Swami Vivekananda

1- BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD Whoever knows the longing of a mother that a son should be born to her, enters into the world of Bhuvaneshwari, the wife of Vishwanath Datta. Though she had been blessed with motherhood at an early age, her first child, a son, and her second, a daughter, had died in their childhood. Her next three children were all daughters--Haramohini (also called Haramoni), Swarnamayi, and another who also died in childhood. So, she longed for a son to carry on the family tradition, to be the link, forged out of the materials of love and suffering, between the past and the future. It has been the practice of Hindu women down the ages to place their wants and complaints before the household Deity, and to practise austerities while waiting to receive the blessings of the Lord. Thus, as Bhuvaneshwari went about her daily tasks, she prayed silently that her desire might be fulfilled. Now, it was customary in those days--and still is--for one in dire need, or anxious that some special event should come to pass, to make offerings and sacrifices to Shiva in Varanasi. Those who lived a long distance from that holy city could make their offerings through a relative or friend who might be resident there. Accordingly, Bhuvaneshwari Devi wrote to an old aunt of the Datta family in Varanasi, asking her to make the necessary offerings and prayers to Vireshwar Shiva that a son might be born to her. It was arranged that on Mondays the aunt would offer worship to Vireshwar Shiva, while Bhuvaneshwari would practise special austerities on those same days. It is said that by observing a vow of this sort for one year, one is blessed with a son. Thus Bhuvaneshwari was content to wait in perfect assurance that her prayers would be answered. She spent her days in practising Japa and meditation. She observed fasts and intensified her many other austerities, her whole soul given over to constant recollectedness, her heart fixed in love on the Lord Shiva. Often did her mind go to Varanasi, uniting in thought with the venerable aunt as the latter poured the sacred Ganga water on the symbol of Shiva, or worshipped Him with flowers and Mantras. One night Bhuvaneshwari had a vivid dream. She had spent the day in the shrine and, as evening deepened into night, she fell asleep. The household was hushed in silence and rest. Then in the highest heavens the hour struck--the time had come for the pious woman to receive the special grace of the Lord. In her dream she saw the Lord Shiva rouse Himself from His meditation and take the form of a male child who was to be her son. She awoke. Could this ocean of light in which she found herself bathed be but a dream? Shiva! Shiva! Thou fulfillest in various ways the prayers of Thy devotees! From the inmost soul of Bhuvaneshwari a joyous prayer welled up, for she was confident that her long months of supplication were over and that the vision was an announcement that her prayers were to be answered. Her faith was justified; for in due course a son was born to her. The boy was names Narendranath Dutta 2-COLLEGE DAYS Narendranath entered the first year Arts class of the general department of Presidency College in January 1880. He had just turned seventeen and had grown to manhood's stature. He was muscular, agile and inclined to stoutness. Since the college was run by the Government and the professors were for the most part Europeans, it was incumbent upon the students to attend in either European dress or in Indian Chapkan and trousers. They were also required to wear a wrist watch. Of these two, Narendranath preferred to dress himself in alpaca Chapkan (a kind of loose and long robe) and trousers, and wore a Swiss-made wrist watch.He regularly attended the Presidency College for one year; but in the second year he contracted malaria, as a result of which his class attendance fell short, and he was not allowed to appear in the First Arts (F.A.) examination. But the General Assembly's Institution, founded by the Scottish General Missionary Board and now known as the Scottish Church College, accepted him, and sent him up for the F.A. examination. Hard study on the eve of the Entrance examination together with his ascetic practices had already impaired his health to some extent. So before taking the F.A. examination Narendranath went to Gaya for a change to recover his health and returned to Calcutta only a few months before the examination. In 1881 he passed the First Arts examination in the second division, and continued to study in the same Institution until he passed his Bachelor of Arts examination in 1884. In connection with this Scottish Church College, it may be 1 mentioned here that when Narendranath returned to Calcutta from the West in January 1897 as the famous Page Swami Vivekananda, it was the students of the College who stopped the carriage in which he was riding with some of his European and Indian admirers, unharnessed the horses, and drew the carriage themselves. The memory of Narendranath, as a student, is still with the Institution. Narendranath's college days were marked by tremendous intellectual ferment and spiritual upheaval, which will reveal themselves as we review these years in more detail. The curriculum he had pursued for the F.A. examination was almost an extension of the subjects he had offered for the Entrance examination. In addition to English, Second language, History and Mathematics, he had offered Logic and Psychology for his F.A. examination. He had chosen the same subjects for his B.A. examination also only with the difference that Logic and Psychology had been replaced by Philosophy in the advanced course. He preferred these subjects for study because, with the guidance of his father, he believed that they, best of all, conduced to the development and refinement of the mind and sensibility. He was devoted to literature and made great headway in the arts of composition and rhetoric. He evinced keen interest in philosophy and logic and in some forms of higher mathematics. He grew more reserved while following these studies, discovering that his development lay along the lines of intense learning. He made great efforts to master the English language and more specially in the arts of conversation and debating, in which he excelled. Indeed, he became virtually the leader of the college in this regard. Narendranath was not in the habit of limiting his studies to the university curriculum. During the first two years of college he acquired a thorough grasp of the masterpieces of Western logic, and in the third and fourth year he set himself to mastering Western Philosophy as well as the ancient and modern history of different nations of Europe. It was in November 1881, while Narendranath was in the second year of the F.A. classes, that he met for the first time Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa at the house of Shri Surendranath Mitra of Simulia. It will be interesting to note here how he first came to hear of the great saint. Professor William Hastie, the noted scholar, was at that time the Principal of the General Assembly's Institution. One day during the absence of the professor of English he took over the literature class. He was explaining Wordsworth's Excursion, where the state of trance is referred to, and of which the poet had had a glimpse while contemplating the beauties of nature. But the students did not understand what he meant by trance. Professor Hastie then said, "Such an experience is the result of purity of mind and concentration on some particular object, and it is rare indeed, particularly in these days. I have seen only one person who has experienced that blessed state of mind, and he is Ramakrishna Paramahamsa of Dakshineswar. You can understand if you go there and see for yourself." It was thus that Naren first heard of his future Master, and not through the Brahmo Samaj, of which he was a member. Those who were Narendranath's friends and acquaintances at college remembered him as regal in his bearing, and self-confident, as though royally born. He attracted the attention of both Indian and English professors, who recognized his ambitious mind and the latent powers of his personality. About him Principal William Hastie said, "Narendranath is really a genius. I have travelled far and wide but I have never yet come across a lad of his talents and possibilities, even in German universities, amongst philosophical students. He is bound to make his mark in life!" After passing the F.A. examination Narendranath developed a remarkable originality in his intellectual pursuits. He would test everything by argument. Even in the hours of recreation he would continue discussions that had commenced in the hours of study. He would argue with those who challenged his point of view, and invariably argued with success. He was a lion among the students, defiant of conventional thought. He was vehement, of untiring energy, and his topics of conversation were endless. During his college days he underwent a wonderful psychological transformation. His mind became intensely 2 analytical, and it was in this becoming that he subordinated imagination to the demands of reason. He related Page himself, also, to the needs and spirit of his times, and subjected Hinduism to a severe analysis. It will be seen later on to what this led.

Load more