Short Life of Swami Vivekananda

In San Francisco, 1900

Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 into a Bengali family of Kolkata (then Calcutta), India. He was a Hindu monk of the Dasanami order established by Sri Sankaracharya (also known as Adi Sankaracharya). 

Swami Vivekananda was a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic, Sri Ramakrishna. Swami Vivekananda was a key figure in the introduction of the Ind ian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. He is also credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. He was a major force in the revival of Hinduism. In India, he is regarded as a patriotic saint as his writings and lectures had inspired many Indian freedom fighters. Recognizing his stature as a youth icon, Swami Vivekananda's birthday, January 12th, is celebrated as the National Youth Day in India. 

Swami Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission to continue the work which he started during his lifetime. 

Early Life (1863-88)

Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House

Vivekananda was born Narendranath Datta (shortened as Narendra or Naren) at his ancestral home at No.3 Gourmohan Mukherjee Street in Calcutta, the capital the then British India on 12 January 1863 on a Makara Sankranti festival day. 

Swami Vivekananda belonged to a traditional Bengali Kayastha family in Kolkata (Calcutta). His father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney at the Calcutta High Court. Durgacharan Datta, his grandfather was a Sanskrit and Persian scholar who left his family to become a monk. His mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was a devout housewife. The progressive, rational attitude of Vishwanath Datta and the religious temperament of Bhuvaneshwari Devi helped shape Swami Vivekananda's thinking and personality. 

Bhuvaneshwari Devi

Bhuvaneshwari had prayed for years to the Great Lord Mahadeva for a son. She had even asked her relative in Varanasi (also called Benaras and Kasi) to offer special prayer to Lord Vireshwar (one of the names of Lord Siva) to bless her with a son. When a son was born to her, Bhuvaneswari named him as Vireshwar. In Bengali, Vireshwar is pronounced as Bireshwar. In short, Bireshwar became 'Biley'. Later, he was called Narendranath Datta. 

Narendranath had a spiritual and contemplative nature from a young age. As a young boy, he used to play sitting in a meditative pose before the images of deities such as Rama, Sita, and Shiva. He was fascinated by wandering ascetics and monks. He would proudly tell his young friends that he too wanted to become a monk like his grandfather. Naren was naughty and restless as a child, and his parents often had difficulty controlling him. His mother said, "I prayed to Shiva for a son and he has sent me one of his demons."

Narendra had two sisters, Swarnamayi and Haramani and two younger brothers, Mahendranath and Bhupendranath. Both his brothers remained bachelors. 

Education 

In 1871, at the age of eight, Narendranath enrolled at Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's Metropolitan Institution, where he went to school until his family moved to Raipur in 1877. In 1879, after his family's return to Calcutta, he was the only student to receive first-division marks in the Presidency College entrance examination. 

Naren had a prodigious memory and he was an avid reader in a wide range of subjects, including philosophy, religion, history, social science, art, and literature. He was also interested in Hindu scriptures, including the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. His favourite subject was history. Narendra was trained in Indian classical music and regularly participated in physical exercise, sports, and organised activities. 

Narendra studied Western logic, Western philosophy and European history at the General Assembly's Institution (now known as the Scottish Church College). In 1881 he passed the Fine Arts examination and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1884. 

William Hastie (principal of General Assembly's Institution) wrote, "Narendra is really a genius. I have travelled far and wide but I have never come across a lad of his talents and possibilities, even in German universities, among philosophical students."

Narendra studied the works of David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Baruch Spinoza, Georg W. F. Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Auguste Comte,John Stuart Mill and Charles Darwin. He became fascinated with the evolutionism of Herbert Spencer and corresponded with him, translating Spencer's book Education (1861) into Bengali. While studying Western philosophers, he also learned Sanskrit scriptures and Bengali literature. Upon completing the Bachelor of Arts, Narendra joined the law course. He wanted to go to England to read law and become a lawyer. 

Youth
Narendra was an active youth. He joined the Keshab Chandra Sen's Nava Vidhan. He also became a Free Mason and a member of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in his early twenties. Narendra was not satisfied with bookish knowledge on philosophy. He wanted to find the truth for himself. He wanted to test everything before believing it. He asked several prominent Calcutta residents if they had come "face to face with God". But none of their answers satisfied him. 

At this time, Narendra met Debendranath Tagore (the leader of Brahmo Samaj and father of Rabindranath Tagore) and asked if he had seen God. Instead of answering his question, Tagore said "My boy, you have the Yogi's eyes."

