Swami Vivekananda possessed a manifold personality. He was a monk, a teacher, a student, a mystic and a philosopher, a patriot. On January 12, 1863 Bhuvneswari Devi was blessed with a son. It was the day of the Hindu festival, Makar Sankranti. Earlier his name was Vireshwara. However, the family later gave him the name of Narendranath Datta. The Dutta family lived on the Gaur Mohan Street in Simulia Mohalla in the eastern part of Calcutta.

He was a very sharp child and a natural leader. One of his plays as a child was to meditate! He would do that with such concentration that, not even a snake crawling around could disturb him. He would give anything he had if asked for. Beggars would line up by his window for alms. Narendra excelled in sports and studies. He knew not what fear was. Narendra started studying in college after he passed the matriculation exam. He read books on philosophy, religion, history, creation, science and western philosophy. He asked more and more questions about Religion and God. Nobody was able to satisfy him. In early 1882, Narendra went his friends to Dakhsineshwar, to meet Sri Ramkrishna Paramahansa. The Paramahansa was the priest at the Kali temple. More than Narendra, he was glad to meet Narendra! The Guru tested Narendra time and again, and the disciple tested his master. By the time Narendra completed his BA, he had also become the best disciple of Ramkrishna.

Narendra's father died as soon as Narendra completed his BA. Narendra's family was overcome by grief and soon by poverty. Narendra started his search for a job. So bad was the state of this family, that they went without meals for days. On many occasions, Narendra, without food, fainted on the streets. But even in such condition, his faith in God did not decrease. Later, He took up teaching in Vidyasagar School and also started studying law.

In 1886, Sri Ramkrishna left this world. Narendra became a monk and was named "Vivekananda". Vivekananda then started traveling to spread the knowledge and teachings of his Guru. He traveled to Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Hyderabad, Madras, Mysore and Kanyakumari.

In Mysore it was suggested that he attend the Conference of World Religions and represent Hinduism. Vivekananda reached Chicago in July of 1893. The Conference was still 2 months away. With resources not enough to last for 2 months, Vivekananda moved to Boston, a cheaper city. His stay in America was very hard. He was out of money, with no friends, hungry and without shelter.

His famous lecture at the conference that started with "Brothers and Sisters of America" received a three minute applause! Newspapers carried his photographs and speech. People flocked to hear him speak. He spoke about the culture of India and Hindu philosophy. He cleared the impression of India that had been created by the Christian missionaries. On his way back to India, he went to England. There too the people had nothing but praise for him. He found many followers in England and America.

While on this tour abroad, Vivekananda, could not help but remember the poverty of India. He would be much troubled by it and spend sleepless nights shedding tears.

Swami Vivekananda returned to India after four years. He received a king�s welcome in Madras. He established the Ramkrishna Mission in 1897. The goals of this mission included eradicating castelesm and poverty. He visited the northern parts of India and established the work of Ramkrishna mission there. He then again travelled to America, and then to Paris to attend the next Religious Conference there. At the age of 39, he attained samadhi.

Source - Mystic India

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