good to the poor".[141][142] In 1895, Vivekananda founded the periodicalBrahmavadin.[143] His translation of the first six chapters ofThe Imitation of Christ was published inBrahmavadin in 1899.[144] Vivekananda left for India from England on 16 December 1896, accompanied by his disciples Captain and Mrs. Sevier and J.J. Goodwin. On the way, they visited France and Italy, and set sail for India from Naples on 30 December 1896.[145] He was followed to India by Sister Nivedita, who devoted the rest of her life to the education of Indian women and the goal of India's independence.[122][146]
Back in India (1897–1899)
Vivekananda arrived inColombo,British Ceylon (nowSri Lanka) on 15 January 1897,[145] and received a warm welcome. In Colombo, he gave hisfirst public speech in the East. He travelled fromColombo toPamban,Rameswaram,Ramnad,Madurai,Kumbakonam andMadras, delivering lectures. Common people and rajas gave him an enthusiastic reception. During his train travels, people often sat on the rails to force the train to stop, so they could hear him.[145] FromMadras (now Chennai), he continued his journey to Calcutta andAlmora. While in the West, Vivekananda spoke about India's great spiritual heritage; in India, he repeatedly addressed social issues: uplifting the people, eliminating thecaste system, promoting science and industrialisation, addressing widespread poverty, and ending colonial rule. The lectures, published asLectures from Colombo to Almora, demonstrated his fervent nationalism and spiritual ideology.[147]
Vivekananda earlier inspiredJamsetji Tata to set up a research and educational institution when they travelled together fromYokohama to Chicago on Vivekananda's first visit to the West in 1893. Tata now asked him to head hisResearch Institute of Science; Vivekananda declined the offer, citing a conflict with his "spiritual interests".[153][154][155] He visitedPunjab, attempting to mediate an ideological conflict betweenArya Samaj (a reformist Hindu movement) andsanatan (orthodox Hindus).[156] After brief visits toLahore,[150]Delhi andKhetri, Vivekananda returned to Calcutta in January 1898. He consolidated the work of the math and trained disciples for several months. Vivekananda composed "Khandana Bhava–Bandhana", a prayer song dedicated to Ramakrishna, in 1898.[157]
Second visit to the West and final years (1899–1902)
Despite declining health, Vivekananda left for the West for a second time in June 1899.[158] On this occasion, he was accompanied by Sister Nivedita andSwami Turiyananda. After a brief stay in England, he went to the United States where he establishedVedanta Societies in San Francisco and New York and founded ashanti ashrama (peace retreat) in California. He travelled to Paris for the Congress of Religions in 1900.[159] His lectures at the Congress concerned the worship of thelingam and the authenticity of theBhagavad Gita. Vivekananda then visitedBrittany,Vienna,Istanbul,Athens andEgypt. The French philosopherJules Bois was his host for most of this period. Vivekananda returned to Calcutta on 9 December 1900.[160]
After a brief visit to theAdvaita Ashrama in Mayavati, Vivekananda settled at Belur Math, where he continued co-ordinating the works of the Ramakrishna Mission, the math, and the initiatives in England and the US. He had many visitors, including royalty and politicians. Due to deteriorating health, Vivekananda was unable to attend the Congress of Religions in Japan in 1901, but he made pilgrimages toBodhgaya andVaranasi.[161] His health problems, includingasthma,diabetes and chronicinsomnia, restricted his activity.[162]
Death
On 4 July 1902 (the day of his death),[163] Vivekananda awoke early, went to the monastery at Belur Math and meditated for three hours. He taughtShukla-Yajur-Veda, Sanskrit grammar and the philosophy of yoga to pupils, later discussing with colleagues a planned Vedic college in the Ramakrishna Math.[164][165] At 7:00 pm Vivekananda went to his room, asking not to be disturbed; he died at 9:20 p.m. while meditating.[166] The rupture of a blood vessel in his brain was reported as a possible cause of death.[167] According to his disciples, the rupture was due to hisbrahmarandhra (an opening in the crown of his head) being pierced when he attainedmahasamādhi.[168] Vivekananda fulfilled his prophecy that he would not live forty years.[169] He was cremated on a sandalwoodfuneral pyre on the bank of theGanga in Belur, opposite where Ramakrishna was cremated sixteen years earlier.[170]
Vivekananda synthesised and popularised various strands of Hindu thought, most notablyclassical yoga andAdvaita Vedanta. As a young man, he had been influenced by western ideas such asUniversalism, viaUnitarian missionaries who collaborated with theBrahmo Samaj.[171][172][173][174][175] His initial beliefs were shaped by Brahmo concepts, which included belief in a formless God, the deprecation ofidolatry,[29][50] and, according to Michelis, a "streamlined, rationalized, monotheistic theology strongly coloured by a selective and modernistic reading of theUpanisads and of the Vedanta".[176]
Influenced by Ramakrishna, he came to see the Vedanta as providing the ontological basis forśivajñāne jīver sevā – the spiritual practice of serving human beings as actual manifestations of the divine.[177] For Vivekananda, the practice of remembering the presence of the divine in all people, regardless of social status, promoted social harmony and helped develop the capacity for love.[178]
Vedanta and yoga
Vivekananda thought that the essence of Hinduism was best expressed inAdi Shankara's Advaita Vedanta philosophy.[179] He adhered to Ramakrishna's teaching that the Absolute is both immanent and transcendent.[note 3] According to Anil Sooklal, Vivekananda's neo-Vedanta "reconciles Dvaita or dualism and Advaita or non-dualism," viewingBrahman as "one without a second" yet bothsaguna (qualified) andnirguna (qualityless).[182][note 4] According to Jackson, the Vedanta acquires a modern and Universalistic form in Vivekananda's summary, showing also the influence of classical yoga:[179]
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 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.
