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Vivekananda

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Vivekananda (born January 12, 1863, Calcutta [now Kolkata]—died July 4, 1902, near Calcutta) was a Hindu spiritual leader and reformer in India who attempted to combine Indian spirituality with Western material progress, maintaining that the two supplemented and complemented one another. His Absolute was a person’s own higher self; to labour for the benefit of humanity was the noblest endeavour.

Born into an upper-middle-class family of the Kayastha (scribes) caste in Bengal , he was educated at a Western-style university where he was exposed to Western philosophy , Christianity , and science . Social reform became a prominent element of Vivekananda’s thought, and he joined the Brahmo Samaj (Society of Brahma), dedicated to eliminating child marriage and illiteracy and determined to spread education among women and the lower castes. He later became the most-notable disciple of Ramakrishna , who demonstrated the essential unity of all religions .

Always stressing the universal and humanistic side of the Vedas , the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism , as well as belief in service rather than dogma , Vivekananda attempted to infuse vigour into Hindu thought, placing less emphasis on the prevailing pacifism and presenting Hindu spirituality to the West. He was an activating force in the movement to promote Vedanta philosophy (one of the six schools of Indian philosophy ) in the United States and England . In 1893 he appeared in Chicago as a spokesman for Hinduism at the World’s Parliament of Religions and so captivated the assembly that a newspaper account described him as “an orator by divine right and undoubtedly the greatest figure at the Parliament.” Thereafter he lectured throughout the United States and England, making converts to the Vedanta movement.

On his return to India with a small group of Western disciples in 1897, Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission at the monastery of Belur Math on the Ganges (Ganga) River near Calcutta (now Kolkata ). Self-perfection and service were his ideals, and the order continued to stress them. He adapted and made relevant to the 20th century the very highest ideals of the Vedantic religion , and, although he lived only two years into that century, he left the mark of his personality on East and West alike.

Swami Vivekananda

Date of Birth: January12, 1863 

Place of Birth: Calcutta, Bengal Presidency (Now Kolkata in West Bengal)

Parents: Vishwanath Dutta (Father) and Bhuvaneshwari Devi (Mother)

Education: Calcutta Metropolitan School; Presidency College, Calcutta

Institutions: Ramakrishna Math; Ramakrishna Mission; Vedanta Society of New York

Religious Views: Hinduism

Philosophy: Advaita Vedanta

Publications: Karma Yoga (1896); Raja Yoga (1896); Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1897); My Master (1901)

Death: July 4, 1902

Place of Death: Belur Math, Belur, Bengal

Memorial: Belur Math, Belur, West Bengal

Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu monk and one of the most celebrated spiritual leaders of India. He was more than just a spiritual mind; he was a prolific thinker, great orator and passionate patriot. He carried on the free-thinking philosophy of his guru, Ramakrishna Paramhansa forward into a new paradigm. He worked tirelessly towards betterment of the society, in servitude of the poor and needy, dedicating his all for his country. He was responsible for the revival of Hindu spiritualism and established Hinduism as a revered religion on world stage. His message of universal brotherhood and self-awakening remains relevant especially in the current backdrop of widespread political turmoil around the world. The young monk and his teachings have been an inspiration to many, and his words have become goals of self-improvement especially for the youth of the country. For this very reason, his birthday, January 12, is celebrated as the National Youth Day in India.

Early Life and Education

Born Narendranath Dutta, into an affluent Bengali family in Calcutta, Vivekananda was one of the eight children of Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi. He was born on January 12, 1863, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Father Vishwanath was a successful attorney with considerable influence in society. Narendranath’s mother Bhuvaneshwari was a woman endowed with a strong, God-fearing mind who had a great impact on her son. 

As a young boy, Narendranath displayed sharp intellect. His mischievous nature belied his interest in music, both instrumental as well as vocal. He excelled in his studies as well, first at the Metropolitan institution, and later at the Presidency College in Calcutta. By the time he graduated from the college, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects. He was active in sports, gymnastics, wrestling and body building. He was an avid reader and read up on almost everything under the sun. He perused the Hindu scriptures like the Bhagvad Gita and the Upanishads on one hand, while on the other hand he studied western philosophy, history and spirituality by David Hume, Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Herbert Spencer.

Spiritual Crisis and Relationship with Ramkrishna Paramhansa

Although Narendranath’s mother was a devout woman and he had grown up in a religious atmosphere at home, he underwent a deep spiritual crisis at the start of his youth. His well-studied knowledge led him to question the existence of God and for some time he believed in Agnosticism. Yet he could not completely ignore the existence of a Supreme Being. He became associated with Brahmo Movement led by Keshab Chandra Sen, for some time. The Bramho Samaj recognised one God unlike the idol-worshipping, superstition-ridden Hinduism. The host of philosophical questions regarding the existence of God roiling through his mind remained unanswered. During this spiritual crisis, Vivekananda first heard about Sri Ramakrishna from William Hastie, the Principal of the Scottish Church College.

Earlier, to satisfy his intellectual quest for God, Narendranath visited prominent spiritual leaders from all religions, asking them a single question, “Have you seen God?” Each time he came away without a satisfying answer. He put forward the same question to Sri Ramkrishna at his residence in Dakshinewar Kali Temple compounds. Without a moment's hesitation, Sri Ramakrishna replied: "Yes, I have. I see God as clearly as I see you, only in a much deeper sense." Vivekananda, initially unimpressed by the simplicity of Ramkrishna, was astonished with Ramakrishna's reply. Ramakrishna gradually won over this argumentative young man with his patience and love. The more Narendranath visited Dakshineshwar, the more his questions were answered.

Spiritual Awakening

In 1884, Naredranath underwent a considerable financial distress due to the death of his father as he had to support his mother and younger siblings. He asked Ramakrishna to pray to the Goddess for the financial welfare of his family. On Ramakrishna’s suggestion he himself went to the temple to pray. But once he faced the Goddess he could not ask for money and wealth, instead he asked for ‘Vivek’ (conscience) and ‘Bairagya’ (reclusion). That day marked the complete spiritual awakening of Narendranath and he found himself drawn to an ascetic way of life.

Life of a Monk

During the middle of 1885, Ramakrishna, who had been suffering from throat cancer, fell seriously ill. In September 1885, Sri Ramakrishna was moved to Shyampukur in Culcutta, and a few months later Narendranath took a rented villa at Cossipore. Here, he formed a group of young people who were ardent followers of Sri Ramakrishna and together they nursed their Guru with devoted care. On 16 August 1886, Sri Ramakrishna gave up his mortal body.

After the demise of Sri Ramakrishna, around fifteen of his disciples including Narendranath began to live together in a dilapidated building at Baranagar in North Calcutta, which was named Ramakrishna Math, the monastic order of Ramakrishna. Here, in 1887, they formally renounced all ties to the world and took vows of monkhood. The brotherhood rechristened themselves and Narendranath emerged as Vivekananda meaning "the bliss of discerning wisdom". 

The brotherhood lived off on alms donated voluntarily by patrons during holy begging or ‘madhukari’, performed yoga and meditation. Vivekananda left the Math in 1886 and went on a tour of India on foot as a ‘Parivrajak’. He travelled the breadth of the country, absorbing much of the social, cultural and religious aspects of the people he came in contact with. He witnessed the adversities of life that the common people faced, their ailments, and vowed to dedicate his life to bring relief to these suffering.

Lecture at the World Parliament of Religions

During the course of his wanderings, he came to know about the World Parliament of Religions being held in Chicago, America in 1893. He was keen to attend the meeting, to represent India, Hinduism and his Guru Sri Ramakrishna’s philosophies. He found assertion of his wishes while he was meditating on the rocks of Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. Money was raised by his disciples in Madras (now Chennai) and Ajit Singh, Raja of Khetri, and Vivekananda left for Chicago on May 31, 1893 from Bombay.

He faced insurmountable hardships on his way to Chicago, but his spirits remained as indomitable as ever. On 11 September 1893, when the time came, he took the stage and stunned everyone with his opening line “My brothers and sisters of America”. He received a standing ovation from the audience for the opening phrase. He went on to describe the principles of Vedanta and their spiritual significance, putting Hinduism on the map of World Religions.

He spent the next two and a half years in America and founded the Vedanta Society of New York in 1894. He also travelled to the United Kingdom to preach the tenets of the Vedanta and Hindu Spiritualism to the western world.

Teachings and Ramakrishna Mission

Vivekananda returned to India in 1897 amidst warm reception from the common and royal alike. He reached Calcutta after a series of lectures across the country and founded the Ramakrishna Mission on May 1, 1897 at Belur Math near Calcutta. The goals of the Ramakrishna Mission were based on the ideals of Karma Yoga and its primary objective was to serve the poor and distressed population of the country. The Ramakrishna Mission undertook various forms of social service like establishing and running school, collages and hospitals, propagation of practical tenets of Vedanta through conference, seminars and workshops, initiating relief and rehabilitation work across the country.

His religious conscience was an amalgamation of Sri Ramakrishna’s spiritual teachings of Divine manifestation and his personal internalization of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy. He directed to achieve the divinity of the soul by undertaking selfless work, worship and mental discipline. According to Vivekananda, the ultimate goal is to achieve freedom of the soul and that encompasses the entirety of one’s religion.

Swami Vivekananda was a prominent nationalist, and had the overall welfare of his countrymen topmost in his mind. He urged his fellow countrymen to “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached”.

Swami Vivekananda had predicted that he will not live till the age of forty. On July 4, 1902, he went about his days’ work at the Belur Math, teaching Sanskrit grammar to the pupils. He retired to his room in the evening and died during meditation at around 9. He is said to have attained ‘Mahasamadhi’ and the great saint was cremated on the Banks of river Ganga. 

Swami Vivekananda revealed to the world the true foundations of India's unity as a nation. He taught how a nation with such a vast diversity can be bound together by a feeling of humanity and brother-hood. Vivekananda emphasized the points of drawbacks of western culture and the contribution of India to overcome those. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose once said: "Swamiji harmonized the East and the West, religion and science, past and present. And that is why he is great. Our countrymen have gained unprecedented self-respect, self-reliance and self-assertion from his teachings." Vivekananda was successful in constructing a virtual bridge between the culture of East and the West. He interpreted the Hindu scriptures, philosophy and the way of life to the Western people. He made them realize that in spite of poverty and backwardness, India had a great contribution to make to world culture. He played a key role in ending India's cultural isolation from the rest of the world.