Narendra's ardent search for God brought him to Sri Ramakrishna, the saint of Dakshineshwar. He first heard about Sri Ramakrishna from Professor William Hastie at the General Assembly's Institution. During a lecture on William Wordsworth's poem, The Excursion, Professor Hastie suggested that his students visit Sri Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar to understand the true meaning of 'trance'.

Sri Ramakrishna, the saint of Dakshineshwar 

About November 1881, Narendra first saw Sri Ramakrishna at the house of his friend and neighbour, Surendranath Mitra. Surendra invited Narendra to sing in a religious festival at his house. The chief guest at the festival was Sri Ramakrishna. Narendra sang few devotional songs and Sri Ramakrishna was impressed by his singing talent. He invited Narendra to come to Dakshineswar and meet him. 

Sri Ramakrishna 

Narendra's father, Vishwanath Datta, wanted to get his son to get married and started making arrangements. Narendra was reluctant to marry and was attempting to quench his religious and spiritual thirst. 

Ram Chandra Datta, Narendra's uncle learned about his spiritual thirst and his refusal to marry. Ram Chandra told him — "If you really want to know the truth, why are you roaming about here and there? Go to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa at Dakshineswar."

Narendra's First Visit to Dakshineswar

Narendra and two of his freinds went by coach to meet Sri Ramakrishna. The saint was staying at the Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar. Narendra asked him the question which he had put to several others but had received no satisfactory answer: “Sir, have you seen God?” Without a moment’s hesitation, Sri Ramakrishna replied: “Yes, I have. I see Him as clearly as I see you, only in a much intenser sense.” 

Dakshineshwar Temple

Narendra now became a frequent visitor to Dakshineshwar and, under the guidance of the Master, made rapid strides on the spiritual path. Sri Ramakrishna looked upon Narendra as an incarnation of Rishi Nara, who was born for the good of the world. 

At Dakshineshwar, Narendra also met several young men, Rakhal, Baburam, Latu, Shashi, Sarat, Tarak, Niranjan, Gadadhar, Girish, and others. They were all devoted to Sri Ramakrishna, and they became close friends. 

Difficult Situations

After a few years, two events took place which caused Narendra considerable distress. One was the sudden death of his father in 1884. This left the family penniless, and Narendra had to bear the burden of supporting his mother, brothers, and sisters. His relatives tried to evict them from their ancestral house. 

Narendra tried in vain to search for a job in Kolkata. With the help of some friends, he got a job as a headmaster in a school. However, due to some reasons, he had to resign. He also found a temporary job at a lawyer's office. During this difficult period, Naren and his friend Vaishnav Charan Basak compiled a book on Bengali music called 'Sangeet Kalpataru'. 

The second event was the illness of Sri Ramakrishna which was diagnosed as throat cancer. In September 1885, Sri Ramakrishna was moved to a house at Shyampukur, and a few months later to a rented villa at Cossipore (also spelt as Kashipur). The young disciples nursed the Master with devoted care. In spite of poverty at home and inability to find a job for himself, Narendra joined the group as its leader.

Cossipore / Kashipur Garden House

At Cossipore, Narendra, and several other disciples received ochre robes from Sri Ramakrishna, forming a monastic order. Sri Ramakrishna asked him to care for the other monastic disciples, and in turn asked them to see Narendra as their leader. Narendra spent long hours in meditation. 

About this time, Narendra along with Kali and Tarak secretly ran away to Bodh Gaya to meditate under the Bodhi tree where the Buddha attained Nirvana. However, due to serious diarrhea, they had to return to Cossipore after a few days.  

Ramakrishna attained Mahasamadhi on 16 August 1886 in Cossipore. Soon, the disciples had to vacate the Cossipore garden house. Some returned home and began to study. Some went to pilgrimage. Narendra, however, started to organize them into a monastic brotherhood. 

Baranagore Math

With money provided by Surendranath Mitra, a dilapidated house with a cheap rental was found at Baranagore. The house was old and decayed; the garden was full of weeds; cobras lived under the ground floor. According to rumours, the house was haunted. However, overlooking all these, the young disciples of Sri Ramakrishna established their first monastery here. They called it as 'Baranagore Math' (Math=monastery). Surendranath Mitra, Balaram Bose,  and few others supported the monastery financially. 

The young disciples practiced meditation, repetition of mantras, chanting hymns, prayers, scriptural studies and other spiritual practices. They were very poor and often hard very little to eat. For months, they survived on rice and boiled leaves. They slept on hard floor. But all of them did not care for comfort. They were happy to be together to think about God. Narendra was their leader.

