Swamy Vivekananda ..The Living Vedanta ..by Chaturvedi
Little known facts about Swamy Vivekananda
1) I never knew that he fought for women so much ..he thought America has progressed a lot because of women liberation whereas in India, though we all prey to Shakti as our creator and destroyer ..we still ill treat our women and that's bringing down India and Hinduism.
2) His sister commits suicide (Sati) and that disturbs him a lot during his penance in Himalayas
3) He was born on Jan 12, 1863. His dad was a rich lawyer and was giving away property and money to relatives and Vivekananda asks him why he is wasting money on relatives and what he plans to give him as a son. His dad takes him to the mirror and says " I gave you him - Narendranath (Vivekananda). You don't worry about money"
4) He loves his mother so much that after becoming Vedanta, he never meets her. Few years before his death, he takes his mother and her friend for 2 months vacation to Kanyakumari. When Ramakrishna mission asks him to visit Chennai center, he says I am on vacation and I can't visit Chennai center
5) His friends in Chennai (he used to address them Madras Boys) raised money for his trip. in US, his savings dwindles down to $140 dollars and he writes a SOS letter to Madras Boys to send him money and he can survive till their reply
6) His had same issues like you and me, his brother was in UK looking for jobs and he supported and gave him accommodation in his room and started referring him to his friends
7) After Parliament of Religions in Chicago, he was a big hit in US. He used to stay in Michigan Governor's house for lectures. he charged $1400 per lecture in 1890s. He sent all earnings to the poor in India.Vivekananda successfully introduced yoga and Vedanta to the West and lectured around America introducing the topics (1894-6). Later, he started Vedantic centers in New York City and London, lectured at major universities and generally kindled western interest in Hinduism. His success was not without controversy, much of it from Christian missionaries of whom he was fiercely critical. After four years of constant touring, lecturing and retreats in the West, he came back to India in the year 1897.
8) He was against brahmins. He said they created barriers between man and God. He started eating non-veg and occasionally smoked pipe. He wrote about harsh weather in Chicago specially during winter.
9) His life was for 4 decades. His first 2 decades was consumed in childhood and learning, his 20s was transformation into Advaita Vedanta and 30s spent in US/UK trips. He came twice to US/UK. His started in a boat from Chennai to Vancouver and travelled to Boston by train.
excerpts from his wandering days after Ramakrishna's death ..
---------------------------
During these wandering days, Vivekananda stayed in kings' palaces, as well as the huts of the poor. He came in close contact with the culture of different regions of India and various classes of people in India. Vivekananda observed the imbalance in society and tyranny in the name of caste. He realised the need for a national rejuvenation if India was to survive at all. He reached Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent on 24 December 1892. There, he swam across the sea and started meditating on a lone rock. He thus meditated for three days and said later that he meditated about the past, present and future of India. The rock went on to become the Vivekananda memorial at Kanyakumari.
Vivekananda Temple on Vivekananda rock at Kanyakumari, India
Vivekananda went to Madras and spoke about his plans for India and Hinduism to the young men of Madras. They were impressed by the monk and urged him to go to the United States and represent Hinduism in the World Parliament of Religions. The Raja of Ramnad, who was originally invited for the conference, promoted Vivekananda as the right person to represent the views of Hinduism in the Parliament. Thus, helped by his friends at Chennai, Bhaskara Sethupathi, Raja of Ramnad and Maharajas of Mysore and Khetri, Vivekananda set out on his journey to the USA.
In one of his lectures in California, the swami described about his condition during wandering days as follows: [2]
“
Many times I have been in the jaws of death, starving, footsore, and weary; for days and days I had no food, and often could walk no farther; I would sink down under a tree, and life would seem to be ebbing away. I could not speak, I could scarcely think, but at last the mind reverted to the idea: "I have no fear nor death; never was I born, never did I die; I never hunger or thirst. I am It! I am It! The whole of nature cannot crush me; it is my servant. Assert thy strength, thou Lord of lords and God of gods! Regain thy lost empire! Arise and walk and stop not!" And I would rise up, reinvigorated; and here I am today, living! Thus, whenever darkness comes, assert the reality and everything adverse must vanish. For after all, it is but a dream. Mountain-high though the difficulties appear, terrible and gloomy though all things seem, they are but Maya. Fear not, and it is banished. Crush it, and it vanishes. Stamp upon it, and it dies.
