About Swami Vivekananda
THE MAKING OF VIVEKANADA
Swami Vivekananda, known in his premonastic life as
Narendranath Dutta, was born in an aristocratic family if Calcutta on 12
January 1863. He inherited the rational mind of his father, Viswanath Dutta,
and the devotional mind of his mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi.
A precocious boy, Narendranath excelled in music, gymnastics and learning. By the time he graduated from Calcutta University, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects, especially western philosophy and history. Born with a yogic temperament, he used to practise meditation even from his boyhood, and was associated with the Brahmo Movement for some time. At the threshold of youth he had to pass through a period of spiritual crisis when he was assailed by doubts about the existence of God. It was at that time that he first heard about Sri Ramakrishana.
A precocious boy, Narendranath excelled in music, gymnastics and learning. By the time he graduated from Calcutta University, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects, especially western philosophy and history. Born with a yogic temperament, he used to practise meditation even from his boyhood, and was associated with the Brahmo Movement for some time. At the threshold of youth he had to pass through a period of spiritual crisis when he was assailed by doubts about the existence of God. It was at that time that he first heard about Sri Ramakrishana.
Sri Ramakrishna, who is now worshipped by thousands of
people as the Prophet of the modern Age, was born in 1836 in a remote village
in Bengal. He acquired only the rudiments of education but had a passionate
longing for God from his boyhood. At the age of nineteen he became a priest at
the newly built temple of Kali in Dakshineswar which served as his home for the
rest of his life. The major part of his youth was spent in practicing the
various spiritual disciplines of Hinduism and, later on, of Islam and
Christianity. Through direct, transcendental experience he arrived at the
conclusion that the ultimate Reality, though one, was known under different
names, that It could be realized through different paths, and that this
realization was the goal of human life. Endowed thus with the spiritual wealth
of centuries, Sri Ramakrishna became the centre of attraction for spiritual
seekers who included some of the distinguished religious leaders of the time.
It was probably in the middle of December, 1881, that
Narendranath went to meet Sri Ramakrishna. Almost the first thing he did was to
ask him the question which he had earlier asked several others, ‘Sir, have you
seen God?’ Without a moment’s hesitation, the Master replied: ‘Yes, I have. I
see Him as clearly as I see you – only in a much intenser sense.’ This event
may be said to symbolize the meeting of the ancient world and the modern world,
as well as the dialogue between the East and the West. For Sri Ramakrishna
represented the ancient India characterized by asceticism, contemplation and
transcendental wisdom, whereas Narendra represented the modern world
characterized by skepticism, rationalism and activism.
From the first meeting, Sri Ramakrishna, who could fathom
the extraordinary potentialities of young Narendra, won him over though his
pure and unselfish love with an intensity unparalleled in hagiography. Narendra
became a frequent visitor to Dakshineswar and, under the guidance of the
Master, began to make rapid strides on the spiritual path. In July 1884 his
father died unexpectedly, leaving his family in straitened circumstances. The
hardships that the family had to undergo opened his eyes to the stark realities
of life and made him think deeply about fundamental ethical questions,
especially the problem of evil.
Close on the heel of these misfortunes came another calamity
– Sri Ramakrishna’s falling ill with cancer of the throat. The Master was
removed to a rented villa at Cossipore, which was then on the outskirts of
Calcutta. There the young disciples, including Narendra, rallied round to nurse
him with the financial help provided by householder devotees. The Master
instilled in these young men the spirit of renunciation and brotherly love for one
another. One day he distributed the ochre robe among some of them and sent them
out to beg food, thereby sacralizing an incipient monastic brotherhood. After
the passing away of the Master in August 1886, fifteen of these young men (one
more joined them a few years later) under the leadership of Narendranath took
formal vows of Sannyasa or monkhood and, assuming new names, began to live
together in a dilapidated house at Baranagore in Calcutta. The reliquary
containing the mortal remains of Sri Ramakrishna was preserved in the new
monastery and, centred on it, there began the worship of Sri Ramakrishna. It
was from these humble beginnings that the Ramakrishna Math, which has now
branches all over the world, developed.
