Swami Vivekananda humanified and humanised

Here is a link of Indian Express, Tiruvanantapuram Edition dated 14th September 2013, which contains a demand by a Senior BJP leader, asking for apology of Shashi Tharoor, for calling Swami Vivekananda. Click to go to Indian Express in a new window. http://newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Demeaning-statement-on-Swami-Shashi-Tharoor%E2%80%99s-apology-sought/2013/09/14/article1784192.ece?commentId=126225&pageNumber=2#comment-126225 A brief quote from IExpress: “Shashi Tharoor has hurt the sentiments of the country. It was former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who declared Swami Vivekananda as a role model for the youth. Following this, Swamiji’s birthday, January 12, is being celebrated as the National Youth day. Now Tharoor has depicted him as an alcoholic. He should realise his fault and tender a sincere apology to the youth of the country,” Rajagopal said. . Comments by readers on that page show that they were also hurt. I myself find it excruciating to continue w...

For the Hindu monks, since the days of Sankaracharya, the custom is that they should not consume alcohol. This is the case both in case of unorganised mendicants and organised monastery dwellers. The taboo sounds reasonable if we consider the principles of Raja Yoga and the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. Vivekananda also wrote a book titled "Raja Yoga", an English version and discussion of the Eight Fold Path. The Raja Yoga primarily aims at control of mind (Yogaha chitta vritti Nirodhaha). A person who consumes alcohol, often loses control over his mind as long as it affects his medulla oblongata. An inebriated person cannot distinguish between what is good and bad. His speech becomes unstable and often irrelevant. From 1887 (Death of Shri Ramakrishna) to 1889, letters written by Swami Vivekananda are not available. This may be the time he was living on Madhukara (alms collected by begging, the travails of which he narrated in his Pasadena, California speech). From 1890 to Ju...