Biography Online

Biography Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu monk and direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. Vivekananda played a key role in the introduction of Indian yoga and Vedanta philosophy in the West. He made a strong impression at the inaugural World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, 1893 – giving a powerful speech on the underlying unity of world religions. He taught a philosophy of traditional meditation and also selfless service (karma yoga). He advocated emancipation for Indian women and an end to the worst excess of the caste system. He is considered an important figurehead of India’s growing self-confidence and later nationalist leaders often said they were inspired by his teachings and personality.

“To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. “I will drink the ocean”, says the persevering soul; “at my will mountains will crumble up”. Have that sort of energy, that sort of will; work hard, and you will reach the goal.”

– Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was born Narendra Nath Datta on 12th January 1863 in Calcutta, Bengal, India.

As a child, the young Narendra had boundless energy, and he was fascinated with many aspects of life – especially wandering ascetics. He received a Western education at the Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar’s Metropolitan Institution. He became well versed in Western and Eastern philosophy. His teachers remarked he had a prodigious memory and tremendous intellectual capacity.

Shaped by his father’s rationality, Narendra joined the Brahmo Samaj – a modern Hindu organisation, led by Keshab Chandra Sen, which rejected idol worship.

In 1881, Narendra went to Dakshineswar with a friend to meet Sri Ramakrishna – who was widely considered a great saint and spiritual Master.

Narendra felt attracted to the magnetic personality of Sri Ramakrishna and became a regular visitor. At first, his mind could not accept the ways and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna followed a simple ‘bhakti’ (devotional) path and he was particularly devoted to Mother Kali (the Divine Mother). But, over time, Narendra’s spiritual experiences in the presence of Ramakrishna caused him to wholeheartedly accept Ramakrishna as his Guru, and he gave up the Brahmo Samaj.

In 1884, Narendra’s father died, leaving the family bankrupt. Narendra became responsible for trying to feed his family, with limited means. He later said he would often go hungry as he could not afford enough food. To the annoyance of his mother, Narendra was often too absorbed in his spiritual disciplines to make earning money a priority.

In 1886, Sri Ramakrishna passed away – just five years after meeting Narendra. Ramakrishna had chosen Narendra to be the leader of the monastic disciples. Vivekananda decided to found a math (monastery) in Belur Math

Swami Vivekananda then threw himself into intense spiritual practices. He would spend many hours in meditation and japa. In 1888, he left the monastery to become a wandering sannyasin, visiting various holy places around India. Vivekananda lived from day to day, begging for food, being immersed in his own spiritual quest. In his Completed Works , he writes of his experience

“Many times I have been in the jaws of death, starving, footsore, and weary; for days and days I had no food, and often could walk no further; I would sink down under a tree, and life would seem to be ebbing away. I could not speak, I could scarcely think, but at last the mind reverted to the idea: “I have no fear nor death; never was I born, never did I die; I never hunger or thirst. I am It! I am It!

He began accepting disciples, and in 1893, accepted an invitation to speak at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He set sail from Bombay in May, sailing first to Japan and then on to the United States. He set sail with little money and few contacts. But, helped by Professor John Wright of Harvard University and others, Vivekananda arrived in Chicago as a representative of the Hindu religion.

World Parliament of Religions

On September 11th, 1893, Vivekananda gave a short speech on the opening day of the conference. After getting up on the stage, Vivekananda bowed to Saraswati (the goddess of learning), then Vivekananda began with the greeting “Sisters and Brothers of America!” – Something in Vivekananda’s address and persona, caused the crowd of seven thousand to stand in ovation for two minutes before he continued his speech.

“It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.”

(see: speech at World Parliament of Religions)

A dominant theme of Vivekananda’s speeches was the universality and harmony of the world religions. The press covering the event frequently stated that Vivekananda was the star performer – captivating the audience with his personality and powerful speeches.

Vivekananda spent two years giving speeches in American and accepting disciples to follow his Vedanta philosophy. In 1894, he founded the Vedanta Society of New York.

In 1895, he travelled to England, where he met Professor Max Muller of Oxford University, and also Margaret Noble (later Sister Nivedita) who would become one of Vivekananda’s closest disciples.

From the US, Vivekananda began an increasing correspondence with his brother disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. He exhorted his fellow sannyasins to throw themselves into social service, helping the poorest to gain an education. This dynamism was a new strand to Indian spirituality – and a break from the older tradition of retreating from the world. Vivekananda wanted his mission to help the world both materially and spiritually.

In 1897, he returned to India to a rapturous welcome. News of his success in the West was greeted with joy and pride in India. Vivekananda was now a well-known figure. Vivekananda spoke passionately about India’s immense spiritual heritage, and also, at the same time, criticised the degeneration of India’s status, due to the caste system, lack of education, subjugation of women and old failed traditions. Vivekananda was a clarion call for India to make progress.

“Come, be men! Kick out the priests who are always against progress, because they would never mend, their hearts would never become big. They are the offspring of centuries of superstition and tyranny. Root out priest-craft first. Come, be men! Come out of your narrow holes and have a look abroad. See how nations are on the march! Do you love man? Do you love your country? Then come, let us struggle for higher and better things; look not back, no, not even if you see the dearest and nearest cry. Look not back, but forward!” –  Volume 5, Epistles – First Series, “III Alasinga” (15 May 2010)

Vivekananda created an emerging sense of national pride and national fervour; he was an influential figure in the Indian Renaissance of the late Nineteenth Century. Later Indian leaders, like Netaji, Gandhi, Pal and Tilak would all pay tribute to the inspiration of Vivekananda.

In 1899, Vivekananda returned for another visit to America to continue spreading Vedanta societies. Vivekananda then returned to India and, after failing health, passed away on 4 July 1902.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Biography of Swami Vivekananda ”, Oxford, UK – www.biographyonline.net . Last updated 12th Nov 2017.

Vivekananda – a biography

Vivekananda – a biography by Swami  Nikhilananda   at Amazon

Highly recommended.

Swami Vivekananda on Himself

Swami Vivekananda on Himself at Amazon

Related pages

• Spiritual figures
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External pages

• Swami Vivekananda Biography
• Swami Vivekananda at Vivekananda.org
• Speech at World Parliament of Religions

 External links

• Swami Vivekananda smokes with an untouchable at Sri Chinmoy Library
• The Sannyasin in America at Sri Chinmoy Library
• February 05, 2019 2:33 AM
• By Itu Mukherjee

In recent times in India, it was Swami Vivekananda alone who preached a great message which is not tied to any do’s and dont’s. Addressing one and all in the nation, he said: In every one of you there is the power of Brahmn (God); the God in the poor desires you to serve Him. This message has roused the heart of the youths in a pervasive way. That is why his message has borne fruit in the service of the nation in diverse ways and in diverse forms of renunciation. His message has, at one end at the same time, imparted dignity and respect to man along with energy and power.

• January 11, 2019 11:12 PM
• By Chakravarthy

Igniting article

• January 07, 2019 3:09 AM
• By Dr. P.K. Yagnik.

This is really an inspiring biography

• December 30, 2018 2:58 PM
• By Sneha jaiswal

Very nice article

• December 21, 2018 11:53 AM

great article sir thanks for sharing this beautyfull article.

• November 16, 2018 12:32 AM
• By simpa singh

Spiritual torch of Humankind. Vivekananda’s teachings had awesome mix of philosophy & Science. Nice post.

• October 18, 2018 7:52 AM

Very inspirational biography of Vivekanand

• October 05, 2018 5:10 AM
• By Rakesh Gupta

a very inspirational man of india would never seen again

• June 29, 2018 10:23 AM
• By dr. y. trilochana

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Biography of Swami Vivekananda

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Vivekananda

Vivekananda who was also referred to as Swami Vivekananda was originally named Narendranath Datta. He was influenced by both Indian and western culture. His exposure to Hindus deity form of worship and Christian religion often conflicted with his beliefs. This was until he accepted Ramakrishna as his guru and became a monk. His vast knowledge of culture also earned him the respect and recognition of raising interfaith awareness. He believed through his learnings from his guru that service to God can be displayed by service to humankind.

About Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda born as Narendranath Datta to father Vishwanath Datta and mother Bhubaneswari Devi on 12 January 1863, in Calcutta presently known as Kolkata, India. When he was later regarded as a patriotic saint, Swami Vivekananda Birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day. His grandfather was a Sanskrit and Persian Scholar, his father was an attorney in the high court and his mother was a homemaker and had a religious temperament. Swami Vivekananda grew up in an upper-middle-class-family. His personality and attitude were shaped by both his parents progressive, rational as well as religious approaches in life. Since his childhood, he was always interested in spirituality and meditated and prayed before the Hindu Deities.

Swami Vivekananda Background

Swami Vivekananda had a fascinating journey with his foray into spirituality. He was an excellent student. He studied anything that interests him, be it philosophy, science, history, religion or literature. He also was an avid reader of all kinds of religious texts like the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Upanishads, and the Vedas.

 At 10 when his family moved back to his birthplace after living in Raipur for 2 years he gave an entrance exam for Presidency College. He was the only student who secured 1st division marks. He was an allrounder, who was also trained in Indian classical music, and very actively participated in sports and organized events as we. His intelligence was not just in books but applied in real life and this showed when he traveled abroad. He never dismissed the western way of materialistic life rather infused his knowledge of the western world into traditional teachings. 

Due to his belief in western philosophy, he rebelled against the caste differences practiced and ingrained deeply in the Asian culture. Swami Vivekananda also joined Brahmo Samaj in 1884 which is a society founded in 1828 that adopted Christian practices and this allowed him to venture into social reform. He was determined to challenge the ideas of society by spreading the importance of education among women and the lower caste and eliminating illiteracy and child marriage. He was also actively working from 1881-1884 with Band Of Hope that helped youth step into the light and stay away from harmful habits like smoking and drinking. 

During this period in his early 20’s, he first met Ramakrishna in He detested the practices of Ramakrishna who prayed before the deity of a Hindu Goddess, Kaali.  He always questioned the forms of God and due to his western influence argued God to be a formless being. It was in 1884 when his father suddenly died and he suddenly faced the harsh realities when he learnt he had to repay many debts his father had. During this time his visits to Ramakrishna became more frequent and he actually understood his belief system that demonstrated unity in all religions. At 25 Swami Vivekananda renounced all worldly possessions to truly realize God. He became the leader after the death of his Guru in 1886.

