Swami Vivekananda birthday 2024, National Youth Day: Tomorrow is the birth anniversary of India's great spiritual guru and biggest youth icon Swami Vivekananda on 12th January. Crores of youth consider Swami Vivekananda as their ideal. Take inspiration from his passionate thoughts. This is the reason why his birthday, January 12, is celebrated as National Youth Day in the country. The purpose of National Youth Day is to reawaken and encourage Swamiji's messages. The Government of India celebrates the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, a spiritual guru and the person who brought Yoga, Vedanta and Indian philosophy to the Western countries, on a large scale every year. This year the National Youth Festival of the Central Government is being celebrated in Nashik, Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it. He will also address the youth of the nation. This time the theme of National Youth Day is It's all in the mind, which in Hindi means everything is in your mind.
Read here 10 special things about the life of Swami Vivekananda
1. Who gave the name Vivekananda
The name by which Swamiji is known all over the world is the gift of Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri, Rajasthan. His childhood name was Narendranath Dutt. And Swamiji used to write his name as Vividishananda, which means one who wants to know. Swamiji asked Ajit Singh which name he liked. On this Ajit Singh said that in his opinion it should be Vivekananda. From that day Swamiji changed his name to Vivekananda. To attend the religious conference in Chicago, he wore the Rajasthani scarf, robe and waistband presented by Raja Ajit Singh.
2. Who made the arrangements to go to America?
Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri had booked Vivekananda's plane ticket from Mumbai to America. On 31 May 1893, Swamiji left for Chicago by ship.
3. Where did you study?
Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 in a Kayastha family of Calcutta. His childhood name was Narendranath Dutt. Swami Vivekananda's father Vishwanath Dutt was a lawyer of Calcutta High Court, while mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi was a woman with religious thoughts. Swami Vivekananda was interested in studies and studies since childhood. After going to school in 1871 at the age of 8, he stood first in the Presidency College entrance examination in 1879.
Give this simple and brilliant speech on Swami Vivekananda Jayanti
4. Saint at the age of 25
Inspired by Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Narendranath Dutt left everything and became a Sanyasi at the age of just 25.
5. Meeting Ramakrishna Paramhansa
Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa met for the first time in 1881 at the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar, Calcutta. On meeting Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda asked him, have you seen God? Then Paramahamsa replied, Yes I have seen, I am seeing God as clearly as I can see you. The only difference is that I can feel them more deeply than you.
6. Speech that shook the world in America's religious gathering
When Swami Vivekananda started his speech at the World Religion Conference held in Chicago in 1893 by addressing 'Brothers and Sisters of America', the Art Institute of Chicago kept echoing with the sound of applause for two minutes. From that day India and Indian culture got recognition all over the world.
7. Swami Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Mission at Calcutta on 1 May 1897 and the Ramakrishna Math at Belur on the banks of the river Ganga on 9 December 1898.
8. Swami Vivekananda spread Indian culture and spirituality all over the world before and after the Chicago speech.
Share these 10 precious thoughts and photos of Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary.
9. Swami Vivekananda was suffering from asthma and diabetes, due to which he died at the very young age of 39. But he had proved how important youth is and what can be done in it.
10. Swami Vivekananda was cremated on the banks of Ganga in Belur. On the other side of the same bank of Ganga, the last rites of his Guru Ramakrishna Paramhansa took place.