Swami Vivekananda believed that the
essence of Hinduism was best expressed in the Vedanta
philosophy, based on the interpretation of Adi Shankara.
He summarized the Vedanta's teachings as follows,
- Each soul is potentially divine.
- The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal.
- Do this either by work, or worship, or mental discipline, or philosophy—by one, or more, or all of these—and be free.
- This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.
- So long as even a single dog in my country is without food my whole religion is to feed it and serve it, anything excluding that is nonreligious.
According to Vivekananda, an
important teaching he received from Ramakrishna was that "Jiva is
Shiva" (each individual is divinity itself).
This became his Mantra, and he coined the concept of daridra narayana seva
- the service of God in and through (poor) human beings. "If there truly
is the unity of Brahman underlying all phenomena, then on what basis do we regard
ourselves as better or worse, or even as better-off or worse-off, than
others?" - This was the question he posed to himself. Ultimately, he
concluded that these distinctions fade into nothingness in the light of the
oneness that the devotee experiences in Moksha. What arises then is compassion for those
"individuals" who remain unaware of this oneness and a determination
to help them.
Swami Vivekananda belonged to that
branch of Vedanta that held
that no one can be truly free until all of us are. Even the desire for personal
salvation has to be given up, and only tireless work for the salvation of
others is the true mark of the enlightened person. He founded the Ramakrishna Math
and Mission on the principle of "Atmano Mokshartham Jagat-hitaya
cha" (आत्मनॊ
मोक्षार्थम् जगद्धिताय च) (for one's own salvation and for
the welfare of the World).
Vivekananda advised his followers to
be holy, unselfish and have shraddha (faith).
He encouraged the practice of Brahmacharya
(Celibacy). In one of the conversations with his childhood friend Priya Nath
Sinha he attributes his physical and mental strengths, and eloquence to the
practice of Brahmacharya.
Vivekananda did not advocate the
emerging area of parapsychology and astrology (one instance can be found in his speech Man
the Maker of his Destiny, Complete-Works, Volume 8, Notes of Class Talks
and Lectures) saying that this form of curiosity doesn't help in spiritual
progress but actually hinders it.
Vivekananda and science
In his book Raja Yoga,
Vivekananda explores traditional views on the supernatural and the belief that
the practice of Raja Yoga can confer psychic powers such as 'reading another's
thoughts', 'controlling all the forces of nature',
become 'almost all-knowing', 'live without breathing', 'control the bodies of
others' and levitation. He also explains traditional eastern spiritual concepts
like kundalini
and spiritual energy centres.
Vivekananda advocated to test
thoroughly before making your decision of accepting or denying something:
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It is not the sign of a candid and scientific mind to throw overboard anything without proper investigation. Surface scientists, unable to explain various extraordinary mental phenomena, strive to ignore their very existence.
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He further says in the introduction of the book that one should take up the practice and verify these things for oneself, and that there should not be blind belief.
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What little I know I will tell you. So far as I can reason it out I will do so, but as to what I do not know I will simply tell you what the books say. It is wrong to believe blindly. You must exercise your own reason and judgment; you must practise, and see whether these things happen or not. Just as you would take up any other science, exactly in the same manner you should take up this science for study.
”
In his paper read at the World Parliament of Religions, Chicago (1893), Vivekananda also hinted about the final goal of physics:
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Science is nothing but the finding of unity. As soon as science would reach perfect unity, it would stop from further progress, because it would reach the goal. Thus Chemistry could not progress farther when it would discover one element out of which all other could be made. Physics would stop when it would be able to fulfill its services in discovering one energy of which all others are but manifestations..All science is bound to come to this conclusion in the long run. Manifestation, and not creation, is the word of science today, and the Hindu is only glad that what he has been cherishing in his bosom for ages is going to be taught in more forcible language, and with further light from the latest conclusions of science.
The great electrical engineer, Nikola Tesla, after listening to Vivekananda's speech on Sankhya Philosophy, was much interested in its cosmogony and its rational theories of the Kalpas (cycles), Prana and Akasha. His notion based on the Vedanta led him to think that matter is a manifestation of energy. After attending a lecture on Vedanta by Vivekananda, Tesla also concluded that modern science can look for the solution of cosmological problems in Sankhya philosophy, and he could prove that mass can be reduced to potential energy mathematically.
Influence
Several leaders of 20th Century India and philosophers have
acknowledged Vivekananda's influence. The first governor general of independent
India, Chakravarti
Rajagopalachari, said "Vivekananda saved
Hinduism, saved India."According to Subhash Chandra Bose, Vivekananda "is the maker of modern India"and for Mohandas Gandhi, Vivekananda's influence increased his "love for his
country a thousandfold." National
Youth Day in India is held on his birthday,
January 12.
Swami Vivekananda is widely
considered to have inspired India's
freedom struggle movement. His
writings inspired a whole generation of freedom fighters including Subhash Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghose and Bagha Jatin. Vivekananda was the brother of the revolutionary freedom
fighter, Bhupendranath Dutta. Subhash Chandra Bose, one of the most prominent figures in Indian independence
movement said
“
I cannot write about Vivekananda without going into raptures. Few indeed could comprehend or fathom him even among those who had the privilege of becoming intimate with him. His personality was rich, profound and complex... Reckless in his sacrifice, unceasing in his activity, boundless in his love, profound and versatile in his wisdom, exuberant in his emotions, merciless in his attacks but yet simple as a child, he was a rare personality in this world of ours
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Aurobindo Ghose considered Vivekananda as his spiritual mentor.
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"His words are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Händel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of books, at thirty years' distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shocks, what transports, must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero!"
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Vivekananda inspired Jamshedji Tata to set up Indian Institute of Science, one of India's finest Institutions. Abroad, he had some interactions with Max Müller. Scientist Nikola Tesla was one of those influenced by the Vedic philosophy teachings of the Swami Vivekananda. On November 11, 1995, a section of Michigan Avenue, one of the most prominent streets in Chicago, was formally renamed "Swami Vivekananda Way".
In many institutes, students have
come together and formed organizations meant for promoting discussion of
spiritual ideas and the practice of such high principles. Many of such
organizations have adopted his name. One such group also exists at IIT Madras
and is popularly known as Vivekananda Study Circle.
Another one exists at IIT Kanpur by the name Vivekananda Samiti.
Additionally, Swami Vivekananda's ideas and teachings have carried on
globally, being practiced in institutions all over the world.
In 2011, during the
anti-corruption Lokpal bill movement, the prominent figure and Gandhian
activist Anna Hazare repeatedly mentioned that he was greatly inspired by
Swami Vivekananda's thoughts.
Works
Vivekananda left a body of
philosophical works (see Vivekananda's complete
works). Vivekananda observed that the
billions of people on the earth could be classified into four basic types-
those who were in constant activity, or the worker; those who were
driven by their inner urge to achieve something in life, or the lover;
those who tended to analyze the working of their minds, or the mystic;
and those who weighed everything with reason, or the philosopher. His
books (compiled from lectures given around the world) on the four Yogas (Karma yoga for the worker, Bhakti yoga
for the lover, Raja yoga for the mystic, and Jnana yoga
for the philosopher) are very influential and still seen as fundamental texts
for anyone interested in the Hindu practice of Yoga. His letters are of great
literary and spiritual value. He was also considered a very good singer and a
poet..By the time of his death, He had composed many songs including his favorite Kali the Mother.
He used humour for his teachings and was also an excellent cook. His language
is very free flowing. His own Bengali writings stand testimony to the fact
that he believed that words - spoken or written - should be for making things
easier to understand rather than show off the speaker or writer's knowledge.
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