The young monks at Baranagore Math

In December 1886, Baburam's mother invited Narendra and his other brother disciples to Antpur village. Narendra and the other aspiring monks accepted the invitation and went to Antpur to spend a few days. At Antpur, one night, they sat before a holy fire and Narendra spoke about the glorious life of Christ. They felt that they must embrace the monastic life to lead a selfless and pure life. They took the vow of celibacy before the fire. The next day, they were overjoyed to know that it was  the Christmas Eve. 

Later, after returning to Baranagore, they took a formal monastic vow following the tradition of the Dasanami order of monks. Narendra chose the monastic names for all his brother monks. 

At first, Narendra wanted to assume the name "Swami Ramakrishnananda". However, as the name best suited Shashi, Narendra took the name: Swami Vividishananda". However, he seldom used this name. Sometimes, he also identified himself as "Swami Satchidananda". Some years later, before leaving to Chicago, Narendra took the name "Swami Vivekananda". 

Travels in India (1888–93)

In 1888, Narendra left the monastery as a Parivrâjaka— the Hindu religious life of a wandering monk, "without fixed abode, without ties, independent and strangers wherever they go". Here onwards, he shall be called as "Swamiji". 

During his travel, Swamiji carried a kamandalu (water pot),  a staff and his two favourite books: the Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ. Living primarily on bhiksha (alms), he travelled on foot and by railway (with tickets bought by admirers).

Swamiji travelled extensively in India for five years, visiting centres of learning and acquainting himself with diverse religious traditions and social patterns. He developed sympathy for the suffering and poverty of the people and resolved to uplift the nation.  During his travels, he met and stayed with Indians from all religions and walks of life: scholars, government officials, kings, peasants, labourers, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. 

In 1888, Swamiji went to his first destination, Varanasi. He visited the places associated with Gautama Buddha and Sri Sankaracharya. He also paid respect to Trailanga Swami and Swami Bhaskarananda, two holy men in Varanasi and became acquainted with Pramadadas Mitra, a Sanskrit scholar. Swamiji often corresponded with Pramadadas Mitra to seek clarification on Hindu scriptures. 

At Sarnath, near Varanasi, Swamiji experienced an incident with a pack of monkeys which he often quoted in later days. One day, Swamiji was returning from a visit to the Durga temple. Suddenly, a troop of monkeys kept on chasing him. He ran as fast as he could, but the monkeys kept on chasing him. Swamiji did not know what to do. Just then an old monk called out to him, "Stop! Face the brutes." Swamiji stopped, turned around and stood facing the monkeys. When he did this, the monkeys got frightened and ran away. 

From Varanasi, Swamiji travelled to Ayodhya, Lucknow, Agra, Vrindavan, Hathras, and Rishikesh. 

In September 1888, Swamiji halted at the Hathras station. Here, a station master, Sharat Chandra Gupta became his disciple. Swamiji accepted him as his first monastic disciple and later named him as 'Swami Sadananda'. 

Swamiji continued his journey to Hrishikesh in the Himalayas with Swami Sadananda. Soon, they returned to Baranagore because of health problem. 

In January 1890, Swamiji went to Ghazipur via Allahabad. He met the famous Hatha Yogi, Pavhari Baba. Swamiji wanted to learn Hatha Yoga from Baba. However, Swamiji gave up his intention of learning the Hatha Yoga and left Ghazipur after some time. 

Swami Akhandananda

Early 1890, Swamiji returned to Baranagore Math upon receiving the news of Balaram Bose's death. Bose had been the main support of the monastery. Within few month, another friend, Surendranath Mitra also passed away. The monastery was threatened with financial crisis with these two deaths. Seeing their condition, Girish Chandra Ghose and Mahendranath Gupta came to aid. Though they were not rich, they tried to help the monks in every possible ways. 

After settling the affairs at the Baranagore monastery, Swamiji continued with his travel. This time, he was accompanied by Swami Akhandananda. 

They went to Nainital, Almora, Srinagar, Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar. While they were at Meerut, they met their other brother disciples, Swamis Brahmananda, Saradananda, Turiyananda dan Advaitananda. As if they were back in Baranagore, they spent some days together happily. 

From Meerut, Swamiji went to Delhi in January 1891. Swamiji visited the famous Taj Mahal and admired its beauty. From Delhi, he continued his journey alone towards the south. 

