Swami Vivekananda

                               [Wishes to Swamiji on his 148^th Birthday]

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was the foremost disciple of Sri Ramakrishna

and a world spokesperson for Vedanta. He was a man with a great spiritual presence

and tremendous intellect. During his travels all over India, Swami Vivekananda

was deeply moved to see the appalling poverty and backwardness of the masses.

He was the first religious leader in India to understand and openly declare that the

real cause of India’s downfall was the neglect of the masses. The immediate need

was to provide food and other bare necessities of life to the hungry millions. For

this they should be taught improved methods of agriculture, village industries, etc.

It was in this context that Vivekananda grasped the crux of the problem of poverty

in India. His lectures, writings, letters, and poems are published as The Complete

Works of Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda represented Hinduism at the first World Parliament of Religions

in Chicago in 1893 where he was an instant success. Subsequently he was invited

to speak all over America and Europe. Most of the Vedanta Societies, which were

founded in America and Europe 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 returned to India and founded the

Ramakrishna Order in 1898.

Some teachings of Swami Vivekananda

·         Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.

·         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.

·         Whatever you think, that you will be. If you think yourselves weak, weak

you will be; if you think yourselves strong, strong you will be.

·         Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping

soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will

come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come when this

sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity.

·         They alone live who live for others; rest are more dead than alive.

Swamijis birthday, according to English Calendar, is on 12th January and is

celebrated as the National Youth Day all over the country. In 1984, the

Government of India declared and decided to observe the Birthday of Swami

Vivekananda as National Youth Day. To quote from the Government of India’s

Communication, ‘it was felt that the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals

for which he lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration

for the Indian Youth.’

As per the Indian Almanac, Vivekananda Jayanti will be celebrated at the

Ramakrishna Math on 6th January 2009.

Source: January 2010 Newsletter by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad.  Register with www.rkmath.org to receive monthly free newsletters.