Swami Vivekananda was an Indian Hindu monk who is best known for his teachings on Vedanta and Yoga. He was born as Narendranath Datta in 1837 and passed away in 1902. He was a prominent disciple of 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He played a significant role in bringing Indian philosophy and practices to the Western world.
National Youth Day is observed on 12 January, the birthday of Vivekananda, the day he delivered his famous speech at the Parliament of Religions. The anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's birth was celebrated in India and around the world by the Swami Vivekananda art exhibition. The Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has declared the day the official celebration for young people. The main purpose of the festival is to get the youth of India excited about building their country. On January 13, 2022, the National Youth Summit was also organized.
Swami Vivekananda
Although Vivekananda was a formidable speaker and author of both English and Bengali, he was not a thorough scholar and most of his published works were compiled from lectures from the world. His main work “Raja Yoga” mainly consists of lectures in New York.

Who is swami vivekananda? Life of Vivekananda

Narendranath Datta/Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863, during the Makar Sankranti festival. He was from a traditional family and was one of nine siblings. Vishwanath Datta, his father, was a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court. Narendra's father was progressive and rational, while his mother was religious and had a strong temperament. This helped shape Narendra's thinking and personality. Narendranath was interested in spirituality from a young age and often meditated before images of deities such as Shiva, Rama, and Mahavir Hanuman.
He was indeed the first student to have scored in the top on the Presidential College admission exam. He was well-versed in several disciplines, including psychology, religion, history, social science, and art. He also engaged in Hindu literature such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas.
As a result of having to support his mother and his younger siblings when his father passed away in 1884, Naredranath experienced severe financial difficulties. For the family's financial well-being, he requested Ramakrishna to make a goddess prayer.

Who was the guru of swami vivekananda?

He headed to the temple for financial support for the family, by himself to worship at Ramakrishna's advice. However, as soon as he came face to face with the goddess, he was unable to humbly request wealth or money and had to instead plead for "Vivek" (conscience) and "Vairagya" (seclusion). Narendranath experienced his entire spiritual enlightenment on that day, and he felt compelled to lead an isolated lifestyle.
As Ramakrishna became his Guru, Narendra eventually became willing to give up everything in order to realize God.

What did Swami Vivekananda do?

After Ramakrishna's death, his followers and admirers no longer supported his disciples. Narendra and the other disciples were forced to find a new place to live after their unpaid rent grew too large. Many people returned home, adopting a lifestyle that is focused on their families. Narendra decided to convert a rundown house in Baranagar into a new math building for the remaining students. The rent for the Baranagar Math was low and was raised by "holy begging". Narendra and other disciples were known for their dedication to practicing meditation and religious austerities every day.

He discovered throughout his travels that the World Parliament of Religions was convened in Chicago, in 1893. The summit including Guru Sri Ramakrishna, who represented India, Hinduism, and its teachings, was something he truly wanted to attend. While contemplating on the cliffs of Kanyakumari, the southern point of India, he received confirmation of his desires.

Ajit Singh, Raja von Khetri, and Vivekananda journeyed from Bombay to Chicago on May 31, 1893, using funds raised from his disciples in Madras (now Chennai). The audience applauded him for standing up after the initial movement. He continued by outlining Vedanta's tenets and its philosophical significance, placing Hinduism on the global religions map. He stayed in America for the following 2.5 years, establishing the New York Vedanta Society in 1894. In order to spread Hindu spiritism and the teachings of Vedanta to the west, he also visited Britain.

Works
Bartaman Bharat which means "present-day India" is a Bengali scholarly article written by Vivekananda and first published in the March 1899 issue of Udbodhan, the only Bengali-language journal of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. The essay was reprinted as a book in 1905 and later compiled in the fourth volume of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda in the lower caste.

Vivekananda is a key figure in Neo-Vedanta, a common interpretation of Hinduism based on Western mystical traditions such as Spiritualism, New Vision, and Philosophy. His new interpretations were and continue to be enormously successful, resulting in new comprehension and gratitude of Hinduism both inside and outside of India, and are the primary basis for Western interest in yoga, transcendental meditation, as well as other forms of Indian spiritual identity.

