Vivekananda, Swami
(1863–1902), Indian philosopher and religious leader. Swami Vivekananda (meaning "the bliss of spiritual discrimination") is the monastic name of Narendranath Datta. He was a major philosopher, author, social reformer, and religious and intellectual leader of India and the world. He brought back its original universalism to Hinduism, made it available to India and the world, and included service to humanity as an integral element of personal salvation.
Narendranath Datta was born in an affluent Westernized Bengali family in 1863. He received his bachelor's degree from Calcutta University in l884. He was an accomplished classical musician and singer and knew Bengali, English, Sanskrit, Hindi, and French well. A member of the Brahmo sect, a vigorous monistic reformed version of Hinduism, Datta came in contact with Ramakrishna Paramhansa (1836–1886) in 1881. Ramakrishna was not formally learned but had an immense knowledge of all religions and accepted their validity as paths for personal salvation, though he was mainly a worshiper of the Omnipresent in the form of the goddess Kali. After much conflict, personal and with Ramakrishna, Datta finally accepted Ramakrishna as his spiritual adviser (guru) in 1885. He renounced the world, became a Sannyasi (Hindu monk), and commenced an intense study of philosophy and religion.
From 1890 to 1893, Vivekananda traversed all of India on foot and met people of all classes of society. He was moved by the poverty, ignorance, and ill health he saw. With the encouragement and support of the raja of Khettry, Vivekananda traveled to the United States to attend in September 1893 the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago. His initial speech overwhelmed the audience. Through his many speaking engagements and his dynamic personality, he attracted many followers in the United States and later in Britain when he visited that country. Vedanta centers, or societies, were established in the West, and on his return to India, he established both a monastic order (the Ramakrishna Math) and a missionary society (Ramakrishna Mission), which manages hospitals, schools, colleges, and so forth, and which sends monks and devotees to disaster-stricken areas. Currently there are seventy such organizations in India, nineteen in the United States, and fourteen in other countries. Vivekananda's unique blend of Hindu universalism, personal salvation, and service to humanity form the philosophic backbone of these organizations.
Further Reading
Isherwood, Christopher. (1994) Ramakrishna and His Disciples. Calcutta, India: Advaita Ashrama.
Rolland, Romain. (1965) The Life of Vivekananda and the Universal Gospel. 6th ed. Calcutta, India: Advaita Ashrama.
This is the complete article, containing 405 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
