Swami Vivekanand

Swami Vivekanand was a Hindu monk who made the world aware of the spiritual strengths of Hinduism, through his speech in the World Parliament of Religions, in Chicago in 1893. He is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to prominence among the major world religions during the late 19th century.

He was born Narendranath Datta on 12 January 1863 in Kolkata. He was a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic sage Ramakrishna also Influenced by Western esotericism.

After Sri Ramakrishna's passing in 1886, he renounced the world and travelled all over India as a wandering monk. His mounting compassion for India's people drove him to seek material help from the West. Accepting an opportunity to represent Hinduism at Chicago's Parliament of Religions in 1893, Vivekananda won instant celebrity status in America and a ready forum for his spiritual teaching.

For three years he spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion in America and England and then returned to India to found the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. He passed away on July 4, 1902, after a brief second visit to the West.