Swami Vivekananda History 

After the death of his guru, the trustees withdrew funding and many disciples gave up the practice and went on to live the homely life whereas Swami Vivekananda was determined to build the place into a monastery and there they sat in meditation for several hours and went on with such religious practices. 2 years later from 1888-1893 he traveled extensively in India carrying only a pot, and 2 books namely the Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ. He lived off alms that he could get and got acquainted with the people by living with many scholars, and kings of all religions. 

He witnessed extreme poverty and suffering of the people and felt deep sympathy for his fellow beings. He later traveled to the West starting on 1st May 1893. Visiting Japan, China, Canada and reaching Chicago on 30th July 1893. In the Parliament Of Religions that took place in September of 1893 with the help of a Harvard Professor, John Henry Wright spoke about Hinduism and his practices in the monastery in India. He went abroad as Vivekananda and not Narendranath as suggested by Ajit Singh of Khetri, who first met him when he was teaching in the monastery and was blown away by his knowledge. Vivekananda is derived from the Sanskrit word Vivek meaning imparting wisdom and ananda means bliss. 

He was an open-minded person whose sublime message in all his teachings was nationalism. He spread the knowledge of Yoga and all the forms mentioned in the Patanjali Sutras. He also accompanied Jamsetji Tata in his travels and inspired him to set up an educational institute focused on research.

He visited the UK and the US again and during his second visit set up the Vedanta Societies, meant to be a peace retreat in San Francisco and many ashrams. He always incorporated the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita in his speeches and tried to enlighten people with the meaning of Karma Yoga which is the path of life to follow. He believed in the philosophy of doing good to others and that divinity is supreme and divinity resides in each soul. His incredible legacy is still remembered and followed. 

Swami Vivekananda Death

On 4 July 1902, Swami Vivekananda died while in a state of meditation after living his day like any other and teaching his followers and discussing the teachings with Vedic Scholars. Went to his room in the Ramakrishna Math, the monastery he built in honor of his Guru to meditate and breathe his last. His followers believed the cause of death to be the rupture of a blood vessel in his brain that happens when one attains nirvana, the highest form of spiritual enlightenment when the 7th chakra that is the crown chakra which is located on the head opens and then gains maha samadhi while meditating. The time of his death was 9:20 pm. He was cremated on a sandalwood funeral pyre on the banks of the Ganga opposite his guru.  

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FAQs on Swami Vivekananda Biography

1. Who is Swami Vivekananda?

Swami Vivekananda was a monk, Hindu spiritual leader, social reformer and a youth leader who believed in equality among every being and his teachings and philosophies reflect the same. Despite being born into a wealthy family he gave it all up to realize God and teaches the world the way to render services to God is by helping humankind. The leader who didn’t pick a side and his teachings always spoke about the act of helping and doing good to each and every one.

2. When did Swami Vivekananda die?

Swami Vivekananda died on 4th July 1902 at 9:20 pm while meditating and was cremated on the banks of Ganga. The cause of death is believed to be the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain. The rupture according to his disciples was caused due to the attainment of nirvana which basically means the highest form of spiritual enlightenment that occurs in the crown chakra located in the head, also referred to as brahmarandhra.

3. When was Swami Vivekananda born?

Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863, in Calcutta presently known as Kolkata, India, in an upper-middle-class Bengali family. Since his childhood, he had multiple cultural and religious influences due to different temperaments of his parents and grandfather and later was also intrigued by the western culture and philosophies.

4. What is the real name of Swami Vivekananda?

The real name of Swami Vivekananda is Narendranath Datta. Datta is a very common surname in Kolkata. He was given the name of Vivekananda by Ajit Singh of Khetri before he left for Chicago in 1893 to speak at the Parliament of Religion. And Vivek in Sanskrit means the one who imparts wisdom and ananda means bliss. The name Vivekananda was the name chosen and Swami is usually associated with a guru or philosopher who teaches the principles of life.

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Swami Vivekananda: A short biography

Born as Narendranath Dutta on 12 January 1863, Swami Vivekananda is considered one of the chief saints of India.

The prime disciple of 19th century Indian mystic Ramakrishna Paramhansa, he reintroduced the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world.

Naren (as he was popularly known as) was born at his ancestral home at 3 Gourmohan Mukherjee Street in British Capital Calcutta.

Son of Vishwanath Dutta, who was an attorney at the Calcutta High Court and a devout housewife Bhubaneswari Devi, Naren's upbringing was influenced by his father's liberal thinking and his mother's spiritual and religious temperament.

Swami Vivekananda was intelligent since childhood. He was the only student to have received first division marks in Presidency College entrance examination. An avid reader of various subjects, including religion, history, social science, art and literature, he also had profound interest in Puranas, Vedas and Upanishads.

Travel and philosophy

He travelled to the West bearing HIndu philosophy and introducing Indian heritage, culture and philosophy to the West. Of his many lectures, the one in Chicago at the Parliament of the World's Religion is the most revered. Here, he gave a brief speech representing India and Hinduism.

With his introductory speech, satrting "Sisters and brothers of America", Swami Vivekananda earned a 2-minute standing ovation from the crowd of seven thousand.

Swami Vivekananda attained Mahasamadhi on July 4, 1902. On this day, he woke up early, went to Belur Math and meditated there for three hours. After taking classes and discussing a planned Vedic college in Ramakrishna Math, he went to his room at 7 pm and asked not be disturbed.

[Read: National Youth Day: 15 Inspirational Quotes by Swami Vivekananda ]

He died at 9:10 pm while meditating. Medically, a rupture of a blood vessel in his brain led to the death. His disciples believe that the rupture was due to brahmarandhra (an opening in the crown of his head) being pierced when he attained mahasamādhi.

He was cremated on a sandalwood pyre on the banks of Ganga in Belur.

swami vivekananda spiritual religion

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Swami Vivekananda

A short biography.

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was the foremost disciple of  Sri Ramakrishna  and a world spokesperson for Vedanta. His lectures, letters and poems are published as  The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda . Swamiji, as Vivekananda is affectionately known, believed it was best to teach  universal principles rather than personalities. Therefore, his teaching and writing focus on Vedanta philosophy and not Sri Ramakrishna.

Vivekananda represented Hinduism at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions convened during the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. With his opening words, “Sisters and brothers of America”, Swamiji brought the crowd to its feet. Subsequently he was invited to speak all over America and Europe. In fact, most Vedanta Societies which were founded in America and Europe up through the 1930s can trace their origins directly to Vivekananda or the people who heard him speak from 1893 through 1900.

After his first visit to the West, Swami Vivekananda went back to India and founded the  Ramakrishna Order  at Belur outside of Kolkata in 1898. When he returned to the United States a few years later, he was accompanied by his brother monk Swami Turiyananda. Other brother disciples of Sri Ramrakrishna, Swamis Saradananda and Abhedananda,  followed Swamiji and taught widely.

Vivekananda was a man with a great spiritual presence and tremendous intellect who was a tireless teacher and writer. He wrote poems and hymns in Bengali, English and Sanskrit, some of which are sung daily in Vedanta centers worldwide. He was ahead of his time in encouraging women and Westerners to not only practice Vedanta, but to be leaders. Two examples are Sara Ellen Waldo who recorded and collected Swamiji’s talks at Thousand Island Park and Margaret Noble, later known as Sister Nivedita, who devoted her life not only to Vedanta but also to the education of Indian girls. The Master as I Saw Him is her account of the years she knew Swamiji.  Vivekananda initiated both women as a sannyasini and brahmacharini respectively, a radical act for the time.

Vivekananda’s main teaching in the West, and in India for that matter, is Practical Vedanta. By this the Swami stressed that religion needs to be intensely practical and carried into all areas of our lives. The primary message of Vedanta is one of oneness and that our human purpose is to realize our divine nature. Through his teachings on the four yogas, the harmony of religions, divinity of the soul, and serving humanity as God, Vivekananda gave spiritual aspirants paths to that realization. The Swami also made major contributions  to both world culture and Indian culture.

Comprehensive biographies of Swamiji include Vivekananda: a Biography by Swami Nikhilananda and The Life of Swami Vivekananda by his Eastern and Western disciples, and the 6 volume Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries by Marie Louise Burke.

Power and Repose—

A reminiscence of swami vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda’s

Southern california visit.

Key Works Of Swami Vivekananda

• The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
• Swami Vivekananda’s Speeches at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1893
• Letters of Swami Vivekananda
• Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge
• Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Love and Devotion
• Karma Yoga: The Yoga of Action
• Raja Yoga: The Yoga of Meditation

Key Works On Swami Vivekananda

• Vivekananda A Biography, by Swami Nikhilananda
• Swami Vivekananda by Eastern and Western Disciples
• The Master As I Saw Him, by Sister Nivedita
• Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda
• The Life of Vivekananda, by Romain Rolland

Quotes From Swami Vivekananda

“Religion is not in books, nor in theories, nor in dogmas, nor in talking, not even in reasoning. It is being and becoming.”

“Infinite power and existence and blessedness are ours, and we have not to acquire them; they are our own, and we have only to manifest them.”

“Be an atheist if you want, but do not believe in anything unquestioningly.”

“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.”

“I do not believe in a God or religion which cannot wipe the widow’s tears or bring a piece of bread to the orphan’s mouth.”

“This life is short, the vanities of the world are transient, but they alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.”

“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 just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”

“In judging others we always judge them by our own ideals. That is not as it should be. Everyone must be judged according to his own ideal, and not by that of anyone else.”

“He who has no faith in himself can never have faith in God.”

“The first sign that you are becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful. When a man is gloomy, that may be dyspepsia, but it is not religion.”

“The living God is within you.”

“Manifest the divinity within you and everything will be harmoniously arranged around it.”

“After so much austerity I have known that the highest truth is this: He is present in every being! These are all in manifold forms of him. There is no other God to seek for! He alone is worshipping God, who serves all beings!”

