7/29/2019 150 YEARS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA - PROGRESS OF HUMANITY

1/2

Swami Vivekananda was born in an aristocratic Bengali Kayastha family of Calcutta on 12 January1863. Vivekananda's parents influenced his thinkinghis father by his rationality and his mother by

her religious temperament. The natural tendency of Vivekananda's mind, like that of his Master, Sri

Ramakrishna, was to soar above the world and forget itself in contemplation of the Absolute. From

his childhood, he showed an inclination towards spirituality and God realisation. His guru, Sri

Ramakrishna, taught him Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism); that all religions are true and that service

to man was the most effective worship of God. Swami Vivekananda was one of the greatest patriots

and spiritual leaders India has ever produced. Through his travels and lectures all over India and

abroad, he awakened the minds of Indians and other Nationals to their cultural heritage. India is an

emerging power in the world with inbuilt culture, religion, and deep sense of human concern. I

wonder how we live as a Nation with so many cultures, and conflicts, the vision of great thinkers like

Vivekananda and many others still unites and awakens, which continues to be our responsibility to

the future of our Nation. Indias independence brought us lot of growth and also unlimited

corruption and greed of the well do people. The voice of poor is more of politics than the real

concern to the welfare of the people. We should rethink the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda who

believed a country's future depends on its people, so he mainly stressed on man, "man-making is my

mission", that's how he described his teaching. He wanted to set in motion machinery which will

bring noblest ideas to the doorstep of even the poorest and the meanest. Swami Vivekananda

believed that the essence of Hinduism was best expressed in the Vedanta philosophy, based on the

interpretation of Adi Shankara. He summarized the Vedanta's teachings as follows, each soul is

potentially divine, and the goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and

internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or mental discipline, or philosophyby one, or more, or

all of theseand be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or

temples, or forms, are but secondary importance. A lover of mankind, he strove to promote peace

and human brotherhood on the spiritual foundation of the Vedantic Oneness of existence. A mystic

of the highest order, Vivekananda had a direct and intuitive experience of Reality. He derived his

ideas from that unfailing source of wisdom and often presented them in the soul stirring language of

poetry. In the course of a short life of thirty-nine years (1863-1902), of which only ten were devoted

to public activities-and those, too, in the midst of acute physical suffering-he left for posterity his

four classics: Jnana-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, and Raja-Yoga, all of which are outstandingtreatises on Hindu philosophy. In addition, he delivered innumerable lectures which have attention

of west to east as a source of spiritual enlightenment, wrote inspired letters in his own hand to his

many friends and disciples, composed numerous poems, and acted as spiritual guide to the many

seekers, who came to him for instruction. He also organized the Ramakrishna Order of monks, which

is the most outstanding religious organization of modern India. It is devoted to the propagation of

the Hindu spiritual culture not only in the Swami's native land, but also in America and in other parts

of the world. He has contributed his might with complete works, of which the Karma yoga forms the

essence to the progress of our Nation where idealism and dogmatism still do not vanish; if we

practice little of karma yoga, as it is the science of achieving perfection in action we can turn all our

co-humans as great contributors to our Nation. Still he continues to be a hero in the minds of many,

7/29/2019 150 YEARS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA - PROGRESS OF HUMANITY

2/2

an essence of reading Swami Vivekananda can even make us heroic and great personalities in the

world have realised his contribution just not only on humanity, but the problem of human survival,"

writes Romain Rolland, "The master teachings great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring

rhythms like the march of Handel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are

through the pages of books, at thirty years' distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like

an electric shock. And what shocks, what transports, must have been produced when in burning

words they issued from the lips of the hero! Among the many quotes of Swami which stands good to

any one irrespective of religious faith We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish

ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of

our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by

our present actions; so we have to know how to act. The dream of Swami that India has to

overcome the poverty with education stands to his vision, the goal of mankind is knowledge. Now

this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a

man 'knows', should, in strict psychological language, be what he 'discovers' or 'unveils'; what man

'learns' is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infiniteknowledge. The vision of Swami Vivekananda guides me and every one; we all educated people

should contribute little of the thought and concern to poor down ridden, helpless people India our

Nation is certain to become an Intellectual and Spiritual power to guide the Humanity irrespective of

Human identify with any Religion. Swami Vivekananda is not religion but enlighted soul to lift

Humanity irrespective, of caste creed religion. A little of philosophy of Swami can uplift the

Humanity.

Email

doctortvrao@gmail.com