A saint philosopher Swami Vivekanand was the first Indian who with his patriotic zeal and eloquence made the Western world aware of India's great spiritual and cultural heritage. In 1893, he won thunderous applause at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago with his very first words. "Sisters and Brothes of America" and boldly proclaimed that religions were not meant to spread hate and discord but to foster love and brotherhood. He glorified the Hindu religion and the Indian culture.
This great saint was born in Kolkata on 12 January ,1863. he was named Narendra. His father was Vishwanath Dutta, a respectable figure and his mother was Devi Bhuvaneshwari, a devout women with great ability for training her children.
Swami Vivekanand was very scientific in his attitude and never accepted anything without proof of knowledge. During
college days once his professor told him to go to Shri Ramakrishna at Dakshineshwar Temple if he wanted to know true meaning of trance or Samadhi.
This opened up a new relationship of Teacher and Disciple unparalleled in the history of spirituality. This wise man of Dakshineshwar with his simplicity and immense knowledge of Advaita Vedanta won over the mind and heart of this young boy Narendra once for all. There Narendra learnt and realized true spirit of Eternal Vedantic Religion Sanatana Dharma, and gradually evolved in Swami Vivekanand.
Swami Vivekanand was a great disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, a great saint who believed in humanism and urged the people to imbible the spirit of equality, liberty and free thinking. Vivekanand founded the Ramakrishna Mission in 1896 after his return from America to propogate the teachings of his master Ramakrishna Paramhansa. This Mission carries out educational and charitable work throughout India and has branches in Asia, Europe and the United States. Belur Math, eight Kilometers from Kolkata, is the International headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission. Its architecture represents a church, a mosque and a temple when viewed from different angles. It is truly symbolic of Vivekanand's universality of belief. His statue at Kanyakumari where the waters of the Arabian sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean merge, is a place of pilgrimage for millions of people .
Vivekanand lived a very short physical life. He died on fourth of Julyl902. He was only Thirty nine years and a few months, thus fulfilling a prophecy which was frequently on his lips, "I shall never live to see forty." Swami Vivekanand possessed an illuminated intellect, a vast and retentive memory, a heart devoted to God that was full of compassion for his fellow human beings and an ever present realization of his true nature, whether working, worshipping, and meditating.
He devoted his life to working for social reforms such as eliminating child marriage and illiteracy and encouraging case
of the poor and the sick.
He was the icon of youth whose birth anniversary i.e. January 12 is celebrated as National Youth Day every year throughout the country.
