Swami Vivekananda Death Anniversary

Every year, India observes Swami Vivekananda’s death anniversary on July 4. Born on January 12, 1863, he was one of India’s greatest spiritual leaders and intellectuals. Born as Narendranath Datta, he was the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. The credit for introducing yoga and Vedanta to the West goes to him. Vivekananda is considered the father of modern Indian nationalism and is also credited with raising interfaith awareness and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion in the late nineteenth century.
Swami Vivekananda Death Anniversary The world got to know Vivekananda after his popular speech at the World Parliament of Religions, Chicago, on September 11, 1893, when he said, “Sisters and Brothers of America”. He was credited with raising awareness about Hinduism on global platforms. He has a vast knowledge of science and religion.
Vivekananda developed an interest in spirituality when he was young, and he used to meditate before the idols of Hindu deities and displayed keenness for all religious and spiritual things. He acquired the name of Vivekananda at the behest of Maharaja Ajit Singh, the ruler of the small state of Khetri in Rajasthan.
Swami Vivekananda death
Swami Vivekananda passed away on July 4, 1902, while meditating. His disciples believe that he attained Mahasamadhi, with the rupture of blood vessels in his brain reported as his possible cause of death. Vivekananda had already projected that he wouldn’t live for forty years. He was cremated on the bank of the Ganga river in Belur, opposite where Ramakrishna was cremated sixteen years before that.

Swami Vivekananda Death Anniversary Svāmī Vivekānanda

; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (Bengali: [nɔrendronatʰ dɔto]), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna.[4][5] He was a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world,[6][7][8] and is the father of modern Indian nationalism who is credited with raising interfaith awareness and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion in the late nineteenth century.[9]

Born into an aristocratic Bengali Kayastha family in Calcutta, Vivekananda was inclined from a young age towards religion and spirituality. He later found his guru Ramakrishna and became a monk. After the death of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda extensively toured the Indian subcontinent as a wandering monk and acquired first-hand knowledge of the living conditions of Indian people in then British India. Moved by their plight, he resolved to help them and found a way to travel to the United States, where he became a popular figure after the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago at which he delivered his famous speech beginning with the words: “Sisters and brothers of America …” while introducing Hinduism to Americans.[10][11] He made such an impression there that an American newspaper described him as “an orator by divine right and undoubtedly the greatest figure at the Parliament”.[12]

Swami Vivekananda Death Anniversary After great success at the Parliament, in the subsequent years, Vivekananda delivered hundreds of lectures across the United States, England, and Europe, disseminating the core tenets of Hindu philosophy, and founded the Vedanta Society of New York and the Vedanta Society of San Francisco (now Vedanta Society of Northern California),[13] both of which became the foundations for Vedanta Societies in the West. In India, he founded the Ramakrishna Math, which provides spiritual training for monastics and householders, and the Ramakrishna Mission, which provides charity, social work and education.[7]

Vivekananda was one of the most influential philosophers and social reformers in his contemporary India, and the most successful missionary of Vedanta to the Western world. Swami Vivekananda Death Anniversary He was also a major force in contemporary Hindu reform movements and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India.[14] He is now widely regarded as one of the most influential people of modern India and a patriotic saint. His birthday in India is celebrated as National Youth Day.[15][16]Vivekananda’s teachings continue to inspire millions around the world, with his message of universality and tolerance resonating across cultures and generations. His legacy lives on through the countless institutions, organizations, and followers dedicated to spreading his philosophy of service, selflessness, and spiritual growth. Swami Vivekananda’s profound impact on the world continues to be felt today, as his words remain a guiding light for those seeking wisdom, compassion, and a deeper understanding of the human experience.

Vivekananda in Chicago, September 1893. In note on the left Vivekananda wrote: “One infinite pure and holy – beyond thought beyond qualities I bow down to thee”.[1]
Personal
Born: Narendranath Datta
12 January 1863
Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
(present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
Died: 4 July 1902 (aged 39)
Belur Math, Bengal Presidency, British India
(present-day West Bengal, India)
Religion: Hinduism
Citizenship: British subject
Era: Modern philosophy, 19th-century philosophy
Region: Eastern philosophy, Indian philosophy
School: VedantaYoga
Lineage: Daśanāmi Sampradaya
Alma mater: University of Calcutta (BA)
Signature:
Organization: Founder of Ramakrishna Mission (1897), Ramakrishna Math
Philosophy: Advaita Vedanta, Rāja Yoga
Religious career
Guru: Ramakrishna
Disciples
Influenced by
Literary works: Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, My Master, Lectures from Colombo to Almora
Quotation: “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached”