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Narendranath Dutta, who became a
legendary figure in history as Swami Vivekananda, was
born in Calcutta on Monday, the 12th January, 1863. He
was one of the greatest prophets the world has produced.
He lived barely 40 years and died on July 4, 1902.
Within this short span of life, he left a rich legacy of
spectacular achievements in the religious and cultural
history of the world. He was a man of versatile genius –
a multifaceted personality. In him we find the great
heart of Lord Buddha, the penetrating intellect of Shri
Shankara, the love of Shri Chaitanya, the burning
renunciation of Lord Jesus Christ, and the dynamism of
St. Paul – all harmoniously blended in his magnificent
personality. He was fearless in disseminating his
message to mankind, regardless of caste, creed, color,
and nationality. A distinctive characteristic of Swami
Vivekananda was the comprehensiveness of his vision. He
was remarkably universal to the very core of his
luminous being. Behind his universal outlook was his
great spiritual realization. – apprehension of the
Reality in and beyond appearances. This Reality, the
Atman, is ever pure, immortal, and blissful. Atman is
distinct from, yet immanent in the world of change and
process. He realized the epochal truth that the pure
Atman, the real Self behind our tiny and fleeting ego,
is t he real source of strength and other human
excellences. “Each soul is potentially divine. The goal
is to manifest this divinity within by controlling
nature, external and internal.” said Swami Vivekananda.
Elaborating this point he said: “That is your own
nature. Assert it, manifest it… Nature is like that
screen which is hiding the reality beyond. Every good
thought you think or act upon is simply tearing the
veil, as it were, and the purity, infinity, the God
behind manifests itself more and more.” As a spark of
blazing fire – if fanned properly – has all the capacity
of generating a huge conflagration, so the tiny human
being by manifesting the divinity within, may become
fully divine. The real well being of man depends upon
the recognition of this vital point in human life. This
faith in our innate divine nature is the essential
prerequisite of any healthy scheme of life. Said Swamiji:
“This infinite power of the spirit, brought to bear upon
matter, evolves material development; made to act upon
thought, evolves intellectuality, and made to act upon
itself makes man a God… Be and make. Let this be our
motto. Say not man is a sinner. Tell him that he is
God.” His great mission was to rouse in all people the
awareness of the ever-present focus of human dignity,
namely the Atman, the divine Spark, and to help them
manifest that Glory in every movement of their life.” He
was the Prophet of the “Gospel of Man-making.” He saw
the divine Self in every person and looked upon the
human form as the temple of God. This transcendental
experience of the spiritual unity of life made him
really universal. It is absolutely different in
character from the so-called universalism based on
humanism, as these idealists never recognized the
spiritual dimension of life.
In his integral vision
of truth there was no cleavage between science and
religion, the East and the West, secular and spiritual,
work and worship. Therefore, he exhorted all categories
of people to develop their natural potentialities
without ever forgetting the true goal of life –
manifesting the divinity within. He laid equal emphasis
on all aspects of life, bringing harmony in the culture
of head, heart and hand. In him we find a happy
synthesis of secular aspirations and spiritual
development. He was looked upon as a great champion of
nationalism, awakening the national consciousness,
restoring the real glory of India and giving a spiritual
foundation to the national movement; we thus feel
justified in addressing him as, “Patriot Sait.” The
impact of his message is stated by C. Rajagopalachari
thus: “Vivekananda saved Hinduism and saved India. But
for him, we would have lost our religion and would not
have gained our freedom. We therefore owe everything to
Swami Vivekananda.” This great ambassador of a spiritual
mission was never a parochial nationalist: spiritual
regeneration of the entire mankind was the real goal of
his message. Truly speaking, he was a global citizen
accepting everyone and rejecting none. His life and
message provide necessary momentum to bring forth the
spiritual vision of a cosmic civilization.
The aims and
aspirations of life are to experience the spiritual
excellences of the divine through self-culture. This
demands growth, maturity and higher evolution –
certainly not the stagnation produced by impulsively
seeking only material satisfaction. Swamiji gave stern
warnings about the evil consequences of rampant
materialism seeking power without spiritual maturity.
Unregenerate men, confining themselves to the study of
nature, oblivious of the role of the spirit that
enlivens and animates it, get only a partial view of
truth and consequently lose sight of the whole. A new
portal of life never opens before them. “The excess of
knowledge and power without holiness,” says Swamiji,
“makes human beings devils.” He was essentially and
primarily a great spiritual teacher of mankind. He was
an eternally perfect Sage commissioned by Shri
Ramakrishna to teach and serve humanity. The stupendous
spiritual power stemming from his illumined life made
immediate impact on his vast audience. Romain Rolland
wrote in his biography in 1928: “I cannot touch these
sayings of his, scattered as t hey are through the pages
of this book at thirty years’ distance, without
receiving a thrill through my body like an electric
shock. And what shock, what transport, must have been
produced when, in burning words, the y issued from the
lips of the hero!” He was a monk par excellence. Sister
Nivedita said: “Vivekananda will ever remain the
archetype of the sannyasin… Burning renunciation
was chief of all the inspirations that spoke to us
through him. ‘Let me die like a true sannyasin as
my Master did,’ he exclaimed once passionately,
‘heedless of money, of woman, and fame! And of these the
most insidious is the love of fame’.” He remained ever a
pure child of God, absolutely untouched by the glamour
of materialism, always radiating an uplifting,
transforming, and ennobling influence on others. He was
the true interpreter of Hinduism and projected its
bright image to India and abroad. His signal
contribution in discovering the real import of Vedanta,
the glory of our ancient culture, and the greatness of
Shri Ramakrishna are of momentous importance to the
entire humanity. “In his guru, Ramakrishna
Paramahams, Vivekananda found the key of life …”
Nivedita further writes, “the shastras, the
guru, and the Motherland, are the three notes that
mingle themselves to form the music of the works of
Vivekananda.” Shri Ramakrishna was the synthetic genius
of philosophy and religion in modern times. there is but
one substance, one life, one reality in, as and through
the world. The Unitary Consciousness of pure Advaita,
exemplified in the life and teachings of Shri
Ramakrishna, was expounded by Swamiji in language which
is simple, persuasive, practical, and profound. The
fundamental spiritual truth of Indian culture is
elucidated in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
in the most helpful manner to the rational, scientific
mind. Swamiji’s works contain the bread of life for the
starving souls. This Great Gospel of the future,
containing the life-giving universal wisdom of India,
will be accepted by an enlightened mankind as a great
gift to posterity.
A Brief Introduction, Meditation on Swami Vivekananda by
Swami
Tathagatananda
Pub: The Vedanta Society of New York. |
