Swami Vivekananda free essay sample

This is a manuscript of an English poetry written by Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). The full poetry is: The mothers heart, the heros will, The sweetness of the southern breeze, The sacred charm and strength that dwell On Aryan altars, flaming, free; All these be yours, and many more No ancient soul could dream before Be thou to Indias future son The mistress, servant, friend in one. With the blessings of Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda. For other uses, see Swami Vivekananda (disambiguation). Swami Vivekananda| Swami Vivekananda in Chicago, September, 1893. On the left Vivekananda wrote in his own handwriting: one infinite pure and holy  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ beyond thought beyond qualities I bow down to thee. We used to get up at 3:00  am and become absorbed in japa and meditation. What a strong spirit of detachment we had in those days! We had no thought even as to whether the world existed or not. We will write a custom essay sample on Swami Vivekananda or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page | †| In January 1887, Narendra and eight other disciples took formal monastic vows. Narendra took the name of Swami Bibidishananda. Later he was given the name Vivekananda by Ajit Singh, the Maharaja of Khetri. [55] In January 1899 the Baranagar Math was transferred to Belur in the Howrah district, now known as the Belur Math. [56] As a monk wandering in India (1888–1893) Swami Vivekananda at Jaipur, ca. 885–1893. Swami Vivekananda location unknown, ca. 1888–1893[57] In 1888, Vivekananda left the monastery as a Parivrajaka— the Hindu religious life of a wandering monk, without fixed abode, without ties, independent and strangers wherever they go. [58] His sole possessions were a kamandalu (water pot), staff, and his two favourite books—Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ. [59] Vivekananda travelled extensively in India for five years, visiting centres of learning, acquainting himself with the diverse religious traditions and different patterns of social life. 60][61] He developed a sympathy for the suffering and poverty of the masses and resolved to uplift the nation. [60][62] Living mainly on bhiksha (alms), Vivekananda travelled on foot and railway tickets bought by his admirers whom he met during the travels. During these travels he made acquaintance and stayed with Indians from all walks of life and religions—scholars, dewans, rajas, Hindus, Muslims, Chris tians, pariahs (low caste workers) and government officials. [62] Northern India (1888–1890) In 1888, Vivekanandas first destination was Varanasi,[63] where he met the Bengali writer, Bhudev Mukhopadhyay and the saint Trailanga Swami. He also met Babu Pramadadas Mitra, the noted Sanskrit scholar, with whom he corresponded on the interpretation of the Hindu scriptures. [64] After Varanasi he visited Ayodhya, Lucknow, Agra, Vrindavan, Hathras and Rishikesh. [63] At Hathras, he met Sharat Chandra Gupta, a railway station master who later became one of his earliest disciples as Sadananda. [65][66] Between 1888 and 1890, he visited Vaidyanath and Allahabad. From Allahabad, he went on to Ghazipur, where he met Pavhari Baba,[67] an Advaita Vedanta ascetic who used to spend most of his time in meditation. [68] During this period, Vivekananda returned to Baranagar math a few times, because of ill health and to arrange for monetary funds for the math. [66] The Himalayas (1890–1891) In July 1890, accompanied by the fellow monk Swami Akhandananda (also a disciple of Ramakrishna), Vivekananda visited the Himalayas. This constituted the first phase of his journey that would encompass the West. [66][69] He visited Nainital, Almora, Srinagar, Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar. During these travels, he met Swami Brahmananda, Saradananda, Turiyananda and Advaitananda. They stayed at Meerut for some days engaged in meditation, prayer and study of scriptures. At the end of January 1891, Vivekananda left his fellows and journeyed to Delhi. [69][70] Rajputana (1891) After visiting historical sites at Delhi, Vivekananda journeyed towards Alwar in Rajputana. Later Vivekananda journeyed to Jaipur, where he studied Paninis Ashtadhyayi