Source: www.belurmath.org

• SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

Basil Thampy

B. Ed Social Science

STCTE, Pala

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

To illustrate the great personality of Swami Vivekananda.

To explore the contributions made by Swami Vivekananda for enlightening the youth all over the world.

To assess the relevance of the philosophical and spiritual thoughts of Swami Vivekananda in the current scenario.

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OVERVIEW OF VIVEKANANDA

• Born in Calcutta in 1863.• Contact of Ramakrishna changed Narendra’s

life.• Became world famous at Chicago in 1883.• “Awake, arise & stop not till the goal is

reached.”• He founded Ramakrishna mission in 1897.

BIOGRAPHY (1863-1902)

• Swami Vivekananda’s inspiring personality was well known both in India & America.

• The unknown monk of India suddenly leapt into fame at Parliament of Religion held in Chicago in 1893.

• In the course of short of 39 years of which only 10 were devoted to public activities.

• He gave: gyan yog, bhakti yog,karma yog,raj yog.

Birth & Childhood

• Swami Vivekananda was born Narendranath Datta on 12 January 1863 in Calcutta in a respectable middle-class family.

• His father, Vishwanath Dutta, was an attorney and was a lover of the arts and literature.

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• On the other hand, Narendra’s mother, Bhubaneshwari Devi, was a pious, kind-hearted lady, devoted to the Hindu traditions.• Narendranath had varied interests & wide range of scholarship in philosophy, history, social sciences, art and other subjects.• He evinced much interest in spiritual text.

College & Brahmo Samaj

• Vivekananda started his education at home, later he joined metropolitan institution of Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar in 1871 and he passed the entrance examination of Presidency College, Calcutta.

• Narendranath became the member of a Freemason's lodge and the breakaway faction from the Brahmo Samaj led by Kesab Chandra Sen another Freemason.

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• His initial beliefs were shaped by Brahmo concepts, which include belief in a formless God and deprecation of the worship of idols.

• Not satisfied with his knowledge of Philosophy, he wondered if God and religion could be made a part of one's growing experiences and deeply internalized. Narendra went about asking prominent residents of contemporary Calcutta whether they had come "face to face with God. but could not get answers which satisfied him.

Discovery of Real India

• He saw that, in spite of poverty, the masses clung to religion, but they had never been taught the life-giving, ennobling principles of Vedanta and how to apply them in practical life.

• Thus the masses needed two kinds of knowledge: secular knowledge to improve their economic condition, and spiritual knowledge to infuse in them faith in themselves and strengthen their moral sense.  The next question was, how to spread these two kinds of knowledge among the masses?   Through education – this was the answer that Swamiji found.

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Awakening His Countrymen

• He returned to India in January 1897. In response to the enthusiastic welcome that he received everywhere, he delivered a series of lectures in different parts of India, which created a great stir all over the country. Through these inspiring and profoundly significant lectures Swamiji attempted to do the following:

• to rouse the religious consciousness of the people and create in them pride in their cultural heritage;

• to bring about unification of Hinduism by pointing out the common bases of its sects;

• to focus the attention of educated people on the plight of the downtrodden masses, and to expound his plan for their uplift by the application of the principles of Practical Vedanta.

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Message to youth

VIVEKA VANI

Swamiji’s Divine Message for the Youth

Source: www.ishafoundation.org

We are what out thoughts have made us;

so take care about what you think.

Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.

THOUGHTS

Source: www.ishafoundation.org

When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed in to an actual physical or mental state.

CONCENTRATION

Source: www.rkmdelhi.org

COMMITMENT

Even a fool can accomplish a task if it were after his or her heart. But the intelligent ones are those who can convert every work into one that suits their heart

Source: www.youthforseva.org

Take up one idea.

Make that one idea your life.

Think of it, dream of it.

Live on that idea.

Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body Be full of that idea.

This the way to “SUCCESS”.

GOAL

Source: www.ishafoundation.org

EDUCATION

Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.

Source: www.ishafoundation.org

WORK

Every duty is holy, and devotion to duty is the highest form of the worship of God.

When you are doing any work, do not think of anything beyond. Do it as worship,As the highest worship, and devote your whole life to it for the time being.

Source: www.ishafoundation.org

Neither money pays, nor name, nor fame, nor learning,

it is CHARACTER

that can cleave through adamantine walls of difficulties.

CHARACTER

Source: www.youtube.com

It is good to be born a child;

but bad to remain a child

MATURITY

Source: www.vivekananda.iecit.in

If you think that the infinite power,

infinite knowledge,and indomitable energy

lie within you, and if you can bring out that power,

You also can be like Me.

Source: www.ishafoundation.org

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Quotes From Swami

VivekanandaSource: www.brainyquotes.com

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“Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the

whole responsibility on

your own shoulders, & know that you are the creator of your own destiny”

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“To be good and to do good - that is

the whole of religion”

“The greatest sin

is to think yourself weak”

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“Strength is life, Weakness is

death

“Arise! Awake! And stop not till

the goal is reached””

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“All the power is within you; you can

do anything and everything. Believe in

that; don’t believe that you are weak.

Stand up and express the divinity with in

you”

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“What ever you think, that you will

be. If you think yourself weak, weak

you will be; if you think yourself

strong; strong you will be”

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“Neither money pays, nor name pays, nor fame, nor

learning; it is CHARACTER that cleave through adamantine walls

of difference”

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“Help if you can; if you cannot, fold your hands and stand by

and see things go on. Do not injure, if you cannot render help”

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“Three things are necessary to make every man great, every

nation great”

1.Conviction of the powers of goodness

2.Absence of jealousy and suspicion

3.Helping all who are trying to be and do good

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“Are you unselfish? That is the

question. If you are, you will be perfect without reading a single religious book,

without going into a single church or

temple.”

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“Misery comes through attachment, not through work. As

soon as we identify ourselves with work we do, we feel

miserable; but if we don’t identify ourselves with it, we do not feel

that misery”

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“Always first learn to be a servant, and then you will be fit to be a master. Avoid this jealousy, and you will do great works that have

yet to be done”

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“You must have an iron will if you would cross the ocean. You must be strong

enough to pierce mountains”

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“Take up one idea, make that one idea your life, think of it, dream of it,

live of it, let the brain, muscle, nerves, every part of your body be

full of that idea and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way

great spiritual giants are produced, others are mere talking machines”

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“Your country requires

heroes; be heroes; your

duty is to go on working,

and then everything will

follow of itself”

References

• www.belurmath.org

• www.rkmissionashrama.org

• www.chennaimath.org

• www.ramakrishnamath.in

• www.vedantaebooks.org

• www.brainyquotes.com

• www.vivekananda.org

• www.ishafoundation.org

• www.rkmdelhi.org

• www.vivekananda.iecit.in

• www.youthforseva.org

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