Teachings of Swami Vivekananda

By Dhruvika Jain

The original name of SWAMI VIVEKANANDA was Naredranath Datta. He was born on 12th January, 1863 in Kolkata. His birth anniversary is celebrated as ‘International Youth Day’. Right from childhood, two aspects of his behaviour could be noticed. One was his devout and compassionate nature and the other was his readiness to perform any act of courage. Since his whole family was spiritually inclined, he also received a religious upbringing.

Swami Vivekananda went to the school founded by Shri Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar in 1870, where he focused on both studies and bodybuilding. He had great respect for his mother tongue. He always supported Hindi and was upset with one such incident when he had an English language class in school. He said, “I shall not learn the language of the white master.” At least for 7-8 months, he abstained from learning that language. Later, he learned English owing to compulsion.

He stood first in his matriculation examination and added to the glory of his family and school. Then he joined the Presidency College in Kolkata and completed his M.A. in Philosophy.

The key teachings of SWAMI VIVEKANANDA tell us that purity, patience, and perseverance can overcome all obstacles. According to him, patience and steady work lead to successful lives. He wanted to encourage the youth and students through his teachings.

In my opinion, his teaching is most relatable to the issues of the youth, such as hard relationships, impatient behaviour, etc. His teachings are many but one that inspires me a lot is:

“All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that, do not believe that you are weak; do not believe that you are half-crazy lunatics, as most of us do nowadays. You can do anything and everything, without even the guidance of anyone. Stand up and express the divinity within you.”