23-12-2017, 09:20 AM
Swami Vivekananda on January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902), born Narendranath Datta was a Hindu Hindu monk, a principal disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna of the nineteenth century. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga in the Western world and is credited with increasing interreligious awareness, leading to Hinduism to the status of a great world religion at the end of the 19th century. It was an important force in the revival of Hinduism in India, and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India. Vivekananda founded Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is perhaps best known for his speech that began, "Sisters and Brothers of America ...", in which he presented Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Born into an aristocratic Bengali family from Calcutta, Vivekananda was inclined towards spirituality. He was influenced by his guru, Ramakrishna, from whom he learned that all living beings were an incarnation of the divine being; therefore, service to God could be rendered by service to humanity. After the death of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda toured the Indian subcontinent extensively and gained first-hand knowledge of the conditions prevailing in British India. He later traveled to the United States, representing India in the Parliament of the World Religions of 1893. Vivekananda conducted hundreds of lectures and public and private classes, disseminating principles of Hindu philosophy in the United States, England and Europe. In India, Vivekananda is considered a patriotic saint and his birthday is celebrated there as National Youth Day.