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Swami Vivekananda (150th Birth Anniversary)

Swami Vivekananda 
(12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902)


“It is our own mental attitude which makes the world what it is for us. Our thought make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light. First, believe in this world”

Vivekananda’s contributions to World Culture

Making an objective assessment of Swami Vivekananda’s contributions to world culture, the eminent British historian A L Basham stated that “in centuries to come, he will be remembered as one of the main moulders of the modern world…” Some of the main contributions that Swamiji made to the modern world are mentioned below.
1. New Understanding of Religion
One of the most significant contributions of Swami Vivekananda to the modern world is his interpretation of religion as a universal experience of transcendent Reality, common to all humanity.  Swamiji met the challenge of modern science by showing that religion is as scientific as science itself; religion is the ‘science of consciousness’.  As such, religion and science are not contradictory to each other but are complementary.
This universal conception frees religion from the hold of superstitions, dogmatism, priestcraft and intolerance, and makes religion the highest and noblest pursuit – the pursuit of supreme Freedom, supreme Knowledge, supreme Happiness.
2. New View of Man
Vivekananda’s concept of ‘potential divinity of the soul’ gives a new, ennobling concept of man.  The present age is the age of humanism which holds that man should be the chief concern and centre of all activities and thinking.  Through science and technology man has attained great prosperity and power, and modern methods of communication and travel have converted human society into a ‘global village’.  But the degradation of man has also been going on apace, as witnessed by the enormous increase in broken homes, immorality, violence, crime, etc. in modern society.  Vivekananda’s concept of potential divinity of the soul prevents this degradation, divinizes human relationships, and makes life meaningful and worth living.  Swamiji has laid the foundation for ‘spiritual humanism’, which is manifesting itself through several neo-humanistic movements and the current interest in meditation, Zen etc all over the world.
3. New Principle of Morality and Ethics
The prevalent morality, in both individual life and social life, is mostly based on fear – fear of the police, fear of public ridicule, fear of God’s punishment, fear of Karma, and so on.  The current theories of ethics also do not explain why a person should be moral and be good to others.  Vivekananda has given a new theory of ethics and new principle of morality based on the intrinsic purity and oneness of the Atman.  We should be pure because purity is our real nature, our true divine Self or Atman.  Similarly, we should love and serve our neighbours because we are all one in the Supreme Spirit known as Paramatman or Brahman.
4. Bridge between the East and the West
Another great contribution of Swami Vivekananda was to build a bridge between Indian culture and Western culture.  He did it by interpreting Hindu scriptures and philosophy and the Hindu way of life and institutions to the Western people in an idiom which they could understand.  He made the Western people realize that they had to learn much from Indian spirituality for their own well-being.  He showed that, in spite of her poverty and backwardness, India had a great contribution to make to world culture.  In this way he was instrumental in ending India’s cultural isolation from the rest of the world.  He was India’s first great cultural ambassador to the West.
On the other hand, Swamiji’s interpretation of ancient Hindu scriptures, philosophy, institutions, etc prepared the mind of Indians to accept and apply in practical life two best elements of Western culture, namely science and technology and humanism.  Swamiji has taught Indians how to master Western science and technology and at the same time develop spiritually.  Swamiji has also taught Indians how to adapt Western humanism (especially the ideas of individual freedom, social equality and justice and respect for women) to Indian ethos.

Swamiji’s Contributions to India

In spite of her innumerable linguistic, ethnic, historical and regional diversities, India has had from time immemorial a strong sense of cultural unity.  It was, however, Swami Vivekananda who revealed the true foundations of this culture and thus clearly defined and strengthened the sense of unity as a nation.
Swamiji gave Indians proper understanding of their country’s great spiritual heritage and thus gave them pride in their past.
Furthermore, he pointed out to Indians the drawbacks of Western culture and the need for India’s contribution to overcome these drawbacks.  In this way Swamiji made India a nation with a global mission. Sense of unity, pride in the past, sense of mission – these were the factors which gave real strength and purpose to India’s nationalist movement.  Several eminent leaders of India’s freedom movement have acknowledged their indebtedness to Swamiji.  Free India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wrote: “Rooted in the past, full of pride in India’s prestige, Vivekananda was yet modern in his approach to life’s problems, and was a kind of bridge between the past of India and her present … he came as a tonic to the depressed and demoralized Hindu mind and gave it self-reliance and some roots in the past.” Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose wrote: “Swamiji harmonized the East and the West, religion and science, past and present.  And that is why he is great.  Our countrymen have gained unprecedented self-respect, self-reliance and self-assertion from his teachings.”
Swamiji’s most unique contribution to the creation of new India was to open the minds of Indians to their duty to the downtrodden masses.  Long before the ideas of Karl Marx were known in India, Swamiji spoke about the role of the labouring classes in the production of the country’s wealth.  Swamiji was the first religious leader in India to speak for the masses, formulate a definite philosophy of service, and organize large-scale social service.

Swamiji’s Contributions to Hinduism

1. Identity
It was Swami Vivekananda who gave to Hinduism as a whole a clear-cut identity, a distinct profile.  Before Swamiji came Hinduism was a loose confederation of many different sects.  Swamiji was the first religious leader to speak about the common bases of Hinduism and the common ground of all sects.  He was the first person, as guided by his Master Sri Ramakrishna, to accept all Hindu doctrines and the views of all Hindu philosophers and sects as different aspects of one total view of Reality and way of life known as Hinduism.  Speaking about Swamiji’s role in giving Hinduism its distinct identity, Sister Nivedita wrote: “… it may be said that when he began to speak it was of ‘the religious ideas of the Hindus’, but when he ended, Hinduism had been created.”
2. Unification
Before Swamiji came, there was a lot of quarrel and competition among the various sects of Hinduism.  Similarly, the protagonists of different systems and schools of philosophy were claiming their views to be the only true and valid ones.  By applying Sri Ramakrishna’s doctrine of Harmony (Samanvaya) Swamiji brought about an overall unification of Hinduism on the basis of the principle of unity in diversity.  Speaking about Swamiji’s role in this field K M Pannikar, the eminent historian and diplomat, wrote: “This new Shankaracharya may well be claimed to be a unifier of Hindu ideology.”
3. Defense
Another important service rendered by Swamiji was to raise his voice in defense of Hinduism.  In fact, this was one of the main types of work he did in the West.  Christian missionary propaganda had given a wrong understanding of Hinduism and India in Western minds.  Swamiji had to face a lot of opposition in his attempts to defend Hinduism.
4. Meeting the Challenges
At the end of the 19th century, India in general, and Hinduism in particular, faced grave challenges from Western materialistic life, the ideas of Western free society, and the proselytizing activities of Christians. Vivekananda met these challenges by integrating the best elements of Western culture in Hindu culture.
5. New Ideal of Monasticism
A major contribution of Vivekananda to Hinduism is the rejuvenation and modernization of monasticism.  In this new monastic ideal, followed in the Ramakrishna Order, the ancient principles of renunciation and God realization are combined with service to God in man (Shiva jnane jiva seva).  Vivekananda elevated social service to the status of divine service.
6. Refurbishing of Hindu Philosophy and Religious Doctrines
Vivekananda did not merely interpret ancient Hindu scriptures and philosophical ideas in terms of modern thought.  He also added several illuminating original concepts based on his own transcendental experiences and vision of the future.  This, however, needs a detailed study of Hindu philosophy which cannot be attempted here.

Sources: belurmath.org, http://vimokshananda.wordpress.com