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| Swami Vivekananda was born in an aristocratic Bengali]] family of Calcutta on January 12, 1863. Swami's parents influenced his thinking—the father by his rational mind and the mother by her religious temperament. From his childhood, he showed inclination towards spirituality and God realization. As a [[guru]], Ramakrishna taught him Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism) and that all religions are true, and service to man was the most effective worship of God. After the death of his Guru, Vivekananda became a wandering monk, touring the Indian subcontinent and getting first-hand knowledge of India's condition. He later sailed to Chicago and represented India as a delegate in the 1893 Parliament of World Religions. He conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating Vedanta and Yoga in America, England and a few other countries in Europe. He also established the Vedanta societies in America and England.
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| | | Monastic name of Narendranath Dutta (1863-1902), see [[Vivekananda]]. |
| == Early life (1863-1888)==
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| === Birth and childhood ===
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| Swami Vivekananda was born in Shimla Pally, Calcutta (presently known as Kolkata) on 12 January 1863, Monday at 6:49 A.M.,<ref>{{cite book|last=Mukhopadhyay|first=Manishankar|title=Obishshashyo Vivekananda|year=1996|publisher=Sāhityama|location=Kalikātā|pages=19|url=www.nirmalsahityam.com|author=Manishankar Mukhopadhyay|accessdate=16 August 2011}}</ref> during the Makara Sankranti festival in a traditional Kayastha family,<ref name="losv_11">{{Harvnb|Eastern and Western disciples|2006a|p=11}}</ref> and was given the name Narendranath Dutta.<ref name="GLWT-p.20"/> His father Viswanath Dutta<ref name="Swami Vivekananda - A Biography by Swami Nikhilananda">{{cite book|last=Nikhilananda|first=Swami|title=Swami Vivekananda - A Biography|publisher=Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center OF New York|pages=3, 5, 23, 44}}</ref> was an attorney of Calcutta High Court. He was considered generous, and had a liberal and progressive outlook in social and religious matters.<ref>{{Harvnb|Amiya Sen|2003|p=19}}</ref> His mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi was pious and had practiced austerities and prayed to ''Vireshwar Shiva'' of Varanasi to give her a son. She reportedly had a dream in which Shiva rose from his meditation and said that he would be born as her son.<ref name="losv_11"/>
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| Narendranath's thinking and personality were influenced by his parents—the father by his rational mind and the mother by her religious temperament.<ref name="sn">{{Harvnb|Nikhilananda|1964}}</ref><ref name="asen_p20">{{Harvnb|Amiya Sen|2003|p=20}}</ref> From his mother he learnt the power of self-control.<ref name="asen_p20"/> One of the sayings of his mother Narendranath quoted often in his later years was, "Remain pure all your life; guard your own honor and never transgress the honor of others. Be very tranquil, but when necessary, harden your heart."<ref name="GLWT-p.20">{{Citation | author = Swami Chetanananda | title = God lived with them | page = 20 | chapter = Swami Vivekananda }}</ref> He was reportedly adept in meditation and could reportedly enter the state of ''samadhi''.<ref name="asen_p20"/> He reportedly would see a light while falling asleep and he reportedly had a vision of Buddha during his meditation.<ref>{{Citation|last=Biswas|first=Arun Kumar |title=Buddha and Bodhisattva|publisher=Cosmo Publications|year=1987|page=19}}</ref> During his childhood, he had a great fascination for wandering ascetics and monks.<ref name="asen_p20"/>
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| Narendranath had varied interests and a wide range of scholarship in philosophy, religion, history, the social sciences, arts, literature, and other subjects.<ref name="Tapan-628"/> He evinced much interest in the Hindu scriptures like the ''Vedas'', the ''Upanishads'', the ''Bhagavad Gita'', the ''Ramayana'', the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Puranas''. He was also well versed in classical music, both vocal and instrumental and is said to have undergone training under two Ustads, Beni Gupta and Ahamad Khan.<ref>{{Harvnb|Amiya Sen|2003|p=21}}</ref> Since boyhood, he took an active interest in physical exercise, sports, and other organizational activities.<ref name="Tapan-628">{{Citation|last=Arrington|first=Robert L. |coauthors=Tapan Kumar Chakrabarti|title=A Companion to the Philosophers|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|year=2001|page=628|chapter=Swami Vivekananda}}</ref> Even when he was young, he questioned the validity of superstitious customs and discrimination based on caste<ref name = "Early Years">[http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda_biography/02_early_years.htm Early Years]</ref> and refused to accept anything without rational proof and pragmatic test.<ref name="sn"/>
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| When his father moved to Raipur in 1877 for 2 years then Narendranath along with the whole family shifted there. At that time there were no good schools in Raipur so he spent his time with his father and had discussions on spiritual topics. Narendranath learned Hindi in Raipur and for the first time the Question of existence of God came to his mind. It is believed that once he experienced an ecstasy during this period of life. The family returned to Calcutta in 1879 but it is believed that these 2 years were the turning point in his life. Raipur is sometimes termed as the "Spiritual Birthplace" of Swami Vivekananda.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
