201 DID VIVEKANANDA CONQUER GOLD? क्या स्वामीजी कांचन कामना को जीत लिये ? స్వామీజీ కాంచన జయాన్ని సాధించారా ?

Ms. Mary Louise Burke was a biographer of Swami Vivekananda. She was his disciple. She described Swamiji's encounter with Prof. Deussen of Germany. This interview was of 1896 when Swamiji visited Germany and Alps (Switzerland).

Prof. Deussen

"...“You seem to be a queer sort of saint....You eat well, you drink well, you smoke all day, and you deprive yourself of nothing.”

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

“I observe my vows.”

PROF. DEUSSEN
“And what consists of your vows?”

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

“They require me simply Kama Kanchana Viraha, to renounce sex and gold” (Burke IV: 283-288)."

BLOGGER'S ANALYSIS
Dec. 1897. Manmathnath Ganguli's reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda.

"...There was a solid gold chain, around his neck. attached to a gold watch in his pocket, and it matched very nicely with his fair complexion. One of the young men touched the chain with his fingers and said, "It is very beautiful." At once Swamiji took the watch out of his pocket and put the chain with the gold watch in the hand of that youth who in amazement had then cupped his palms. He said, "You like it! Then it is yours. But my boy. do not sell it. Keep it with you as a souvenir" Needless to say that the young man was extremely happy. I marvelled at the ease with which Swamiji could part with such a valuable thing; not only for its cost but the present was also invaluable for its association...."

This shows that Swamiji wore a gold chain around his neck attached to a gold watch in his pocket. I greatly appreciate that he had sacrificed it in Dec. 1897.

But between 1893 and 1897 did he conquer sex and gold, as he was claiming with Prof. Deussen? Was his Kama kanchana viraha fake at least upto Dec. 1897?