Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda, born Narendranath Datta, was a Hindu monk, philosopher, thinker, and poet who introduced Hinduism to the United States. He was a follower of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda is known for introducing Hindu philosophies and teachings such as the Vedanta and Yoga to the United States and Europe; he also advocated for the development of national consciousness and for independence from colonial rule. His advocacy played a crucial role in shaping the course of India's history.

Born in Calcutta, India, in 1863, Vivekananda traveled to the United States at the age of 30 to attend the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions at the World’s Columbian Exposition and gave one of his most famous speeches. He introduced Hinduism and called for religious tolerance, interfaith dialogue, and interfaith awareness. He also spent years traveling across the United States and Europe, lecturing at universities and private gatherings.

In 1894, Vivekananda founded the Vedanta Society of New York. In 1897, he returned to India to establish the Ramakrishna Mission, a charitable and spiritual organization. Vivekananda’s teachings influenced leaders, thinkers, and anti-colonial nationalists such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

In addition to being a spiritual leader, writer, and lecturer, Vivekananda was also a poet. During his lifetime and posthumously, he published more than 20 books on topics such as Hinduism, Yoga, public lectures, memoir, letters, documented travels, quotes, meditation, and poetry. Four years before his death on July 4, 1898, while traveling in India with American and English followers, Vivekananda wrote a poem titled “To the fourth of July” to celebrate American Independence Day. His complete body of poetry is available in The Poetry of Swami Vivekananda: "You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself "(Portable Poetry, 2014).

He died at the age of 39.