Before he became a monk, Swami Vivekananda was known as Narendra Nath Datta. He was born on January 12, 1863, in Kolkata, to a wealthy family. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was a famous lawyer who was interested in many things. His mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was very devoted and had a strong personality, among other things. He came from a normal home and was one of nine children. The birthday of Swami Vivekananda is marked as National Youth Day. He was later seen as a patriotic saint. His grandfather knew a lot about both Sanskrit and Persian. "Viksit Yuva-Viksit Bharat" is the theme for National Youth Day 2023.
Narendra was an early boy who did very well in school, sports, music, and studies. He had learned a lot about many things by the time he graduated from Calcutta University, especially Western thought and history. Around 1884, he was a member of the Brahmo Movement for a while and was born with a yogic nature. He was determined to go against what most people thought by teaching women and people from lower castes how important education was and getting rid of ignorance and child marriage. From 1881 to 1884, he was also involved with Sen's Band of Hope, which aimed to discourage smoking and alcohol among young people. He used to practice meditation when he was a boy. Both of his parents were religious and believed in progressivism, which shaped his personality and way of life. He had a spiritual interest from a young age and often thought and prayed to the Hindu gods. Philosophy, science, history, religion, or literature were just some of the things he learned. He also loved reading sacred books like the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. He also loved reading sacred books like the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata.
The ways that Hindus and Christians worship their gods often went against what he believed. In November 1881, when Narendra was in his early 20s, he went to visit Sri Ramakrishna at the Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar. He asked the Master right away, "Sir, have you seen God?" This was a question he had asked other people but not gotten a good answer to. When asked, Sri Ramakrishna answered right away, "Yes, I have." I can see Him just as clearly as I can see you, but much more clearly." Narendra no longer had any doubts because Sri Ramakrishna loved him without expecting anything in return. For the first time in the history of spiritual masters, there was a connection between a guru and a disciple. When his father died unexpectedly in 1884, he was confronted with harsh realities when he discovered he had to settle several of his father's obligations. Ramakrishna died of throat cancer in 1886, shortly before establishing his first monastic order, with Narendra as its leader. Narendra and his pupils later established the Ramakrishna math at Baranagar, where they practiced meditation and religious austerities. Late in 1886, Narendranath took his monastic vows and took the name Swami Vivekananda.
Swami Vivekananda journeyed throughout India as a traveling monk from 1888 to 1893, visiting many institutions of learning. Vivekananda traveled from Bombay to Chicago through China, Japan, and Canada in 1893 to participate in the "Parliament of Religions" Swami Vivekananda's speech in parliament established him as a renowned orator and prominent person in India. Following the Parliament of Religions, he traveled the United States as a guest. Vivekananda lectured in the eastern and central United States for over two years, particularly in Chicago, Detroit, Boston, and New York. Vivekananda is formed from the Sanskrit words Vivek, which means wisdom, and Ananda, which means pleasure.
In 1894, he established the Vedanta Society of New York. By the spring of 1895, his hectic, exhausting routine had taken its toll on his health. Swami Vivekananda died in a state of meditation on July 4, 1902, after living his day like any other, educating his disciples and discussing the teachings with Vedic Scholars. He went to his room at the Ramakrishna Math, the monastery he constructed in honor of his Guru, to meditate and die. His disciples claimed his death was caused by the rupture of a blood artery in his brain, which occurs when one achieves nirvana, the ultimate level of spiritual enlightenment, when the 7th chakra, the crown chakra, located on the head, opens and subsequently gets maha samadhi while meditating.