Education In The Vision Of Swami Vivekananda By Dr. Sudipa dutta Roy, July 2001 1 Chapter : Courtesy and Copyright Prabuddha Bharata Introduction Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902), a great thinker and reformer of India, embraces education, which for him signifies „man making‟, as the very mission of his life. In this paper, which purports to expound and analyze Vivekananda‟s views on educati on, an endeavor has been made to focus on the basic theme of his philosophy, viz. the spiritual unity of the universe. Whether it concerns the goal or aim of education, or its method of approach or its component parts, all his thoughts, we shall observe, stem from this dormant theme of his philosophy which has its moorings in Vedanta. Vivekananda realizes that mankind is passing through a crisis. The tremendous emphasis on the scientific and mechanical ways of life is fast reducing man to the status of a machine. Moral and religious values are being undermined. The fundamental principles of civilization are being ignored. Conflicts of ideals, manners and habits are pervading the atmosphere. Disregard for everything old is the fashion of the day. Vivekananda seeks the solutions of all these social and global evils through education. With this end in view, he feels the dire need of awakening man to his spiritual self wherein, he thinks, lies the very purpose of education. The Goal or Objective of Education Vivekananda points out that the defect of the present-day education is that it has no definite goal to pursue. A sculptor has a clear idea about what he wants to shape out of the marble block; similarly, a painter knows what he is going to paint. But a teacher, he says, has no clear idea about the goal of his teaching. Swamiji attempts to establish, through his words and deeds, that the end of all education is man making. He prepares the scheme of this man-making education in the light of his over-all philosophy of Vedanta. According to Vedanta, the essence of man lies in his soul, which he possesses in addition to his body and mind. In true with this philosophy, Swamiji defines education as „the manifestation of the perfection already in man.‟ The aim of education is t o manifest in our lives the perfection, which is the very nature of our inner self. This perfection is the realization of the infinite power which resides in everything and every-where-existence, consciousness and bliss (satchidananda). After understanding the essential nature of this perfection, we should identify it with our inner self. For achieving this, one will have to eliminate one‟s ego, igno rance and all other false identification, which stand in the way. Meditation, fortified by moral purity and passion for truth, helps man to leave behind the body, the senses, the ego and all other non-self elements, which are perishable. He thus realizes his immortal divine self, which is of the nature of infinite existence, infinite knowledge and infinite bliss. At this stage, man becomes aware of his self as identical with all other selves of the universe, i.e. different selves as manifestations of the same self. Hence education, in Vivekananda‟s sense, enables one to comprehend one‟s self within as the self ev erywhere. The essential unity of the entire universe is realized through education. Accordingly, man making for Swamiji stands for rousing mans to the awareness of his true self. However, education thus signified does not point towards the development of the soul in isolation from body and mind. We have to remember that basis of Swamiji‟s philosophy is Advaita which preaches unity in diversity. Therefor, man making for him means a harmonious development of the body, mind and soul. In his scheme of education, Swamiji lays great stress on physical health because a sound mind resides in a sound body. He often quotes the Upanishadic dictum „nayamatma balahinena labhyah‟; i.e. the self cannot be realized by the physically weak. However, along with physical culture, he harps on the need of paying special attention to the culture of the mind. According to Swamiji, the mind of the students has to be controlled and trained through meditation, concentration and practice of ethical purity. All success in any line of work, he emphasizes, is the result of the power of concentration. By way of illustration, he mentions that the chemist in the laboratory concentrates all the powers of his mind and brings them into one focus-the elements to be analyzed-and finds out their secrets. Concentration, which necessarily implies detachment from other things, constitutes a part of Brahmacharya, which is one of the guiding mottos of his scheme of education. Brahmacharya, in a nutshell, stands for the practice of self-control for securing harmony of the impulses. By his philosophy of education, Swamiji thus brings it home that education is not a mere accumulation of information but a comprehensive training for life. To quote him: „Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there undigested, all your life.