What Others Said About Him

“I have gone through Swami Vivekananda’s works very thoroughly, and after having gone through them, the love that I had for my country became a thousand-fold. …His writings need no introduction from anybody. They make their own irresistible appeal.” —Mahatma Gandhi

“Where can you find a man like him? Study what he wrote, and learn from his teachings, for if you do, you will gain immense strength. Take advantage of the fountain of wisdom, of Spirit, and of fire that flowed through Vivekananda.” —Jawaharlal Nehru

“I had the special privilege of being introduced to the writings, sayings, and life of Swami Vivekananda and the Ramakrishna Mission. That was when I was very small. In fact both my parents and specially my mother had very close connections with the Mission. And I can truly say that the words of Swami Vivekananda inspired the whole of my family, in our political work as well as in our daily lives.” —Indira Gandhi

“The book by Vivekananda is more than a pleasure, it is a broadening of the soul.” —Leo Tolstoy

“The paragon of all Unity systems is the Vedanta philosophy of India, and the paragon of Vedanta missionaries was the late Swami Vivekananda. The man is simply a wonder for oratorical power. …The swami is an honor to humanity.” —William James

“The qualities I most admire in Vivekananda are his activity, manliness and courage. …He spoke up and acted. For this, all must honor him, who, whatever be their won religious beliefs, value sincerity, truth and courage, which are the badges of every noble character.” —Sir John Woodroffe

“It is very difficult to evaluated his [Swami Vivekananda’s] importance in the scale of world history. It is certainly far greater than any Western historian or most Indian historians would have suggested at the time of his death. The passing of the years and the many stupendous and unexpected events which have occurred since then suggest that in centuries toi come he will be remembered as one of the main molders of the modern world, especially as far as Asia is concerned, and as one of the most significant figures in the whole history of Indian religion.” —A.L. Basham

“One of the very greatest historical figures that India has ever produced.” —Christopher Isherwood

Also read about:

Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Sarada Devi

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Swami Vivekananda Biography, Early Life, Education, Legacy and Death

Swami Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Dutta in Calcutta in January 1863. Read all about Swami Vivekananda Biography, Early Life, Education, Legacy and Death for UPSC exam Preparation

Table of Contents

Swami Vivekananda

Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda is regarded as one of India’s most illustrious spiritual figures. He was not merely a spiritual thinker; he was also a prolific writer, an effective orator, and a fervent nationalist. Swami Vivekananda advanced Ramakrishna Paramhansa’s free-thinking philosophy into a brand-new paradigm. He gave his all to his country, working relentlessly to improve society, serve the needy, and the underprivileged. Read all about Swami Vivekananda in this article for UPSC.

Swami Vivekanand was in charge of reviving Hindu spirituality and making Hinduism a respected religion over the world. His message of brotherhood between all people and self-awakening is still pertinent today, particularly against the backdrop of the current global political unrest. Many people have found inspiration in the young monk and his teachings, and his words—particularly for the nation’s youth—have evolved into self-improvement objectives. Because of this, India observes his birthday, January 12, as National Youth Day.

National Youth Day 2024

On January 12th, National Youth Day 2024 commemorates the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, a revered spiritual and social leader in India. This day serves as a tribute to his legacy and is dedicated to motivating young minds, fostering education, and promoting community service. The theme for National Youth Day 2024 is “Arise, Awake, and Realise the Power You Hold.” This celebration offers a platform to enlighten the youth about social consciousness, leadership, and responsibility through a diverse array of talks, events, and cultural activities. It aims to inspire and empower the younger generation to recognize and harness their potential for positive change in society.

Swami Vivekananda’s Early Life

Swami Vivekanand was one of the eight children of Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi and was born in Calcutta as Narendranath Dutta into a wealthy Bengali family. On January 12, 1863, the day of Makar Sankranti, he was born. Father Vishwanath was a prominent member of society and a successful lawyer. Mother Bhuvaneshwari, who had a powerful, godly mind, had a significant influence on her son Narendranath.

Swami Vivekananda Education

Narendranath was a bright little boy who showed intelligence. His playful demeanour belied his love of vocal and instrumental music. His academic performance was outstanding both at the Metropolitan institution and the Presidency College in Calcutta. By the time he received his college degree, he had broadened his knowledge of several subjects.

He participated in athletics, wrestling, gymnastics, and bodybuilding. He read voraciously and learned practically everything there was to know. He studied western philosophy, history, and spirituality by David Hume, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and Herbert Spencer in addition to Hindu scriptures like the Bhagvad Gita and the Upanishads.

Swami Vivekananda Biography

Despite growing up in a religious environment at home and having a pious mother, Narendranath experienced a severe spiritual crisis in his early years. His in-depth understanding caused him to begin to doubt the existence of God, and for a while, he held an agnostic belief. However, he was unable to deny the presence of a Supreme Being.

For a while, he was involved with the Keshab Chandra Sen-led Brahmo Movement. Unlike the idol-worshipping, superstitious Hinduism, the Bramho Samaj recognized only one God. He was left with a plethora of unsolved philosophical issues about whether God existed. Vivekananda first learned of Sri Ramakrishna during this period of spiritual difficulty through William Hastie, the Principal of the Scottish Church College.

Swami Vivekananda Lecture at World Parliament

He learned about the World Parliament of Religions, which took place in Chicago, America, in 1893, while he was travelling. In order to represent India, Hinduism, and his Guru Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings, he was eager to attend the gathering. While contemplating on the rocks of Kanyakumari, India’s southernmost tip, he experienced the affirmation of his wishes. On May 31, 1893, Vivekananda, Raja of Khetri, and Ajit Singh departed from Bombay for Chicago after money was donated by his followers in Madras (now Chennai).

On his journey to Chicago, he endured unfathomable challenges, yet his enthusiasm never wavered. When it was time, on September 11, 1893, he entered the platform and startled everyone with the words “My brothers and sisters of America.” The audience applauded him standing ovation for the opening sentence. He continued by elaborating on Vedanta’s philosophical foundations and their spiritual relevance, putting Hinduism on the map of major world religions.

He stayed in America for the following 2.5 years, starting the Vedanta Society of New York in 1894. He also went to the UK to spread the teachings of Hindu Spiritualism and Vedanta to the western world.

Swami Vivekananda Legacy

The actual pillars of India’s national unity were unveiled to the world by Swami Vivekananda. He demonstrated how a country with such a wide range of cultures can be brought together by a sense of brotherhood and humanity. Vivekananda addressed the shortcomings of western civilization as well as India’s role in overcoming them. Swamiji brought together the East and the West, religion and science, the past and the present, as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose famously said. He is great because of this.

His lessons have helped our countrymen develop unparalleled levels of self-respect, self-reliance, and self-assertion. Vivekananda was effective in creating a fictitious link between Eastern and Western cultures. He provided Westerners with interpretations of Hindu scriptures, philosophy, and way of life. He helped them understand that, despite its underdevelopment and poverty, India had a significant cultural contribution to contribute. He was instrumental in breaking India’s cultural barrier to the rest of the globe.

Swami Vivekananda Death

It was predicted by Swami Vivekananda that he would not live past the age of forty. He continued his day’s work at the Belur Math, instructing the students in Sanskrit grammar, on July 4, 1902. In the evening, he retired to his room, and about nine, he passed away while meditating. The renowned saint was burned on the banks of the Ganges after allegedly achieving “Mahasamadhi.”

Swami Vivekananda UPSC

• Swami Vivekananda was born in Calcutta in January 1863 as Narendranath Dutta.
• Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who later served as Swami Vivekananda’s Guru, had an influence on him.
• As a monk, Swami Vivekananda traversed all of India and the West.
• Especially Advaita Vedanta and Yoga philosophies, his works and lectures significantly contributed to the propagation of Hindu philosophy in the West..
• He formally took monastic vows in 1886.
• Swami Vivekananda founded numerous Mathas in India, with the Belur Math in Belur, Howrah district, being the most significant.
• The Ramakrishna Mission was established by Swami Vivekananda in May 1897.
• Swami Vivekananda passed away in West Bengal’s Belur Math in 1902.

Swami Vivekananda FAQs

Q) What was Swami Vivekananda famous for?

Ans. The most famous speech given by Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) during the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, in which he introduced Hinduism to America and appealed for religious tolerance and an end to extremism, is what makes him famous in the United States.

Q) What is Swami Vivekananda story?

Ans. In the midst of the Makar Sankranti festival on January 12, 1863, in his ancestral house at 3 Gourmohan Mukherjee Street in Calcutta, the capital of British India, Vivekananda was born Narendranath Datta. He was one of nine siblings in a conventional family.

Q) Was Vivekananda a freedom fighter?

Ans. Swami Vivekananda served as one of the most inspiring intellectual fervor behind the Indian freedom struggle.

Q) What is the slogan of Vivekananda?

Ans. A slogan by Swami Vivekananda is ‘arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.

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What was Swami Vivekananda famous for?

The most famous speech given by Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) during the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions, in which he introduced Hinduism to America and appealed for religious tolerance and an end to extremism, is what makes him famous in the United States.

What is Swami Vivekananda story?

In the midst of the Makar Sankranti festival on January 12, 1863, in his ancestral house at 3 Gourmohan Mukherjee Street in Calcutta, the capital of British India, Vivekananda was born Narendranath Datta. He was one of nine siblings in a conventional family.

Was Vivekananda a freedom fighter?

Swami Vivekananda served as one of the most inspiring intellectual fervor behind the Indian freedom struggle.

What is the slogan of Vivekananda?

A slogan by Swami Vivekananda is 'arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached

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Swami Vivekananda Biography: Early Life, Education, Works, Teachings and Famous Quotes

National youth day 2024: it is celebrated on 12 january to commemorate the birth anniversary of swami vivekananda. he was a great thinker, a great orator, and a passionate patriot. on national youth day, read more about swami vivekananda's early life, education, works, teachings, philosophy books, etc.      .

National Youth Day 2024: It is celebrated on 12 January to honor the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda is a name that does not require any sort of introduction. He is an influential personality who is credited with enlightening the western world about Hinduism. He represented Hinduism in the Parliament of Religions in 1893 in Chicago and due to this an unknown monk of India suddenly leaped into fame. National Youth Day is observed on 12 January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda founded Ramakrishna Mission on 1 May 1897 for one's own salvation and for the welfare of the world. Do you know his lectures, writings, letters, and poems are published as The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda? He always focuses on teaching universal principles rather than personalities. He had tremendous intellect. His unique contributions always enlighten and awaken us. He was a spiritual leader and social reformer. 

"All the powers in the universe are already our. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark."- Swami Vivekananda

If anyone wants to study the origin of the Vedanta movement in America then study Swami Vivekananda travels across the US. He was a great thinker, great orator, and passionate patriot. It is not wrong to say that he was more than just a spiritual mind.

