Swami Vivekanand script v9

Strength - Unshakable Faith - Courage - Determination

1884. Imagine hundreds of people flinging themselves on train tracks,

clamoring to catch a glimpse of their hero - A young Hindu Monk! A mega
influencer, in days without social media.

"I will shake India to her foundations. I will send an electric thrill through her
veins. The people of India shall listen to me." the monk had claimed. And why
wouldn't they? He was one of them, after all. Fatherless, penniless, and
famished by the age of 21.

Barely nine years later in Chicago, this monk sent shockwaves across the
world of philosophy. A nobody in a foreign land, he shook the roots of
Abrahamic fundamentalism! Vedanta - the sublime philosophy of Adi
Shankaracharya was his weapon! Through it, he reminded the people of the
world that their real nature was divinity itself and not sin as they had been
taught. The Parliament of World Religions was astonished by the Indian's
brilliance.

Young Narendra had a deep longing to find God. He wandered around

Calcutta asking several religious people if they had seen God. But no one
could give him a satisfying answer. At the age of 19, he met Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahansa of Dakshineshwar, who answered his question with a simple
yes! He said, "Yes, as clearly as I see you, only deeper!" The idea that God is
in everyone touched the heart of Narendranath, and Swami Vivekanand was
born.

He decided to travel across India and witness the colonial plight of his fellow
citizens firsthand. Men without a ray of hope. Vivekanand knew that a hungry
stomach needed food before philosophy! With his charisma, he inspired the
spirit of karma-yoga in countless people and rallied them to serve the Daridra
Narayan!

Swami Vivekanand started rebuilding India by fixing broken spirits. In those

troubled times, women were reduced to being domestic props. But for him,
they were the very life-force of this civilization, and their education was the key
to India's upliftment. With his blessings, Bhagini Nivedita opened a girls'
school in North Calcutta and thus began the national mission to educate girls
deprived of primary education.

The brilliant monk understood that science and technology were the new
agents of prosperity. On one of his travels, he came across Jamshedji Tata.
Jamshedji went on to set up Tata Steel and the Tata Institute of Sciences with
his encouragement. Today we know it as the Indian Institute of Science - one
of the world's premier research institutions.

Swami Vivekanand's ideals live on through the Ramakrishna Mission that was
founded in his Guru's name. It has propagated the scientific Hindu philosophy
through Vedanta and yogic ideals of Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja yoga;
and also conducts educational and philanthropic projects across the world.

Swamiji introduced the whole world to Vedant in his travels across Japan,
China, the UK, Canada, and the US, influencing the greatest minds of those
times.

By the young age of thirty-nine, Swami Vivekanand attained Mahasamadhi.

But his legacy resonates more than a century after. The path for social
upliftment, reforms, and spiritual renaissance in India was paved by him. His
principles became a lighthouse for the next generation of India's stalwarts.

Today, amidst the clash of civilizations and ideologies, as India seeks to

reconnect with the Bharat within, Swami Vivekanand's message stands tall.
'Muscles of Iron and Nerves of Steel.' The dazzling bolt of light that blessed
Bharat in its darkest hours continues to inspire the youth in its march towards
New India. He addressed the youth to become energetic, strong, well-built and
intellectual. He called upon them to Arise, awake, and struggle for higher and
better things for the country! He said, “Your country requires heroes; be
heroes; your duty is to go on working, and then everything will follow of itself.”