‟ Education for him means that process by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, and intellect is sharpened, as a result of which one can stand on one’s own feet. Method or Procedure Having analyzed the goal or objective of education, the next question that naturally arises is about the method of imparting education. Here again, we note the Vedantic foundation of Swamiji‟s theory. According to him, knowledge is inherent in every man‟s soul. What we mean when we say that a man „knows‟ is only what he „discovers‟ by taking the cover off his own soul. Consequen tly, he draws our attention to the fact that the task of the teacher is only to help the child to manifest its knowledge by removing the obstacles in its way. In his words: „Thus Vedanta says that within man is all knowledge even in a boy it is so and it require s only an awakening and that much is the work of a teacher.‟ To drive his point home, he refers to the growth of a plant. Just as in the case of a plant, one cannot do anything more than supplying it with water, air and manure while it grows from within its own nature, so is the case with a human child. Vivekananda‟s method of education resembles the heuristic method of the modern educationists. In this system, the teacher invokes the spirit of inquiry in the pupil who is supposed to find out things for himself under the bias-free guidance of the teacher. Swamiji lays a lot of emphasis on the environment at home and school for the proper growth of the child. The parents as well as the teachers should inspire the child by the way they live their lives. Swamiji recommends the old institution of gurukula (living with the preceptor) and similar systems for the purpose. In such systems, the students can have the ideal character of the teacher constantly before them, which serves as the role model to follow. Although Swamiji is of the opinion that mother tongue is the right medium for social or mass education, he prescribes the learning of English and Sanskrit also. While English is necessary for mastering Western science and technology, Sanskrit leads one into the depths of our vast store of classics. The implication is that if language does not remain the privilege of a small class of people, social unity will march forward unhampered. Fields of Study Vivekananda, in his scheme of education, meticulously includes all those studies, which are necessary for the all-around development of the body, mind and soul of the individual. These studies can be brought under the broad heads of physical culture, aesthetics, classics, language, religion, science and technology. According to Swamiji, the culture values of the country should form an integral part of the curriculum of education. The culture of India has its roots in her spiritual values. The time-tested values are to be imbibed in the thoughts and lives of the students through the study of the classics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita, Vedas and Upanishads. This will keep the perennial flow of our spiritual values into the world culture. Education, according to Swamiji, remains incomplete without the teaching of aesthetics or fine arts. He cites Japan as an example of how the combination of art and utility can make a nation great. Swamiji reiterates that religion is the innermost core of education. However, by religion, he does not mean any particular kind of it but its essential character, which is the realization of the divinity already in man. He reminds us time and again that religion does not consist in dogmas or creeds or any set of rituals. To be religious for him means leading life in such a way that we manifest our higher nature, truth, goodness and beauty, in our thoughts, words and deeds. All impulses, thoughts and actions which lead one towards this goal are naturally ennobling and harmonizing, and are ethical and moral in the truest sense. It is in this context that Swamiji‟s idea of religion, as the basis of education should be understood. We note that in his interpretation, r eligion and education share the identity of purpose. Why religion forms the very foundation of education becomes clear in his following words: „In building up character, in making for everything that is good and great, in bringing peace to others, and peace to one‟s own self, religion is the highest motive power, and, therefore, ought to be studied from that standpoint. Swamiji believes that if education with its religious core can invigorate man‟s faith in his divine nature and the infinite potentialities of the human soul, it is sure to help man become strong, yet tolerant and sympathetic. It will also help man to extend his love and good will beyond the communal, national and racial barriers. It is a misinterpretation of Vivekananda‟s philosophy of education to think that he has overemphasized the role of spiritual development to the utter neglect of the material side. Vivekananda, in his plan for the regeneration of India, repeatedly presses the need for the eradication of poverty, unemployment and ignorance. He says, We need technical education and all else which may develop industries, so that men, instead of seeking for service, may earn enough to provide for them-selves, and save