Swami Vivekananda

                              Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint Ramakrishna.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 in the late 19th century.

Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission.Born into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta,Vivekananda showed an inclination towards spirituality. He was influenced by his guru Ramakrishna from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self and, hence, service to God could be rendered by service to mankind

He later travelled to the United States to represent India as a delegate in the 1893 Parliament of World Religions. He conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating tenets of Hindu philosophy in the United States, England and Europe. In India, Vivekananda is regarded as a patriotic saint and his birthday is celebrated as the National Youth Day.

Vivekananda was a powerful orator and writer in English and Bengali.Majority of his published works were compiled from lectures given around the world. He was a singer and a poet and composed many songs and poems including his favourite Kali the Mother.