Swami Vivekananda, known in his pre-monastic life as Narendra Nath Datta, was born in an affluent family in Kolkata on 12 January 1863. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was a successful attorney with interests in a wide range of subjects, and his mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was endowed with deep devotion, strong character and other qualities. A precocious boy, Narendra excelled in music, gymnastics and studies. By the time he graduated from Calcutta University, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects, especially Western philosophy and history. Born with a yogic temperament, he used to practise meditation even from his boyhood, and was associated with Brahmo Movement for some time.............................
Selected Teachings of Swami Vivekananda:
My ideal, indeed, can be put into a few words, and that is: to preach unto mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life. Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man. We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one's own feet. So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them. Whatever you think, that you will be. If you think yourselves weak, weak you will be; if you think yourselves strong, strong you will be. If you have faith in all the three hundred and thirty millions of your mythological gods, … and still have no faith in yourselves, there is no salvation for you. Have faith in yourselves, and stand up on that faith and be strong; that is what we need. Strength, strength it is that we want so much in this life, for what we call sin and sorrow have all one cause, and that is our weakness. With weakness comes ignorance, and with ignorance comes misery. The older I grow, the more everything seems to me to lie in manliness. This is my new Gospel. Purity, patience, and perseverance are the three essentials to success, and above all, love. Religion is realization; not talk, not doctrine, nor theories, however beautiful they may be. It is being and becoming, not hearing or acknowledging; it is the whole soul becoming changed into what it believes. Religion is the manifestation of the Divinity already in man. Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity. They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive. This is the gist of all worship – to be pure and to do good to others. It is love and love alone that I preach, and I base my teaching on the great Vedantic truth of the sameness and omnipresence of the Soul of the Universe.
Chronology of Main Events related to Swami Vivekananda
| 1863 | January 12 | Birth in Kolkata |
| 1879 | Enters Presidency College | |
| 1880 | Transfers to General Assembly Institution | |
| 1881 | November | First meeting with Sri Ramakrishna |
| 1882-1886 | Association with Sri Ramakrishna | |
| 1884 | Passes B. A. Examination | |
| Father passes away | ||
| 1885 | Sri Ramakrishna’s last illness | |
| 1886 | August 16 | Sri Ramakrishna passes away |
| Fall | Establishes Baranagar Math | |
| December 24 | Informal vow of sannyasa at Antpur | |
| 1887 | January | Formal vows of sannyasa at Baranagar Monastery |
| 1890-1893 | Travels all over India as itinerant monk | |
| 1892 | December 24 | At Kanyakumari, South India |
| 1893 | February 13 | First public lecture, Secunderabad, South India |
| May 31 | Sails for America from Mumbai | |
| July 25 | Lands at Vancouver, Canada | |
| July 30 | Arrives in Chicago | |
| August | Meets Professor John Ft. Wright of Harvard University | |
| September 11 | First address at Parliament of Religions, Chicago | |
| September 27 | Final address at Parliament of Religions | |
| November 20 | Begins mid-western lecture tour | |
| 1894 | April 14 | Begins lectures and classes on East Coast |
| May 16 | Speaks at Harvard University | |
| July-August | At Green Acre Religious Conference | |
| November | Founds Vedanta Society of New York | |
| 1895 | January | Begins classes in New York |
| June 4-18 | At Camp Percy, New Hampshire | |
| June-August | At Thousand Island Park on St. Lawrence river, N.Y. | |
| August-September | In Paris | |
| October-November | Lectures in London | |
| December 6 | Sails for New York | |
| 1896 | March 22-25 | Speaks at Harvard University, offered Eastern Philosophy chair |
| April 15 | Returns to London | |
| May-July | Gives classes in London | |
| May 28 | Meets Max Muller in Oxford | |
| August-September | In the Europe for six weeks | |
| October-November | Gives classes in London | |
| December 30 | Leaves Naples for India | |
| 1897 | January 15 | Arrives in Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| February 6-15 | In Chennai | |
| February 19 | Arrives in Kolkata | |
| May 1 | Establishes Ramakrishna Mission Association, Kolkata | |
| May-December | Tours northwest India | |
| 1898 | January | Returns to Kolkata |
| May | Begins North India pilgrimage with Western devotees | |
| August 2 | At Amarnath, Kashmir | |
| December 9 | Consecrates Belur Math | |
| 1899 | March 19 | Establishes Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati |
| June 20 | Leaves India for second visit to the West | |
| July 31 | Arrives in London | |
| August 28 | Arrives in New York City | |
| August-November | At Ridgely Manor, New York | |
| December 3 | Arrives in Los Angeles | |
| 1900 | February 22 | Arrives in San Francisco |
| April 14 | Founds Vedanta Society in San Francisco | |
| June | Final classes in New York City | |
| July 26 | Leaves for Europe | |
| August 3 | Arrives in Paris for International Exposition | |
| September 7 | Speaks at Congress of History of Religions at Exposition | |
| October 24 | Begins tour of Vienna, Constantinople, Greece and Cairo | |
| November 26 | Leaves for India | |
| December 9 | Arrives at Belur Math | |
| 1901 | January | Visits Mayavati |
| March-May | Pilgrimage in East Bengal and Assam | |
| 1902 | January-February | Visits Bodh Gaya and Varanasi |
| March | Returns to Belur Math | |
| July 4 | Mahasamadhi |
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