Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu monk born in 1863 in Calcutta who played a key role in introducing Hindu philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. He represented Hinduism at the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, raising awareness of Hinduism in the Western world. He went on to travel to the US and UK, delivering lectures on Vedanta philosophy and establishing Vedanta Societies. Upon returning to India in 1897, he founded the Ramakrishna Mission to serve humanity through social service, education, and religious awakening. He advocated for national pride in India's culture and heritage and influenced many national leaders through his teachings on spirituality and service

1. SwamiVivekananda
Foremost Saint of Modern India
The Man and His Message To
The people !

2. Beginning…
Born: January 12, 1863 in Calcutta on
Makara Sankaranti Day. His name at birth
was Narendranath.
Father: SriVisvanath Datta, a very
successful and distinguished lawyer.
Mother: Bhuvanesvari ,a very pious lady.
Prayer of the Lord was a way of life.

3. Visit to theWest…
In 1893 SwamiVivekananda sailed to America to attend
the Parliament of Religions at Chicago.
Episodes from his initial struggle in US…
His “Sisters and Brothers of America..” speech in the
religious assembly.
SwamiVivekananda stayed for couple of years in the US
and in England, delivering an extensive series of lectures
onVedanta philosophy preaching universality and
brotherhood in various Universities and congregations.
Sets upVedanta Society in NewYork and England.

4. Return to Homeland…
In 1897 Swamiji returns to India and is hailed as the
new Sankaracharya.
Establishes Ramakrishna Mission on May 1, 1897, which
is dedicated to the task of teaching self realization and
service to humanity.
Establishes Belur Math in early 1898 to be a permanent
abode for the monastery and monastic order.
Revisits theWest in 1899-90 and establishesVedanta
society in San Francisco.

5. “Rooted in the past and full of pride in
India’s prestige,Vivekananda was yet
modern in his approach of life’s problems
and was a kind of bridge between the
past of India and her present. His mission
was the service of mankind through social
service, mass education, religious revival
and social awakening through education.”
…………Jawaharlal Nehru

6. I have gone through his works very thoroughly, and
after having gone through them, the love that I had for
my country became a thousandfold. Mahatma Gandhi
 If you want to know India, studyVivekananda. In him
everything is positive and nothing negative.
Vivekananda’s gospel marked the awakening of man in
his fullness and that is why it inspired our youth to the
diverse courses of liberation through work and
sacrifice. Rabindranath Tagore

7. With him religion was the inspirer of
nationalism. He tried to infuse into the
new generation a sense of pride in India’s
past, of faith in India’s future and a spirit
of selfconfidence and self-respect. He was
consequently a worshipper of Shakti and
gave a practical interpretation to the
Vedanta for the uplift of his countrymen.
--Subhas Chandra Bose

8. CRITICAL REVIEW OFTHE PRESENT
EDUCATION
SYSTEM:-
Modern education, which is, more or less,
career-oriented, cares little for the
cultivation of virtue, the disciplining of the
mind, the strengthening of the moral will or
formation of positive character.
It does not instill the values of truth,
honesty, love, compassion, which make one
a true human being.

9. Constant increase rate of the social evils in
India like poverty, ignorance, fear, physical
weakness, caste and untouchability,
selfishness, exploitation, lack of faith on
oneself, woman illiteracy and violence, mass
oppression, distortion of religion, corruption,
dishonesty, etc., represents nothing but the
failure of modern education system of twenty
first century to develop a nation ensuring
integrity liberty, equality, fraternity and
democracy.

10. According to SwamiVivekananda education
is that which liberates (SaVidyaYa
Vimuktaye). It liberates one from negative
tendencies and ignorance about one’s real
‘Self’. In Indian tradition,‘Vidya’ (learning or
knowledge) is posited as antithetical to
‘Avidya’ (ignorance or non-knowledge), and
it ought to culminate in ‘Atma-Vidya’
(knowledge of the Self) to be complete

11. Vivekananda seemed to agree with
Froebel. He also stated that
education should be conducive to
the harmonious unfoldment of a
person’s life, and that the evolution
of nature reveals itself in the
evolution of the human mind.

12. (Tagore) also opined that,“The highest education is
that which does not merely give us information but
makes our life in harmony with all existences.”
In a Naturalistic view point, he emphasized
that real education is possible only through
nature and natural propensities.
 In the form of Idealist view point, he says that
the aim of education is to develop the child
with moral and spiritual qualities

13. SwamiVivekananda envisaged the creation of man who is
compassionate as well as intelligent,“great in heart and great in
mind”, and who, by dynamism, can bring about positive change in
society. Swamiji said that,“We want the man whose heart feels
intensely the miseries and sorrows of the world…And (we want)
the man who not only can feel but can find the meaning of things,
who delves deeply into the heart of nature and understanding.
(We want) the man who will not even stop there (but) who wants
to work out (the feeling and meaning by actual deeds). Such a
combination of hand, heart, and head what we want.”

