THE LIFE AND WORKS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA (1863 –1902)
Swami Vivekananda was an exemplary philosopher and a great educationist of India. He was a legendary figure whose ideologies and philosophies became widely popular not only in India but also in the Western countries. He spread the values of truth, righteousness, brotherhood, dignity and renunciation. He made profound contributions to the field of education. He emphasized on overall education in the society and encouraged mass education, religious education, physical education, vocational education and women’s education based on Indian culture and traditions. He taught that education is a lifelong process that enables an individual to become self-reliant and helps to develop his or her character and intelligence.
Swami Vivekananda was born on 12th January 1863 in Kolkata. His original name was Narendranath Dutta. He was an exceptionally brilliant child, whose intelligence was visible from an early age. At the age of 16 he joined the Presidency College after passing his matriculation examination. There he acquired knowledge about both Indian and Western philosophies. During this period he came in contact of the famous spiritual leader from Bengal, Sri. Ramakrishna Paramhamsa. Narendranath was highly impressed with the teachings and philosophies of Sri Ramakrishna. The spiritual leader inspired him to denounce the materialistic ways of life and lead a life of a monk instead. He advised Narendranath to spread the light of India and its rich values throughout the world. Narendranath remained in close contact with Shri. Ramakrishna for more than six years and imbibed his teachings. The spiritual leader appointed Narendranath as his successor just three days before his death on 16th August in 1886. He bestowed upon Narendranath the title of Swami Vivekananda. After the death of his spiritual guide, Swami Vivekananda founded the spiritual organization called Ramakrishna Mission to spread the values upheld by Sri Ramakrishna.
He devoted his entire life in preaching the philosophies of Sri Ramakrishna throughout the world. He reached out to people from various parts of the globe like Asia, Europe, England and America and enlightened them about the Indian way of life as preached by Shri Ramakrishna. In the year 1890 he set out to travel the whole of India and to experience the essence of this vast and varied country and its people. He meditated upon the past and present condition of India at that time and came to the conclusion that spiritual resurrection was the only way to arrest the downfall of India. He became a nationalist and realized that until people were free from their miseries, no philosophical teaching will be of any use to them. In 1892, he reached Kanya Kumari, the southernmost tip of India and started meditating on a rock situated in the sea.
Thereafter, he reached Chennai, where people welcomed him as a nationalist and encouraged his spirit of righteousness and justice. While in Chennai, he came to know about the Parliament of Religions that was scheduled to be held at Chicago in America in September, 1893. He started his voyage for America on 31st May, 1893. He travelled to America via China, Japan and Canada and reached Chicago in the month of July. At the Chicago Convention Swami Vivekananda introduced to the world the depth of Indian religion, its traditional values, rich philosophy and ancient culture. This made the world recognize the greatness of Indian value system and the depth of Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy. He came back to India and started working with the objective to create a society of self-reliant Indians. He spread the message of universal brotherhood through his speeches and lectures. He revisited the West in 1899 and established Vedanta Societies there. Swami Vivekananda went into eternal sleep on 4th July, 1902 at the young age of 39 years
MEANING OF EDUCATION AS PER SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
Swami Vivekananda is regarded as one of the greatest world teachers. His philosophy of education reflects his overall philosophy towards life and humanity. The basis of his philosophy is the principle of Vedanta which means non-dualism. According to him ‘education is the manifestation of perfection already reached in man.’ He was of the view that true education helps the common people to equip themselves for the struggle of life and brings out the strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy, and the courage of a lion. Education cannot be heaped upon the mind of a child by force. He insisted on maintaining a high quality of education that will be helpful for character building, life building, man-making and integration of ideas.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA’S PHILOSOPHY ON LIFE
Swami Vivekananda preached that the main essence of human life lies in leading a fearless life and serving humanity with peace. He was of the view that every human being must become fearless by facing every hardship and struggle in a courageous manner. He wanted every individual to overcome all fears that engulf a person from within and outside. He combined the idealistic philosophy of the Western countries to the ancient philosophy of Hindu religion of India to preach everyone about the Indian way of life.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA’S PHILOSOPHY ON EDUCATION
Swami Vivekananda had a comprehensive view about education. He was of the opinion that real education must prepare an individual to face the struggle for existence in a fearless manner. Education must make a man aware of his social responsibilities. It must infuse in him the sense of social service. Swami Vivekananda was of the view that education was one of the most important tools for character building of an individual. He did not value college and university degrees as the highest form of achieving education. According to him, proper education must elevate mental powers, character, courage and intelligence in a human being. It must equip an individual with self-confidence and self-reliance. He preached that the human mind is a store house of knowledge that lies covered behind a veil of ignorance. Education is the light that leads the mind from ignorance towards enlightenment. Knowledge uplifts the veil of ignorance from human mind and allows them to distinguish between right and wrong in order to lead a better life. He was against the spread of theoretical and academic education. He insisted on practical and experimental education rather than depending on mass theories.
AIMS OF EDUCATION
According to Swami Vivekananda education is a continuous process that includes all aspects of life. Education leads to the elevation of physical, material, intellectual, emotional, moral, and spiritual sides of life. He considered education to be the main tool for removal of social evils, poverty, ignorance and tyranny of the powerful people. His educational ideas are relevant even today. Most people are losing their connection with the values of human life. Following his route, we can make everyone realise the importance of education in society. Swami Vivekananda expressed that education will be fruitful only when it helps to fulfil the following aims:
- Creation of self-confidence and self-realization: The immortal soul of man is a treasure trove of infinite power. Man must act with confidence and try to achieve the highest goal of life: self-realization. Education must help us to understand what we actually are.
- Formation of strong character: Education must help us to distinguish between good and bad and curb the evil tendencies of our mind. It must lay the foundation for a good character and help to nurture it.
- Development of personality: Personality is the impression that is reflected on others. Education must provide a strong basis for development of personality.
- Service of mind: Education must prepare everyone to stand on their own feet and uplift themselves from the clutches of poverty and misery.
- Promotion of universal brotherhood: Education must promote universal brotherhood that transcends geographical boundaries. It must be based on the notions of equality and harmony.
- Focus on practical aspects of life: Education must instil in individuals the ability to work on practical aspects. Great principles will be of no use if not put to practical use.
- Physical and mental development: A fit body and mind are essential for becoming able citizens of the country. Education must serve this necessity among young individuals so that they become well-developed citizens of the nation.
- Moral and Spiritual development: Moral and spiritual development is closely related to the building of a great nation. Education must provide the basis for such development.
- Fostering unity in diversity: Education must allow individuals to understand the significance of unity in a diversified environment. It must instil a thorough understanding of unity in diversity in each individual.
- Religious development: Education must help to explore the religious seed embedded in each individual and help in discovering the absolute truth or reality about life.
You must be logged in to post a comment.