Question

What was the contribution of Swami Vivekananda in the awakening of the Indian people?

Answer 1

Hint: It has been said that Swami Vivekananda has given a spiritual awakening to the struggle for freedom that ultimately led India to freedom. He believed that the future of a country depended on its people, and his teachings focused on human development. He is one of India's most celebrated spiritual leaders, known for his teachings and practices of religious tolerance and the end of fanaticism.

Complete Answer:
Swami Vivekananda was an Indian Hindu monk. He played a significant role in the rising Indian nationalism of the 19th and 20th centuries, reinterpreting and harmonising many aspects of Hinduism. His teachings and theory have extended this reinterpretation to different areas of education, religion, character building and social issues pertaining to India, and have also been instrumental in bringing Yoga to the West.

Following are some of the ways as to how Swami Vivekananda contributed in the awakening of the Indian people:
- Swami Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897 to spread the teachings of his mentor, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He believed that the best way to serve God was to serve humanity which became the motto of the Mission.
- Vivekananda played a major role in growing Indian nationalism at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries, inspiring many Indians to succeed and appeal to the West. His example helped create pride in India's cultural and religious heritage and to stand up against the British colonial regime. He was very active in big campaigns against the British.
- His vision of India had no place for caste, creed, colour, religious superiority or race. He recognised the infinite potential of India, which lies in its principles. His faith tells people that God exists in all and therefore no one should be harmed.
- He saw that the nameless, formless spirit could be realised through the individual souls of the hungry masses of India. He knew that the strength of every nation was its people, not the ruling minority, but the subject masses. The unification of these subject masses was therefore the primary need for national integration.
- According to him, religion teaches that every being is compounded by one's own self. Religions are calling for sympathy. He felt that religion was only preached but its goodness was never practised.
- Vivekananda stressed that noble values such as manhood, honour and a sense of human integrity should be developed by all individuals. These individualistic characteristics had to be complemented by a positive sense of caring for the neighbour.

Note: Some presses outside India referred to him as the "Cyclonic Monk from India."
- His main work is Raja Yoga, which consists of talks he conducted in New York City.
- Bartaman Bharat that means ‘'Present Day India,' is a scholarly Bengali-language essay written by him which was first published in the March 1899 issue of the only- bengali language magazine “Udbodhan” of both Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.