Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami VivekanandaBengali: , Shāmi Bibekānondo; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. He was a major force in the revival of Hinduism in...
NationalityIndian
ProfessionClergyman
Date of Birth12 January 1863
CountryIndia
To the Indian mind there is nothing higher than religious ideals, that this is the keynote of Indian life.
This is the line of life, this is the line of growth, and this is the line of well-being in India - to follow the track of religion.
The Indian mind is first religious, then anything else. So this is to be strengthened.
Religion is the peculiarity of the growth of the Indian mind.
Religion, in India, means realisation and nothing short of that.
Religion for a long time has come to be static in India. What we want is to make it dynamic. I want it to be brought into the life of everybody.
It is clear to us that, for good or for evil, our vitality is concentrated in our religion. You cannot change it. You cannot destroy it and put in its place another.
I have come to this conclusion that there is only one country in the world which understands religion - it is India.
Here in this blessed land, the foundation, the backbone, the life-centre is religion and religion alone.
Here in India, it is religion that forms the very core of the national heart. It is the backbone, the bed-rock, the foundation upon which the national edifice has been built. Politics, power, and even intellect form a secondary consideration here. Religion, therefore, is the one consideration in India.
Each nation has a theme: everything else is secondary. India's theme is religion.
Each nation has its own peculiar method of work. Some work through politics, some through social reforms, some through other lines. With us, religion is the only ground along which we can move.
Above all, India is the land of religion.
Persevere on, my brave lads, We have only just begun. Never despond! Never say enough!