Vivekananda's emphasis onnirvikalpa samadhi was preceded by medieval yogic influences on Advaita Vedanta.[183] In line with Advaita Vedanta texts likeDŗg-Dŗśya-Viveka (14th century) andVedantasara (of Sadananda) (15th century), Vivekananda sawsamadhi as a means to attain liberation.[184][note 5]
An important element in his adaptation of Hindu religiosity was the introduction of his four yogas model, which includesRaja yoga, his interpretation of Patanjali'sYoga sutras.[187] This offered a practical means to realise the divine force within, a central idea in modern Western esotericism.[188] His bookRaja Yoga was highly influential in the Western understanding of yoga.[189][190]
Western esotericism
Via his affiliations withKeshub Chandra Sen'sNava Vidhan,[191] theFreemasonry lodge,[192] theSadharan Brahmo Samaj,[191][34][47][48] and Sen'sBand of Hope, Vivekananda became acquainted with Westernesotericism.[193] His knowledge of Western esotericism aided his success in Western esoteric circles, beginning with his speech in 1893 at the Parliament of Religions. He adapted traditional Hindu ideas and religiosity to suit the needs and understandings of his Western audiences, particularly those familiar with Western esoteric traditions and movements such asTranscendentalism andNew thought.[194]
Vivekananda's notion ofinvolution was probably influenced by westernTheosophists, Darwin's notion of evolution, and possibly also theSamkhya termsātkarya.[195] According to Meera Nanda, "Vivekananda uses the word involution exactly how it appears in Theosophy: the descent, or the involvement, of divine consciousness into matter."[196] Theosophic ideas on involution have "much in common" with "theories of the descent of God in Gnosticism, Kabbalah, and other esoteric schools".[195] With spirit, Vivekananda refers toprana orpurusha, derived from Samkhya andclassical yoga as presented by Patanjali in theYoga sutras.[196]
Moral and social philosophy
Vivekananda linkedmorality with control of the mind, seeing truth, purity and unselfishness as traits which strengthened it.[197] He advised his followers to be holy, unselfish and to haveshraddhā (faith). Vivekananda supportedbrahmacharya,[198] believing it the source of his physical and mental stamina and eloquence.[199]
Nationalism was a prominent theme in Vivekananda's thought. He believed that a country's future depends on its people, and his teachings focused on human development.[200] He wanted "to set in motion a machinery which will bring noblest ideas to the doorstep of even the poorest and the meanest".[201]
Swami Vivekananda was one of the most influential philosophers and social reformers in his contemporary India. He is considered to be the most successful and influential missionary ofVedanta to theWestern world.[202][203]
Neo-Vedanta
Vivekananda is considered to be a representative ofNeo-Vedanta – a modern interpretation of certain aspects of Hinduism that are thought to be compatible withwestern esoteric traditions, such asTranscendentalism,New Thought andTheosophy.[3] His reinterpretation created a new understanding and appreciation of Hinduism inside and outside India,[3] and paved the way for the enthusiastic reception of other forms of Indian spiritual self-improvement in the West, such as yoga andTranscendental Meditation.[204] According toAgehananda Bharati: "...modern Hindus derive their knowledge of Hinduism from Vivekananda, directly or indirectly".[205] Vivekananda espoused the idea that all sects within Hinduism (and all religions) are different paths to the same goal.[206]
Indian nationalism
Vivekananda's nationalism gave unprecedented substance to the emergingnationalist ideal of British-ruled India. According to social reformerCharles Freer Andrews, "The Swami's intrepid patriotism gave a new colour to the national movement throughout India. More than any other single individual of that period Vivekananda had made his contribution to the new awakening of India".[207] Vivekananda drew attention to the extent of poverty in the country, and maintained that addressing such poverty was a prerequisite for national awakening.[208] His nationalistic ideas influenced many Indian thinkers and leaders.Sri Aurobindo regarded Vivekananda as the one who awakened India spiritually.[209]Mahatma Gandhi counted him among the few Hindu reformers "who have maintained this Hindu religion in a state of splendor by cutting down the dead wood of tradition".[210]
Name-giving