Rajputana

From Delhi, Swamiji went to Alwar in February 1891. Here, he met the king of Alwar, Raja Mangal Singh. Mangal Singh was a western educated king who did not believe in the Hindu religion. Once Mangal Singh questioned Swamiji about image worship and Swamiji gave him his epic answer that just as photo remind us of the person in the photo, images and idols remind us of God. 

Swamiji's next destination was Jaipur. With guidance from a Sanskrit scholar, Swamiji learnt Panini's Ashtadhyayi (Sanskrit grammar). Then, he travelled to Ajmer and visited the palace of Akbar and Dargah Sharif. 

At Mount Abu, near Khetri Swamiji met Raja Ajit Singh, the king of Khetri. Ajit Singh became his close disciple and friend. Swamiji stayed at the palace of Khetri and studied the Mahabhasya of Panini. Two months later, in October 1891, Swamiji went to Maharashtra. 

Swamiji then visited Ahmedabad, Wadhwan and Limbdi. At Limbdi, Swamiji completed the study on Islamic and Jain civilizations. At Limbdi, he met Thakur Saheb Jaswant Singh who suggested to Swamiji to go to England and America to teach Vedanta. 

Next, Swamiji visited Junagadh, Girnar, Kutch, Porbander, Dwaraka, Palitana, Nadiad, and Baroda. He spent about nine months in Porbander studying Sanskrit and philosophy. Mahabaleshwar, Pune, Khandwa and Indore were his next destinations. 

In Belgaum

While travelling in Kathiawar, Swamiji heard about the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago. His followers urged him to go to Chicago as a delegate of Hinduism. After a short stay at Bombay in July 1892, Swamiji met Bal Gangadhar Tilak (a politician and nationalist). Swamiji stayed with Tilak for a few days in Pune.

From there, Swamiji visited Belgaum, Panaji, and Margao in Goa. At Goa, Swamiji studied the ancient Christian manuscripts in Latin at the Rachol Seminary. 

South India (1892–1893)

Swamiji proceeded to Bangalore and became acquainted with K.Seshadri Iyer (the officer of the Mysore palace). Iyer introduced Swamiji to the Mysore king, Chamaraja Wodeyar. Swamiji stayed in Mysore palace as a royal guest for some days. 

Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari

Next, Swamiji proceeded to Trissur, Kodungalloor, Ernakulam, Trivandrum, and Nagerkoil. Finally, in December 1892, a few days before Christmas, he reached Kanyakumari. Here, at India's southern tip, Swamiji swam to a rock on the sea and sat in meditation for three days. Today, in the same spot stands the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. 

After his grand discovery about the future of his mission, Swamiji proceeded to Madurai and met the Raja of Ramnad, Bhaskara Sethupathi. The Raja became his disciple and urged him to attend the Parliament of World's Religions. 

Swamiji left Madurai and went to Rameswaram, Pondicherry and Madras (now Chennai). In Madras, Swamiji met some young enthusiastic youths who became his ardent disciples. Among them was Alasinga Perumal who played key roles in collecting the funds for Swami Vivekananda's American tour. Later, Swamiji described in his memoirs about Alasinga Perumal as "one so unselfish, so hard-working, and devoted to his guru, and such an obedient disciple is indeed very rare on earth." 

With funds collected from the people of Madras and the kings of Mysore, Ramnad, and Khetri, Swamiji set out to America via Port of Bombay on 31 May 1893. Before starting on his journey, on the suggestion of Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri, Swamiji adopted the name "Swami Vivekananda". 

First Visit to the West (1893-97)

S.S.Peninsular

Vivekananda started his journey to the West on 31 May 1893 from the Bombay Port by S.S.Peninsular. During the journey, he visited Penang, Singapore, Nagasaki, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hong Kong, and China. Finally, the ship landed in Vancouver, Canada on 25 July 1893. Thereon, he travelled by train to the United States, reaching Chicago on 30 July 1893. 

At Chicago, after getting his lodging, Swamiji visited the World's Columbian Exposition (also called the Chicago Fair). Then, Swamiji went to office of the Parliament to find out about the Parliament of Religions. Upon inquiry, Swamiji came to know that the Parliament of the World's Religions was postponed to September and that he need to produce valid credentials as a delegate of Hinduism. The registration of delegates also was closed. Disheartened with his prospect, Swamiji decided to stay on until September to attend the Parliament. The high cost of living in Chicago drove him away to Boston. 

