7 Enlightening Stories OF Swami Vivekananda That Will Touch Your Soul

Thursday, January 12, 2023, 13:16

Swami Vivekananda was the most popular Monk of Ramakrishnas monastic order and an ardent disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Born on 18 January 1863 as Narendra Nath Dutt in Calcutta, to Vishwanath Dutta (a barrister) and Bhuvaneshwari Devi, he taught invaluable tenets or modern Vedanta and Raja Yoga that inspired the youth of his times a tremendous deal. His birthday is celebrated as the National Youth Day on 12 January annually. He founded Belur Math, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, which propagates his spiritual knowledge, educates people and carries on social work on a self-less basis. Here are 7 stories chosen from his life, that has touched hearts and converted many into the faith, compassion and spirituality.

1. Voracious Reader

Vivekananda had excellent speed-reading skills and also devoured books one after the other. During his stay at Chicago, he spent all his time reading books in bundles which the librarian, unable to understand his depth, was irritated with his habit of borrowing books in bunches and returning them the very next day. One day, fed up with this ongoing practice of Vivekananda, irate librarian challenged Swami Vivekananda with a question. He wanted to know why he borrowed books when all he does is to return them the very next day, without even reading them. To this Swami nonchalantly replied that he used to read every single book that he used to borrow from her. Annoyed to the hilt, she selected a random page from one of the books he had just then returned and asked him a question out of that page which Swami answered perfectly, as if, without batting an eyelid. He repeated the entire passage that followed as though he had the book in front of him. She asked him more and more questions and was floored when he answered all those questions without fumbling for words or taking time to think.

2. The single-minded focus:

During Swamis stay in USA, he had this habit of visiting the sea shore and savour the peace and serenity that prevailed in the atmosphere. He used to almost all the days, observe few young boys who, were trying to shoot from their Guns, the egg shells that were floating in the water. When they failed every time., Vivekananda, unable to contain his pity, strode up to them and snatching the gun from their hands, fired at the egg shells without even missing even one of them. Stunned by the act, the boys excitedly questioned him how he managed it flawlessly. He just replied that he focused on his goal, completely with all his might. His mind was on the target and not on any other thing around him. So he enlightened them by telling them to think of only the goal while doing anything and Indian kids were experts at this art.

3. A Daredevil

Swami Vivekananda was barely 8 years of age when this happened. He had this mischievous habit of dangling upside down from the champak tree inside the yard of his friend's house. One fine day, as he was quickly climbing the tree, to try his topsy turvy tricks, an old man, who was watching all this exercise, asked him why he was adamantly doing the same thing day in and day out. It was indeed a dangerous practice and once he slipped, it would mean the end of all his pranks. When the little boy just would not listen, he continued to threaten him saying that there was a ghost up there that would topple him down once he climbed the trees branches. All the kids gathered around Vivekananda got almighty disturbed and also warned him to be careful thereafter. But little Narendra was adamant and kept trying the same trick over and over again on the tree. When the kids asked him why he was doing that, he said that it was all a concocted story by the old man as Vivekananda, should have been dead long ago if that were the case. So he warned his friends not to believe any hearsay and only learn from experience. '

4. Swami Vivekananda On Women

Once, a Vivekananda, during one of his discourses, met a certain social reformer and a rebel who was highly curious to know what Swami's stand was about women. He told him that he was highly appreciative of the fact that swami also supported women. He wanted to reform women and hence he asked swami for some pointers. Vivekananda calmly replied and told him to be off women as nothing needs to be done about them so that they will surely do what they are supposed to do." Man does not need to reform a woman. He only has to allow to her bloom into a better version and she will do it."

5. Compassion Incarnate

Swami Vivekananda stood for Hinduism and Indian values and traditions and proved his tremendous ability for oratory there in the Convention of Chicago. Just before he left for Chicago, his mother, in an attempt to test him, jocularly asked him whether he had any right to preach Hinduism to them. Vivekananda finished his lunch and then was given a few fruits by his mother. Swami cut the fruit ate it and handed over the knife when his mother asked him for it. Pleased as punch she told him in a judgmental tone that he had passed the test. When asked why and how, she replied that she was happy with the way swami handed over the knife back to her hands because swami, while giving it, had seen that the sharp edge of the knife was facing him and not his mother. So he obviously was caring towards his mother to even the tiniest details. His mother lauded him for his compassion and certified him to fit to attend the congregation at Chicago. Compassion is a virtue that lets you to be selfless and the more you give it, the more you receive it. This proved true in the case of Vivekananda.

6. The Wit:

This incident sheds light on his incredibly witty side. Once Swami was commuting by train and wore a wrist watch that looked so weird and funny to the eyes of those few girls present in the train. They continuously made fun of his clothes and the way he appeared. When they found out that swami was too aloof and did not generally bother about their comments, they thought of a plan to disturb his peace. The girls asked him to give them his watch or else he would face the cops and a case for harassment. Swami pretended to be deaf and signalled to the girls what they wanted to tell him on a piece of paper. The girls unsuspectingly wrote it down and gave it to him in writing. Then Swami opened his mouth now and called the cops and told them that he had a complaint against those girls. It was now the turn of the girls to pretend to be deaf and dumb and be surprised by the Hindu Sanyasi's presence of mind.

7. The Evidence

When he was just 19 years of age, Vivekananda sought answers for all his doubts about the world. He finally reached Ramakrishna as luck would have it, and told him "You are always talking about God. How do you prove he exists?" Ramakrishna being a seer and not an erudite scholar, said, "I am the proof that God exists." Vivekananda was too adamant to believe it. But he could not counter his words and left silently. The next day, he returned to Paramahamsa and asked him to show God to him. Ramakrishna asked him if he was really ready to see him. When Vivekananda expressed his wish to see God, Ramakrishna placed his foot on Vivekananda's chest. That was all. Vivekananda was transported to a divine world, immersed in a state of Samadhi, and stayed glued to the universal consciousness in the same state for 12 long hours. When he came back from that world, he was a seer and the great Swami Vivekananda.

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