READ| National Youth Day 2024: Date, Theme, History, Significance, Celebrations on Rashtriya Yuva Diwas

Born: 12 January, 1863

Place of Birth: Kolkata, India

Childhood Name: Narendranath Dutta

Father: Vishwanath Dutta

Mother: Bhuvaneshwari Devi

Education: Calcutta Metropolitan School; Presidency College, Calcutta

Religion: Hinduism

Guru: Ramakrishna

Founder of : Ramakrishna Mission (1897), Ramakrishna Math, Vedanta Society of New York

Philosophy: Advaita Vedanta

Literary works: Raja Yoga (1896), Karma Yoga (1896), Bhakti Yoga (1896), Jnana Yoga, My Master (1901), Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1897)

Death: 4 July, 1902

Place of Death: Belur Math, Belur, Bengal

Memorial: Belur Math. Belur, West Bengal

Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863, in Kolkata (earlier Calcutta). He was a spiritual leader and social reformer. His lectures, writings, letters, poems, and ideas motivated not only the youth of India but also the whole world. He is the founder of Ramakrishna Mission and Belur Math in Calcutta, which are still working towards helping the needy. He was a man of wisdom and a very simple human being. 

"Arise, awake and stop not until the goal is achieved" - Swami Vivekananda

READ|  Top 51+ Swami Vivekananda Quotes for Inspiration and Motivation

Swami Vivekananda: Life History and Education

Source: www. medium.com

Vivekananda's childhood name was Narendranath Dutta, belonged to an affluent Bengali family in Calcutta. He was one of the eight children of Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvneshwari Devi. On the occasion of Makar Sankranti, he was born on 12 January 1863 . His father was an attorney and an influential personality in society. Vivekananda's mother was a woman who has faith in God and has a great impact on his son.

At the age of eight in 1871, Vivekananda was enrolled at Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's Institution and later at the Presidency College in Calcutta. He was exposed to Western philosophy, Christianity, and science. He had an interest in music both instrumental as well as vocal. He was active in sports, gymnastics, wrestling, and bodybuilding. He was also fond of reading and by the time he had completed his graduation from college, he had acquired a vast knowledge of various subjects. Do you know on the one hand he read Hindu scriptures like Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads and on the other hand western philosophies and spirituality by David Hume, Herbert Spencer, etc?

“Be an atheist if you want, but do not believe in anything unquestioningly.”- Swami Vivekananda

READ|  Why is Swami Vivekananda's birthday celebrated as National Youth Day?

Spiritual Crisis and met with Ramakrishna Paramhansa

Source: www. swamishivapadananda.typepad.com

He had grown up in a religious family but studied several religious books and his knowledge led him to question the existence of God and sometimes he believed in Agnosticism. But he could not completely deny the fact about the supremacy of God. In 1880 , he joined Keshab Chandra Sen's Nava Vidhan and also became a member of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj led by Keshab Chandra Sen and Debendranath Tagore.

Brahmo Samaj recognized one God, unlike idol worship. Several questions were running through the mind of Vivekananda and during his spiritual crisis, he first heard about Shri Ramakrishna from William Hastie, the Principal of the Scottish Church College. He finally met Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa at Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and Vivekananda asked him a question, "Have you seen God?" which he had asked so many spiritual leaders but was not satisfied. But when he asked Ramakrishna, he gave such a simple answer that "Yes, I have. I see God as clearly as I see you, only in a much deeper sense". After this Vivekananda started visiting Dakshineshwar and got several answers to the questions that were in his mind.

When Vivekananda's father died, the whole family faced a financial crisis. He went to Ramakrishna and asked him to pray for his family but Ramakrishna refused and told Vivekananda to pray himself in front of Goddess Kali. He could not ask for wealth, or money but instead of it, he asked for conscience and reclusion. That day he was marked with a spiritual awakening and a way of ascetic life was started. This was the turning point in his life and accepted Ramakrishna as his Guru.

“Take risks in your life. If you win, you can lead, if you lose, you can guide.” Swami Vivekananda

In 1885 , Ramakrishna developed throat cancer and was transferred to Calcutta and then later to a garden house in Cossipore. Vivekananda and other disciples of Ramakrishna took care of him. On 16 August 1886 , Shri Ramakrishna gave up his mortal body. Narendra was taught that the service to men was the most effective worship of God. After the demise of Ramakrishna, fifteen of his disciples including Narendranath began to live together at Baranagar in North Calcutta, which was named Ramakrishna Math . In 1887 , all the disciples took vows of monkhood and Narendranath emerged as Vivekananda which is "the bliss of discerning wisdom." All of them performed yoga and meditation. Further, Vivekananda left the math and decided to tour the whole of India on foot which came to be known as 'Parivrajak'. He saw several social, cultural, and religious aspects of the people and also saw what common people faced in their daily life, their sufferings, etc.

Swami Vivekananda attended the World Parliament of Religions

When he came to know about the World Parliament that was organised in Chicago, America. He was keen to attend the meeting, to represent India and his Guru's philosophies. After various troubles, he attended the Religious meeting. On 11 September, 1893 , he came upon the stage and stunned everyone while saying "My brothers and sisters of America". For this, he received a standing ovation from the audience. He described the principles of Vedanta, their spiritual significance, etc. He stayed around two and a half years in America itself and founded the Vedanta Society of New York. He also travelled to the United Kingdom to preach the philosophies, spiritualism, and principles of Vedanta.

“Learn everything that is good from others but bring it in, and in your own way absorb it; do not become others.” Swami Vivekananda

READ|  Ramakrishna Mission and Vivekananda: Contribution to Social Reform

He founded Ramakrishna Mission

Around 1897 , he returned to India and reached Calcutta where he founded Ramakrishna Mission on 1 May 1897 at Belur Math. The goals of the mission were based on Karma Yoga and its main objective was to serve the poor and suffering or disturbed population of the country. Several social services are also performed under this mission like establishing schools, colleges, and hospitals. Teachings of Vedanta were also provided through conferences, seminars, and workshops, rehabilitation work across the country.

Let us tell you that Vivekananda's teachings were mostly based on Ramakrishna's spiritual teachings of Divine manifestations and his personal internalization of the Advaita Vedanta Philosophy. According to him, the ultimate goal of life is to achieve the freedom of the soul and that encompasses the entirety of one's religion.

He predicted that he will not live till the age of 40. Therefore, on 4 July 1902, he died while doing meditation. He is said to have attained 'Mahasamadhi' and was cremated on the Banks of the river Ganga.

“A man is not poor without a rupee but a man is really poor without a dream and ambition.” Swami Vivekananda

Key Works of Swami Vivekananda

- The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

- Swami Vivekananda’s Speeches at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1893

- Letters of Swami Vivekananda

- Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge

- Yoga: The Yoga of Love and Devotion

- Yoga: The Yoga of Action

- Raja Yoga: The Yoga of Meditation

Key Works on Swami Vivekananda

- Vivekananda A Biography, by Swami Nikhilananda

- Swami Vivekananda by Eastern and Western Disciples

- The Master As I Saw Him, by Sister Nivedita

- Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda

- The Life of Vivekananda, by Romain Rolland

No doubt Swami Vivekananda's teachings not only motivated the youth but also the whole world. He laid the true foundations of India's unity as a nation. He taught us how to live together with so many diversities. He was successful in constructing a virtual bridge between the culture of the East and the West. He played a key role in isolating India's culture from the rest of the World.

“Take up one idea, make that one idea your life, think of it, dream of it, let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” Swami Vivekananda

Get here current GK and GK quiz questions in English and Hindi for India , World, Sports and Competitive exam preparation. Download the Jagran Josh Current Affairs App .

• What are the key works of Swami Vivekananda? + Swami Vivekananda's key works are - The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, - Swami Vivekananda’s Speeches at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago, 1893 - Letters of Swami Vivekananda - Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge - Yoga: The Yoga of Love and Devotion, etc.
• What is the childhood name of Swami Vivekananda? + Swami Vivekananda was an inspiring personality and was famous in the whole world. He was born on 12 January 1863, in Calcutta (now Kolkata). His childhood name was Narendranath Dutta, belonged to an affluent Bengali family in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was one of the eight children of Vishwanath Dutta and Bhuvneshwari Devi.
• What is Swami Vivekananda known for? + Swami Vivekananda is best known for his groundbreaking speech to the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in which he introduced Hinduism to America and called for religious tolerance.
• When is National Youth Day celebrated and why? + National Youth Day is celebrated on 12 January to honour the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
• Who founded the Ramakrishna Mission? + Ramakrishna Mission was founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897 with two-fold purpose namely to spread the teachings of Vedanta as embodied in the life of the Hindu saint Ramakrishna and to improve the social conditions of the Indian people.
• When was Swami Vivekananda born? + Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 in Kolkata, India.
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Life Story of Famous People

Short Bio » Religious Leader » Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was an Indian Hindu Monk , Hindu revivalist, Vedanta philosopher. He is also the founder of Ramakrishna Vedanta Math. He is mainly famous for his great address at the Parliament of the World’s Religion in Chicago in 1893. Indian people often give him the credit for raising Hinduism as a world heritage. The government of India celebrates his birthday as National Youth Day.

Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 in Calcutta. His family name was Narendranath Datta. His father Vishwanath Datta was an attorney in Calcutta High Court, and his mother Bhubaneshwari Devi was a housewife. From his childhood days, he was aware of the religious environment around him. He often used to meditate in front of different deities.

Narendranath began his school in 1871 at Metropolitan Institute of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. He also passed entrance examination with the first-class from presidency college. He often read various kinds of text including literature, philosophy, history, religion, sociology and art. Swami Vivekananda was also attracted to the Hindu scriptures like the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, The Mahabharata etc. Additionally, he studied contemporary western philosophy and practiced classical music.

His religious thinking began when he came into the influence of the Brahmo Samaj. He liked the reformist approach and anti-superstition movements led by the Samaj. But the kind of puritanism of the Samaj did not attract him. The event of meeting with Ramakrishna Paramhansa, a prominent sage changed his life forever.

Narendranath’s father died suddenly in 1884. This incident left his family into huge crisis. He tried to serve his bankrupt family. And then he began to meet Ramakrishna. His views towards religion and spiritualism changed forever.  Ramakrishna died in 1886. Then Narendra and his fellow youths formed the ‘Ramkrishna Math’. Narendra took a new name ‘Viveknanda’. After that, he started to travel as a monk in different places of India. After that, he went to the USA in 1893 and delivered the address at the ‘Parliaments of Religions’ in Chicago. In his address, his graceful calling ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’ attracted all the audiences. He then delivered many lectures in UK and USA.

Vivekananda returned to India in 1897 and founded ‘Ramkrishna Mission’ at Calcutta. He Started to work to reduce poverty, eliminate caste system, promoting industrialization, raise nationalism to end colonialism. Additionally, Swami Vivekananda achieved a great honor as a saint of modern day Hinduism all over India. He died on 4 July in 1902 in Belur, West Bengal.