with a Sanskrit scholar. He next travelled to Ajmer, where he visited the palace of Akbar and the Dargah Sharif. At Mount Abu, he met Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri, who became his ardent devotee and supporter. Swami Tathagatananda, a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order wrote of the relationship: Swami Vivekananda’s friendship with Maharaja Ajit Singh of Khetri was enacted against the backdrop of Khetri, a sanctified town in Northern Rajasthan, characterized by its long heroic history and independent spirit. Destiny brought Swamiji and Ajit Singh together on 4 June 1891 at Mount Abu, where their friendship gradually developed through their mutual interest in significant spiritual and secular topics. The friendship intensified when they travelled to Khetri and it became clear that theirs was the most sacred friendship, that of a Guru and his disciple. [71] At Khetri, he delivered discourses to the Raja, became acquainted with the pandit Ajjada Adibhatla Narayana Dasu, and studied Mahabha? ya on sutras of Panini. After two and a half months there, in October 1891, he proceeded towards Maharastra. [62][72] Western India (1891–1892) Vivekananda visited Ahmedabad, Wadhwan and Limbdi. At Ahmedabad, he completed his studies of Islamic and Jain culture. 62] At Limbdi, he met Thakur Saheb Jaswant Singh, who had himself been to England and America. From Thakur Saheb, he first got the idea of going to the West to preach Vedanta. He later visited Junagadh, where he was the guest of Haridas Viharidas Desai, the Dewan of the State. The Diwan was so charmed with his company that every evening he, with all the State officials, used to meet Vivekananda and converse with him until late at night. Vivekananda also visited Girnar, Kutch, Porbander, Dwaraka, Palitana, Nadiad, Nadiad ni haveli and Baroda. At Porbander, he stayed three quarters of a year, furthering his philosophical and Sanskrit studies with learned pandits. [62] Vivekanandas next destinations included Mahabaleshwar, Pune, Khandwa and Indore. At Kathiawar, he heard of the Parliament of the Worlds Religions and was urged by his followers there to attend it. After a brief stay in Bombay in July 1892, he met Bal Gangadhar Tilak during a train journey. [73] After staying with Tilak for a few days in Pune,[74] Vivekananda travelled to Belgaum in October 1892 and to Panaji and Margao in Goa. He spent three days in the Rachol Seminary, the oldest convent of Goa, where rare religious manuscripts and printed works in Latin were preserved. There, he studied Christian theological works. [75] Southern India (1892–1893) Vivekananda Temple on Vivekananda rock at Kanyakumari, India Later Vivekananda travelled to Bangalore, where he became acquainted with K. Seshadri Iyer, the Dewan of the Mysore state, and stayed at the palace as a guest of the Maharaja of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeyar. Iyer described Vivekananda as a magnetic personality and a divine force which were destined to leave their mark on the history of his country. The Maharaja provided the Swami a letter of introduction to the Dewan of Cochin and got him a railway ticket. [76] From Bangalore, he visited Trichur, Kodungalloor, and Ernakulam. At Ernakulam, he met Chattampi Swamikal, contemporary of Narayana Guru, in early December 1892. [77] From Ernakulam, he travelled to Trivandrum, Nagercoil and reached Kanyakumari on foot during the Christmas Eve of 1892. [78] At Kanyakumari, Vivekananda meditated on the last bit of Indian rock, known later as the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. At Kanyakumari, Vivekananda had the Vision of one India, also commonly called The Kanyakumari resolve of 1892. 79] He wrote, â€Å"| At Cape Camorin sitting in Mother Kumaris temple, sitting on the last bit of Indian rock—I hit upon a plan: We are so many sanyasis wandering about, and teaching the people metaphysics—it is all madness. Did not our Gurudeva use to say, An empty stomach is no good for religion? We as a nation have lost our individuality and that is the cause of all mischief in India. We have to raise the masses. [79][80]| †| From Kanyakumari he visited Madurai, where he met the Raja of Ramnad, Bhaskara Sethupathi , to whom he had a letter of introduction.