---------------
10) Official Indian representative for (PoR) Parliament of Religion was a Bengali. He goes to Boston in Aug end 1895 and meets PoR coordinator and gets himself permission to speak at PoR on Sep 11, 1893. The first week of Sep, he travels back to Chicago and loses his friend's address. He lives on streets of Chicago for few days. His sleeps in cardboard boxes. In the suburbs of Chicago, weak with several days of hunger and cold, they mistake him for a homeless man. He knocks several doors and finally one old lady open the door & sees a glow in his face and takes him inside her home on Sep 10th. He goes to PoR with her the next day ..Sep 11, 1893. The rest is all history ..When he started his address by "Brothers and Sisters of America", there was a standing ovation & applause for 2 mins
11) He was good singer and he was introduced to Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa by a common friend in Nov, 1881. First time, when he met Ramakrishna takes him to a room ..says "where were you all this time" ..Vivekananda himself says his first time interaction with his guru was weird and he thought he was a madman. In his first meeting, Ramakrishna tells him that he is avatar of Narada Muni and he has a mission in this world. Ramakrishna treated his wife Sharada Maata as Kaali and preys her daily like mother. Sharada Maata takes care of him till his last breadth (1886) as he suffered from throat cancer. Instead of critiquing other religions, Ramakrishna converted himself into Sufi Muslim for 6 months and Christian for sometime. He came to Ashram and preached about Advaita Vedanta. Once Vivekanda goes to a bar in Calcutta and Ramakrishna sees something different during evening prayers. Vivekananda admits his mistake and Ramakrishna says he is proud of him as his disciple is courageous to admit mistakes.
12) Vivekanda senses his last days during last phase of his 2 nd trip to US/UK (1899-1902). He was in Greece during June 1902. He tells his friends that he needs to go back to India soon. He says that can't die anywhere else other than his MathruBhumi. His friends in Greece raised money for his trip to India as he needs to pay first class to travel unreserved. He reaches India last week of June, 1902. After reaching, he tells his disciples that his last day is July 4 th, 1902. On his last day takes a walk with his disciple and gives him instructions about Ramakrishna Mission and Mutt activities. He watches Ashram kids sports competition from his window in the evening. He last breadth was at 9:00PM on July 4th, 1902 at 39 yrs of age.
Regards
Venkat Aekka
Little known facts about Swamy Vivekananda
1) I never knew that he fought for women so much ..he thought America has progressed a lot because of women liberation whereas in India, though we all prey to Shakti as our creator and destroyer ..we still ill treat our women and that's bringing down India and Hinduism.
2) His sister commits suicide (Sati) and that disturbs him a lot during his penance in Himalayas
3) He was born on Jan 12, 1863. His dad was a rich lawyer and was giving away property and money to relatives and Vivekananda asks him why he is wasting money on relatives and what he plans to give him as a son. His dad takes him to the mirror and says " I gave you him - Narendranath (Vivekananda). You don't worry about money"
4) He loves his mother so much that after becoming Vedanta, he never meets her. Few years before his death, he takes his mother and her friend for 2 months vacation to Kanyakumari. When Ramakrishna mission asks him to visit Chennai center, he says I am on vacation and I can't visit Chennai center
5) His friends in Chennai (he used to address them Madras Boys) raised money for his trip. in US, his savings dwindles down to $140 dollars and he writes a SOS letter to Madras Boys to send him money and he can survive till their reply
6) His had same issues like you and me, his brother was in UK looking for jobs and he supported and gave him accommodation in his room and started referring him to his friends
7) After Parliament of Religions in Chicago, he was a big hit in US. He used to stay in Michigan Governor's house for lectures. he charged $1400 per lecture in 1890s. He sent all earnings to the poor in India.Vivekananda successfully introduced yoga and Vedanta to the West and lectured around America introducing the topics (1894-6). Later, he started Vedantic centers in New York City and London, lectured at major universities and generally kindled western interest in Hinduism. His success was not without controversy, much of it from Christian missionaries of whom he was fiercely critical. After four years of constant touring, lecturing and retreats in the West, he came back to India in the year 1897.
8) He was against brahmins. He said they created barriers between man and God. He started eating non-veg and occasionally smoked pipe. He wrote about harsh weather in Chicago specially during winter.
9) His life was for 4 decades. His first 2 decades was consumed in childhood and learning, his 20s was transformation into Advaita Vedanta and 30s spent in US/UK trips. He came twice to US/UK. His started in a boat from Chennai to Vancouver and travelled to Boston by train.
excerpts from his wandering days after Ramakrishna's death ..