In September 2010, the then Union Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee, who later becamePresident of India, approved in principle the Swami Vivekananda Values Education Project at a cost of₹1 billion (US$12 million). The project's objectives included publishing Vivekananda's works in a number of languages, and involving youth with competitions, essays, discussions and study circles.[211] In 2011, the West Bengal Police Training College was renamed the Swami Vivekananda State Police Academy, West Bengal.[212] The state technical university inChhattisgarh has been named theChhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University.[213] In 2012, theRaipur airport was renamedSwami Vivekananda Airport.[214]
Celebrations
National Youth Day in India is observed on Vivekananda's birthday (12 January). The day he delivered his speech at the Parliament of Religions (11 September) is observed as "World Brotherhood Day".[215][216] The150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda was celebrated in India and abroad. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India, officially observed 2013 as the occasion in a declaration.[217]
Lectures from Colombo to Almora front cover 1897 edition
Vedanta Philosophy An address before the Graduate Philosophical Society 1901 cover page
Although Vivekananda was a powerful writer in English and Bengali,[221] most of his published works were based on lectures given at various places around the world. Since most of these lectures were delivered spontaneously and with minimal preparation, his written style often retained the variability characteristic of his speech, and could be "in turn discursive or expository, conversational or declamatory."[222] His main work,Raja Yoga, consists of his own reworking of a series of talks delivered in New York.[223]
Bartaman Bharat, meaning "Present-day India",[224] is a Bengali-language essay, first published in the March 1899 issue ofUdbodhan, the Bengali-language magazine of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. The essay was reprinted as a book in 1905 and later included in the fourth volume ofThe Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.[225][226] In this essay, Vivekananda's refrain to the readers is to honour every Indian as a brother, regardless of poverty, social status or caste.[227]
^The exact date of the meeting is unknown. Vivekananda researcher Shailendra Nath Dhar studied theCalcutta University Calendar of 1881—1882 and found in that year, examination started on 28 November and ended on 2 December[64]
^McRae quotes "[a] sectarian biography of Vivekananda,"[110] namely Sailendra Nath DharA Comprehensive Biography of Swami Vivekananda, Part One, (Madras, India: Vivekananda Prakashan Kendra, 1975), p. 461, which "describes his speech on the opening day".[111]
^According to Michael Taft, Ramakrishna reconciled the dualism of form and formless,[180] regarding the Supreme Being to be both Personal and Impersonal, active and inactive.[181] Ramakrishna: "When I think of the Supreme Being as inactive – neither creating nor preserving nor destroying – I call Him Brahman or Purusha, the Impersonal God. When I think of Him as active – creating, preserving and destroying – I call Him Sakti or Maya or Prakriti, the Personal God. But the distinction between them does not mean a difference. The Personal and Impersonal are the same thing, like milk and its whiteness, the diamond and its lustre, the snake and its wriggling motion. It is impossible to conceive of the one without the other. The Divine Mother and Brahman are one."[181]
^Sooklalmquoytes Chatterjee: "Sankara's Vedanta is known as Advaita ornon-dualism, pure and simple. Hence it is sometimes referred to as Kevala-Advaita or unqualified monism. It may also be called abstract monism in so far as Brahman, the Ultimate Reality, is, according to it, devoid of all qualities and distinctions, nirguna and nirvisesa [...] The Neo-Vedanta is also Advaitic inasmuch as it holds that Brahman, the Ultimate Reality, is one without a second,ekamevadvitiyam. But as distinguished from the traditional Advaita of Sankara, it is a synthetic Vedanta which reconciles Dvaita or dualism and Advaita or non-dualism and also other theories of reality. In this sense it may also be called concrete monism in so far as it holds that Brahman is both qualified,saguna, and qualityless,nirguna (Chatterjee, 1963 : 260)."[182]
^The Advaita Vedanta tradition in medieval times was influenced by, and incorporated elements from, the yogic tradition and texts like theYoga Vasistha and theBhagavata Purana.[185] TheYoga Vasistha became an authoritative source text in the Advaita vedanta tradition in the 14th century, while Vidyāraņya'sJivanmuktiviveka (14th century) was influenced by the(Laghu-) Yoga-Vasistha, which in turn was influenced byKashmir Shaivism.[186]
^Vivekananda, Swami (2005).Seeing beyond the circle : the lectures of Swami Vivekananda on a universal approach to meditation. [United States: Temple Universal Pub.ISBN9780977483006.