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| === College and Brahmo Samaj ===
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| Narendranath started his education at home, later he joined the Metropolitan Institution of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in 1871<ref>{{Harvnb|Banhatti|1995|p=4}}</ref> and in 1879 he passed the entrance examination for Presidency College, Calcutta, entering it for a brief period and subsequently shifting to Scottish Church College, Calcutta|General Assembly's Institution.<ref name="asen_12-14">{{Harvnb|Amiya Sen|2006|pp=12–14}}</ref> During the course, he studied western logic, western philosophy and history of European nations.<ref name = "Early Years"/> In 1881 he passed the Fine Arts examination and in 1884 he passed the Bachelor of Arts.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Harvnb|Amiya Sen|2003|pp=104–105}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Pangborn|first=Cyrus R.|coauthors=Bardwell L. Smith|title=Hinduism: New Essays in the History of Religions|publisher=Brill Archive|year=1976|page=106|chapter=The Ramakrishna Math and Mission|quote=Narendra, son of a Calcutta attorney, student of the intellectually most demanding subjects in arts and sciences at Scottish Church College.}}</ref>
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| Narendranath is said to have studied the writings of David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Baruch Spinoza, Georg W. F. Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, John Stuart Mill, and Charles Darwin.<ref name="dhar_53"/><ref name="Malagi-36-37">{{Citation|last=Malagi|first=R.A.|coauthors=M.K.Naik|title=Perspectives on Indian Prose in English|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=2003|pages=36–37|chapter=Stirred Spirit: The Prose of Swami Vivekananda}}</ref> Narendra became fascinated with the Evolutionism of Herbert Spencer, and translated Spencer's book on ''Education'' into Bengali for Gurudas Chattopadhyaya, his publisher. Narendra also had correspondence with Herbert Spencer for some time.<ref>{{Harvnb|Prabhananda|2003|p=233}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Banhatti|1995|pp=7–9}} "Vivekananda is said to have offered, in a letter to Herbert Spencer, some criticism of the celebrated philosopher's speculations, which the aged stalwart is said to have appreciated."</ref> Alongside his study of Western philosophers, he was thoroughly acquainted with Indian Sanskrit scriptures and many Bengali works.<ref name="Malagi-36-37" /> According to his professors, student Narendranath was a prodigy. Dr. William Hastie, the principal of Scottish Church College, where he studied during 1881-84, wrote, "Narendra is really a genius. I have travelled far and wide but I have never come across a lad of his talents and possibilities, even in German universities, among philosophical students."<ref name="dhar_53">{{Harvnb|Dhar|1976|p=53}}</ref> He was regarded as a ''srutidhara''—a man with prodigious memory.<ref>Swami Vivekananda By N.L. Gupta, p.2</ref><ref name="dhar_59">{{Harvnb|Dhar|1976|p=59}}</ref> After a discussion with Narendranath, Dr. Mahendralal Sarkar reportedly said, "I could never have thought that such a young boy had read so much!"<ref>{{Citation|last=Dutta|first=Mahendranath|title=Sri Sri Ramakrishner Anudhyan|editor=Dhirendranath Basu|edition=6th|page=89}}</ref>
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| Narendranath became the member of a Freemason's lodge and the breakaway faction from the Brahmo Samaj led by Keshab Chunder Sen.<ref name="asen_12-14"/> His initial beliefs were shaped by Brahmo concepts, which include belief in a formless God and deprecation of the idolatry|worship of idols.<ref>{{Citation|last=Bhuyan|first= P. R. |title=Swami Vivekananda|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors|year=2003|page=5}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{Harvnb|Amiya Sen|2006|pp=12–13}}</ref> but could not get answers which satisfied him.<ref>{{Citation|last=Pangborn|first=Cyrus R.|coauthors=Bardwell L. Smith|title=Hinduism: New Essays in the History of Religions|publisher=Brill Archive|year=1976|page=106|chapter=The Ramakrishna Math and Mission}}</ref>
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| His first introduction to Ramakrishna occurred in a literature class in General Assembly's Institution, when he heard Principal Reverend W. Hastie lecturing on William Wordsworth's poem ''The Excursion'' and the poet's nature-mysticism.<ref>
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| {{cite news
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| | last = Joseph
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| | first = Jaiboy
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| | title = Master visionary
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| | publisher = The Hindu
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| | date = 002-06-23
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| | url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2002/06/23/stories/2002062300310400.htm
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| | accessdate = 2008-10-09
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| }}
