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Swami Vivekananda
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Swami Vivekananda (Bengali: [ʃami
bibekanɒnɖo] (
listen) , Shāmi Bibekānando; 12 January
1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta [3]
Swami Vivekananda
(Bengali: [nɔrend̪ro nat̪h d̪ɔt̪t̪o]), was an Indian Hindu monk.
He was a key figure in the introduction of Indian
philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world[4]
and was credited with raising interfaith awareness,
bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion
in the late 19th century. [5] He was a major force in the
revival of Hinduism in India and contributed to the notion
of nationalism in colonial India. [6] He was the chief
disciple of the 19th century saint Ramakrishna and the
founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna
Mission.[4] He is perhaps best known for his inspiring
speech beginning with "Sisters and Brothers of
America,"[7] through which he introduced Hinduism at the
Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Born into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta,
College and Brahmo Samaj
In 1879 after his family moved back to Calcutta, Narendra passed the entrance examination from the
Presidency College. He subsequently studied western logic, western philosophy and history of European
nations in the General Assembly's Institution (now known as the Scottish Church College). [21][22] In 1881
he passed the Fine Arts examination and in 1884 he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree. [23][24]
Narendra studied the works of David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Baruch Spinoza, Georg
W. F. Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, John Stuart Mill, and Charles
Darwin.[25][26] Narendra became fascinated with the evolutionism of Herbert Spencer and had
correspondence with him; [27][28] he translated Spencer's book Education (1861) into Bengali. Alongside his
study of Western philosophers, he was thoroughly acquainted with Indian Sanskrit scriptures and many
Bengali works. [26] Dr. William Hastie, principal of General Assembly's Institution, wrote, "Narendra is really
a genius. I have travelled far and wide but I have never come across a lad of his talents and possibilities,
even in German universities, among philosophical students." [25] Some accounts regard Narendra as a
srutidhara—a man with prodigious memory. [29][30][31]