14. According toVivekananda,“Education is not
the amount of information that we put into
your brain and runs riot there, undigested,
all your life.We must have life building, man
making, and character making assimilation of
ideas. Ifyou have assimilated five ideas and
made them your life and character, you have
If education is identical with information,
the libraries are the greatest sages in the
world, and encyclopedias are the rishis.”

15. “The end of all education, all training,
should be man-making.The end and aim
of all training is to make the man grow.
The training, by which the current and
expression of will are brought under
control and become fruitful, is called
education…”

16. AIMS OF EDUCATION:-
The Aim of Reaching Perfection
Fulfillment of Swadharma
Freedom of Growth
Unity in Diversity
Character Formation
Physical and Mental Growth
Moral and Spiritual Development
Shraddha and Spirit of Renunciation
Religious Development

17. Education for Weaker Section of
the Society
He believed that, “Each soul is potentially
divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity by
controlling nature, external and internal. Do
this either by work, or worship, or psychic
control, 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”
(Vol.-I, pp. 129).”

18. “The one thing that is at the root of all evils in
India is the condition of the poor (Vol. - IV, pp.
362).” SwamiVivekananda voiced:“So long as the
millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every
man traitor who, having been educated at their
expense pays not the least heed to them. Our
great national sin is the neglect of the masses and
that is the cause of our downfall. No amount of
politics would be of any avail until the masses in
India are once more well-educated, well-fed, and
well-cared (Vol.-V, pp. 45).”

19. Women Education
There is a statement which says- “If a man is
educated, an individual is educated, and if a woman is
educated, a family is educated.” Manu says, “Where
women are respected, there Gods delight and where
they are not, there all work and effort come to
naught.” Yet in India so much difference is made
between man and woman. The men have turned the
women into mere manufacturing machines and they
deprived from getting their basic rights, binding them
by hard and rigid rules. “All nations”, Swamiji said,
“have attained greatness by paying proper respect to
woman.

20. Dr. R.S. Mani aptly acknowledged and
remarked:“His life mission was to
advocate that people should be possessed
of Shraddha (Faith) ofVirya (Courage)
and attain to the knowledge of Atma, and
sacrifice their lives for the good of others.
This was his wish and blessings.”

21. Pearls of Wisdom
Let us work without desire for
name or fame or rule over others.
Let us be free from the triple
bonds of lust, greed of gain, and
anger.

22. Childhood and EarlyYouth…
Narendranath was highly inquisitive and bright in his studies
and play. He was well read and had a remarkable power of
understanding and retention. He completed Bachelor Arts
degree from Scottish Church College, Calcutta in 1884.
He was a great thinker and often challenged existing customs
and rituals. He often wondered about this world and its
Creator.
He extensively studied different religious and philosophical
systems of East andWest.
However, no one could satisfy his curiosity and he developed a
feeling that the whole talk of God was a myth.

23. Transformation…
Encounters with Sri Ramakrishna…
◦ Silver Coin Test
◦ Vision of the Lord
◦ Asking Boons from God
Narendranath spent about 5 years as a disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna and learnt everything concerning
Spirituality based on Advaita philosophy.
Sri Ramakrishna passed on all his spiritual power to
Narendranath before going into samadhi.
Narendranath takes charge of Ramakrishna mission at
the age of 23, comes to be known as SwamiVivekananda.

24. Later Life…
SwamiVivekananda travelled across the country from
Himalayas to Kanyakumari, studying and understanding
the motherland and her problems.
◦ Episode with Maharaja of Alwar
Meditated deeply at Kanyakumari on the last bit of
Indian rock for 3 days and had the “Vision of one India”.
He also contemplated about going West. India had to
be awakened, and that could be done only by making
India’s message appreciated in theWest.

25. Teachings…
SwamiVivekananda firmly believed in the equality of mankind and
preached extensively to remove biases and exploitation based on
caste, creed, race and gender.
Swamiji sought to bring back the spiritual awakening of the nation
by instilling faith and pride for India’s culture and heritage.
Swamiji is widely regarded as the India’s foremost nation builders.
Many other subsequent national leaders including Gandhiji, Nehru,
Aurobindo were influenced by his teachings on spirituality and
service to the fellow beings.

26. Pearls of Wisdom
Arise, awake and sleep no more.
Within each of you there is the
power to remove all wants and
miseries.

27. Pearls of Wisdom
March on!
Anything that makes
you weak physically,
intellectually and spiritually,
reject as poison.

28. Pearls of Wisdom
There is no limit to the power of
the human mind.The more
concentrated it is, the more
power is brought to bear on one
point, that is the secret.

29. Pearls of Wisdom
Blame none for your own faults,
stand upon your own feet, and
take the whole responsibility
upon yourselves.

30. Pearls of Wisdom
Conquer yourself, and the whole
universe is yours.

31. Pearls of Wisdom
Take up one idea. Make that one idea
your life.Think of it, dream of it. Live
on that idea.
Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every
part of your body be full of that idea
and just leave every other idea alone.
This is the way to “SUCCESS”

32. Pearls of Wisdom
A few whole hearted, sincere,
energetic men and women can
do more in a year than a mob in
a century.