Swami Vivekananda

Swami VivekanandaÊBengali:Ê[_ami bibekan_n_o]Ê(Êlisten),ÊSh_mi Bibek_nondo; 12 January 1863ÊÐ 4 July 1902), bornÊNarendranath Datta(Bengali:Ê[n_rend_ro nat__ d__t_t_o]), was anÊIndianÊHinduÊmonk, a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mysticÊRamakrishna.Ê45ÊHe was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies ofÊVedantaÊandÊYogaÊto the Western world67Êand is credited with raisingÊinterfaithÊawareness, bringingÊHinduismÊto the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century.8ÊHe was a major force in theÊrevival of HinduismÊin India, and contributed to the concept ofÊnationalismÊinÊcolonial India.9ÊVivekananda founded theÊRamakrishna MathÊand theÊRamakrishna Mission.7ÊHe is perhaps best known for his speech which began, "Sisters and brothers of AmericaÊ...,"10Êin which he introduced Hinduism at theÊParliament of the World's ReligionsÊinÊChicagoÊin 1893.↵↵Born into an aristocraticÊBengaliÊfamily ofÊCalcutta, Vivekananda was inclined towards spirituality. He was influenced by hisÊGuru, Ramakrishna Deva, from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self; therefore, service to God could be rendered by service to mankind. After Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda toured theÊIndian subcontinentÊextensively and acquired first-hand knowledge of the conditions prevailing inÊBritish India. He later travelled to the United States, representing India at the 1893 Parliament of the World Religions. Vivekananda conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating tenets ofÊHindu philosophyÊin the United States, England and Europe. In India, Vivekananda is regarded as aÊpatriotic saintÊand his birthday is celebrated there asÊNational Youth Day.↵↵via WikipediaÊ