1863
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January 12
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Birth in Kolkata
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1879
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Enters Presidency College
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1880
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Transfers to General Assembly
Institution
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1881
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November
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First meeting with Sri Ramakrishna
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1882-1886
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Association with Sri Ramakrishna
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1884
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Passes B. A. Examination
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Father passes away
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1885
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Sri Ramakrishna’s last illness
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1886
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August 16
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Sri Ramakrishna passes away
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Fall
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Establishes Baranagar Math
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December 24
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Informal vow of sannyasa at Antpur
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1887
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January
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Formal vows of sannyasa at
Baranagar Monastery
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1890-1893
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Travels all over India as
itinerant monk
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1892
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December 24
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At Kanyakumari, South India
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1893
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February 13
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First public lecture,
Secunderabad, South India
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May 31
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Sails for America from Mumbai
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July 25
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Lands at Vancouver, Canada
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July 30
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Arrives in Chicago
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August
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Meets Professor John Ft. Wright of
Harvard University
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September 11
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First address at Parliament of
Religions, Chicago
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September 27
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Final address at Parliament of
Religions
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November 20
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Begins mid-western lecture tour
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1894
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April 14
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Begins lectures and classes on
East Coast
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May 16
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Speaks at Harvard University
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July-August
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At Green Acre Religious Conference
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November
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Founds Vedanta Society of New York
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1895
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January
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Begins classes in New York
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June 4-18
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At Camp Percy, New Hampshire
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June-August
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At Thousand Island Park on St.
Lawrence river, N.Y.
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August-September
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In Paris
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October-November
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Lectures in London
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December 6
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Sails for New York
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1896
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March 22-25
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Speaks at Harvard University,
offered Eastern Philosophy chair
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April 15
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Returns to London
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May-July
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Gives classes in London
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May 28
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Meets Max Muller in Oxford
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August-September
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In the Europe for six weeks
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October-November
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Gives classes in London
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December 30
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Leaves Naples for India
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1897
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January 15
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Arrives in Colombo, Sri Lanka
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February 6-15
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In Chennai
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February 19
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Arrives in Kolkata
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May 1
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Establishes Ramakrishna Mission
Association, Kolkata
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May-December
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Tours northwest India
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1898
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January
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Returns to Kolkata
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May
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Begins North India pilgrimage with
Western devotees
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August 2
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At Amarnath, Kashmir
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December 9
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Consecrates Belur Math
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1899
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March 19
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Establishes Advaita Ashrama at
Mayavati
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June 20
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Leaves India for second visit to
the West
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July 31
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Arrives in London
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August 28
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Arrives in New York City
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August-November
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At Ridgely Manor, New York
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December 3
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Arrives in Los Angeles
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1900
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February 22
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Arrives in San Francisco
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April 14
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Founds Vedanta Society in San
Francisco
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June
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Final classes in New York City
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July 26
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Leaves for Europe
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August 3
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Arrives in Paris for International
Exposition
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September 7
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Speaks at Congress of History of
Religions at Exposition
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October 24
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Begins tour of Vienna,
Constantinople, Greece and Cairo
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November 26
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Leaves for India
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December 9
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Arrives at Belur Math
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1901
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January
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Visits Mayavati
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March-May
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Pilgrimage in East Bengal and
Assam
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1902
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January-February
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Visits Bodh Gaya and Varanasi
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March
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Returns to Belur Math
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July 4
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Mahasamadhi
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Narendranath now became Swami Vivekananda (although this
name was actually assumed only a few years later). In July 1890 Vivekananda (as
he was known to those who were close to him) set out on a journey which took
him al over India. During his travels, he lived like a mendicant monk,
sometimes having his meal cooked by a cobbler, sometimes sharing his pipe with
a sweeper, sometimes living in the places of kings and princes. But his travels
had a definite purpose – to discover the real India and to find out ways and
means of restoring the glory and grandeur that she had lost.
