Swami Vivekananda was a prominent student of both Rama Krishna and Lord Krishna. He attained naught but for his deep understanding of the Bhagvatam and for his non-egoistic, emotional sensitivity. He was born in Vrindavan, Assam, India and was a pupil of Ramakrishna. He became a sanyasis and later a full-fledged ascetic. He became an adept in meditation and yoga.
Swami Vivekananda’s major works include “Book of one hundred verses”, “The potency of love and its control” and “The book of one thousand sunth mantras”. These books are replete with spiritual lessons on harmony and compassion between men and women, between humanity and nature, on living in harmony with the universe, on accepting and respecting others religions and ethics and on the need to cultivate internal balance with an unbiased standpoint on all subjects. His books have inspired and uplifted millions and have been used as prayer books, book of worship and spiritual reading materials.
In the year 1924, Swami Vivekananda traveled to the city of Chicago, USA and established a college there called Institute of Science Education (ISE). It is located at Urbana College campus on the north side of Chicago. After this he established the Hindu Meditation Society. This society has since then been associated with Chicago public schools, organized Chicago prayer clubs and now spreads globally under the name of RSS. The Chicago RSS has a national office, which is run by Gopal Krishna Pantanjali. His work is spread all over the world and RSS affiliates in India are recruited for teaching and organizing mass education and development programs of spirituality in the subcontinent.
Swami Vivekananda also established a sanatorium at Dharamsala in Kolkata. It is called “Dharamsala ashram”. Hereon, the medical students and other workers who were admitted here learn the art of yoga and meditate regularly. A huge hall is built in this sanatorium for performing spiritual dance and music and for hygienic purposes. Some famous personalities who had been associated with the RSS, have performed here such as Balabhadra Tagore, Subodh Gupta, M. K. Gandhi and many more.
He also founded the Hindu philosophical association “RSS”. Under the guidance of RSS organizers, Swami Vivekananda propagated the Hindu philosophies and teachings to the east and west. He preached against the concept of data and advocated vegetarianism and deep spiritual teachings.
After his death, his students brought about a new age of literature, which included the great Kalidasa, Jataka tales, Ramayana and the Sanskrit play written by Sathya Bharati. These writings formed the core of Sankrit literature and helped in spreading the teachings of Swami Vivekananda throughout the world. His books have had an enormous effect on the minds of people and have helped them in building their self-confidence and faith in the spiritual world. This is why Sathya Bharati is referred to as the father of modern science and medicine.
It was Swami Vivekananda’s effort to spread the message of Hinduism to the west that changed the course of history. Today, India is known for its dynamic and progressive culture. Many countries including India, China, Tibet, Nepal and Sri Lanka have their own unique culture and are progressing day-by-day. Thus, if we take note of the efforts of the first swamiji, we can easily succeed in spreading the message of Hinduism throughout the world. In fact, it is due to the efforts of these great personalities that the present generation is able to enjoy the true beauty of Indian culture and tradition.