During his train trip from Canada, Swamiji was acquainted with Miss Kate Sanborn, a famous writer. Miss Sanborn had invited Swamiji to Breezy Meadows Farm, near Boston. Swamiji moved to Boston to seek her help. 

While staying with Miss Sanborn, Swamiji met Professor John Henry Wright from the University of Harvard. The professor was impressed with Swamiji's learning and asked him to represent Hinduism at the Parliament of Religions. Swamiji told him that he had no official letter from any organization. Professor Wright replied, "To ask you, Swami, for credentials is like asking the sun to state its right to shine."

Nevertheless, Professor Wright gave a letter to the Chairman of the Committee of the Parliament of Religions introducing Swamiji. In this letter he wrote, "Here is a man who is more learned than all our learned professors put together." He also presented Swamiji with a train ticket to Chicago. 

With renewed hope, Swamiji returned to Chicago by train. At Chicago, Swamiji found that he had lost the address of the Committee. He did not know where to go. He could not get any help as he had landed in a German-speaking area. Tired and hungry, Swamiji spent the night in a large empty box. In the morning, he began to walk along a street where rich people lived called Lake Shore Drive. As he used to do in India, he started to beg for food from door to door. But, this was not India! Here, he was treated rudely and even the servants insulted him for begging. After walking for a while, Swamiji sat down by the side of the street. Just then the door of an opposite house opened and a lady came out. She went to Swamiji and asked him, "Sir, are you a delegate to the Parliament of Religions?" Swamiji introduced himself.  

The lady was Mrs.Hale. She took Swamiji to her home and after giving him breakfast took him to the office of the Parliament. 

To the end of his life, Swamiji remained friendly with the Hale family and often visited their house in Dearbon Avenue, Chicago. He called Mrs. Hale as Mother Church and her husband, as Father Pope. The Hales had two daughters and a son. 

The Parliament of the World's Religions

The Parliament of the World's Religions opened on 11 September 1893 at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the World's Columbian Exposition. 

Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions

The World's Columbian Exposition  (also known as The Chicago World's Fair and Chicago Columbian Exposition) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. As part of the grand celebration, the Parliament of the World's Religions was held from September 11 to September 27. It was the first time in history all the major religions came together on the same platform. 

On the first day, Swami Vivekananda gave a brief speech representing India and Hinduism. He was initially nervous, bowed to Saraswati (the Hindu goddess of learning) and began his speech with "Sisters and brothers of America!". At these words, Vivekananda received a two-minute standing ovation from the crowd of seven thousand. Vivekananda quoted two illustrative passages from the Shiva Mahima Stotram: "As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee!" and "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths that in the end lead to Me." 

At Chicago, 1893

Through this first speech, Vivekananda attracted widespread attention in the press, which called him the "cyclonic monk from India". 

The New York Critique wrote, "He is an orator by divine right, and his strong, intelligent face in its picturesque setting of yellow and orange was hardly less interesting than those earnest words, and the rich, rhythmical utterance he gave them". 

The New York Herald noted, "Vivekananda is undoubtedly the greatest figure in the Parliament of Religions. After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to send missionaries to this learned nation".

American newspapers reported Vivekananda as "the greatest figure in the parliament of religions" and "the most popular and influential man in the parliament". 

The Boston Evening Transcript reported that Vivekananda was "a great favourite at the parliament... if he merely crosses the platform, he is applauded".

American and European Lecture Tours

After the success at Chicago, Swami Vivekananda travelled throughout the American continent for two years. He delivered hundreds of lectures, formal and informal talks, and inspired thousands of Americans. He taught them mainly Vedanta, Hindu and Indian culture, and civilization. He also studied the culture and norms of the Americans. 

In 1894, Swamiji established the Vedanta Society of New York. In 1895 summer, he started private classes on Vedanta and Yoga from a rented house in New York. 

Sister Christine 

During the summer vacation in June 1895, Swamiji went to the Thousand Island Park with twelve of his followers. Here, they stayed at the Dutcher's Cottage for nine weeks. The talks and occasional utterance of Swamiji were noted by Miss S.Ellen Waldo. Later, the notes were published as "Inspired Talks". During this time, Swamiji also composed one of his inspiring poems, "The Song of the Sannyasin". 

At the Thousand Island Park, Swamiji found Christine Greenstidel, who became his ardent disciple. She took Brahmacharya vow from Swamiji and since then, was known as Sister Christine. Later, Sister Christine came to India and helped Sister Nivedita to start a school for girls. She also helped Swamiji to disseminate Vedanta in America.   

