Swami Vivekananda has been remembered in history as a great patriot, progressive

philosopher and a passionate religious preacher who awakened the people of India from their
centuries-old slumber and infused a new life and energy in them.

Introduction

Swami Vivekananda was known as a great man, a teacher, a reformer, a social worker, a
thinker, a saint and a determined world-changer. All these characteristics were present in one
man, whom he created on his own. He was a prominent social reformer and activist, born on
January 12, 1863 in Calcutta. His father's name was Vishwanath Dutta and mother's name was
Bhuvaneshwari Devi. His childhood name was Narendranath Dutta. His father was a Bengali
lawyer, who was a novelist and philanthropist.

He was educated at the Scottish Church College in Kolkata. He had a bachelor's degree in arts
and was an average student. Yet, he was a unique child with a wealth of spiritual ideas and
knowledge. He had a deep understanding of the Hindu scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads,
Puranas, Bhagavad Gita etc.). His sayings were powerful and thought-provoking. He was a
practitioner of Karma, Bhakti, Raja and Jnana Yoga. He also excelled in music, Vyayam-Vidya
and philosophy. He was also knowledgeable about western philosophy and history. When he
met Ramakrishna Paramahamsa in 1881, he asked, "Have you seen God?" Ramakrishna
replied, "Yes, I have seen Him, as I see you here." Finally, he said, there was someone who
could convince him that God exists based on his own personal experience. He trained
Vivekananda and prepared him for the future.

Before dying, Ramakrishna gave his power to Narendra, saying, "By the power transferred by
me, great deeds will be done by you, only then will you return to where you came from." After
Sri Ramakrishna's death in 1886, Narendra founded the Ramakrishna Mission. Narendra began
travelling around the country from the beginning of 1890. In July 1890, he set out for the
Himalayas in search of solitude. He roamed the countryside, where the ancient glory of India
flashed before his eyes, and he saw the poverty and frailty of youth at close quarters. At the end
of his journey, he bowed down before the image of Mother Kumari in a temple at Kanyakumari
with a strong sense of self. He then swam across the sea to a rock on the southern coast,
where he sat in deep meditation all night.

During the Chicago Parliament of Religions in 1893, he represented Hinduism, in which an

unknown Indian monk emerged prominently. His profound understanding of Eastern and
Western culture, as well as his deep spiritual insight, passionate eloquence, intellectual
discussions, wide human sympathies, versatile personality and charismatic personality made
him famous among the Americans. After more than half a century, those who have seen or
heard Vivekananda even once continue to cherish his memory.

Vivekananda's aim in America was to interpret the spiritual culture of India, especially in its
Vedantic context. He also tried to deepen the religious consciousness of Americans through the
rational and humanistic principles of Vedanta philosophy. He became India's spiritual
representative in America, fervently praying for greater understanding between India and the
New World so that people of East and West could achieve a healthy synthesis of religion and
science

For Hindus, he advocated the notion of a religion that gives strength to religion. The specific
type of devotion he advocated for Indians who were devoted to their traditions and myths was
the service of man as the visible incarnation of God. Many Indian politicians have publicly
expressed their gratitude to Swami Vivekananda.

Vivekananda, like his master Ramakrishna, had a natural desire to rise above the world and
lose himself in the contemplation of the Absolute. However, another part of his

During his forty-nine years of life (1863-1902), of which he devoted only ten to public activities
and that too, in the midst of intense physical suffering, he wrote his own four traditional texts,
Jnana-yoga, Bhakti-yoga, Karma-yoga and Raja-yoga, all of which are extraordinary treatises of
Indian philosophy. He also gave countless lectures, wrote inspiring letters with his own hand to
his many friends and disciples, composed many poems and served as a spiritual teacher to
those seekers who sought his guidance. He also founded the Ramakrishna Order of Monks,
which is today India's most prestigious religious order. It is dedicated to the dissemination of
Hindu spiritual culture not only in Swami's home country India, but also in the US and other
regions of the world.