These travels gave him firsthand knowledge of the socio –
economic condition of the people and the cultural and historical forces
operating in society. He was deeply moved at the utter poverty and backwardness
of the masses. It was clear to him that neglect of the masses was one of the
main causes of India’s downfall. Owing to centuries of priestcraft and caste
tyranny, the poor masses had lost the sense of individual worth and faith in
their inherent powers and had been reduced to the state of being mere cogs in
the wheel of exploitation set in motion by upper castes and classes.
Vivekanand, however, understood that this condition was not due to ‘religion’
in the true sense of the term. For, the essence of true religion consisted of
nothing but the eternal truths and laws of the spiritual world. These
principles had been discovered by the sages of ancient India and were
collectively known as the Vedanta. The degradation of India took place because
these life – giving principles of Vedanta had not been applied in practical
life to solve social and national problems and the poor masses had been denied
access to these enlightening principles. Vivekananda gained the conviction that
if these spiritual principles were spread among the poor masses, it would
awaken the dormant powers in them, and then they would be able to solve their
problems themselves.
It was, of course, obvious to Vivekananda that what the
masses immediately needed was food and it was not possible to produce enough
food by following primitive methods of agriculture. Indians must master western
science and technology and methods of organization.
Thus Vivekananda saw the necessity of spreading both
spiritual knowledge and secular knowledge among the masses. And he believed
that this could be done through a proper system of education. As may be
gathered from his letters, what Vivekananda wanted was a mass awakening
effected through an intensive educational programme. To carry out such a huge,
nation –wide educational plan would need an efficient organization of selfless
workers and financial support.
It was when tse ideas had already begun to take shape in
Swami Vivekananda’s mind that he heard about the World’s Parliament of
Religions to be held in 1893 – most probably in the course of his travels in
Gujarat. The first record we have of his wish to attend the Parliament is his
expression of it at Khandwa in June 1892. Several distinguished people urged
him to go to the West, and at least two or three Hindu princes and a Muslim
nobleman offered financial assistance for his trip. But he would not accept the
offer until his mission was entirely clear to him.
It may be seen that Vivekananda looked upon the Parliament
of Religions only as a doorway to a larger field of work awaiting him in the
West. In some of his letters and lectures he has stated that his purpose in
going to the West was to raise money for his project for the uplift of the poor
in India. But that was only a part of a larger mission that he felt he had in
the West. As he later expressed it, ‘I have a message for the West, as Buddha
had a message for the East.’ Vivekananda was convinced that India had an active
role to play in the commonwealth of nations. Western people needed India’s
spiritual wealth to solve the existential problems of life and make life
meaningful. In exchange for this contribution to world culture, Indians should
learn from the West science and technology. Vivekananda saw that this kind of
cultural exchange was vitally necessary for India’s socio - economic
development, for, the nation’s isolation from world culture was one of the
causes of her downfall.
All these ideas must have crystallized in Swami Vivekanada’s
mind as he journeyed through Maharashtra, Goa and South India. It was, however,
at Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, where he meditated on a rock in
the sea for three days and nights (from 24th December to 26th,
1892) that the total picture of his future mission unfolded before his inner eye.
He got the deep conviction that there was a divine plan behind the organization
of the Parliament of Religions, and that he was destined to play the role of
messenger and pathfinder in the inauguration of new epoch in the history of
mankind by Sri Ramakrishna, the Prophet of the modern Age.
Strengthened with this certitude, radiant with
the new vision, Swami Vivekananda travelled from Kanyakumari to Madras. There a
group of educated and idealistic young men became his ardent followers. Coming
to know of his intention to attend the Parliament of Religions, these young
men, under the leadership of Alasinga Perumal, started collecting money for
Vivekanda’s passage to America. But at the earnest request of his devoted
disciple, the Raja of Khetri, Swamiji had to goto Khetri again in the middle of
April 1893. At last, with the rest of the passage money provided by the Raja,
Swami Vivekananda set sail from Bombay on 31-May-1893.