Biography:
A spiritual genius of commanding intellect and power, Vivekananda crammed immense labor and achievement into his short life, 1863-1902. Born in the Datta family of Calcutta, the youthful Vivekananda embraced the agnostic philosophies of the Western mind along with the worship of science.
At the same time, vehement in his desire to know the truth about God, he questioned people of holy reputation, asking them if they had seen God. He found such a person in Sri Ramakrishna, who became his master, allayed his doubts, gave him God vision, and transformed him into sage and prophet with authority to teach.
After Sri Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda renounced the world and criss-crossed India as a wandering monk. His mounting compassion for India's people drove him to seek their material help from the West. Accepting an opportunity to represent Hinduism at Chicago's Parliament of Religions in 1893, Vivekananda won instant celebrity in America and a ready forum for his spiritual teaching.
For three years he spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion in America and England and then returned to India to found the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Exhorting his nation to spiritual greatness, he wakened India to a new national consciousness. He died July 4, 1902, after a second, much shorter sojourn in the West. His lectures and writings have been gathered into nine volumes.
A spiritual genius of commanding intellect and power, Vivekananda crammed immense labor and achievement into his short life, 1863-1902. Born in the Datta family of Calcutta, the youthful Vivekananda embraced the agnostic philosophies of the Western mind along with the worship of science.
At the same time, vehement in his desire to know the truth about God, he questioned people of holy reputation, asking them if they had seen God. He found such a person in Sri Ramakrishna, who became his master, allayed his doubts, gave him God vision, and transformed him into sage and prophet with authority to teach.
After Sri Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda renounced the world and criss-crossed India as a wandering monk. His mounting compassion for India's people drove him to seek their material help from the West. Accepting an opportunity to represent Hinduism at Chicago's Parliament of Religions in 1893, Vivekananda won instant celebrity in America and a ready forum for his spiritual teaching.
For three years he spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion in America and England and then returned to India to found the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Exhorting his nation to spiritual greatness, he wakened India to a new national consciousness. He died July 4, 1902, after a second, much shorter sojourn in the West. His lectures and writings have been gathered into nine volumes.
Source:www.vivekananda.org
5 comments:
This great spiritual genius sacrificed goat to propitiate Goddess Kali on 10th Nov. 1901.
Like a layman relished turtles and shad fish and could not control his tongue before meat!
What is the use of preaching Advaita Vedanta?
Vivekanandayb.BLogspot.Com
Where does Advaita Vedanta contradicts? Sacrificing goats is an ancient tradition of shakta Hindus. Vedanta validates all these practices. Vivekananda as a monk naturally joyful in all his activities. Vedantin should be gloomy?
To Shri Fairmind:
1. A philosopher need not be gloomy, but a balanced behavior is expected from a monk. 2. A preacher-cum-practitioner of Monistic philosophy can never follow a Saakteeya path which permits animal sacrifice because An Advaita philosopher is presumed to be free from Avidya and Maaya (Ignorance and Illusion). A person free from ignorance and illusion will not sacrifice animals to propitiate Gods and Goddesses. He knows that the spirit which resides within him and outside him i.e. the Universe is only one and if the sacrificed animal suffers, he suffers. The same applies to turtles and shad fish. An Advaita philosopher survives with minimum food which is necessary to keep him healthy and strong, without causing much damage to plants and animals. Thus he integrates in a friendly way with nature. On the other hand Vivekananda craved for meat even when he is seriously sick, overweight and under doctor's advice to avoid meat. It shows that he had little control over his sense organs. An Advaita philosopher and monk is expected to be a jitendriya (conquerer of his sensual organs both physically and mentally). Shaakteeya mode of Vamachara worship was primitive and barbaric and naturally it uses meat, mantra (chants), madyam (liquor), matsyam (fish) and another 'ma' called five "ma's". Ancient Vedic practices were also barbaric, though here and there some noble sentiments were expressed. For example: Atharvana Veda contains procedures for squeezing the genitals of an enemy whether male or female or attracting enemies wives to the worshipper. This type of verses from Atharvana Veda you can find at my blog: atharvanavedayb.blogspot.com.
In spite of his epicurean habits Vivekananda was not joyful and his gloom and misery you can see in his letters addressed to Christina Greenstidel and Mary Hale. If he was really joyful, his monk would have been fulfilled.
I have written 138 blog posts on Vivekananda and about 10 posts on his mentor Shri Ramakrishna. Since you have chosen an ID 'fairminded', I shall be grateful if you will please read all the 148 blog posts, everyone of which is supported by proof from Swamiji's Complete Works.
About vegetarianism for monks: Swamiji and his Guru performed Viraja Homams uttering the mantras and burning belongings while taking their monkhood. In one of the mantras, they assured safety to all living beings because their soul and the souls of other livings is the same! When the consume meat, turtles or fish, they broke their own vows of guaranteeing safety to other creatures. Monkhood is not just wearing ochre robes.
In the place of 'Shaakteeya path' Sankaracharya designed 'Samayachara' for the reformed Hindus, to overcome Buddhist competition. Sama = Equality, i.e. neither left (vaama) nor rightist (dakshina). This seems to have been a work of later Sankaracharyas and not Aadi Sankaracharya (the first). Anyway, even the Samayachara is inadequate for an Advaita philosopher because true Advaita does not envisage saguna worship (worship of forms and idols) not to speak of animal sacrifices.
Advaita philosophy is nearer to the original Buddhism as preached by Siddhartha Buddha.
A Vedantin need not be gloomy, but the monkhood expects discipline from top-level preachers of the World, who are regarded as uplifters of Nations!
If you have more questions to ask and want a personal reply: you can also Email: specificpurp@gmail.com. I do not want to spoil this blog post with my lengthy comments. The writer of this blogpost can delete this after he and you read this.
Roopavathi gaaru: Since you have given your address as 'Hyderabad', I take courage to write this Telugu proverb: Duurapu kond`alu nunupu. On an approximate translation, it reads as: Hills at a distance look smooth, but when we go nearer them we know the depth of potholes, just like our Hyderabad roads. This applies to the biographies and quotes of Vivekananda in circulation. After reading the Complete Works of Vivekananda available ubiquitously over Net, particularly his 'epistles', especially his letters addressed to Christina Greenstidel and E.T. Sturdy you can get an indepth picture of Swamijis. The problem with most people all over the world is they do not study Vivekananda's works in depth and then they go on quoting. In the net at present there are about 2 lakh writings on Swami Vivekananda. With cigar in his mouth always, Shri Vivekananda resembles Girisam the Hero of our Kanya Sulkam by Shri Gurajada Appa Rao. Among Indians, the Telugu people worship Vivekananda the most because except Hyderabad, he did not visit Coastal A.P. He visited only those areas where there were Maharajas and where there was a railway line and at least a second class railway ticket was given by some Divan or Sethji. His liking for summer resorts like Ooty, Almora, Darjeeling, Kashmir is worth noting. Since you are just 23, it is better if you study this world in depth and know what type of this hypocritic duniya this is. The funniest part is Vivekananda himself castigated hypocrisy!
Roopavathi gaaru,
Nice to see your blog on Vivekananda.
Please donot listen to others when it comes to god and devotion.
Trust yourself and have confidence.
I think people should see positive in every people and leave negative feeling if any.
This is bad attitude on few people who unfortunately always try to point wrong things in others when in the same time they can improve themselves.
Please write more good articles and all the best.
Thanks
Prashant Jalasutram
http://www.prashantaboutindia.blogspot.com/
www.prashantjalasutram.blogspot.com/
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