In Europe 

Swami Vivekananda then visited England in 1895 and 1896. In England, Swamiji was the guest of E.T.Sturdy for six months. Swamiji helped Sturdy to translate Narada Bhakti Sutras into English. 

In November 1895, Swamiji met Margaret Noble, an Irish lady who later became Sister Nivedita. Swamiji also met Max Muller, an Indologist from the University of Oxford. Later, Muller wrote the biography of Sri Ramakrishna. 

In 1896, Swamiji called one of his brother monks, Swami Saradananda to England to teach Vedanta. The Swamis were very happy to see each other after several years. Swamiji told Saradananda about his plans for their monastery in India. By this time, the Baranagore Math was shifted to a new building at Alambazar. 

In German, Swamiji visited Paul Deussen, another Indologist, and Sanskrit scholar. They had long conversations and visited many places together. 

While travelling in Europe, Swami Vivekananda received two teaching offers from the Universities of Harvard and Columbia. However, as it was against his monastic vow, Swamiji declined the offers.   

Apart from work, Swamiji also enjoyed visiting many scenic and historical places in Europe. At Switzerland, Swamiji enjoyed beauty, peace, and silence of the snow-capped Alps.  

Western Disciples 

Many Americans and Europeans became the followers and disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Among them, Josephine MacLeod, Christina Greenstidel (later became Sister Christine), Sara Bull, J.J.Goodwin, William James, Josiah Royce, Robert G. Ingersoll, Nikola Tesla, Lord Kelvin, Harriet Monroe, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Sarah Bernhardt, Emma Calvé and Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz. They helped Swami Vivekananda to promote Vedanta philosophy in America and Europe. 

J.J.Goodwin

To record Swami Vivekananda's talks and lectures, Josephine MacLeod engaged J.J.Goodwin, a court stenographer. Goodwin was capable of writing 200 words per minute and charged an exorbitant fee. However, a week after taking down Swamiji's words, Goodwin refused to take any payment and said, "If Vivekananda gives his life, the least I can do is to give my service." From then on, Goodwin followed Swamiji like a shadow and recorded his talks and lectures. 

Swamiji's lectures were later published as books. In February 1896, Karma Yoga was published in the United States of America. Raja Yoga was published in London on 13 July 1896. Bhakti Yoga was published in Madras in September 1896. 

Even though Swamiji was far away from India, he continued to correspondent with his disciples and brother monks at Alambazar Math. His letters gave them detailed instruction about carrying out Sri Ramakrishna message. 

In 1895, the Brahmavadin magazine was started to disseminate the message of Vedanta. 

Return to India (1897-1899)

Swamiji decided to return to India. He sent Swami Saradananda to America to continue with the Vedanta classes and lectures. He also sent for Swami Abhedananda to come to England from India. Swami Abhedananda came and began to give public lectures.

In December 1896, Swamiji set out to India with his English disciples, Captain and Mrs. Sevier, and JJ Goodwin. During this return journey, Swamiji visited France and Italy. Swamiji became very emotional to return to his motherland. He said to one of this friends, "India I loved before I came away. Now the very dust of India has become holy to me, the very air is now to me holy; it is now the holy land, the place of pilgrimage, the Tirtha." 

Swamiji and his disciples landed in Colombo Port (in Sri Lanka) on 15 January 1897. Swamiji received a hero's welcome in his motherland. One of his brother monks, Swami Niranjanananda was at Colombo to see him. 

In Colombo, he gave his first public speech in the East, India, the Holy Land. From there on, his journey to Calcutta was triumphant. Everywhere, he found a huge crowd of people waiting to see him. Those who were near rushed to touch his feet. People came from faraway places just to get a glimpse of him.  

Vivekanandar Illam, Chennai

Swami Vivekananda travelled from Colombo to Pamban, Rameswaram, Ramnad, Madurai, Kumbakonam, and Madras delivering lectures and talks. Common people and rajas gave him an enthusiastic reception. During his train travels, people often sat on the rails to force the train to stop so they could hear him. At Madras, Swamiji stayed at Ice House (now known as 'Vivekanandar Illam') and received his visitors. Upon earnest request from his Madras disciples and friends, Swamiji directed his brother monk, Swami Ramakrishnananda to establish a branch of the Ramakrishna Math in Madras. 

