This incident took place in 1895. The place was London. Swami Vivekananda was to give a public lecture and he had come to London with Swami Saradananda. When it was time to stand up and speak, Swami Vivekananda suddenly announced that Swami Saradananda would deliver the speech instead of him.… Continue reading
Swami Vivekananda’s life and message as I see it…
This is an excerpt of the talk given at the Bharatiya Adhyatmika Sammilana at Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysore on 23rd April 2012. Over 200 monks and 2000 delegates from the four southern states attended this 4-day event.
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Revered Swamijis, fellow devotees and friends,
It is indeed a privilege and an extremely difficult task to stand before you and share with all of you a few thoughts on what Swami Vivekananda and his influential thought means to me. … Continue reading
Swami Vivekananda in Mysore
Mysore has a special significance in the life and times of Swami Vivekananda. Apart from being associated with his visit here for 3-4 weeks in November 1892, it is also home to many individuals and organizations inspired by Swamiji’s message. Seshadri Iyer, the then Dewan of Mysore had heard of the young monk and was impressed by his wisdom and oration.… Continue reading
Swami Vivekananda’s first public speech in the USA
The talk given by Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in September 1893 is now part of history. Most Indians relate Swamiji to this talk and historians agree that it was possibly a key milestone in introducing Swami Vivekananda to the world stage.… Continue reading
Watching out for the ego
One of the great challenges for people engaged in social work is the slow and insidious growth of our own ego. Most of us start out with high ideals and with the intent of finding ourselves in the work that we undertake.… Continue reading
Ridicule, Opposition and finally Acceptance…
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari had this to say of the great patriot saint: “Swami 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.… Continue reading
Courage of conviction
From our childhood, we are all told to be truthful and honest. Tacitly, each of us know what is right and what is wrong. Our parents, our family members and our teachers are always exhorting us to speak the truth. As we grow up, this same environment also demonstrates to us that one needs to be truthful and honest only when it is convenient to us.… Continue reading
The first meeting…
There are instances where we are left deeply impressed when we meet someone. The meeting may be only for a few minutes, but we are left with the feeling that we want to stay and know more about the person we met. … Continue reading
Science and the Sannyasin
Swami Vivekananda’s vision went beyond propagating Hinduism to the West. He was keen that India, though religious, also understands the use of Science and Technology. He was concerned that Indians were steeped in ignorance and superstition and this came in the way of both physical and spiritual progress.… Continue reading
How does one begin to Serve?
The last one year has seen a lot of young people talking about service and engaging in national reconstruction. In many places where I speak, people ask specific questions on how does one get to engage in social work, and what are the areas in which one could engage productively.… Continue reading
Building an organization…
Having founded an organization inspired by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda more than 28 years ago, a question often asked of me is “How has your organization managed to grow into a large one managed by a team of highly committed people today?”… Continue reading
Qualities of a social worker
What qualification should one possess to involve oneself in the world of social work? This is a common question asked in the many interactions that I have with young people. Many of them feel that they need to be either a doctor or a teacher or a professional social worker before they can get involved in the service of others. … Continue reading
Responding to Swami Vivekananda’s clarion call to the youth of India…
Youth is that wonderful time in life when energy is limitless, human creativity is at its best and the ‘never say die’ spirit is at its peak. Today, one keeps seeing and reading about the achievements of hundreds of young people in practically all spheres of life. … Continue reading
Swami Vivekananda and the Rockefeller Foundation
Most people know that Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission which today has grown into a large spiritual-social mission quietly working in all parts of the world for the betterment of humanity and amelioration of suffering. Very few know of another extraordinary organization that was founded on the suggestion of Swami Vivekananda.… Continue reading
Narendra’s formative years
Many of the experiences that we have in our young age shape our lives and character. Each of us form our own interpretation of our early experiences and this impacts the way we think and react to what happens around us.… Continue reading