Vivekananda: Life in Belur Math. Disciples

1. Life at Belur Math and training of disciples
2. In Kashmir: Amarnath and Kshir-Bhavani
3. Consecration of Math: scope and ideals
4. Swami Vivekananda among his own people

Between January and October 1898, Swami Vivekananda who resided in Belur Math, devoted himself to the training of his disciples (Sannyasins and Brahmacharis). He also acquired the land next to the sacred Ganges, to be the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Movement. Several Western disciples contributed significant financial resources to this project.

With one of the most important mantras, the Gayatri Mantra, more than fifty Bhakti Yogis were initiated under Vivekananda. Two Swamis, Swarupananda and Sureshwarananda were initiated as Sannyasins.

And Margaret Noble also receives the vows of Brahmacharya from Swami Vivekananda, who will later create an organization for the education of Indian women. She would eventually come to be regarded in India as the spiritual daughter of Vivekananda. Although it is true that they will maintain deep differences for several years.

Vivekananda also explained to his Western disciples the understanding of Hindu religious ideals, forms of worship and the Hindu outlook on life.

He also gave a series of lectures on the ideals of the Upanishads or the Bhagavad Gita. Vivekananda speaks at length about Karma Yoga (Path of Selfless Action), how one can achieve Self-realization by working devotedly for others without attachment, seeing the Self in everything.

At this time Vivekananda used to begin his lectures like this.

“Greetings to Thou, O Ramakrishna, the Restorer of religion, the Incarnation of all Religions, the Greatest of all Incarnations!”

Observe well the message “Incarnation of all religions.”

Sri Sarada Devi, the consort of Sri Ramakrishna, the Holy Mother, receives several female disciples from Europe.

At this time, Vivekananda's vision was consolidated: The liberation of humanity from ignorance and the promotion of a fraternal feeling among the different religions and nations of the world.

Thus Vivekananda decides to leave for the sacred mountains of the Himalayas, Mohammedananda, a Muslim, becomes a disciple.

He gave several lectures on Bhakti, Sri Ramakrishna, the spirituality of Sri Krishna, the story of Shuka the son of Veda Viasa, the compiler of the Bhagavad Gita, and also on Buddhism stating:

“Buddhism is a religion invented by the Kshatriyas as a crushing reply to Brahmanism!”

In another of his lectures Vivekananda made the following reflection:

“Sri Ramakrishna spoke of Vedanta as a synthetic and global religion. I too, therefore, preach it. But the essence of my religion is strength. Religion that does not instill strength in the heart is not a religion for me, whether it is the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita or the Bhagavata Purana”

He then settled in Kashmir. He gave several lectures on Bhakti Yoga or Sri Krishna. Swami Vivekananda referred to the knowledge of Brahma, Brahmavidya, the path of realization of the Absolute One, and how love conquers all evil. Among other things he said:

“.. From the unreal lead us to the Real..
Shiva, He is the Great God, calm, beautiful and silent! and I am its great worshiper..
The Bhagavad Gita, that wonderful poem, without a note of weakness or lack of masculinity
In India, righteousness and sin, Vidya and Avidya (knowledge and ignorance, have to be transcended to reach the truth higher”

He then traveled to Islamabad where he gave a talk on the points of similarity between Vedic and Roman Catholic ritual. He also stated that Buddhism was only a branch of Hinduism.

“Buddha: The greatest man who had ever lived. Buddha preached renunciation and India listened”

And further stating that:

“Islam is the only religion that has completely broken the idea of ​​the priest”

At this time Vivekananda was convinced that almost all Christianity was Aryan: Indian and Egyptian ideas tinged with Judaism and Hellenism.

At these moments Shiva appeared to him and granted him the grace of Amarnath, the Lord of Immortality, not to die until he himself decided to throw off his mortal bonds, just as Sri Ramakrishna predicted. Vivekananda attains the state of ecstatic consciousness known as Bhava-Samadhi just as his teacher had attained.

All these intense experiences caused enormous fatigue in Vivekananda.

Vivekananda decided to return to Belur to dedicate himself to the consecration of the Math, establishing the regulations of the organization and the monastic discipline that had to combine spiritual work with intellectual work. Vivekananda said:

“It will be a center in which great harmony of all faiths and religions, as exemplified in the life of Sri Ramakrishna, will be recognized and practiced, and only ideas of religion in their universal aspect will be preached. And from this center of universal tolerance will come the brilliant message of goodwill, peace and harmony to flood the entire world.
By the will of the Lord His Dharmakshetra is established today (in clear reference to the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita). Today I feel free from the weight of responsibility that I have carried for twelve long years. And now a vision comes to my mind! This Math will become a great center of learning and Sadhana. The pious householders will build houses for themselves on the grounds around this future religious university and live there, with the Sannyasins in the center”

In addition, Vivekananda will define the schemes of Indian education and the philanthropic work that should be carried out, in his own words:

“From here ideals will be spread harmonizing Jnana (Knowledge), Dhyana (Meditation), Yoga and Karma (Action). Children will be taught irrespective of their caste or creed”

Vivekananda also wanted to reintroduce Gurukula, an ancient system based on the relationship between the Guru and his disciples:

“Vidyadana, or intellectual knowledge, will be imparted; and lastly, Jnanadana, or the bestowal of spiritual knowledge.
Know this, that Jnana, Bhakti and Shakti are already in every living being. It is only the difference in the degree of its manifestation that makes one great or small.
See your own Self in every breathing being and in every atom of the universe. When you realize this, you cannot live in this world without treating everyone with a lot of love and compassion. This is certainly practical Vedanta”

Sister Nivedita decides to forget that she is European and goes to live with the Holy Mother.

At this time Swami Vivekananda was an incarnation of Bhakti, of love. On one occasion he said:

“The highest doctrines of the Vedas and Vedanta should be presented to the people in the simplest manner. It should represent universal harmony as preached by Sri Ramakrishna, and disperse his ideals of love, purity and renunciation.”

When I see a man, I not only discover the workings of his inner self, but I even get a glimpse of his previous life. I know what is happening in your subconscious mind
Vivekananda also compared Darwin's theory of evolution with Patanjali's “filling nature” criticizing the concept of “survival of the fittest” alluding that Darwin's theory is applicable to humans. animal and vegetable kingdoms, but not to the human kingdom where reason and knowledge are highly developed:
“In our saints and ideal men we find no trace of any struggle, nor tendency to rise higher or strengthen themselves by destroying others! physically weak, I say again and again, are not fit for the realization of the Self!”

The founder of the Tata group, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, Parsi (Zoroastrian), which is now the largest business conglomerate in India, invited the Swami to be the president of the Science Research Institute for India. But the Swami rejected him.

During these days he expressed the following ideas.

“Brahmacharya should be like a burning fire within the veins!”
“Remember, the ideal is freedom of the Soul and service to all”
“Believe first in yourself and then in God”
“We need a heart to feel, a brain to conceive and a strong arm to do the work”
“Only the dispassionate and detached do more for the world”
“Who can claim to be a greater worker than Buddha or Christ?”
“How should a man, immersed in Kama-Kanchana (lust and greed), become a true devotee of one whose central ideal was renunciation of Kama-Kanchana?”
“You must appropriate the greatness of the ideal of the head of the family”
“Sri Ramakrishna came and gave his life for the world; “I will also sacrifice my life.»

Swami Vivekananda called a meeting with his brother-monks, telling them that they must now be prepared to go out, just as the followers of Buddha did, and preach the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna to the people of India.

“Work, my children, work with all your heart and soul! Don't worry about the fruits of your labor”

As we see, he was quoting one of the pillars of Gita: renunciation of the fruits of actions.

Nag Mahashaya visited Swami Vivekananda and said:.

“Jay Shankara, blessed am I to see the living Shiva before me!.. Thou art the shadow of Sri Ramakrishna; He and Thou are the front and back of the same coin!”

Vivekananda had already achieved important goals: propaganda of Vedanta by the individual Sannyasins of the Order, founding of monastic centers, the setting up of temporary centers for the relief of distress in times of famine, plague, etc. and establishment of permanent asylums for orphans.

“Betting one's entire life and soul to save thousands of people who are dying of hunger: this is the essence of the religion of Vedanta!”

The Ramakrishna Mission in Dhaka and the Advaita Ashram in Mayavati were also opened:

“Here nothing more than the Doctrine of Unity, pure and simple, will be taught and practiced”

In the United States, centers are created in Boston, New York and Chicago. Swami Abhedananda teaches regular Yoga and meditation classes in New York, founded the Advaita Society in Chicago.

The Swami announces his intention to return to the West. Swami Turiyananda and Sister Nivedita accompanied him, but his health was getting worse:

“Two years of physical suffering have taken twenty years of my life. Well, but the soul doesn't change, right? He is there, the same madman, Atman, mad for an idea, attentive and intense”

Translated by Pedro Nonell.

The complete content on “The Life of Swami Vivekananda (VI)” is only available to students of the Gita Institute

Free e-book: Life of Swami Vivekananda (summary)

Consecration of Math: scope and ideals

1. Life of Swami Vivekananda
2. Bhagavad Gita
3. Vedanta
4. Return of Swamiji to India
5. Bhaktas
6. Swami Sureshwarananda in Sannyasa
7. Brahmacharya
8. Holy Mother (Sri Sarada Devi)
9. England (London)
10. West (Science)-India (spirituality)
11. Bhakti Yoga (Devotional Path)
12. Mahasamadhi of Swami Vivekanada
13. Chicago Parliament of Religions
14. Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
15. Mahendranath Gupta

Childhood-death of Ramakrishna, Cape Comorin