The social reformer Swami Vivekananda, who was born in 1863, battled several social injustices that affected Indian culture in the late 19th century. He promoted a form of Hinduism for this reason that doesn't make distinctions between gender-based or caste but instead offers suggestions on how to live a fulfilling life. He established the Ramakrishna Mission, an organization devoted to promoting Vedanta philosophy and the yogic values of Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja Yoga, in order to promote the spirit of Hinduism throughout the world.
Swami Vivekananda, in a way, committed his life to first comprehending the world around him through the prism of Hinduism and afterward disseminating that skills for the betterment of mankind as a whole. In order to have a deeper awareness of the world and the people that inhabit it, it is crucial to grasp and comprehend Swami Vivekananda's teachings.

How many books are written by Swami Vivekananda?

Here is the list of books written by Swami Vivekananda he wrote and polished in his life:
  1. Karma Yoga (1896)
  2. Raja Yoga (1896)
  3. Vedanta Philosophy: An address before the Graduate Philosophical Society (first published 1896)
  4. Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1897)
  5. Vedanta philosophy: lectures on Jnana Yoga (1902)
Books Swami Vivekananda books he wrote but get published after his death:
  1. Addresses on Bhakti Yoga
  2. Bhakti Yoga
  3. Complete works. Vol 5
  4. The East and the West
  5. Inspired Talks (1909)
  6. Narada Bhakti Sutras – translation
  7. Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1904)
  8. Para Bhakti or Supreme Devotion
  9. Practical Vedanta
  10. Jnana Yoga
  11. Raja Yoga (1920)
  12. Speeches and writings of Swami Vivekananda; a comprehensive collection
  13. Viveka Vani (1986) – Telugu
  14. Yoga (1987) – Telugu
  15. A Bouquet of Swami Vivekananda's Writings (2013), handwritten works of Swami Vivekananda

Conceived of the Ramakrishna Mission

In 1897, he returned to India and founded the Ramakrishna Mission in Calcutta on May 1. The mission's goals were based on Karma Yoga, which was designed to serve the poor and needy population of the country. Several social services are also carried out under this mission, like establishing schools, colleges, and hospitals. Vedanta teachings were also provided through conferences, seminars, and workshops, as well as rehabilitation work across the country. Let's say that the teachings of Swami Vivekananda were mainly based on the spiritual teachings of Ramakrishna's divine manifestations and his personal internalization of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.

Teachings of Swami Vivekananda

  • Although relationships are extremely important in life, it's still essential for them to be alive.
  • Wake up; somewhere within each one of you lies the ability to abolish all needs and all sorrows. Believe it, and the power will appear.
  • Create amazing work by cramming your mind with the loftiest ideas and keeping them in front of you day and night.
  • If we can't see God from our own souls and in every form of life, where should we go to discover Him?
  • You have unlimited power; you can accomplish anything. Believe in it, and don't believe you're weak; don't believe you're partially maniacs, like most of us do these days. You can do everything and anything without the help of anyone. Stand up and reveal the magnificence that resides within you.
  • Focus on one concept. Think about it, dream about it, and make that one notion the center of your existence. Leave all other ideas alone and let that notion fill your muscles, nerves, and every other aspect of your body. The path to success is this.
  • Remember those who are supporting you. Don't hate the one who loves you. Don't cheat those who believe you.
  • Leave the little, winding trails and enter the great daylight. How can the boundless spirit be satisfied to live or die in tiny ruts? Enter the Light's sphere of life. You are the universe’s center.
  • You should never believe that the soul is incapable of anything. If there's really sin, saying that you or other is weak is really the only sin.
  • Significant amount of the problems and misery we currently experience would have disappeared if belief in yourself had been taught and practiced more widely.
  • We are the result of our ideas, therefore be careful what you think. Words come second. Thoughts are alive and go far.
  • Continue in valor. Success cannot be expected in a day or a year. Always cling to the highest ground. Steady on. Avoid being envious and selfish. You can change the world if you are submissive and always loyal to the causes of the truth, mankind, and your nation.
  • Let others say anything they want, but stick with your own principles, and the world will fall at your feet.
  • I desire for every one of my children to surpass me in every way. Every one of you has to be a giant; Nothing could stop you if you have devotion, preparedness, and affection for the purpose.
  • Don't trust something just because you read about that in a book. Never believe something just because another guy stated it was true. Do not trust words because they have been hallowed by tradition. Find the truth by yourself. Think about it. That is understanding.
  • There is no need to glance behind. FORWARD! Only with limitless energy, boundless devotion, infinite courage, and patience will wonderful things be accomplished.
  • When the heart and the head disagree, go with the heart.
  • This anguish that I am experiencing is all my fault, and that fact implies that it'll have to be fixed by me alone.
  • Learn Everything Good from The others, but take it in and absorb it in your own way; never become others.
  • Do not fear; the path is tough, like walking on a razor's edge; but do not anguish; rise, awaken, and discover the bargain, the purpose.