something against a rainy day. He feels it necessary that India should take from the Western nations all that is good in their civilization. However, just like a person, every nation has its individuality, which should not be destroyed. The individuality of India lies in her spiritual culture. Hence in Swamiji‟s view, for the development of a balanced nation, we have to combine the dynamism and scientific attitude of the West with the spirituality of our country. The entire educational program should be so planned that it equips the youth to contribute to the material progress of the country as well as to maintaining the supreme worth of India‟s spiritual heritage. Another important aspect of Swamiji‟s scheme of education is women‟s education. He realizes that it if the women of our count ry get the right type of education, then they will be able to solve their own problems in their own way. The main objective of his scheme of female education is to make them strong, fear-less, and conscious of their chastity and dignity. He observes that although men and women are equally competent in academic matters, yet women have a special aptitude and competence for studies relating to home and family. Hence he recommends the introduction of subjects like sewing, nursing, domestic science, culinary art, etc which were not part of education at his time. Conclusion The exposition and analysis of Vivekananda‟s scheme of education brings to light its constructive, practical and comprehensiv e character. He realizes that it is only through education that the uplift of masses is possible. To refer to his own words: Traveling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people and I used to shed tears. When made the difference? “Education” was the answer I got.‟ He states it emphatically that if society is to be reformed, education has to reach everyone-high and low, because individuals are the very constituents of society. The sense of dignity rises in man when he becomes conscious of his inner spirit, and that is the very purpose of education. He strives to harmonize the traditional values of India with the new values brought through the progress of science and technology. It is in the transformation of man through moral and spiritual education that he finds the solution for all social evils. Founding education on the firm ground of our own philosophy and culture, he shows the best of remedies for today‟s social and global i llness. Through his scheme of education, he tries to materialize the moral and spiritual welfare and upliftment of humanity, irrespective of caste, creed, nationality or time. However, Swami Vivekananda‟s scheme of education, through which he wanted to build up a st rong nation that will lead the world towards peace and harmony, is still a far cry. It is high time that we give serious thought to his philosophy of education and remembers his call to every-body-„Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.‟ Teachings and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is on Swami Vivekananda's teachings and philosophy, See main biography Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda – his teachings and philosophy stressed on different aspects of religion, education, character building as well as social issues pertaining to India." Teachings and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda stressed on different aspects of religion, education, character building as well as social issues pertaining to India. Vivekananda was a Hindu monk from India who played significant role in introducing Vedanta to the Western world and also reviving and redefining certain aspect of the religion within India. Rabindranath Tagore commented about Swami Vivekananda and his teachings, "If you want to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative."[1] Vivekananda realized a country's future depends on its people, so he mainly stressed on man, "man-making is my mission", that's how he described his teaching.[2] Vivekananda put his real ideals in few words and that was: "to preach unto mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life."[3] 1. Education 2 .Religion 3. India 4 .Human mind 5. On womanhood 6 .Character building 7. See also 8. References Education Essence of education Swami Vivekananda believed education is the manifestation of perfection already in men. [3] He thought it a pity that the existing system of education did not enable a person to stand on his own feet, nor did it teach him selfconfidence and self-respect. To Vivekananda, education was not only collection of information, but something more meaningful; he felt education should be man-making, life giving and character-building. To him education was an assimilation of noble ideas.[2] “ Education is not the amount of information that we put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested, all your life. We must have life building, man making, character making assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library...