The Swami was described as the 'Paragon of Vedantists' by Harvard philosopher William
James. The leading nineteenth century

Vivekananda's source of inspiration

Vivekananda was greatly influenced by Hindu philosophy, especially Vedanta, which

earned him the title of Vedantist as well as Buddhist philosophy. He also carried the
influence of Christianity along with his Indian inspirations, in which many other factors
also played a role. He was influenced by the Brahmo Samaj for some time. He also seems
to have been influenced by the personality of Dayanand Saraswati. Vivekananda drew
inspiration from the Gita on a regular basis. However, it must be admitted that his guru
Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had the greatest influence on him. Swami
Ramakrishna opened the door of knowledge of the spiritual path for Vivekananda,
opened his soul and filled his spirit with spiritual consciousness and eliminated the
ignorance which was not able to control the wave of the infinite soul within him and his
spiritual consciousness.

Socio-religious and political views

Vivekananda was the global exponent of Vedanta. Swami Vivekananda's Vedanta

philosophy is his enduring spiritual legacy. Swami Vivekananda's beliefs on
nation-building in India are preserved in his concepts of 'practical Vedanta' and
'man-building'. In Vedanta men are taught to initially believe in themselves. The purpose
of the task, according to him, is to manifest this divinity within oneself by managing both
external and internal nature. He advocated Yoga as a practical application of Vedanta
philosophy. It takes religion to the level of spiritualism, where all religions, scriptures and
idolatry appear to be different faces of the same truth. Swamiji believed that religious ties
hold Indians together, and only spiritual upliftment of religion can take people beyond
religions, castes, communities and sub-national and ethnic identities.

. Vivekananda's Vedantic socialism is based on his progressive educational ideas, which

are more modern than those of the professional educationists who shaped modern
Indian education. From the very beginning of his mission, he stressed the importance of
universal literacy as a condition for mass upliftment and development

Social Reforms

●​ Swami Vivekananda was a prominent social reformer of the nineteenth century. As

a social reformer, he preached on the elimination of all forms of exploitation. He
has participated in many social activities to solve social issues. He believed that
three issues are the obstacles to our progress- education, poverty and casteism.
Swamiji is revered as the messiah of the oppressed. Swamiji was the first modern
Indian leader to speak for the underprivileged and exploited. He travelled
extensively throughout the country to gain a better understanding of their
situation. He was convinced that the neglect and exploitation of the poor was the
primary cause of the degradation of Indians. According to Swami Vivekananda,
religion would be equally intellectual, emotionally charged, mystical and
conducive to action. Worship is a social activity, faith is a social force. Religion is
a social institution, worship is a social activity and faith is a social force. Swamiji
shifted the focus of religion from God to man or rather shifted the idea of the
 presence of God in man. Sri Ramakrishna had taught him that serving others was
the same as serving God. Swamiji built his own social service program around
this principle. He preached that the best form of worship was to see God in the
poor, the oppressed, the sick and the ignorant and to serve them.

He was the first Indian to represent India and Hinduism at the World Parliament.
Swamiji's lectures at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 as well as
his work in America and England raised the status of India worldwide

Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission-Social Service in Calcutta on May 1,

1897, based on the Ramakrishna Mission's value of Karma Yoga. Swamiji laid the
foundation for scientific unity along with religious unity. "Religion is not for empty
stomachs," he often stressed along with his guru, Ramakrishna Paramahansa.

12 January is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. National Youth

Day is also celebrated on this day. Vivekananda believed that for the youth, life is more
important than wealth.

More important is their aim. Their goal is to break free from the shackles of established
society and to rebel against anything that promotes inequality, injustice, mental slavery
and other forms of backwardness. Vivekananda encouraged the youth to come forward
and join the struggle for political, economic and spiritual freedom. Swami Vivekananda's
sixth rousing call to Indian youth, "Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached", is
now resounding across India, reawakening social consciousness and reawakening
humble souls.

Vivekananda's views on nationalism

Swami Vivekananda was a true patriot both in heart and mind. He felt that the life of every
nation is governed by a single all-pervading principle. He remarked that "every nation is
exactly like the key notes of music, having a central theme around which all others
revolve." Everything else is subordinate to the concept of each nation. In India religion is
the central theme. Vivekananda believed
the timeless things of the Vedas and Upanishads to promote the progress of the country
and faith in its individuality.

