A tribute to Swami Vivekananda || 12th January is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda was born into an aristocratic Bengali Kayastha family of Kolkata under the then in British India on 12 January 1863. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney at the Calcutta High Court . His mother, Bhubaneswari Devi, was a devout housewife. The progressive, rational attitude of Narendra’s father and the religious temperament of his mother helped shape his broader outlook, positive thinking and towering personality. Swami Vivekananda is revered as one of the most prolific and versatile thinkers who successfully introduced Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the entire world. He is the perennial source of inspiration for all of us and he will remain as perennial source of inspiration for all of us. Vivekananda is regarded as a guiding patriotic saint and his birthday is celebrated as National youth Day in India. As a guiding patriotic saint with outstanding practical and progressive ideals, Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramkrishna Math and Ramkrishna Mission in order to serve mankind and humanity. He was influenced by his Guru mystic saint Ramakrishna Paramhansha Dev, from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self; therefore, service to God could be rendered by service to humankind. Swami Vivekananda is credited with raising interfaith awareness means he believes constructive, positive and co-operative dialogues with the people of other religions with mutual respects. He helped revive Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. After Ramakrishna’s death, Vivekananda toured the Indian subcontinent extensively and acquired first-hand knowledge of the conditions prevailing in British India. Swami Vivekananda believed that all religions as true. Around 127 years ago, on September 11, 1893 Swami Vivekananda delivered an iconic, inspiring and eloquent speech at the Chicago Convention of Parliament of Religions where the delegates of different religions from different parts of the world attended in the United States. In his famous, inspiring and iconic speech Swami Vivekanand spoke about tolerance, respect, religion and the need to end all forms of religious fanaticism for the betterment of mankind.
In his famous and iconic speech which is still relevant and important today, Swami Vivekanand said,
“Sisters and Brothers of America, It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of the millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.
I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. …….The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world, of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: ‘Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to Me.’ Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.”
I pay my glowing tribute and pronam with heart and soul to Swami Vivekananda on his 157th birthday. The followings are some of the everlasting, glorious, inspiring and guiding quotes of Swami Vivekananda.
1.”Arise! awake! and stop not until the goal is reached.”
2.”You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”
3.”Help and not fight,””Assimilation and not destruction,” “Harmony and peace and not dissension.”
4.”….Love is for love’s sake, because it is the only law of life, just as you breathe to live.”
5. By the study of different religions we kind that in essence they are one.
Three golden rules from Swami Vivekananda are as follows
- Who is helping you, don’t forget them.
- Who is serving you, don’t hate them.
- Who is believing you, don’t cheat.
Swami Vivekananda Died on 4th July, 1902 at the age of only 39. Though Swami Vivekananda passed away, but Vivekananda will be remembered for indefinite time by virtue of his love for mankind, humanity, assimilation, patriotism, and spiritual ecstasy.
Pranab Mukherjee former President of India said by paying tribute to Swami Vivekananda, “Vivekananda would continue to be relevant as long as civilization continued.” Many years after Vivekananda’s death great Nobel laureate Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore told French Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland about Vivekananda, “If you want to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative”. Famous French Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland wrote about Vivekananda, “His words are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Händel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of books, at thirty years’ distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shocks, what transports, must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero!” Father of the nation of India, Mahatma Gandhi said, “Vivekananda’s influence increased my “love for my country a thousand fold. ”
Source: Wikipedia and Google search
Former professor, writer and advisor to CBNA, Montreal, Canada
11th January 2020
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