[4][5] ” Positive education Swami Vivekananda stressed on giving the public only positive education, because negative thoughts weaken men. Swami Vivekananda told, if young boys and girls are encouraged and are not unnecessarily criticized all the time, they are bound to improve in time.[6] In New York, Vivekananda used to observe the Irish colonists come – downtrodden, haggard-looking, destitute of all possessions at home, penniless, and wooden-headed – with their only belongings, a stick and a bundle of rags hanging at the end of it, fright in their steps, alarm in their eyes. Vivekananda observed a completely different spectacle in next six months- the man walks upright, his attire is changed. In his eyes and steps there is no more fright. Swami Vivekananda tried to find out the cause, he told, if this incidence is seen by the explanations of Vedanta, that Irishman was kept surrounded by contempt in his own country – the whole of Nature was telling him with one voice – "Pat, you have no more hope, you were born a slave and will remain so". Having been thus told from his birth, Pat started believing in it and hypnotized himself that he is very low. While no sooner had he landed on America than the shout went up on all sided – "Pat, you are a man as we are, it is man who has done all, a man like you and me can do everything; have courage!" Pat raised his head and saw that it was so, the self-confidence within him woke up again.[7] Swami Vivekananda feels likewise, the education that young boys and girls receive is very negative. He thinks they do not gain confidence or selfrespect from these education, so according to Swami Vivekananda only positive education should be given to children.[7] Religion Swami Vivekananda was a follower of Vedanta. To Swami Vivekananda religion was not only talk or doctrine or theory, to him religion was realization, as he said, "it is being and becoming, not hearing or acknowledging; it is the whole soul becoming changed into what it believes."[3] He also felt religion is the gist of all worship is to be pure and to do good to others.[8] According to Swami Vivekananda, religion is the idea which is raising the brute into man, and man unto God.[9] He firmly said, despondency can not be religion.[10] According to Vivekananda, an important teaching he received from Ramakrishna was that Jiva is Shiva (each individual is divinity itself). So he stressed on Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva, (to serve common people considering them as manifestation of God). According to Vivekananda, man is potentially Divine, so, service to man is indeed service to God.[11] Harmony of religions Swami Vivekananda felt, the greatest misfortune of the world is we do not tolerate and accept other religions. In his lecture in Parliament of religions on September 15, 1893, he told a story of a frog who lived in a well for a long time, he was born there and brought up there and he used to think that nothing in the world can be bigger that. Swami Vivekananda concluded the story- “ I am a Hindu. I am sitting in my own little well and thinking that the whole world is my little well. The Christian sits in his little well and thinks the whole world is his well. The Mohammedan sits in his little well and thinks that is the whole world.[12] ” Swami Vivekananda told, we must not only tolerate other religions, but positively embrace them, and that the truth is the basis of all religions.[13] India Swami Vivekananda believed, if there is any land on this earth that can lay claim to be the blessed punyabhumi (land of virtue), ... the land where humanity has attained its highest towards generosity, towards purity, towards calmness, above all, the land of introspection and of spirituality - it is India.[14] He observed that the Indian race never stood for wealth, although they acquired immense wealth, they did not stand for wealth.[15] National integration According to Swami Vivekananda it is will, it is the integration that is the power. He gave an example- forty millions of Englishmen ruled three hundred millions of people in India. Vivekananda tried to find out the psychological explanation and found out the forty millions put their wills together and that resulted infinite power, and that was the reason of their success. Vivekananda prescribed, to make a great future India the whole serest will lie in organization, accumulation of power, co-ordination of wills.[16] Human mind Swami Vivekananda compared human mind with a monkey who is always restless and incessantly active by his own nature.[17] He noticed, the human mind naturally wants to get outside, to peer out of the body, as it were, through the channels of the organs.[18] So, he stressed on practice of concentration,[19] as he felt there is no limit to the power of the human mind, the more concentrated it is, the more powerful it becomes. [20] Swami Vivekananda suggested not to do anything which disturbs the mind or makes it restless. On womanhood Swami Vivekananda warned it is completely unfair to discriminate between sexes, as there is not any sex distinction in atman (soul), the soul has neither sex, nor caste nor imperfection. He suggested not to think that there are men and women, but only that there are human beings.