• Born: January 12, 1863, Kolkata, India
• Died: July 4, 1902, Belur, India
• Guru: Ramakrishna
• Education: Scottish Church College (1884)

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Vivekananda: A Biography

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Essay on Swami Vivekananda for Students and Children

500+ words essay on swami vivekananda.

Born as Narendranath Dutta on 12 th January 1863 in the holy and divine place of Kolkata, Swami Vivekananda was a great Indian saint. He was a figure with “high thinking and simple living”. He was a great pious leader, a philosopher, and also a devout personality with great principles.  His eminent philosophical works comprise of “Modern Vedanta” and “Raj Yoga”. He was a principal disciple of “Ramkrishna Paramhansa” and was an initiator of Ramkrishna Math and Ramkrishna Mission . He thus spent his whole life in the dispersion of the values embedded in the great Indian culture.

Childhood Days

Swami Vivekananda , the son of Shri Vishwanath and mother Bhuvneshwari Devi was called by the name “Narendranath Dutta” in the early days. Narendra was a child of unquestioned expertise and intellectual capability who used to take grasp of all his school teachings at first sight.

This excellence was recognized by his Gurus and thus was named “Shrutidhar” by them. He possessed manifold talents and skills comprising of swimming, wrestling which were a part of his schedule. Influenced by the teachings of Ramayana and Mahabharata, he had bottomless respect for religion. “Pavan Putra Hanuman” was his ideal for life.

Narendra was a lover of heroism and mystical by nature. Despite his upbringing in a spiritual family, he owned an argumentative personality in his infancy. His entire beliefs were assisted by an apt rationale and judgment behind them. Such a quality made him even put a question on the existence of the Almighty. He thus visited several saints and asked each one “have you seen God?”His spiritual quest left unanswered until he met “Ramkrishna Paramhansa”.

Meeting with Ramkrishna Paramhansa and Harmonization of Indian Culture

Swami Vivekananda met Ramkrishna Paramhansa for the first time when the latter visited his friend’s residence in Kolkata. Conscious of the supernatural powers of Swami Vivekananda called him to Dakshineshwar. He had a deep insight that Swamiji’s birth was a boon to mankind for the upliftment of the universe. Fulfillment of his spiritual inquisitiveness made he finally acknowledge Ramkrishna Paramhansa in the figure of his “Guru”. He was moved from darkness to illumination by his “Guru”. As his deep gratitude and reverence for his Guru made him travel all the four directions for the diffusion of his Guru’s teachings.

Swamiji won the hearts of everyone by his incredible speech at Chicago by addressing the audience as “Sisters and Brothers of America”

Vivekananda quoted these words” I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal tolerance but we accept all religions as true.” Thus, he set forward the worth of Indian religion exhibiting the values of universal acceptance, oneness, and harmony despite multiplicity in cultures.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose once said,” Swamiji harmonized the East and the West, religion, and science, past and the present and that is why he is great.” He played a prominent role in ending India’s cultural remoteness from the rest of the world.

A figure of highest ideals and great thoughts, Swamiji was an inspiration for the Youth of India.  Through his teachings he wanted to fill the young brains with the powers of self-realization, character formation, to recognize inner strengths, service to others, an optimistic outlook, tireless efforts and a lot more.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Other Great Works by Swami Vivekananda

His famous quotations include, “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.” He also added that anything making a child physically, intellectually and spiritually weak must be rejected as a poison. He also emphasized on an education that leads to character formation.

His establishment of “Ramkrishna Math” and “Ramkrishna Mission” was a sign of “Guru Bhakti”, his sacrifice, austerity, and service of the poor and the downtrodden people of India. He was also a founder of Belur Math.

He spread the message of divinity and the true aims of scriptures. This great patriotic monk of the Mother Earth took his last breath on 4 th July 1902 at Belur Math.

Swamiji carried the messages of the rich and varied heritage of Indian culture and Hinduism, non-duality, selfless love, and service towards the nation. His mesmerizing personality with the highest virtues illuminated the young minds. His teachings aroused the realization of the power of the soul in them.

Thus, we celebrate his “Avtaran Divas” 12 th January, as the National Youth Day with great zeal and enthusiasm.

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7 Stories from Swami Vivekananda's Life | Master's Words

Sadhguru looks at a few Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa stories that can serve as an inspiration and guiding light to spiritual seekers.

Swami Vivekananda was born Narendra Nath Datta to Vishwanath Datta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi, in Kolkata on 12th January, 1863. By the time he passed on at the Belur Mutt, on July 4, 1902, he had launched a revolution that still resonates around the world today. As a vehicle for his Guru’s message, he has been an inspiration for youth around the world for over a century.

In this article, Sadhguru looks at a few incidents from Swami Vivekananda’s life, that illustrate his relationship with his Guru and the message he carried.

1.Swami Vivekananda And Kali

Ramakrishna had a very different kind of attachment towards Vivekananda because he saw him as a means to take his message to the world. By himself, Ramakrishna could not do it and so he saw Vivekananda as a vehicle.

People around Ramakrishna did not understand why he was so mad about Vivekananda. If Vivekananda did not come to see him even for a day, Ramakrishna would go looking for him because he knew that this boy had the necessary perception to transmit. Vivekananda was equally mad about Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He did not look for any employment, he did not do anything that people of his age are normally supposed to do. He just followed Ramakrishna all the time.

There is a very wonderful incident which occurred in Vivekananda’s life. One day, his mother was very ill and on her deathbed. Now it suddenly struck Vivekananda that there was no money in his hands and he was unable to provide her with the necessary medicine or food. It made him very angry that he was unable to take care of his mother when she was really sick. When a man like Vivekananda gets angry, he gets really angry. He went to Ramakrishna – there was nowhere else to go, even if he got angry, that was where he went.

He told Ramakrishna “All this nonsense, this spirituality, where is it getting me? If I was employed and had done the things that I was supposed to do, today I could have taken care of my mother. I could have given her food, I could have given her medicine, I could have given her comfort. Where has this spirituality taken me?”

Ramakrishna being a worshiper of Kali, had a Kali shrine in his house. He said “Does your mother need medicine and food? Why don’t you go and ask the Mother for what you want?” It sounded like a good idea to Vivekananda and he went into the shrine.

After about an hour, he came out and Ramakrishna asked, “Did you ask the Mother for food, money and whatever else your mother needs?”

Vivekananda replied, “No, I forgot.”

Ramakrishna said, “Go back inside again and ask.”

Vivekananda went into the shrine again and came back after four hours. Ramakrishna questioned him, “Did you ask the Mother?”

Vivekananda said “No, I forgot.”

Ramakrishna again said. “Go inside again and this time, don’t forget to ask.”

Vivekananda went inside and after almost eight hours, he came out. Ramakrishna again asked him, “Did you ask the Mother?”

Vivekananda said “No, I will not ask. I have no need to ask.”

Ramakrishna replied “That’s good. If you had asked for anything in the shrine today, this would have been the last day between you and me. I would not have seen your face ever again, because an asking fool does not know what life is about. An asking fool has not understood the very fundamentals of life.”

Prayerfulness is a certain quality. If you become prayerful, if you become worshipful, it is a fantastic way to be. But if you are praying with an expectation that you will get something, then it is not going to work for you.

2.The Proof Of God

When he was just 19 years of age, Vivekananda was a very logical, intellectual boy, and was full of fire. He wanted proper answers for everything. He came to Ramakrishna and asked, “You are talking God, God all the time. Where is the proof? Show me the proof!” Ramakrishna was so simple. He was not an educated man. He was a mystic, not a scholar. So he said, “I am the proof.”

Vivekananda did not know what to say because this was just utterly crazy. He was expecting some great intellectual explanation – “The proof of God is the seed sprouting and the planet spinning.” But Ramakrishna said, “I am the proof God exists.” “The way I am is the proof” – that is what Ramakrishna was saying. Vivekananda did not know what to say and he left.

Three days later, he came back and asked, “Okay, can you show me God?” Ramakrishna asked, “Do you have the courage to see?” The brave boy said, “Yes” because this was tormenting him. So Ramakrishna just placed his foot on Vivekananda’s chest and Vivekananda went into a certain period of samadhi where he was beyond the limitations of the mind. He did not come out of it for almost 12 hours and when he did, he was never the same boy again. He never asked another question in his life after that.

3.Vivekananda Gets Sharada’s Blessings

Unless you are a devotee, life should not open for you, because if it opens for you, you will only cause damage to yourself and everyone else. Knowledge in India was never ever handed over to a person who lacked devotion.

There is a beautiful incident in Vivekananda’s life. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had passed on and Vivekananda gathered a band of young people, travelling throughout India, trying to build the nation and change the face of the country. Then someone told him that the Parliament of Religions was happening in Chicago, United States. They suggested he go there because no one was listening to him here. Nobody was! One young man running from place to place, trying to talk about big things which are not written in the scripture – who is willing to listen? They said, “You go and shake them there. If you shake them there, everyone here will take note of you.”

When he was about to leave for the West – the first time he was going to the United States to take the message of Ramakrishna – he went to Sharada, Ramakrishna’s wife, to seek her blessings.

She was cooking when he came. Sharada was humming a tune. It was very common for Indian women, particularly when they were cooking, to sing. Not anymore because many people play the iPad now, but earlier, one of the greatest things you could do was to cook well with utmost love and serve it to people. It was the greatest satisfaction for them to see someone eating well. Cooking was such a joyful, elaborate process. For a 20-30 minute meal, they would spend a minimum of three to four hours on it and they would always be singing. At least my mother was singing all the time.

When he came and said, “I want to go to the United States to take my master’s message to the whole world,” she did not respond. Then suddenly she said, “Naren, give me that knife.” Vivekananda handed over the knife to her and gave it to her in a particular way. Then Sharada said, “You may go, you have all my blessings.” Then he asked, “Why did you wait so long and first of all, why did you ask for the knife? You have finished cutting the vegetables.” She said, “I just wanted to see what you are after the master is gone. Now, the way you gave me the knife showed you are fit to go, you are fit to carry the master’s message.”

4.Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna’s Message

You can always see that most masters are not capable of becoming famous by themselves. They need one good disciple to carry the message because the master himself may not be very good with the ways of the world. Today, everyone is talking about Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Ramakrishna was a very crystallized consciousness. A phenomenon. But at the same time, on the worldly level, he was totally uneducated. By himself, he would have been a lost, forgotten flower if Vivekananda had not come. So many flowers bloom, but how many of them get recognized?