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| </ref> In the course of explaining the word ''trance'' in the poem, Hastie told his students that if they wanted to know the real meaning of it, they should go to Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar. This prompted some of his students, including Narendranath to visit Ramakrishna.<ref name="asen_12-14"/><ref name="jm_pb">
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| {{Citation
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| | last = Mukherjee
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| | first = Dr. Jayasree
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| | title = Sri Ramakrishna's Impact on Contemporary Indian Society
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| | journal = Prabuddha Bharatha
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| | month = May | year = 2004
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| | url = http://www.eng.vedanta.ru/library/prabuddha_bharata/sri_ramakrishna%27s_impact_on_contemporary_indian_society_may04.php
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| | accessdate = 2008-09-04
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| | postscript = }}
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| </ref><ref>{{Citation | author = Swami Chetanananda | title = God lived with them | page = 22 | quote = Hastie said, 'I have known only one person, who has realized that blessed state, and he is Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar. You will understand it better if you visit this saint.'}}</ref>
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| ===With Ramakrishna===
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| "The magic touch of the Master that day immediately brought a wonderful change over my mind. I was astounded to find that really there was nothing in the universe but God! … everything I saw appeared to be Brahman. … I realized that I must have had a glimpse of the ''Advaita'' state. Then it struck me that the words of the scriptures were not false. Thenceforth I could not deny the conclusions of the ''Advaita'' philosophy."<ref>{{Citation|last=Mannumel|first=Thomas |title= The Advaita of Vivekananda: A Philosophical Appraisal|page=17}}</ref></small>|width=20%|align=right|}}
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| Narendranath's meeting with Ramakrishna in November 1881 proved to be a turning point in his life.<ref name="Prabha-2003-232">{{Harvnb|Prabhananda|2003|p=232}}</ref> About
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| this meeting, Narendranath said, "He Ramakrishna looked just like an ordinary man,
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| with nothing remarkable about him. He used the most simple language and
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| I thought "Can this man be a great teacher?". I crept near to him and asked him the question
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| which I had been asking others all my life: "Do you believe in God, Sir?" "Yes", he replied.
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| "Can you prove it, Sir?" "Yes". "How?" "Because I see Him just as I see you here, only in a much intenser sense."
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| That impressed me at once. […] I began to go to that man, day after day, and I actually saw that religion
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| could be given. One touch, one glance, can change a whole life."<ref name="Prabha-2003-232"/><ref>{{Citation|last=Vivekananda|first=Swami|title=The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda|publisher=Advaita Ashrama|volume=4|pages=178–179|chapter=My Master|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volume_4/Lectures_and_Discourses/My_Master}}</ref>
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| Even though Narendra did not accept Ramakrishna as his guru initially and revolted against his ideas, he was attracted by his personality and visited him frequently.<ref name="G.S.B-10-13">{{Harvnb|Banhatti|1995|pp=10–13}}</ref> He initially looked upon Ramakrishna's ecstasies and visions as, "mere figments of imagination",<ref name="sn"/> "mere hallucinations".<ref name="rr_naren">
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| {{Citation
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| | last = Rolland
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| | first = Romain
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| | title = The Life of Ramakrishna
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| | year = 1929
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| | pages = 169–193
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| | chapter = Naren the Beloved Disciple
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| }}
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| </ref> As a member of Brahmo samaj, he revolted against idol worship and polytheism, and Ramakrishna's worship of Kali.<ref>{{Citation|last=Arora|first=V. K. |title=The social and political philosophy of Swami Vivekananda|publisher=Punthi Pustak|year=1968|pages=4|chapter=Communion with Brahmo Samaj}}</ref> He even rejected the ''Advaita Vedanta|Advaitist Vedantism'' of identity with absolute as blasphemy and madness, and often made fun of the concept<ref name="rr_naren"/>