[21] Swami Vivekananda felt, The best thermometer to the progress of a nation is its treatment of its women [21] and it is impossible to get back India's lost pride and honor unless they try to better the condition of women. [22] Vivekananda considered men and women as two wings of a bird, and it is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing. So, according to him, there is no chance for welfare of the world unless the condition of woman is improved. Women are not playthings Swami Vivekananda noticed almost everywhere women are treated as playthings. In modern countries like America, women have more independence, still, Vivekananda had noticed, men bow low, offer a woman a chair and in another breath they offer compliments like "Oh, how beautiful your eyes.." etc. Vivekananda felt, a man does not have any right to do this or venture so far, and any woman should not permit this as well. According to Swami Vivekananda such things develop the less noble side of humanity. They do not tend to noble ideals.[23] Indian women According to Vivekananda, the ideal of womanhood in India is motherhood – that marvelous, unselfish, allsuffering, ever-forgiving mother.[24] Vivekananda felt, in India, there are two great evils – trampling on the women, and grinding through the poor through caste restrictions.[25] Sita, the Ideal of Indian womanhood According to Swami Vivekananda, Sita is typical of India – the idealized India. Swami Vivekananda assured if world literature of the past and world literature of the future are thoroughly exhausted, yet, it'll not be possible to find out another Sita, because Sita is unique, the character was depicted once for all. Swami Vivekananda felt there may have been several Ramas, perhaps, but never more than one Sita.[26][27] Vivekananda felt: “ All our mythology may vanish, even our Vedas may depart, and our Sanskrit language may vanish for ever, but so long as there will be five Hindus living here, even if only seeking the most vulgar patois, there will be the story of Sita present.[28] ” Sita was a true Indian by nature, Vivekananda concluded, who never returned injury.[29] Character building Swami Vivekananda realized three things are necessary to make every man great, every nation great: [30] Conviction of the powers of goodness. Absence of jealousy and suspicion. Helping all who are trying to be and do good. Swami Vivekananda suggested to try to give up jealousy and conceit and learn to work unitedly for others. He told, purity, patience and perseverance overcome all obstacles. He suggested to take courage and work on. Patience and steady work, according to Swami Vivekananda, this is the only way to get success. Faith in one's self According to Swami Vivekananda "faith, faith, faith in ourselves, faith, faith in God- this is the secret of greatness. Swami Vivekananda observed the history of the world is the history of a few men who had faith in themselves, and he it is faith which calls out divinity within. So he told, if people have faith in three hundred and thirty millions of Hindu mythological gods, and in all the gods which foreigners have now and still have no faith in themselves, there will be no salvation.[31] Bibliography of Swami Vivekananda References[edit source | editbeta] 1. 2. Jump up^ "Awakening India". http://awakeningindia.org. Retrieved 30 March 2012. ^ Jump up to:a b Vivekananda, Swami (1996). Swami Lokeswarananda, ed. My India: the India eternal (1st ed. ed.). Calcutta: Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. pp. 1–2. ISBN 81-85843-51-1. 3. 4. 5. 6. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Swami Vivekananda: Life and Teachings". Belur Math. Retrieved 30 March 2012. Jump up^ "The Future of India". Wikisource. Retrieved 3 April 2012. Jump up^ "Swami Vivekananda quotes". http://jnanagni.com. Retrieved 3 April 2012. Jump up^ "The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 7/Conversations And Dialogues/X". Wikisource. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 7. 8. 9. ^ Jump up to:a b "The Education that India needs". Wikisource. Retrieved 30 March 2012. Jump up^ "Universal teachings of Swami Vivekananda". http://www.ramakrishna.org. Retrieved 30 March 2012. Jump up^ "Swami Vivekananda Sayings". http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 10. Jump up^ "Thoughts, quotes and sayings by Swami Vivekananda". http://www.swami-vivekanand.com. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 11. Jump up^ "IDEOLOGY of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission".http://www.belurmath.org/Ideology.htm. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 12. Jump up^ "Why we disagree". Retrieved 30 March 2012. 13. Jump up^ "The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 5/Epistles - First Series/XXII Alasinga". Wikisource. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 14. Jump up^ "Vivekananda’s Lankan connection". Retrieved 30 March 2012. 15. Jump up^ "My life and mission". http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 16. Jump up^ "The future of India". http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 17. Jump up^ "The mind is like a monkey". http://www.psychokhemia.com. