Swami Vivekananda was
born in Kolkatta. His real name was Narendranath, but was lovingly called Biley
by all. He was extremely lively and playful child. He was also fearless. He had
a photographic memory. He loved books as much as he loved the arts. Small
incidents from his life speak volumes about the making of Swami Vivekananda. His
childhood tales describe the life of a monk who would conquer the world by his
intellect and humbleness.
Once when small, he and his friends
played a game of meditation. While all sat in meditation, cobra appeared. All children except Biley
opened their eyes and started running. Narendra sat motionless in meditation.
From a distance the others watched in admiration. The cobra did not harm him,
instead slithered away quietly. So deep was his connection with God that nobody
would dare disturb him.
Another incident
occurred when they used to play in garden and climb trees particularly the
Champak tree. The owner was fed up with children disturbing, so he told them that
a Rakshasha lives on this tree. Narendra never believed anything blindly. He
was fearless. He spent one whole night on the tree to see if rakshasha did
exist on it.
Narendra (Swami
Vivekananda) was a master story-teller. One day while in school, Narendra was
talking animatedly to his friends during a class recess. Meanwhile, the teacher
had entered the classroom and had begun to teach his subject. But the students
were too absorbed in Narendra’s story to pay any attention to the lesson. After
some time had passed, the teacher heard the wishpering and understood what was
going on! Visibly annoyed, he now asked each student what he had been lecturing
on. None could answer. But Narendra was remarkably talented; his mind could
work simultaneously on two planes. While he had engaged in talking he was also
listening to his teacher.. So when the teacher asked him that question, he
answered correctly. Quite nonplussed, the teacher inquired who had been talking
so long. Everybody pointed at Narendranath, but the teacher refused to believe
them. He then asked all the students except Narendra to stand up on the bench.
Narendra also joined his friends and stood up. The teacher asked him to sit
down. But Narendra replied: ‘No sir, I must also stand up because it was I who
was talking to them.’
There is one more story
about his courage. One day he was setting a big trapeze in the gymnasium with
the help of some people, including an English sailor. During the effort, the
trapeze fell and the sailor was knocked unconscious. All other children fled,
but not Narendra. He took care of this man bandaged his wound and then took
leave after giving him some money.
Curiosity was an
integral part of his life. In his father's office different varieties of
tobacco pipes were provided for clients belonging to different Hindu castes, as
were the prevailing conditions during those times. He tried all pipes and when
his father saw and scolded him, he said he did not find any difference between
the pipes.
As a young boy,
Narendranath displayed sharp intellect. His mischievous nature belied his
interest in music, both instrumental as well as vocal. He excelled in his
studies as well, first at the Metropolitan institution, and later at the
Presidency College in Calcutta. By the time he graduated from the college, he
had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects. He was active in sports,
gymnastics, wrestling and body building. He was an avid reader and read up on
almost everything under the sun. He perused the Hindu scriptures like the
Bhagvad Gita and the Upanishads on one hand, while on the other hand he studied
western philosophy, history and spirituality by David Hume, Johann Gottlieb
Fichte and Herbert Spencer.
It was Ramakrishna
Paramahansa who answered his question “Have you seen God?”. The Guru said he
saw God very clearly and that he can show Narendra too. Narendra finally found
his mentor in Ramakrishna Paramhansa. The rest is history. His complete surrender
lead him to gain all the knowledge that brought about a revolution in the times
to come.
Vivekananda said.....
"To
succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. “I will drink
the ocean", says the persevering soul; "at my will mountains will
crumble up". Have that sort of energy, that sort of will; work hard, and
you will reach the goal."
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