Vivekananda

Indian philosopher and social reformer

• Born: January 12, 1863
• Birthplace: Calcutta, Bengal, British India (now Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
• Died: July 4, 1902
• Place of death: Belur, Bengal, British India (now Belur, West Bengal, India)

Vivekananda made the original nondualistic form of Hinduism well known in India and the West. He preached the essential unity of all religions and the need to serve humanity.

Early Life

Vivekananda (Vi-vek-ah-nawn-daw) was born Narendranath Datta, a member of a high-caste Bengali family. He adopted the monastic name Vivekananda later in life. His father, a successful attorney, was a linguist and a musician; his mother was a remarkable woman well versed in orthodox Hinduism . As a child, Naren—as he called—was a leader of his age group. He grew up proficient in several languages: Bengali, Sanskrit, Hindi, and English; later he also learned French. He also became a talented singer and dancer and could play several musical instruments well.

Along with an olive complexion and a sturdy body, he had remarkably impressive eyes. In his middle age he stood five feet, eight and one-half inches tall and weighed about 160 pounds.

In 1884, Naren passed the bachelor’s examination of Calcutta University and entered the Metropolitan Law College to become a lawyer, as his father had done. Interested in religion and philosophy from an early age, he joined the Brahmo Samaj —a religious movement working to reestablish the original monistic form of Hinduism in place of the then-common Brahminical Hinduism, a polytheistic system of belief that ordered a strictly defined caste system and restricted rights for women. In 1884, he became a freemason like his father.

In 1881, Naren met Ramakrishna Paramhansa, a charismatic religious leader who believed in the equality of all religions and was deeply versed in nondualistic Hinduism. Naren became Ramakrishna’s favorite disciple and was initiated by him into monisticity in July, 1886, shortly before Ramakrishna died. After Ramakrishna’s death, Naren gathered together all Ramakrishna’s disciples; as their new leader, he organized an order of monks based on Ramakrishna’s Vedantic teachings.

Life’s Work

During the late 1880’s, Naren studied religion, philosophy, and monastic discipline and then set off on a journey throughout India as an itinerant mendicant. Carrying no money, he lived by begging and traveled the length and breadth of India, often on foot or in bullock carts, as railroads were then few and roads were poor. During his travels he met with many of the Indian intelligentsia and highly placed officers of both the British colonial government and the princely Indian states. Wherever he went, people were impressed by his knowledge and his many talents, including his singing. He gradually made himself known to the intelligentsia of the country—especially in the south—and to many of the people in power.

In 1893, organizers of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago arranged for the Parliament of Religions to be held in the newly built Art Institute in Chicago. Vivekananda wanted to attend that meeting, and people whom he met during his travels—commoners, students, and princes alike—raised the money to buy him passage to Chicago. In May, 1893, he left by ship from Bombay, sailing to Japan; then to Vancouver, British Columbia; and finally reached Chicago at the end of July. As the Parliament of Religions would not begin for another month and his funds were running short, he traveled to Boston, where living was cheaper. There he delivered eleven public talks that were well attended, and he soon became well known. John Henry Wright, a professor of Greek at Harvard University, entertained Vivekananda as his guest for four days and wrote him a letter of introduction to take to the organizers of the Parliament of Religions.

On Vivekananda’s return to Chicago, he was accepted as a delegate to the parliament because of Wright’s recommendation and was given a place to stay with other delegates. The parliament opened on September 11, and Vivekananda’s speech had a tumultuous reception. He was recognized as the most important speaker over the next two weeks of sessions. After this success, Vivekananda was invited to speak at many places, and he traveled all over the northeastern United States and throughout the Midwest. At every place where he spoke and gave classes on Vedanta philosophy, he was met with enthusiasm, and he made many disciples in all levels of society.

In 1895, Vivekananda visited France and England and then returned to New York, where his classes were again successful. In December of that same year, he organized a committee for the propagation of Vedanta in the United States. In October, 1898, the New York Vedanta Society was launched; that body expanded to sixteen Vedanta centers throughout the United States and Canada that still existed at the turn of the twenty-first century. Eventually, Vivekananda returned to India, by way of Western Europe and Ceylon. During his journey from Ceylon to Calcutta, he was greeted with magnificent receptions at every stop, and students and even some dignitaries helped pull his cart.

Vivekananda then again traveled and lectured extensively in northern India. By the late 1890’s, his health was often poor, and he was starting to show symptoms of diabetes. During some of his travels he was accompanied by his disciples, including many from England and the United States. In May, 1897, he oversaw the creation of the Ramakrishna Mission in Calcutta. Over the succeeding years, the mission established many schools, colleges, and hospitals, and its members often assisted relief efforts during times of disasters.

