Swami Vivekananda was born on 12th January, 1863. His real name was Narendranath Dutta.His father was a a well-known lawyer in Kolkata, Biswanath Dutta whereas his mother was a very intelligent and pious lady, Bhuvaneswari Devi. Biswanath often had scholarly discussions with his clients and friends on politics, religion and society. Right from childhood, Narendranath took interests in the debates held in his house and showed a refreshing norm of independent thinking.

Naren imbibed a profound knowledge of the Epics and the Puranas from his mother. He also inherited her memory among other qualities. He could sing, was a good sportsman, was well read, possessed a fantastic sense of humor, and was very helpful by nature. Naren was also a born leader.

Naren passed his Entrance Examination from the Metropolitan Institute and the F.A. and the B.A. Examinations from the General Assembly's Institution (now Scottish Church College). During his stint as a collegiate, his principal Hastie inspired him into the philosophies of the Bengali saint Sri Ramakrishna.

Following the charismatic leader, Keshab Chandra Sen, Naren became a Brahmo. However, his philosophical mind was restless and the Brahmo Samaj could not satisfy his quest for the true meaning of religion. Egged on by one of his relatives, Naren soon met Sri Ramakrishna in November 1881. This incident affected Naren a great deal as he gradually came to realise that Ramakrishna was an extraordinary man. Spending quality time with the saint, Naren gradually began to look upon him as his guide. With his complete dedication to Ramakrishna, Naren came to accept Ramakrishna as his master.

Ramakrishna was a cancer patient and passed away in 1886. During his illness, a group of choosen young men had gathered round him and began to nurse him while receiving spiritual guidance from him. Naren was the leader of this group. Ramakrishna had wanted that they take to monastic life and had symbolically given them the "Gerua cloth". Keeping in line with their master's wish, the group founded a monastery at Baranagar and began to live together supporting themselves by begging, without knowing where the journey would take him. The journey that followed took him to the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent.

On July 1890, Vivekananda set out for a long, extensive travel throughout India, and came to realise the abject poverty, illiteracy and antagonism of the Indians at large. During these days, Vivekananda assumed various names like Swami Satchidananda. Many believe that he was given the name Vivekananda by the Maharaja of Khetri for his discrimination of things, good and bad Vivekanada believed in the of mobilization of the masses. He approached many Indian princes of the time to see if they could do anything for the common people of India. Gradually the consciousness spread amongst the leaders and a slow change began to take place.The ruler of Mysore was among the first to make primary education free within his State. This, however, was not enough in Swamiji's view. He wanted education taken to the peasant's door-step, so that the peasant's children could work and learn at the same time. His correspondences with the Maharaja of Mysore on the subject reveal how genuine and palpable his ideas were.

Vivekanada reached Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent on the 24th of December 1892. Many of his devotees claim that he swam across the sea and started meditating on a lone rock for three days on the past, present and future of India. The rock is today a primary tourist destination and is called the Vivekananda memorial.

Vivekananda attended the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Illinois, and earned great applause for beginning his address with the famous words, "Sisters and brothers of America." It was Vivekananda's arrival in the USA which started the beginning of western interest in Hinduism not as merely an exotic eastern oddity, but as a vital religious and philosophical tradition. After a few years of the Parliament, Vivekanada started Vedantic centres in New York City, New York and London, and lectured at major universities on Hinduism. However, he also received a lot of criticism from the Christian missionaries of whom he was fiercely critical. On July 4, 1898, Swami Vivekananda wrote a poem titled, To the Fourth of July.

Move on, O Lord, in the resistless path!
Till the high noon overspreads the world,
Till every land reflects thy light,
Till men and women with uplifted head
Behold their shackles broken, and
Know in springtime joy, their life renewed.

After four years of constant touring, lecturing and retreats in the West, he came back to India in the year 1897.In India, he delivered a series of lectures, called the "Lectures from Colombo to Almora". In the same year, he founded the Ramakrishna Mission, one of the largest monastic orders of Hindu society in India.

He once again toured the west from January 1899 to December 1900.

Vivekananda's books (compiled from lectures given around the world) on the four Yogas (Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga) are considered as the fundamental texts in the Hindu practice of Yoga. His letters are of great literary and spiritual value. Vivekananda was also an excellent cook, a very good singer and a brilliant poet who composed many songs including his favourite Kali the Mother.

On July 4, 1902 at Belur Math near Kolkata, he taught Vedanta philosophy to some pupils in the morning. Then called his chief disciple Sister Nivedita and fed her. In the evening, he went for meditation in his room facing Ganges and passed away in Mahasamadhi.

Books on and by Swami Vivekananda

The complete Works of Swami Vivekananda ISBN 8185301468

Jnana Yoga by Swami Vivekananda ISBN 0911206213

Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda ISBN 091120623X

Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga by Swami Vivekananda ISBN 0911206221

Life of Vivekananda by Romain Rolland ISBN 8185301018

Vivekananda: A Biography by Swami Nikhilananda ISBN 0911206256

The life of Swami Vivekananda by his eastern and western disciples ISBN 8175050446

Swami Vivekananda: A Reassessment by Narasingha P. Sil ISBN 0945636970