Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda, born as Narendranath Datta on 12 January 1863 in Calcutta was one of the greatest saints of India. He was a chief disciple of Ramakrishna his Guru. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world,and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. Swamiji was a major force in the contemporary Hindu reform movements in India, and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India.

Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. Swamiji  is best known for his speech which began with the words “Sisters and brothers of America …,” in which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893.

Born into an aristocratic Bengali Kayastha family of Calcutta, Swami Vivekananda was inclined towards spirituality. He was influenced by his guru, Ramakrishna, from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self; therefore, service to God could be rendered by service to humankind. After Ramakrishna’s death, Swami Vivekananda toured the Indian subcontinent extensively and acquired first-hand knowledge of the conditions prevailing in British India. He later travelled to the United States, representing India at the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions. Swami Vivekananda conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating tenets of Hindu philosophy in the United States, England and Europe. In India, Swami Vivekananda is regarded as a patriotic saint, and his birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day.

Some of these famous quotes are :

• Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is reached.
• The greatest sin is to think yourself weak.
• You can’t believe in God until you believe in yourself.
• The power of concentration is the only key to the treasure – house of knowledge.
• Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.
• In a conflict between the heart and the brain follow your heart.
• Take risks in your life, if you win, you can lead. If you lose you can guide.
• We are what our thoughts have made us: so, take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live, they travel far.
• Talk to yourself once in a day, otherwise you may miss meeting an excellent person in the world.
• Purity, patience and perseverance are the three essentials to success and above all, love.

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Famous Swami Vivekananda Chicago Speech

Some of the motivational speeches by Mr Tarun Goswami