Swami Vivekananda humanified and humanised

REVIEW NO 82 Though the Christian missionaries and Swami Vivekananda were at loggerheads during his lifetime, they have certain things in common. The first among them is with regard to kindness: Both Vivekananda and Jesus preach compassion and kindness. But their kindness has a strong boundary wall. It extends only kindness to fellow humans and not kindness to animals. First we shall start with Jesus. Here is a link which contains a thoroughly discussed response to an Animal Rights Group by a Church of Christ using bible as authority. http://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/AnimalRightsandtheBible.htm From the linked article, it can be found that Christ had no objection to slaying of animals. It is also said that the seventh of the Tenth Commandment "Thou shalt not kill" applies only to killing a man (homicides/murders). According to them, God sanctioned eating specified animals. VIVEKANANDA THEORY QUOTE VIVEKANANDA in his "Practical Vedanata". ...

I do not wish to say that Vivekananda was greedy. But some events are worth discussing. Apparently, Swami Vivekananda was an oratorial success at the World Parliament of Religions. From Nov. 1893, he was under a three year contract with Slayton Lyceum Bureau, Chicago for delivering lectures at various places. Swami Vivekananda wrote to Mrs. Hale from Detroit on Feb. 20, 1894. "...I am thoroughly disgusted with this Slayton* business and am trying hard to break loose. I have lost at least $5,000 by joining this man. ... " Analysis: From Nov. 1893 to Feb. 20, 1894 about three months have elapsed. In three months Vivekananda expected to make Dollars 5,000/-. This amount seems to be very high when we view the incomes of people of those times in U.S.A. For example, Lyon County engaged an Engineer for its new Electricity generation plant @ Dollars 75/- per month and for three months it comes to Dollars 225/-. Electricity generation was new in those days, engineers wo...

Rajesh said... Hi yb, I saw ur blogs on vivekananda. I want to express my thoughts on it (if u feel i am wrong, plz forgive me). Observing from ur commnts on SV, i feel that you have got really hurt badly from something SV has said or done, which u have felt absolute mistake or nonsense. I want to know that one thing which has made u frustrated? as i am also not a big fan of SV.. September 26, 2007 5:08 AM multisubj yb said... Dear Shri Rajesh garu: 1. I have not been hurt by anything which Vivekananda has said or done. There is no frustration at all. I am a history student (Did M.A. History). Hence I have to search for truth as a historian. There is no place for "Raaga Dveesha". 2. In 1967 when I was just 17 I read the Telugu biography of Swami Vivekananda by Swami Chirantananda published by Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Chirantananda was a disciple of Vivekananda. I read it several times. It influenced me greatly. I was trying to practise what he preached. I also purchased...

Rakhal (Swami Brahmananda) was a brother disciple of Vivekananda. Both were sitting at the feet of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa wherever he went, though Ramakrishna seemed to have preferred Vivekananda (Narendra) to Rakhal as he believed that Narendra was more learned. He was the first head of the Ramakrishna Math at Belur. His samadhi can also be found in Belur Math. Though Brahmananda revered Ramakrishna very much, he appears to have nursed a few rays of doubts about the Guru Deva. When some people were calling Ramakrishna a sham, he too seemed to have expressed such doubt to Vivekananda in a letter. This can be seen from Vivekananda's reply to Brahmananda. Swami Vivekananda wrote to Swami Brahmananda from England on Oct. 4, 1895. " ... Sir, granted that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a sham, granted that it has been a very serious mistake, indeed, to take refuge in him, but what is the way out now? What if one life is spent in vain, but shall a man eat his own words? Can...

Swami Vivekananda is represented as a great yogi by his cult. A yogi's speech and actions are to be clean and gentle. Quite frequently, his writing style contains a language which is sneering and biting, often with no valid reason. For example, we can see a quote from his letter dated Feb. 25, 1898 from Belur Math to Swami Ramakrishnananda (Shashi), his brother disciple and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math at Chennai (Madras). " ... I received your letter of recommendation for the young man with the old story of "having nothing to eat, Your Honour"; only added in the Madras edition: "got a number of children too", for generating whom no recommendation was needed! I would be very glad to help him, but the fact is, I have no money; every cent I had I have made over to Raja, as they all say I am a spendthrift and are afraid of keeping money with me. I have, however, sent the letter to Rakhal if he can find the way to help your friend, the young man, in h...

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...

Swami Vivekananda supported beef eating. His biographer Swami Nikhilananda writes in Vivekananda's biography, page 96: "... The Swami courageously told them about the eating of beef by Brahmins in Vedic times. One day, asked about what he considered the most glorious period of Indian history, the Swami mentioned the Vedic period, when five Brahmins used to polished off one cow ..." There are extensive quotes on the Internet which say that Vivekananda prescribed 3 b's for India's future: 1. Beef 2. Biceps. 3. Bhagavad Gita. His B-3s may be a reaction to the B-3s of the British invaders: 1. Bible 2. Bayonet 3. Brandy. These may be in his lectures. But, the quote is not traceable in his Complete Works.