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Remembering Swami Vivekananda
 'Arise! Awake! Stop not till the goal is reached' - Swami Vivekananda
With an inspiring personality and a brain of supreme spiritual intellect, Swami Vivekananda achieved a lot in his short life - that of 32 years. Born in Kolkata, Vivekananda achieved a dual objective - he understood the intricacies of science and Western philosophy, and at the same time learnt a lot about God.
A seeker of truth and knowledge, Swami Vivekananda questioned people of holy reputation about the existence of God. During this exercise, he found Sri Ramakrishna, who became his master and led him to the holy path that transformed him into a sage.
 After
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's death, Swami Vivekananda rencounced the world. He
won instant applause at the Parliament of World Religions at Chicago in 1893
when he addressed the Americans there as his "Brothers and sisters".
For almost three years, he spread the Vedanta philosophy in America and England.
When he returned to India, he founded the Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission, and spread throughout India his ideas of Vedanta and God. He was instrumental in awakening the nation to a new consciousness, in the spiritual sense.
His birthday, January 12, is observed as National Youth Day.
Some famous Swami Vivekananda sayings -
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All is self or Brahman. The saint, the sinner, the lamb, the tiger, even the murderer, as far as they have any reality, can be nothing else, because there is nothing else.
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You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.
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Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being.
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Religion is the manifestation of the divinity already present in man. Education is the manifestation of perfection already present in man.
Srinivasa Ramanujam
Published on Jan 13th,
2005
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