120 UNVERIFIABLE CLAIMS OF INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

Following is a list of unverifiable claims of incidents in the life of Swami Vivekananda. These claims are made by his biographers without sufficient tangible evidence. For accepting these claims, Indian Council of Historic Research, New Delhi or any other Government body connected with history have to collect the evidence and verify them. The biographers cannot be depended upon because most of them are disciples/devotees of Vivekananda. Normally devotees and admirers have a tendency to concentrate on only incidents which deify their hero.

1. Vivekananda swimming the Sea between the shore and the Vivekananda Rock at Kanyakumari.
There is no mention of his swimming the Sea and sitting on the Vivekananda rock in his Complete Works. He has not written to anybody. Considering that the sea is shark-filled and the distance involved, we have to presume that he used a boat, may be of fishermen or the ruler of Travancore/Ramnad. It is not reasonable to say that he did not have money to pay the boatsmen. At that time he was the guest of the ruler of Travancore/Ramnad and Manmath Bhattacharya.

On March 19, 1894, he wrote from Chicago to Swami Ramakrishnananda:

"... At Cape Comorin sitting in Mother Kumari's temple, sitting on the last bit of Indian rock ..."

The temple is very much on the shore. The last bit of India rock, he is referring to need not be an island.

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2. Swamiji had studied 10 Volumes of Encyclopaedia Britannica, and could answer questions on any topic mentioned therein, and quote texts from it verbatim. This belief may be on the basis of Vol. 7 of his Complete Works, Conversations And Dialogues/XIX.

A few days ago, a new set of the Encyclopaedia Brittanica had been bought for the Math. Seeing the new shining volumes, the disciple said to Swamiji, "It is almost impossible to read all these books in a single lifetime." He was unaware that Swamiji had already finished ten volumes and had begun the eleventh.

Swamiji: What do you say? Ask me anything you like from these ten volumes, and I will answer you all.

The disciple asked in wonder, "Have you read all these books?" Swamiji: Why should I ask you to question me otherwise? Mbr />
Being examined, Swamiji not only reproduced the sense, but at places the very language of the difficult topics selected from each volume. The disciple, astonished, put aside the books, saying, "This is not within human power!"

Swamiji: Do you see, simply by the observance of strict Brahmacharya (continence) all learning can be mastered in a very short time -- one has an unfailing memory of what one hears or knows but once. It is owing to this want of continence that everything is on the brink of ruin in our country.

Disciple: Whatever you may say,sir, the manifestation of such superhuman power cannot be the result of mere Brahmacharya, something else there must be.

Swamiji did not say anything in reply.

ybrao-a-donkey's personal view: Swamiji might have had great memory. Yet, the above incident is not convincing. We may need additional proof.

To continue with more details and evidence. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.