Although Western influence is credited with the rise of nationalism, Swami

Vivekananda's nationalism is firmly based on Indian spirituality and ethics. He
contributed significantly to the concept of nationalism in colonial India and played a key
role in guiding India in the twentieth century. Swami Vivekananda's spiritualism is linked
to his nationalism. He attributed India's rebirth to the country's long-standing spiritual
culture. He said, 'Every nation has a destiny to fulfill, every nation has a purpose to
convey to others.
"Every nation has a message, and every nation has a purpose which it fulfils."
Consequently, we must understand the purpose of our own race, what destiny it should
pursue, what place it should occupy in the development of the nation, and what role it
should play in promoting racial harmony. His nationalism is based on two basic elements
of Indian spiritual culture, humanism and universalism

Swami Vivekananda's nationalism, unlike Western nationalism, is based on religion,

which is the lifeblood of the Indian

He declared that "I am an Indian, and every Indian is my brother. My brother is the
ignorant Indian, the poor and wretched Indian, the Brahmin Indian, the outcast Indian.
The Indian is my brother, the Indian is my life, the gods and goddesses of India are my
Gods, the society of India is the cradle of my childhood, the pleasure garden of my youth,
the holy heaven, Varanasi of my old age, the land of India is my highest heaven, my good
lies in the good of India."

Vivekananda was a history buff. After examining historical evidence, he concluded that
society is ruled by four major social forces in succession- knowledge, military power,
wealth and physical labour. Four classes control these forces- Brahmins, Kshatriyas,
Vaishyas and Shudras. He stressed the importance of each varna in social history and
predicted that they would rule one after the other.

Swami Ji was a strong supporter of women's liberation. He believed that there were two
major evils in India. Women were being crushed, and the poor were being suppressed by
caste rules.

This feeling of national unity arises from the fact that India is a country and Indians are a
nation. According to Swami Vivekananda the main characteristics of Indian culture are
unity in diversity. A nation is defined by its caste, religion, language and government. In
India racial, linguistic, social and national barriers all dissolve under the unifying effect of
religion. To the Indian mind nothing is more important than religion and religion is the
lifeblood of the nation.

Concept regarding society and social institutions

In India, love and sacrifice are considered the foundation of society. According to him,
there is an organic connection between the individual and society in Indian philosophy,
and therefore the well-being of one is dependent on the well-being of the other. The sum
of many individuals is known as Samashti (whole)
Vivekananda said that "the Westerner is born an individualist, but the Hindu is born a
socialist--a socialist to the core." Hinduism requires that the individual submit to the
needs of society and that these needs regulate his individual behavior.

He says, "The goal of the West is individual freedom, the acquisition of wealth is the
means of education, politics, while the goal of India is liberation, the means of the Vedas,
renunciation." In India, the emphasis on spirituality, strengthened by renunciation, has
resulted in a culture different from that of the West.

According to Vivekananda, an ideal type of society is one in which everyone can hold,
practice and live the noble truths.

Ideal Society

Vivekananda's vision of the 'ideal society' is examined. In order to understand

Vivekananda's vision of the 'ideal society', two important obstacles have to be overcome.

It is logical to think that the idea of defining and explaining the notion of 'ideal'

The effort will help us in our understanding and analysis of Vivekananda's ideal society.
'Idea' and 'ideal' are two important terms that are closely related and both meanings
essentially mean the same thing. An idea can refer to the abstract idea of a feeling or
purpose. On the other hand, ideal can refer to a mental image or concept of something
desired such as a goal.

After understanding the meaning of the word ideal, the next step would be to research do

, which is a divine creation made up of various individuals. Its characteristics include the
importance of self-sacrifice for happiness, gradual change to become 'one' with society,
and the end result of human relations, cooperatively shared satisfaction

After understanding the meaning of the word ideal, the next step would be to research

which is a divine creation made up of various individuals. Its characteristics include the
importance of self-sacrifice for happiness, gradual change to become 'one' with society,

We can extract an important part of Vivekananda's individualistic and socialist view of

society from this quote. Also, religion or to put it another way, spirituality plays an
important role in it. According to Vivekananda, society should be molded around truth,
not the other way around. According to Vivekananda, the development of human society
should be spiritually informed and guided. He also believes that every society
experiences its ups and downs. He says, "The history of nations is such that they rise
and fall; after rising they fall again, and after falling they rise again with greater strength."
This movement continues indefinitely. A similar movement exists in the religious field.
There is rise and fall in the spiritual life of every nation.

