SWAMI VIVEKANANDHA

Subject: Culture

Context: PM Modi unveiled a life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda on JNU campus through videoconferencing.

Concept:

Swami Vivekananda is credited with introducing the West to the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga.
He worked in the field of social service.
He spoke to people in India and urged them to eliminate the caste system and promote science and industrialisation.
He also worked against superstitions and advocated the upliftment of women’s position in society.
He wanted the people to embrace the spirit of equality and free-thinking.
His interpretation of Vedanta is called neo-Vedanta.
Reverence and admiration for him among Bengali elites led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by Swami Vivekananda.

The four pillars of nationalism according to Swami Vivekananda are:

Vedanta

It was based on Upanishads and their interpretation.
Its aim was to enquire about ‘Brahman’ (ultimate reality) which was the central concept of Upanishads.
It saw Veda as the ultimate source of information and whose authority could not be questioned.
It emphasized on path of knowledge (jnana) as opposed to that of sacrifice (karma).
Ultimate aim of knowledge was ‘Moksha’ i.e. liberation from ‘sansara’.

Ramakrishna Mission

It is an embodiment of the synthesis of ancient Indian and modern western cultures.
Formally, the Mission was founded in May 1897 by Paramahamsa’s disciple, Narendranath Dutta, who was later on known as Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902).
The Mission has given top priority to the idea of social service, both in terms of philanthropic work and upliftment of religious and spiritual life.
It has been successful in propagating the universal principle of Vedanta and giving a true picture of India to the western world.
The Mission has opened many schools and dispensaries, and helped the victims of natural calamities.