---------------------------
During these wandering days, Vivekananda stayed in kings' palaces, as well as the huts of the poor. He came in close contact with the culture of different regions of India and various classes of people in India. Vivekananda observed the imbalance in society and tyranny in the name of caste. He realised the need for a national rejuvenation if India was to survive at all. He reached Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent on 24 December 1892. There, he swam across the sea and started meditating on a lone rock. He thus meditated for three days and said later that he meditated about the past, present and future of India. The rock went on to become the Vivekananda memorial at Kanyakumari.
Vivekananda Temple on Vivekananda rock at Kanyakumari, India
Vivekananda went to Madras and spoke about his plans for India and Hinduism to the young men of Madras. They were impressed by the monk and urged him to go to the United States and represent Hinduism in the World Parliament of Religions. The Raja of Ramnad, who was originally invited for the conference, promoted Vivekananda as the right person to represent the views of Hinduism in the Parliament. Thus, helped by his friends at Chennai, Bhaskara Sethupathi, Raja of Ramnad and Maharajas of Mysore and Khetri, Vivekananda set out on his journey to the USA.
In one of his lectures in California, the swami described about his condition during wandering days as follows: [2]
“
Many times I have been in the jaws of death, starving, footsore, and weary; for days and days I had no food, and often could walk no farther; I would sink down under a tree, and life would seem to be ebbing away. I could not speak, I could scarcely think, but at last the mind reverted to the idea: "I have no fear nor death; never was I born, never did I die; I never hunger or thirst. I am It! I am It! The whole of nature cannot crush me; it is my servant. Assert thy strength, thou Lord of lords and God of gods! Regain thy lost empire! Arise and walk and stop not!" And I would rise up, reinvigorated; and here I am today, living! Thus, whenever darkness comes, assert the reality and everything adverse must vanish. For after all, it is but a dream. Mountain-high though the difficulties appear, terrible and gloomy though all things seem, they are but Maya. Fear not, and it is banished. Crush it, and it vanishes. Stamp upon it, and it dies.
---------------
10) Official Indian representative for (PoR) Parliament of Religion was a Bengali. He goes to Boston in Aug end 1895 and meets PoR coordinator and gets himself permission to speak at PoR on Sep 11, 1893. The first week of Sep, he travels back to Chicago and loses his friend's address. He lives on streets of Chicago for few days. His sleeps in cardboard boxes. In the suburbs of Chicago, weak with several days of hunger and cold, they mistake him for a homeless man. He knocks several doors and finally one old lady open the door & sees a glow in his face and takes him inside her home on Sep 10th. He goes to PoR with her the next day ..Sep 11, 1893. The rest is all history ..When he started his address by "Brothers and Sisters of America", there was a standing ovation & applause for 2 mins
11) He was good singer and he was introduced to Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa by a common friend in Nov, 1881. First time, when he met Ramakrishna takes him to a room ..says "where were you all this time" ..Vivekananda himself says his first time interaction with his guru was weird and he thought he was a madman. In his first meeting, Ramakrishna tells him that he is avatar of Narada Muni and he has a mission in this world. Ramakrishna treated his wife Sharada Maata as Kaali and preys her daily like mother. Sharada Maata takes care of him till his last breadth (1886) as he suffered from throat cancer. Instead of critiquing other religions, Ramakrishna converted himself into Sufi Muslim for 6 months and Christian for sometime. He came to Ashram and preached about Advaita Vedanta. Once Vivekanda goes to a bar in Calcutta and Ramakrishna sees something different during evening prayers. Vivekananda admits his mistake and Ramakrishna says he is proud of him as his disciple is courageous to admit mistakes.
12) Vivekanda senses his last days during last phase of his 2 nd trip to US/UK (1899-1902). He was in Greece during June 1902. He tells his friends that he needs to go back to India soon. He says that can't die anywhere else other than his MathruBhumi. His friends in Greece raised money for his trip to India as he needs to pay first class to travel unreserved. He reaches India last week of June, 1902. After reaching, he tells his disciples that his last day is July 4 th, 1902. On his last day takes a walk with his disciple and gives him instructions about Ramakrishna Mission and Mutt activities. He watches Ashram kids sports competition from his window in the evening. He last breadth was at 9:00PM on July 4th, 1902 at 39 yrs of age.
Regards
Venkat Aekka
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