Biography: Swami Vivekananda | WBBSE Class 9 English

Swami Vivekananda, the patriotic saint of modern India, was a peerless philosopher, social reformer, and spiritual colossus whose thunderous message awakened the nation from deep colonial slumber. Born into an aristocratic family in north Kolkata on the 12th of January, 1863, young Narendranath Datta showed exceptional intellect, voracious reading habits, athletic prowess, and deep musical aptitude from his childhood. After completing his schooling at the Metropolitan Institution, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Scottish Church College, immersing himself in Eastern spirituality and Western rationalism.

Tormented by profound metaphysical doubts, young Naren encountered the mystic sage Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa at Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Under the master’s divine influence, all his intellectual skepticism evaporated, and he embraced holy monastic life as Swami Vivekananda. Following the master’s demise, the young monk traversed the length and breadth of India as a wandering ascetic, witnessing firsthand the appalling penury and ignorance of the downtrodden masses.

On the 11th of September, 1893, Swami Vivekananda delivered his epoch-making address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. His opening greeting, “Sisters and Brothers of America,” was received with a deafening two-minute standing ovation, establishing the universal harmony and spiritual glory of Indian Vedanta across the Western hemisphere. Upon returning to India, he established the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in 1897 with the sacred motto: “Atmano mokshartham jagat hitaya cha” (For one’s own salvation and the welfare of the world). He preached that the service of suffering humanity is the highest worship of God. On the 4th of July, 1902, this saintly visionary attained Mahasamadhi at Belur Math at the young age of thirty-nine. His clarion call—“Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached”—reverberates eternally in the soul of India, where his birth anniversary is proudly commemorated as National Youth Day.