Despite his failing health, Vivekananda began another journey to the West in June, 1899. He spent almost six months in California, where he established several Vedanta centers. On his return journey, he spent some time in France and England, then traveled through Europe and Egypt, before returning to Calcutta in July, 1900. On July 4, 1902, he died in Belur, Bengal.

Significance

Vivekananda significantly changed life in India. During his travels through the country, he was deeply moved by the poverty of the people, by their general mistreatment by their British rulers, and by the rigidity and inequality imposed by the prevailing version of Hinduism. In his travels abroad, he was impressed by the industry, general honesty, and work ethics of the people whom he observed in Japan, Europe, and especially the United States.

Vivekananda widely disseminated the idea of monism among the Hindus, most of whom either had polytheistic beliefs or believed in individual Hindu deities. He inspired all Indians to ideas of equality of beings and religions and to the need for education and social reform. He encouraged Indians to accept the work ethic of the West before looking for personal salvation. His call for active participation in personal and social activism has deeply influenced Indian youths since his time and has helped to bring greater equality to women and members of the so-called lower Hindu castes.

Vivekananda worked to spread his master Ramakrishna’s message of the equality of all beings and of all religions and of the nondualistic Vedanta philosophy. Through the Ramakrishna Mission, he helped organize schools, colleges, hospitals, and other socially beneficent organizations all over India. Vivekananda also carried the message of the equality of religions and human beings before the world outside India. The many Vedanta centers around the globe have continued to spread his message.

Bibliography

Burke, Marie L. Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries. 3d ed. Hollywood, Calif.: Vedanta Press, 1985. This six-volume work chronicles Vivekananda’s Western travels, focusing on his visits to the United States.

Datta, Bhupendranatha. Swami Vivekananda, Patriot-Prophet: A Study. Calcutta, India: Nababharat, 1954. An especially interesting biography written by Vivekananda’s brother, a well-known intellectual in his own right.

Eastern and Western Disciples of Vivekananda. The Life of Swami Vivekananda. 5th ed. Calcutta, India: Advaita Ashrama, 1979-    . A two-volume exhaustively detailed account of Vivekananda’s life, describing how his teachings inspired others.

Mukherjee, Jayasree. The Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Movement Impact on Indian Society and Politics (1893-1922): With Special Reference to Bengal. Calcutta, India: Firma KLM, 1997. Vivekananda’s message was not only about religious uplift; he also called for societal reform of the caste system, for female emancipation, and for independence from British rule. This book surveys the impact of his teachings on Indian society and politics.

Nikhilananda, Swami. Vivekânanda: A Biography. New York: Vivekananda Center, 1953. A chronicle of Vivekananda’s life written by Swami Nikhilananda, a member of the same monastic order as Vivekananda. Nikhilananda also was the resident minister of the New York-based Center for many years and a well-known author and philosopher.

Noble, Margaret Elizabeth. The Master as I Saw Him: Being Pages from the Life of the Swami Vivekananda [by] Sister Nivedita. Calcutta, India: Udbodhan Office, 1977. Sister Nivedita, born Margaret Noble, was an Englishwoman who became a disciple of Vivekananda and went to Calcutta, where she started a school that remains in operation today.

Prabhu’sankara. Swami Vivekananda Bibliography: A Descriptive Bibliography of Books and Articles by and on Swami Vivekananda. Mysore, India: Prasanranga, University of Mysore, 1999. Comprehensive listing of books and articles written by, and about, Vivekananda.

Radice, William, ed. Swami Vivekananda and the Modernisation of Hinduism. Delhi, India: Oxford University Press, 1998. A series of articles analyzing the impact of Vivekananda’s Vedantist teachings on classical Brahminical Hinduism.

Rolland, Romain. The Life of Vivekananda and the Universal Gospel. Hollywood, Calif.: Vedanta Press, 1987. English translation of a book by the French author who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915. Rolland recounts Vivekananda’s life and teachings, with the goal of teaching Western readers about Hindu philosophy.

Vivekananda, Swami. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. 8 vols. Calcutta, India: Advaita Ashrama, 1987. A compilation of Vivekananda’s writings, providing his comprehensive organization and consolidation of Hindu beliefs.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Teachings of Swami Vivekananda. Calcutta, India: Advaita Ashrama, 1992. A collection of quotations culled from Vivekananda’s numerous speeches and writings, tracing the evolution of his thought.