5.Swami Vivekananda On Prayer

Swami Vivekananda once said, “Kicking a football will take you closer to the Divine than any amount of prayer.” It is true, because you cannot play football unless you are absolutely involved . There is no personal intention in this, just involvement. What you can do and what you cannot do is already set and you have been trained for many years. Now it is just a question of involvement , no intention.

With prayer, after sometime you might be doing the prayer while you do so many other things – you could be doing whatever you want. In India, they made the prayers very complex – not just verbal, so that you have to involve yourself because they have seen all this “telling the prayer” business for thousands of years. They know what people will do so they made the prayer so complex, a whole procedure that you have to remember and act out properly, otherwise it is sacrilege. When that level of complexity is there, you cannot be doing something else during the prayer. So in that way a football game gets you into that level of involvement where you cannot be doing something else at all. Doing something else is totally absent and gone in you because you cannot do anything else, there is so much involvement in this.

In a soccer game, you have to learn to use your feet like a surgeon’s scalpel. This is a game which particularly demands a certain level of involvement because the limbs with which you handle the ball and the limbs with which you transport yourself at full speed are the same, and you have to avoid the ten other people who are trying to do everything that they can do with you. You have to dodge people, you have to take the ball, you have to be running at full speed; your feet must be as efficient as a surgeon’s scalpel because at that speed, at that activity, to direct the ball takes a phenomenal amount of skill. It takes a certain level of involvement where you are almost mindless.  

If you do something with total involvement, you will see, there is just action – the mind is somewhere else. So in a soccer game, the players reach that kind of a state very often because it is all in one thing. That is the reason why it grabs half the world when things are being played intensely. There is a certain kind of transcendence – it is not really a spiritual transcendence, but there is a certain going beyond one’s limitations which sets fire to everybody else.  

6.Swami Vivekananda On Women

Once, a certain social reformer went to Vivekananda and asked, “It is great that you also support women, what shall I do? I want to reform them. I want to support this.” Then Vivekananda said, “Hands off. You do not have to do anything about them; just leave them alone. They will do what they have to do.” This is all that is needed. It is not that a man has to reform a woman. If he just gives room, she will do what is necessary.  

7.Swami Vivekananda’s Vision

When I was twelve or thirteen years of age, I happened to come across some literature in which Swami Vivekananda said, “Give me hundred truly dedicated people and I will change the face of this country.” At that time it seems there were two hundred and thirty million people in this country, but he could not find a hundred truly dedicated people. I thought, “What a tragedy! A man like Vivekananda is a phenomenon. He does not happen every day. When he comes, we could not even give him a hundred people in this vast country.” To me, it seemed like a great tragedy for this culture and this country.

One person had tremendous vision and because of one person's vision, so many things have happened. Even today, in his name, so much is happening for human wellbeing. A lot has happened because of his vision. All the others who lived at that time, where are they? But his vision is still working in some way. Much wellbeing has come because of it.

If thousands of people had carried the same vision , much better things would have happened. One Gautama Buddha or one Vivekananda having vision is not sufficient. Only when a large section of the population has vision, really beautiful things will happen in society.

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Indian Thinker: Swami Vivekanand (1863-1902)

• 16 Nov 2018
• GS Paper - 1
• GS Paper - 4
• Contribution of Moral Thinkers and Philosophers

About Swami Vivekananda

• Swami Vivekananda was born Narendra Nath Datta, on 12th January, 1863.
• He was a monk and chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa.
• He introduced Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the world stage during the late 19th century.
• It was based on Upanishads and their interpretation.
• Its aim was to enquire about ‘Brahman’ (ultimate reality) which was the central concept of Upanishads .
• It saw Veda as the ultimate source of information and whose authority could not be questioned.
• It emphasized on path of knowledge (jnana) as opposed to that of sacrifice (karma).
• Ultimate aim of knowledge was 'Moksha' i.e. liberation from 'sansara' .
• He established Ramakrishna Mission in 1987, named after his Guru Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa. The institution did extensive educational and philanthropic work in India.
• He also represented India in the first Parliament of Religion held in Chicago (U.S.) in 1893.

Core Values Of Swami Vivekanand’s Philosophy

• Morality in both individual life and social life is mostly based on fear of societal censure.
• But Vivekananda gave a new theory of ethics and new principle of morality based on the intrinsic purity and oneness of the Atman.
• Ethics according to Vivekananda was nothing but a code of conduct that helps a man to be a good citizen.
• We should be pure because purity is our real nature, our true divine Self or Atman.
• Similarly, we should love and serve our neighbours because we are all one in the Supreme Spirit known as Paramatma or Brahman.
• One of the most significant contributions of Swami Vivekananda to the modern world is his interpretation of religion as a universal experience of transcendent Reality, common to all humanity.
• This universal conception frees religion from the hold of superstitions, dogmatism, priest craft and intolerance.
• He believed that every religion offered a pathway to the eternal supreme – supreme freedom, supreme knowledge, supreme happiness.
• This can be accomplished by realising one’s ATMA as part of PARAMATMA.
• Swami Vivekananda laid the greatest emphasis on education for the regeneration of our motherland.
• According to him, a nation is advanced in proportion as education is spread among the masses.
• He said that our process of education should be such that it helps the students to manifest their innate knowledge and power.
• He advocated a man-making character-building education.
• He said that education must make the students self-reliant and help them face the challenges of life. He was highly critical of the so-called educated who do not care for the poor and downtrodden.

Rationality

• He was in complete agreement with the methods and results of modern science.
• He did not discard reason in favor of faith.
• He recognized intuition or inspiration as a higher faculty than reason. But the truth derived from intuition had to be explained and systematized by reason.

Nationalism

• Though growth of Nationalism is attributed to the Western influence but Swami Vivekananda’s nationalism is deeply rooted in Indian spirituality and morality.
• His nationalism is based on Humanism and Universalism, the two cardinal features of Indian spiritual culture.
• Unlike western nationalism which is secular in nature, Swami Vivekananda’s nationalism is based on religion which is life blood of the Indian people.
• Deep concern for masses, freedom and equality through which one expresses self, spiritual integration of the world on the basis of universal brotherhood.
• “Karmyoga” a system of ethics to attain freedom both political and spiritual through selfless service.
• His writings and speeches established motherland as the only deity to be worshiped in the mind and heart of countrymen.
• Swamiji believed that if our youth is determined, there can be nothing impossible for them to achieve in the world.
• He urged youth to have dedication to the cause to attain success. Pursuing a challenge with utmost dedication is really the road to success, for our youth.
• Hence Swamiji called upon the youth to not only build up their mental energies, but their physical ones as well. He wanted ‘muscles of iron’ as well as ‘nerves of steel’.
• His birthday on January 12 is celebrated as National Youth Day and the week commencing from that day is known as the National Youth Week.
• As part of National Youth Week celebrations, the Government of India holds the National Youth Festival every year.
• The youth festival aims to propagate the concept of national integration, spirit of communal harmony, brotherhood, courage and adventure amongst the youth by exhibiting their cultural prowess in a common platform.
• Swami Vivekananda belonged to the 19th century, yet his message and his life are more relevant today than in the past and perhaps, will be more relevant in future.
• Persons like Swami Vivekananda do not cease to exist with their physical death - their influence and their thought, the work which they initiate, go on gaining momentum as years pass by, and ultimately, reach a fulfilment which they envisaged.

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Paragraph on Swami Vivekananda 100, 150, 200, 250 to 300 Words for Kids, Students, and Children

February 7, 2024 by Prasanna

Paragraph on Swami Vivekananda: Swami Vivekananda was born on 12th January 1863. He was born in a beautiful and holy place in Kolkata. Swami Vivekananda has great recognization of the divine saint of India. Yet, he uses to have high thinking skills even after living an effortless lifestyle.

You can read more  Paragraph Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Paragraph on Swami Vivekananda – 100 Words for Classes 1, 2, 3 and Kids

Narendra Nath Dutt has born in Calcutta on the date 12th of January in the year 1863. The father’s name of the Swami Vivekananda was Vishwanath Dutt. Swamiji has his mother named Bhuvaneshwari Devi, who was a very spiritual person. Swami Vivekananda has grown up well in abroad, and also, he has pursued his education from abroad. He used a great mission named Ramakrishna Mission for expanding the Hinduism religion. In 1893, he gave a very famous speech in Chicago, which is still recognized by people now. Swami Vivekananda was a great personality, which is why people call them patriotic saints.

Paragraph on Swami Vivekananda – 150 Words for Classes 4 and 5 Children

Swami Vivekananda was a son of Vishwanath Dutt and Bhuvneshwari Devi. Narendranath Dutta has high thinking skills and grasping power. His teachers named him as Shrutidhar because of intellectual knowledge and excellent understanding. He uses to have swimming and wrestling classes for upgrading the different talents. He was a very religious and holy person. He uses to read Mahabharata and Ramayana daily. He has one ideal from Ramayana named Pavan Putra Hanuman.

Swami Vivekananda was an argumentative and mystical personality. He has learned various spiritual questions from Ramkrishna Paramhansa. His humanity was very useful for the upliftment of the World. He has also traveled all the four directions for using the knowledge of his Guru. Swamiji has given the best speech on the topic ‘sisters and brothers of America’ in Chicago. He was very proud of his religion, and that is why he started Ramakrishna Mission abroad.

Paragraph on Swami Vivekananda – 200 Words for Classes 6, 7 and 8 Students

Swamiji has Pre-monastic name Narendra Nath Dutt. On 12th January 1863, Swamiji’s birth took place in the perfect location of Calcutta. His father, named Vishwanath, was a lawyer at the high court of Calcutta. His mother, named Bhuvaneshwari, was a religious and holy housewife. He has also received a great appreciation of Hindu monks from the Hindu people. He was also a disciple of great Guru named Rama Krishna Paramahamsa.

All the valuable ideas and knowledge of Swamiji are great assets of Philosophy. They help youth in knowing about the advanced philosophy of the Vedanta and Raj Yoga. The spiritual knowledge of Swamiji engages in works of social and educational purposes. He has also discovered various mathematical topics for religious teaching. Swamiji has discovered Ramakrishna Math, Melur math, and Ramakrishna Mission.

On the 12th of January, Indians celebrate the birth anniversary of Shri Swami Vivekananda every year. This day has celebrated after the year 1985 to inspire the youth of India. Swamiji has won many hearts in the World because of their religious knowledge. They have gained massive popularity on the international stage. The main motive behind their thinking was to bring the honesty of the Hindu religion in front of the nation.

