Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu monk and a great philosopher. He is well-known for his philosophies about self-realisation and God. He discovered for the world what knowledge and self-knowledge are. His speech at the Parliament of the world’s religion in Chicago can not be forgotten. It changed the perspective of the whole world to look toward him. In his speech, he addressed the audience as “my brothers and sisters of America….” this is what made him loved by the world.
He was born on January 12, 1863, in Calcutta in India. His name was Narendranath Datta. At the age of 23, he was given two choices by his father: to accept all the luxuries of life but not meet his purpose in life or to leave all the luxuries, become a monk and find God and his purpose in life. He chose to become a monk. He decided to leave his home and find his purpose at the age of 25.
He began to follow the preaching of Ramakrishna, who was the religious leader of the time. He became a part of the reform movement in India of the period. According to him, all living things are equal and should be treated without any discrimination. He also believed that one should follow humanity in order to reach out to God because service to people is equal to assistance to God.
After the death of Ramakrishna, he decided to build a math (ashram) for his guru. He then decided to travel all over India and promote the religious beliefs of Swami Ramakrishna. In 1893, he went to the United States to represent India in the Parliament of the world’s religions. He made people aware of the Hindu religious beliefs and teachings. He travelled to the United States, England and Europe, giving lectures about Hindu philosophy. Because of this, he was appreciated by Indians for being a loyal Indian monk. He lost his life in Belur on July 4, 1902, when he was 39 years old.
His teachings are followed even now by leaders including Anna Hazare and Narendra Modi. There are many well-known quotes attributed to him.
“Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.”
In this quote, Swami Vivekananda talks about being true to oneself. There are many different ways to perceive truth. The truth is all dependent on the perspective of every person and so, no one is wrong.
“Be the servant while leading. Be unselfish. Have infinite patience, and success is yours.”
Swamiji, in the quote, promotes the habit of serving others. Making efforts for others, without thinking about the benefits of that to oneself. It is called being unselfish. Success is not achieved so easily and it takes a lot of time, so be patient about it and wait for it. After all this, you are sure to get success.
“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.”
Swami Vivekananda said we should take care of our thoughts. We should not be negative about ourselves as well as others because we are made of thoughts. And the universe manifests upon the things that we think and whatever we say is not a priority.
“They live alone, who live for others.”
The people who are dedicated to others dare to live their lives alone. They are strong enough to take care of themselves. Swami Vivekananda was an inspiring personality and all that is reflected in his life and quotes.