Swami Vivekananda Quotes

Here is the best Swami Vivekananda quotes to get inspired
  • "All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Always try to represent yourself as happy. Initially, it becomes your look, gradually it becomes your habit and finally it becomes your personality."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Anything that makes you weak – physically, intellectually and spiritually, reject it as poison."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Do not hate anybody, because that hatred which comes out from you must, in the long run, come back to you, if you love, that love will come back to you, completing the circle."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world tolerance & universal acceptance. we believe not only in universal toleration but we accept all religions as true."― 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
  • "Bless people when they revile you. Think how much good they are doing by helping to stamp out the false ego."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Comfort is no test of truth. Truth is often far from being comfortable."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Desire, ignorance, and inequality – this is the trinity of bondage."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Be the servant while leading. Be unselfish. Have infinite patience, and success is yours."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "We are what our thoughts have made us. So take care about what you think. Words are secondary, thoughts live and travel far."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Believe in yourself and the world will be at your feet."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Do one thing at a Time, and while doing it put your whole soul into it to the exclusion of all else."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "If I love myself despite my infinite faults, how can I hate anyone at the glimpse of a few faults?"― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Don’t look back -forward infinite energy, infinite enthusiasm, infinite daring, and infinite patience – then alone can great deeds be accomplished."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Each work has to pass through these stages – ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who think ahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "If superstitions enter, the brain is gone."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "That man has reached immortality who is disturbed by nothing material."― Swami Vivekananda
  • "Whatever you believe, that you will be If you believe yourselves to be ages, ages you will be tomorrow. There is nothing to obstruct you."― Swami Vivekananda

How Swami Vivekananda die?

A possible cause of death was the rupture of a blood vessel in his brain. His disciples believed that the rupture was the result of his head opening up when he attained mahasamādhi. Swami Vivekananda fulfilled his prediction that he would not live past 40 years. In a book by Shankar, he recounted 31 medical problems he experienced during this time. The book includes information about insomnia, liver and kidney disease, malaria, migraine, diabetes, and heart problems. He had to deal with Asthma on a regular basis, which was often quite severe. The death was due to natural causes and was the result of long-term suffering. He was cremated on a sandalwood funeral pyre on the bank of the Ganga in Belur, next to where Ramakrishna was cremated sixteen years earlier.
Conclusion:
Swami Vivekananda was a highly intelligent thinker, a powerful public speaker, and an ardent patriot. The young monk and his teachings were highly influential, and his words are still studied and used by many people today. This is because his birthday, January 12th, is celebrated as National Youth Day in India. National Youth Day, or Birthday of Swami Vivekananda is celebrated every year in many Ramakrishna Math, Ramakrishna Mission Centers with great enthusiasm and joy. Also, in many schools and colleges it is celebrated by performing show and speech in Swami Vivekananda, motivational quotes paintings competitions, etc. The kids in school came up with several Swami Vivekananda paintings. You can also Swami Vivekananda wall paintings online from e-store like eCraftIndia to hung in your workplace to memorize his teachings.