Swami Vivekananda’s 150th Birth Anniversary celebration in India

Swami  Vivekananda’s  150^th Birth Anniversary  celebration in India

(1863 , January 12 – born in Kolkata  /  1902 , July 4 – Mahasamadhi  in Belur Math , Kolkata )

I am an old student of Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College , Mylapore , Madras ( Chennai ).  My college days were between 1968 and 1971 . Almost  44 years before I was  a student of B.Sc – Mathematics in my college and enjoyed studying in one of the best Arts & Science Men’s college in those times.

In my old blog about my college I have briefed on how I got into the great institution. Now it is time for celebration of Swami Vivekananda’s   150^th birth anniversary  and  to pay my humble obeisance to my teachers of that Temple of Learning and also to the Great Master Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa , Swami Vivekananda  &  Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother , the past and present Temple Presidents od Sri Ramakrishna  Mission , Mylapore , Chennai.

One of my old school mate recently gave me a book titled “ Values “  published by Sri Ramakrishna Math. This is an ideal book for all and in particular  for students to inculcate social and ethical values.

Though I have a wide range of collections of SRM publications ,  I have to still read many books and sure will start in full swing to complete the books. The oldest book I have in my possession on this subject is, “The Complete Works of The Swami Vivekananda “  , published as Mayavati Memorial Edition, by Advaita Ashrama , Almora , Himalayas in the year 1924, priced for the cloth binding at Rs.3/8 anna. This is one of my prized possession .

I was fortunate to be associated with the Ramakrishna Mission even before entering into  Vivekananda college , as my father used to take us to the Mylapore Math temple in our younger days. The serene atmosphere gives us a sense of spiritual attraction . The calm , peaceful  and  untroubled  ambience  gives everyone who visits there , a mental peace , cleansed mind and pure thought in no time .  I had been to the new Universal Temple , which came in the Math premises and consecrated during  5^th to 13 th , February 2000.

To pay homage to Swamy  Vivakananda , I displayed the books by Swami Vivekananda , Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi at my home and prayed by  playing the Aarti  video bought at RKM book stall.

On Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary, here's the  selected  text of his famous Chicago speech through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions, Chicago in 1893.
11th September, 1893
“Sisters and Brothers of America ….I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true……I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings:

As the different streams having there sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to thee.

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world, of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita:
Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me.

In our school days we have memorized the above speech to participate in oratorical competition.

Founding of Ramakrishna Mission
Soon after his return to Kolkata, Swami Vivekananda accomplished another important task of his mission on earth. He founded on 1 May 1897 a unique type of organization known as Ramakrishna Mission, in which monks and lay people would jointly undertake propagation of Practical Vedanta, and various forms of social service, such as running hospitals, schools, colleges, hostels, rural development centres etc, and conducting massive relief and rehabilitation work for victims of earthquakes, cyclones and other calamities, in different parts of India and other countries.

Belur Math

In early 1898 Swami Vivekananda acquired a big plot of land on the western bank of the Ganga at a place called Belur to have a permanent abode for the monastery and monastic Order originally started at Baranagar, and got it registered as Ramakrishna Math after a couple of years. Here Swamiji established a new, universal pattern of monastic life which adapts ancient monastic ideals to the conditions of modern life, which gives equal importance to personal illumination and social service, and which is open to all men without any distinction of religion, race or caste.
I had been to Belur Math and Dakshineswar temple in Kolkat .

Dakshneswar temple

Selected Teachings of Swami Vivekananda:

Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man.

 Purity, patience, and perseverance are the three essentials to success, and above all, love.

 They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.

Whatever you think, that you will be. If you think yourselves weak, weak you will be; if you think yourselves strong, strong you will be.

We have to read his books and follow his many  teachings for the benefit of ours as well for the society.