From Madras, Swamiji continued his journey to Calcutta and Almora. While in the West, Vivekananda spoke about India's great spiritual heritage; in India, he repeatedly addressed social issues: uplifting the people, eliminating the caste system, promoting science and industrialisation, addressing widespread poverty and ending colonial rule. These lectures, published as Lectures from Colombo to Almora, demonstrate his nationalistic fervour and spiritual ideology. 

Swamiji was happy to return to his brother monks at the Alambazar Math. While Swamiji was in America, they had shifted their monastery from Baranagore to Alambazar, and therefore, the monastery was called Alambazar Math. Swamiji told them about his plans for rebuilding India. Swamiji also wanted to build a temple for Sri Ramakrishna and a proper monastery for the monks and brahmacharis. 

Swamiji's American disciples gave him money to purchase a large plot of land at the Belur village to build the temple and monastery. Soon, the monastery was moved from Alambazar to Belur. Here, a permanent temple for Sri Ramakrishna and a monastery for the monks were built. It is called as the Belur Math. 

On 1 May 1897 in Calcutta, Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission for social service. Both Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission have their headquarters at Belur Math. Swamiji also designed the logo of the Ramakrishna Mission and formulated its motto as: "Atmano Mokshartham Jagad Hitaya Ca" (For one's own salvation and the good of the world). 

Logo of Ramakrishna Math &
Ramakrishna Mission

Vivekananda founded two other monasteries: one in Mayavati in the Himalayas (near Almora), the Advaita Ashrama and another in Madras. 

Belur Math

During Swamiji's time, two journals were started: Prabuddha Bharata in English and Udbhodan in Bengali. Inspired by Swamiji's ideas, Swami Akhandananda started famine relief work in the Murshidabad district.  

Swamiji earlier inspired Jamshedji Tata to set up a research and educational institution when they travelled together from Yokohama  to Chicago on his first visit to the West in 1893. Tata now asked him to head his Research Institute of Science. Swamiji declined the offer. After brief visits to Punjab, Lahore, Delhi and Khetri, Swamiji returned to Calcutta in January 1898.

Due to overwork, Swamiji's health became worse. In March 1898, he went to Darjeeling for rest. He stayed there for a month. Then, news came about the outbreak of plague in Calcutta. At once, Swamiji returned to Calcutta and started relief work. Someone asked him, "From where will we get the money to do relief work?"  

Swamiji replied, "Why? We will sell the land for the new Math if necessary. We are sannyasins. We should be ready to live under trees and beg for our food." 

However, without selling the land, they were able to carry out relief work. Hearing Swamiji's words, many people were inspired to donate for the work. Volunteers also came to help in serving the poor and sick people. Swamiji taught everyone to serve selflessly as if they were serving God in all human beings.

TO THE HIMALAYAS

After the plague relief work was over, Swamiji wanted to rest again. With Swami Adbhutananda, Sister Nivedita, Josephine Macleod, Mrs Sara Bull and others, Swamiji went to the Himalayas. The journey was very exciting as Swamiji told many interesting things about the places they passed through, such as Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, Almora, Nainital, and Kashmir. Swamiji told them about the history, life, religion, and culture of the Indian people. Sister Nivedita recorded some of these in her books. 

Sister Nivedita

At Kashmir, Swamiji made a pilgrimage to the cave of Amarnath. Thousands of people visit the Amarnath cave to worship the ice Shivalinga. Sister Nivedita accompanied Swamiji to the cave. Swamiji became very much absorbed thinking of Lord Shiva. For days afterwards, Swamiji talking only about Shiva. 

After his Amarnath pilgrimage, Swamiji returned to Srinagar. Here, Swamiji thought more about God as Divine Mother. He went to worship at Kheer Bavani temple in Srinagar. Swamiji felt that it was the Divine Mother who did everything and that he was just a toy in Her hands. Absorbed in thinking about the Divine Mother, Swamiji composed a poem in English, "Kali the Mother", one of his best poems. 

In October 1898, Swamiji returned to Math at Calcutta. He consolidated the work of the Math and trained disciples for several months. Swamiji also composed "Khandana Bhava–Bandhana", a prayer song dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, in 1898. 

Second visit to the West (1899-1900)

Swamiji's health continued to decline. The doctors advised him to go to the West for rest. Swamiji left for the West for a second time on 20 June 1899 by S.S.Golconda from Calcutta port. He was accompanied by Sister Nivedita and Swami Turiyananda. Swamiji recorded this sea voyage and the travels for the Bengali magazine, Udbodhan. Later, it was published as "Memoirs of European Travel". The voyage with Swamiji was a pilgrimage and education for Sister Nivedita. Later, she recorded many of the conversations with Swamiji in her book 'The Master As I Saw Him'.