Paragraph on Swami Vivekananda – 250 Words for Classes 9, 10, 11, 12 and Competitive Exam Students

Swami Vivekananda belongs to a Kayasthas family that was very spiritual. Swamiji has inspired and motivated by the great personality named Ramakrishna Deva. Ramakrishna Deva helped Swamiji to receive an illusion from the darkness. His father’s name was VP Dutta that uses to work in High court. His mother’s name was Bhuvaneshwari Devi, who was a housewife in a religious family. Swamiji has learned vast western philosophy and history. His Guru has taught his new lessons of Hindusim religion. Ramakrishna Deva explained to Swamiji that God builds living beings on earth. Thus, you must serve humankind for serving God. This lesson of Swamiji’s Guru affected their skills, and they decided to serve humanity.

Swamiji has given vast spiritual knowledge of Yoga and Vedanta to the youth of the World. Swamiji believes that women’s development and empowerment are significant for the World. They also founded an organization named Ramakrishna Mission for educating youth and women. This organization of Swami Vivekananda uses to help schools, hospitals, and colleges. Swamiji has also helped in serving victims of earthquakes. Swami Vivekananda uses to believe that Hinduism is a great religion. Hindu religion can accommodate other religions of India. He spent his entire life in the development and growth of humanity for serving God. He uses to live a healthy and sober living for controlling extra stress and anxieties. He believes in patience, purity, generality, simplicity, and perseverance nature. The presence of Swamiji implies moral and spiritual encouragement.

FAQ’s on Paragraph on Swami Vivekananda

Question 1. What was the pre-monastic or real name of Swami Vivekananda?

Answer: The real name of Swami Vivekananda was Narendra Nath Dutt.

Question 2. What was the name and profession of the father of Swami Vivekananda?

Answer: Vishwanath Dutta was the father of Narendra Nath Dutt. His father works as an attorney at law.

Question 3. Who was an ideal of Swami Vivekananda?

Answer: Narendra Nath Dutt has a high ideal from Ramayana was Pavan Putra Hanuman.

Question 4. Which was the first college of Swami Vivekananda?

Answer: Swamiji has studied in the best college of Calcutta named Presidency College.

Question 5. What did Swami Vivekananda ask Shri Ramakrishnan at the first meeting?

Answer: Vivekananda asked Ramakrishnan if he has seen God or not. And in return, the latter replied, “Yes.” Hence, Swami Vivekananda was impressed with the answer by him.

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60 Swami Vivekananda Quotes for Wisdom and Timeless Insight

This is a post by Danielle Dahl, Wisdom Quotes’ first contributing author.

Spiritual Quotes – Self-Discovery Quotes – Compassion Quotes – Educational Quotes – Yoga Quotes – Empowerment Quotes – Swami’s Teachings – Further Readings

Embark on a journey through the profound teachings of Swami Vivekananda, a key figure in introducing Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world.

Swami Vivekananda’s quotes have helped me through my spiritual journey.

His focus on self-reliance and resilience has resonated with me during many tough times in my life.

He interpreted Vedantic concepts in a way that was accessible and relevant to contemporary audiences, both in India and abroad.

Vedanta is a spiritual and philosophical system derived from the Upanishads, which are part of the latter portion of the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism. The term “Vedanta” literally means “the end of the Vedas,” signifying the culmination of Vedic thought .

Vedanta primarily deals with the nature of reality and the individual’s relationship with the ultimate reality or Brahman. It explores concepts like Dharma (duty/righteousness), Karma (action and its consequences), Moksha (liberation), and Atman (the true self or soul).

While Vedanta provides the philosophical framework and understanding of the ultimate reality, Yoga offers practical techniques for achieving spiritual growth.

Vivekananda integrated the practice of Yoga with Vedantic principles, viewing Yoga as a practical means to achieve the spiritual goals outlined in Vedanta.

So, are you ready for the best Swami Vivekananda quotes?

Let’s get started!

Swami Vivekananda Quotes on Spiritual Enlightenment

Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached. Swami Vivekananda

In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart. Swami Vivekananda

The fire that warms us can also consume us; it is not the fault of the fire. Swami Vivekananda

Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true. Swami Vivekananda

The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong. Swami Vivekananda

The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified. Swami Vivekananda

Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being? Swami Vivekananda

Ask nothing; want nothing in return. Give what you have to give; it will come back to you but do not think of that now. Swami Vivekananda

Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Swami Vivekananda

Feel nothing, know nothing, do nothing, have nothing, give up all to God, and say utterly, ‘Thy will be done.’ We only dream this bondage. Swami Vivekananda

Self-Discovery Through Swami Vivekananda Quotes

Comfort is no test of truth. Truth is often far from being comfortable. Swami Vivekananda

You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself. Swami Vivekananda

The earth is enjoyed by heroes — this is the unfailing truth. Be a hero. Always say, ‘I have no fear.’ Swami Vivekananda

The more we grow in love, virtue, and holiness, the more we see love, virtue, and holiness outside. Swami Vivekananda

All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark. Swami Vivekananda

You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. Swami Vivekananda

All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind; the infinite library of the universe is in our own mind. Swami Vivekananda

We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. Swami Vivekananda

Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny. Swami Vivekananda

The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves. Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda Quotes: Compassion and Service

They alone live, who live for others. Swami Vivekananda

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Swami Vivekananda

Help and not fight, assimilation and not destruction, harmony and peace and not dissension. Swami Vivekananda

If you want to find God, serve man. To reach Narayana (God), you must serve the Daridra Narayanas (the poor). Swami Vivekananda

It is the cheerful mind that is persevering. It is the strong mind that hews its way through a thousand difficulties. Swami Vivekananda

The world is in need of those whose life is one burning love, selfless. That love will make every word tell like a thunderbolt. Swami Vivekananda

If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better. Swami Vivekananda

Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way. Swami Vivekananda

Do not stand on a high pedestal and take five cents in your hand and say, ‘Here, my poor man,’ but be grateful that the poor man is there to give you the opportunity of doing him good. Swami Vivekananda

In doing evil, we injure ourselves and others. In doing good, we bless ourselves and others. Swami Vivekananda

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Educational Insights: Swami Vivekananda Quotes

Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man. Swami Vivekananda

The end of all education, all training, should be man-making. Swami Vivekananda

The very reason for nature’s existence is for the education of the soul. Swami Vivekananda

Knowledge can only be got in one way, the way of experience; there is no other way to know. Swami Vivekananda

Books are infinite in number and time is short. The secret of knowledge is to take what is essential. Swami Vivekananda

All the wealth of the world cannot help one little Indian village if the people are not taught to help themselves. Swami Vivekananda

What we want are Western science coupled with Vedanta, Brahmacharya as the guiding motto, and also shraddha and faith in one’s own self. Swami Vivekananda

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you; depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed. Swami Vivekananda

We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet. Swami Vivekananda

The only service to be done for our lower classes is to give them education, to develop their lost individuality. Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda Quotes on Yoga and Meditation

If you want to have life, you have to die every moment for it. Swami Vivekananda

In one word, this ideal is that you are divine. Swami Vivekananda

In meditation, the mind is turned back upon itself. Swami Vivekananda

Meditation can turn fools into sages but unfortunately fools never meditate. Swami Vivekananda

Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Chitta) from taking various forms (Vrittis). Swami Vivekananda

When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place. Swami Vivekananda

The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them. Swami Vivekananda

Concentration is the essence of all knowledge, nothing can be done without it. Yoga teaches us how to concentrate the mind. Swami Vivekananda

To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. ‘I will drink the ocean,’ says the persevering soul; ‘at my will mountains will crumble up.’ Swami Vivekananda

The very essence of education is concentration of mind, not the collecting of facts. Swami Vivekananda

Empowerment and Wisdom: Swami Vivekananda Quotes

Neither seek nor avoid, take what comes. Swami Vivekananda

The goal of mankind is knowledge… now this knowledge is inherent in man. Swami Vivekananda

The greatest truths are the simplest things in the world, simple as your own existence. Swami Vivekananda

The older I grow, the more everything seems to me to lie in manliness. This is my new Gospel. Swami Vivekananda

Strength is Life, Weakness is Death. Expansion is Life, Contraction is Death. Love is Life, Hatred is Death. Swami Vivekananda

In a day, when you don’t come across any problems – you can be sure that you are travelling in a wrong path. Swami Vivekananda

The world is ready to give up its secrets if we only know how to knock, how to give it the necessary blow. The strength and force of the blow come through concentration. Swami Vivekananda

The Vedanta recognizes no sin it only recognizes error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that. Swami Vivekananda

Anything that makes weak – physically, intellectually and spiritually, reject it as poison. Swami Vivekananda

Stand up and express the divinity within you. Swami Vivekananda

What are the 4 teachings of Swami Vivekananda?

Swami Vivekananda’s teachings were vast and profound, but four key principles stand out:

• Strength and self-reliance : He emphasized the importance of inner strength and self-reliance, encouraging individuals to believe in themselves and their divine nature.
• Service to others : He advocated for service to humanity, stating that serving people was equivalent to serving God.
• Religious harmony : Vivekananda promoted religious tolerance and the acceptance of all religions as different paths to the same truth.
• Education and knowledge : He stressed the importance of education in achieving national and individual progress, advocating for a balance between Western scientific knowledge and Indian spirituality.

Further Readings

• Topic: Life
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• 70 Enlightening Sadhguru Quotes To Navigate Life’s Journey
• 210 Lao Tzu Quotes To Become Zen
• The Life and Teachings of Swami Vivekananda (wikipedia.org)
• Swami Vivekananda — Vedanta Society (vedantasociety.net)
• 77 Life Lessons Quotes (To Learn And Grow)

Last words On Swami Vivekananda’s Quotes

Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and quotes continue to guide and inspire individuals on their path to spiritual enlightenment and self-realization.

His profound wisdom encourages us to seek inner strength, embrace universal brotherhood, and pursue knowledge with determination. Let these 60 quotes be a source of motivation and a beacon of light in your journey of life.

His eloquence at the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago marked a seminal moment, bringing Eastern spirituality to global consciousness. Despite passing away at the young age of 39 on July 4, 1902, Vivekananda left an indelible mark on spiritual thought.

His early demise, attributed to a ruptured blood vessel in his brain alongside ailments like asthma and diabetes, was hastened by his intense spiritual practices and the rigors of his mission.

This collection of Swami Vivekananda quotes captures the essence of his teachings, offering insights into spirituality, self-realization, and the power of the human mind.

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