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| Though at first Narendra could not accept Ramakrishna and his visions, he could not neglect him either. It had always been in Narendra's nature to test something thoroughly before he would accept it. He tested Ramakrishna, who never asked Narendra to abandon reason, and faced all of Narendra's arguments and examinations with patience—"Try to see the truth from all angles" was his reply.<ref name="G.S.B-10-13"/> During the course of five years of his training under Ramakrishna, Narendra was transformed from a restless, puzzled, impatient youth to a mature man who was ready to renounce everything for the sake of God-realization. In time, Narendra accepted Ramakrishna as guru, and when he accepted, his acceptance was whole-hearted and with complete surrendering as disciple.<ref name="G.S.B-10-13"/>
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| In 1885 Ramakrishna suffered from Head and neck cancer|throat cancer and he was shifted to Calcutta and later to Cossipore. Vivekananda and his brother Disciples of Ramakrishna|disciples took care of Ramakrishna during his final days. Vivekananda's spiritual education under Ramakrishna continued there. At Cossipore, Vivekananda reportedly experienced ''Nirvikalpa Samadhi''.<ref>{{Citation|last=Isherwood|first= Christopher |title=Meditation and Its Methods According to Swami Vivekananda|publisher=Vedanta Press|year=1976|page=20}}</ref> During the last days of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda and some of the other disciples received the ochre monastic robes from Ramakrishna, which formed the first monastic order of Ramakrishna.<ref>
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| {{Citation
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| | author = Cyrus R. Pangborn
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| | title = Hinduism: New Essays in the History of Religions
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| | chapter = The Ramakrishna Math and Mission
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| | page = 98
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| }}</ref> Vivekananda was taught that service to men was the most effective worship of God.<ref name="sn"/><ref>{{Citation|last=Isherwood|first= Christopher |title=Meditation and Its Methods According to Swami Vivekananda|publisher=Vedanta Press|year=1976|page=20 | quote = He realized under the impact of his Master that all the living beings are the embodiments of the 'Divine Self'... Hence, service to God can be rendered only by service to man.}}</ref> It is reported that when Vivekananda doubted Ramakrishna's claim of ''avatar'', Ramakrishna reportedly said, "He who was Rama, He who was Krishna, He himself is now Ramakrishna in this body."<ref name="life_sw_vol1">{{Harvnb|Eastern and Western disciples|2006a|p=183}}</ref> During his final days, Ramakrishna asked Vivekananda to take care of other monastic disciples and in turn asked them to look upon Vivekananda as their leader.<ref name="rr_river">
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| {{Citation
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| | last = Rolland
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| | first = Romain
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| | title = The Life of Ramakrishna
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| | year = 1929
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| | pages = 201–214
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| | chapter = The River Re-Enters the Sea
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| }}
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| </ref> Ramakrishna's condition worsened gradually and he expired in the early morning hours of August 16, 1886 at the Cossipore garden house. According to his disciples, this was ''Mahasamadhi''.<ref name="rr_river"/>
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| === Founding of the Ramakrishna Math ===
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| After the death of their master, the monastic disciples led by Vivekananda formed a fellowship at a half-ruined house at Baranagar near the river Ganges, with the financial assistance of the householder disciples. This became the first building of the Ramakrishna Math, or the monastery of the disciples who constituted the first Monasticism|monastic order of Sri Ramakrishna.<ref name="Prabha-2003-232" />
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| The dilapidated house at Baranagar was chosen because of its low rent and proximity to the Cossipore burning-ghat, where Ramakrishna was cremated. Narendra and other members of the Math often spent their time in meditation, discussing about different philosophies and teachings of spiritual teachers including Ramakrishna, Adi Shankara, Ramanuja, and Jesus Christ.<ref name="GLWT_38">''God lived with them'', p.38</ref> Narendra reminisced about the early days in the monastery as follows-<ref name="GLWT_38"/> {{cquote|We underwent a lot of religious practice at the ''Baranagar Math''. 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.}} In the early part of 1887, Narendra and eight other disciples took formal monastic vows. Narendra took the name of ''Swami Bibidishananda''. Later he was coronated with the name ''Vivekananda'' by Ajit Singh, the Maharaja of Khetri.<ref name="GLWT_39">''God lived with them'', p.39</ref>
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| In January 1899 the ''Baranagar Math'' was shifted a newly acquired plot of land at Belur in the district of Howrah, now famous as the Belur Math.
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}}
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