Swami Turiyananda

On 31 July 1899, the ship arrived at London. Swamiji stayed for two weeks at Wimbledon, near Sister Nivedita's residence. Then, Swamiji sailed for America with Sister Christine, Mrs Funke, and Swami Turiyananda. 

In America, Swamiji stayed with Mr. Francis Leggett at Ridgley Manor, near the Catskill Mountains. It was a beautiful and quiet place. Swamiji stayed there until November 1899. He was also glad to meet Swami Abhedananda who had been working in America. 

During this second visit, Vivekananda established Vedanta Societies in San Francisco and New York. He sent Swami Turiyananda with twelve disciples to start the Santi Ashrama in California. 

Next, Swamiji went to Paris for the Congress of History of Religions in 1900. His lectures in Paris concerned the worship of the lingam and the authenticity of the Bhagavad Gita. In Paris, Swamiji met Dr. J.C.Bose, the great Indian scientist. Swamiji was very proud of the scientific discovery of Dr.Bose. 

Vivekananda then visited Brittany, Vienna, Istanbul, Athens and Egypt. The French philosopher Jules Bois was his host for most of this period. 

Captain Sevier

Getting a premonition about the death of Captain Sevier, Swamiji cancelled his European tour abruptly and returned to Calcutta on 9 December 1900. Reaching Belur Math, he learnt about the death of Captain Sevier. 

Captain Sevier and his wife had given up everything for Swamiji and had come to India to help Swamiji in his work. They had started an Ashrama at Mayavati, in the Himalayas. Now Captain Sevier was dead. Swamiji wanted to go to Mayavati to console Mrs. Sevier. 

It was the middle of winter. There was deep snow in the Himalayas  and it was very cold. The trip was very difficult and unpleasant. But Swamiji was determined and he had resourceful disciples who helped him to reach Mayavati. 

Swamiji reached the Advaita Ashrama in Mayavati on 3 January 1901. Mrs.Sevier and the monks who lived there were very glad to see Swamiji. Swamiji too was happy to witness the contemplative life at the Ashrama. 

After a brief stay, Vivekananda returned to Belur Math.

Last Days

During his last days, Swamiji made pilgrimages to Bodhgaya, Varanasi and took his mother and sister to Dharmaputra. Declining health (including asthma, diabetes, and chronic insomnia) restricted his activity.

Despite his declining health, Swamiji continued to receive visitors daily, talked to them and gave them spiritual help. He also held classes for the monks and brahmacharins. He would often sing. He made rules for life in the monastery which is still followed in Belur Math. 

Swamiji liked animals and he kept many pets. There was a dog called 'Bagha', a she-goat called 'Hansi', cows, sheep, ducks, geese, an antelope, a stork, and a kid called 'Matru'. Swamiji loved to play with Matru, and the kid followed him everywhere and sometimes even slept in his room. When Matru died, Swamiji cried like a child unable to bear the sorrow. 

During his last days at Belur Math, Swamiji started reading the new edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica. There were twenty-five huge volumes. Swamiji had great powers of concentration and could read very quickly. A disciple saw Swamiji reading a volume and said that it would be impossible for anyone to finish reading those huge volumes in a lifetime. 

Swamiji replied, "How is that? I have already read ten volumes. You can ask me any question you like from them." 

The disciple then started asking difficult questions from those ten volumes. Swamiji answered all the questions correctly. In some cases he even remembered the exact words used in the encyclopaedia. 

The disciple said, "This is beyond the power of man." But Swamiji explained that it was due to concentration. If anyone lived a pure life he could get such concentration. 

Vivekananda Temple, Belur Math

On 4 July 1902, Vivekananda meditated for three hours in Belur Math. After his morning prayers, Swamiji was heard singing songs about the Divine Mother. Then, he taught the Shukla Yajur Veda, Sanskrit grammar and Yoga philosophy to the novices. He went for a short walk with Swami Premananda and briefed about his idea of starting a Vedic college in Belur Math. 

About seven in the evening, he returned to his room and meditated. Then, he called Brahmachari Brajesh to fan him while he lay on the bed. Around 9.10pm, Swami Vivekananda attained Mahasamadhi. 

The next morning, his body was cremated at a spot near the Ganges that he had indicated earlier to Swami Premananda. A few years later, a temple was erected at that spot to enshrine Swami Vivekananda's holy ashes.