Swami Vivekananda and his Influence in the United States

One fine afternoon in Calcutta, on the 12th of January 1863, a child was born, the son of a lawyer. His name was Narendranath Datta but he became known as Swami Vivekananda. In his childhood he was brilliant in his studies.

As a young adult he became a disciple of Guru Ramkrishna Paramhansa. Later he had a significant role in the spread of Hinduism and Hindu culture worldwide. His speech at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago on Hinduism stunned the entire audience. Vivekanand advocated that men of all religions must assimilate the spirit of others and yet preserve their own individuality and grow according to their own law of growth.

Vivekanand made an in-depth study of both Indian and Western philosophy and had a great command of them. Swami Vivekananda was a social reformer and a spiritual leader. He worked to eliminate child marriage and to spread education amongst women and the lower castes. He was the first person to boldly proclaim the superiority of Hindu culture, civilisation and heritage.