After understanding the meaning of the word ideal, the next step would be to research
Vivekananda's view on society. V.K. Arora has briefly described Swami Vivekananda's
concept of society and its characteristics- Dharma is the backbone of society, which is a
divine creation made up of various individuals. Its characteristics include the importance
of self-sacrifice for happiness, gradual change to become 'one' with society, and the end
result of human relations, cooperatively shared satisfaction

According to Vivekananda, society should be molded around truth and not the other way
around. According to Vivekananda, the development of human society should be
spiritually informed and guided. He also believes that every society experiences its ups
and downs. He says, "The history of nations is such that they rise and fall; after rising
they fall again, and after falling they rise again with greater strength." This movement
continues indefinitely. A similar movement exists in the religious field. There is rise and
fall in the spiritual life of every nation.

Analysis of the ideal society

This presents the idea of a caste-based understanding of Vivekananda's view on society

in general and nationalism in particular. With this view in mind, we will proceed to
examine the 'ideal society'. Understanding caste, as stated by Swami Vivekananda, is a
good place to start. To make things easier, Vivekananda divided society into two
castes-the high castes (Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas) and the low castes
(Shudras). He defends his position by claiming that three superior castes have
dominated the planet in succession throughout history. According to Vivekananda's
explanation, "Human society is dominated by four castes- the priests, the soldiers, the
merchants and the labourers." The priest (Brahmin) develops the brain because it rules
through the brain. The military (Kshatriyas) is despotic and cruel, yet it is exclusive,
during this time an artistic and social culture reaches its peak. Then there is commercial
(Vaishya) rule. Its silent crushing power is felt.

. The advantage is that because the merchant goes everywhere, he is an excellent

conveyer of ideas, but culture is dispersed. Finally, the shudras (labourers) come. One of
the advantages will be the distribution of material comforts; one of the drawbacks will
(probably) be the decline of culture. Ordinary education will be widely distributed, but
excellent minds/ideas will become increasingly rare.
the priestly knowledge, the military culture, the commercial distribution, and the ideal
equality of the east are all combined, then it would be better if the state is not divided into
two parts.
As Vivekananda says, "If it were possible to construct a state in which the priestly
knowledge, military culture, commercial distribution, and ideal equality of the East could
all be retained, without their evils, that would be an ideal state."

Importance of Caste

The philosophy is opposed to the other. Vivekananda's 'ideal society' will have only one
caste, as the low will be elevated to the level of the high.
Vivekananda claimed in his 'Ideal Society' that within this concept of an 'ideal society'
there would be no place for privileges of power, wealth, knowledge, birth or spirituality.

Vivekananda also considered the presence of ideal men and women essential. He says
that Rama, the ancient god of the heroic age, is the symbol of truth and morality,

using religion as a motivating force, the Swami attempted to create the foundation of
Indian society based on Hindu ethics. Furthermore, the 'ideal society' should achieve the
ideal of unity.

Vivekananda further states that the ideal society is one in which the Indian concept of
spiritual integrity and the Western concept of social advancement are combined. He
seems to have understood a stream of social freedom, democracy and materialism from
the Western concept of social development.

Social Westernisation

These were the characteristics that Vivekananda wanted for his ideal society. However,
we must remember that he was opposed to social westernization. He said that India
should develop according to its traditions

It was said that Vivekananda did not believe that the caste system was a component of
religion. Rather, he wanted people to understand that it is a social institution that is
important for maintaining stability. The third step suggested by Vivekananda is to
incorporate religious principles into society. However, he did not neglect to add that
religion should be kept within its proper boundaries and given freedom to flourish in
society.

Conclusion

Swami Vivekananda is widely regarded as the greatest patriotic monk of all time. He is
credited with demonstrating the soul of India to the rest of the world. He is primarily
known as a Hindu spokesman. The spiritual aspect of his personality seems to have
clearly triumphed over the social one. 'Vivekananda' seems to have been overshadowed
by the 'Swami'. The universality and harmony of world religions was a recurring theme in
Vivekananda's speeches. Swami Vivekananda instilled a sense of national pride in all
Indians. Swamiji explained the importance of ancient Indian culture in today's world.

Practice Question

1. Briefly discuss the views of Swami Vivekananda regarding reforms in Indian society.

2. Discuss the views of Swami Vivekananda regarding caste system.

3. Explain the influence of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa on Swami Vivekananda.

4. Discuss the contribution of Swami Vivekananda to modern Indian political thought.

5. Explain the views of Swami Vivekananda regarding nationalism and religion.