Chetananda, Swami (1997).God lived with them: life stories of sixteen monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. St. Louis, Missouri: Vedanta Society of St. Louis.ISBN0-916356-80-9.
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Heehs, Peter (2020), "Sri Aurobindo's Theory of Spiritual Evolution", in Mackenzie Brown, C. (ed.),Asian Religious Responses to Darwinism: Evolutionary Theories in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and East Asian Cultural Contexts, Springer Nature
Houghton, Walter Raleigh, ed. (1893),The parliament of religions and religious congresses at the World's Columbian exposition (3rd ed.), Frank Tennyson Neely,OL14030155M
Jackson, Carl T (1994), "The Founders",Vedanta for the West: the Ramakrishna movement in the United States, Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana University Press,ISBN978-0-253-33098-7
Kapur, Devesh (2010),Diaspora, development, and democracy: the domestic impact of international migration from India, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press,ISBN978-0-691-12538-1
Kattackal, Jacob (1982),Religion and ethics in Advaita, Kottayam, Kerala: St. Thomas Apostolic Seminary,ISBN978-3-451-27922-5
Kraemer, Hendrik (1960), "Cultural response of Hindu India",World cultures and world religions, London: Westminster Press,ASINB0007DLYAK
Madaio, James (2017), "Rethinking Neo-Vedānta: Swami Vivekananda and the Selective Historiography of Advaita Vedānta",Religions,8 (6): 101,doi:10.3390/rel8060101
Maharaj, Ayon (2020). "Śivajñāne jīver sevā: Reexamining Swami Vivekananda's Practical Vedānta in the Light of Sri Ramakrishna".Journal of Dharma Studies.2 (2):175–187.doi:10.1007/s42240-019-00046-x.S2CID202387300.
Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1963),Swami Vivekananda Centenary Memorial Volume, Kolkata: Swami Vivekananda Centenary, p. 577,ASINB0007J2FTS
Malagi, R.A.; Naik, M.K. (2003), "Stirred Spirit: The Prose of Swami Vivekananda",Perspectives on Indian Prose in English, New Delhi: Abhinav Publications,ISBN978-81-7017-150-8
McRae, John R. (1991), "Oriental Verities on the American Frontier: The 1893 World's Parliament of Religions and the Thought of Masao Abe",Buddhist-Christian Studies,11, University of Hawai'i Press:7–36,doi:10.2307/1390252,JSTOR1390252
Nanda, Meera (2010), "Madame Blavatsky's Children: Modern Hindu Encounters with Darwinism", in Lewis, James R.; Hammer, Olav (eds.),Handbook of Religion and the Authority of Science, BRILL
Nikhilananda, Swami (April 1964), "Swami Vivekananda Centenary",Philosophy East and West,14 (1), University of Hawai'i Press:73–75,doi:10.2307/1396757,JSTOR1396757
Rambachan, Anantanand (1994),The limits of scripture: Vivekananda's reinterpretation of the Vedas, Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press,ISBN978-0-8248-1542-4
Richards, Glyn (1996), "Vivekananda",A Source-Book of Modern Hinduism, Routledge, pp. 77–78,ISBN978-0-7007-0317-3
Rolland, Romain (1929a), "Naren the Beloved Disciple",The Life of Ramakrishna, Hollywood, California: Vedanta Press, pp. 169–193,ISBN978-81-85301-44-0
Rolland, Romain (1929b), "The River Re-Enters the Sea",The Life of Ramakrishna, Hollywood, California: Vedanta Press, pp. 201–214,ISBN978-81-85301-44-0
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Vrajaprana, Pravrajika (1996).A portrait of Sister Christine. Calcutta: Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture.ISBN978-81-85843-80-3.
WBEZ ChicagoCurious City podcast: In response to a listener question, a reporter explains Swami Vivekananda's Chicago connection while tracking down his missing honorary street sign.
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