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 18. Jump up^ "The Cosmons- The Microcosm". http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 19. Jump up^ "Concentration, its practice". http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 20. Jump up^ "Why Control Mind?". http://www.greenmesg.org. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 21. ^ Jump up to:a b "Thoughts on Women". http://www.writespirit.net. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 22. Jump up^ "Vivekananda's letters". Angelfire. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 23. Jump up^ Vivekananda, Swami (1996). My India: the India eternal (1st ed. ed.). Calcutta: Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. pp. 68–69. ISBN 8185843511. 24. Jump up^ "Swami Vivekananda". http://www.rkmdelhi.org/about-us/our-inspiration/swami-vivekananda/. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 25. Jump up^ "Letters written from Chicago January 1895, To Mrs. Ole Bull".http://www.vivekananda.net/. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 26. Jump up^ "Valmiki's Sita". http://www.hindupedia.com. Retrieved 31 March 2012. 27. Jump up^ Swami Yogeshananda. "A Vedantist's View of Mary". http://www.vedanta-atlanta.org. 28. Jump up^ "The ideal of womanhood, Sita". http://www.yabaluri.org. Retrieved 3 April 2012. 29. Jump up^ Swami Vivekananda. "The Ramayana". Wikisource. Retrieved 31 March 2012. 30. Jump up^ "Swami Vivekananda Ebook". http://www.consciouslivingfoundation.or. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 31. Jump up^ Vivekananda, Swami (1996). My India: the India eternal (1st ed. ed.). Calcutta: Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. pp. 110–111. ISBN Concept of Religion according to Swami Vivekananda by Asha Nimali Fernando The Concept of Religion according to Swami Vivekananda R. A.N.FERNANDO Lecturer in Philosophy, Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Sri Jayawardenepura Introduction Religion is deeply rooted in man and his blood since many centuries ago. Still it has been dominating man and his way of thinking and behaviour. Within the framework of human rights, religion is considered as an inherent and individual right of the man.T h er e fo r e r el i g i on i s a v e r y p er so nal m at t e r i n m a n a nd hi s l i f e. W i t hi n t he E as t e rn Philosophical traditions we can find a great thinker and the religious man who was notlimited to the East and the one who spread that new ideal of the religion to the Westernworld. He is Swami Vivekananda. He was born in 1863 and expired in 1902. Within thatshort period he did excellent contribution to the tradition of the Vedāntic religion. Early days Hi s pr e -m o n ast i c na m e w as N a r e nd ra n at h Du t t a. N a r end r a, e v en f ro m hi s childhood had started to practice meditation. At the age of six very easily he learnt byh e a rt t h e who l e o f a S a nsk r i t gr a m m ar an d l o n g p as sa ge f r om t he Mahabharata and Ramayana. As a b o y, h e o bs e rv ed an d q ue s t i on ed t h e n at u re o f m an. O n c e h e a sk ed , „Why one human being should be considered superior to another‟.1 One of the important points in his early days was his contact with the Brahmo Samaj: It made a lot of influence on his character (Brahmo Samaj was one of liberal movements led by S r i R a j a Rammohan Roy and Keshab Chandra Sen). This religious organization broke away fromthe rituals, image worship, and priestcraft of orthodox Hinduism. Young Narendra as amember saw the uncovered area of this organization that was the spiritual side of theman.1 1. Nikhilananda, S, Vivekananda- A Biography , Advaita Ashrama,kolkata,1964 p.14 Narendranath Dutta was a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. He was intrigued on SriR am ak ri s h n a ‟ s p e rs o n al i t y. Th e m e e t i n g o f Na r en d r a wi t h S ri R a m a k ri s h n a w as as ym b ol i c on e. It s ym b ol i z es t he m ee t i n g of an ci e nt In di an c ul t ur e wi t h t he m od e rn ci v i l i z at i o n. He p r a ct i c ed i nt e ns e spi ri t u al di s ci pl i n es un d e r t h e su p er v i s i o n o f S ri Ramakrishna for several years. After the Master‟s passing away he became a Sannyasi , Narendra‟s given name was „Vivekananda‟;Vivekai s a S a n s k r i t w o r d m e a n i n g discrimination, more particularly in the philosophic sense of discrimination between thereal (God) and unreal (the phenomena recognized by our senseperceptions.) Anandam e a n s d i vi ne b l e ss or t h e p ea c e w hi ch i s o bt ai n ed t hr ou gh e nl i gh t en m e nt 2.SwamiVivekananda lived only for 40 years. Within this short span of life, he left a rich legacyof spectacular achievements in the religious and cultural history of the world. Concept of Religion To him, Religion is not just a talk and doctrines or theories, nor is it sectarianism.Religion can not live in sects and societies. It is a relationship between soul and God. He ex p l ai n s t ha t r el i gi o n d oe s not con si s t i n er e ct i n g t em pl e s o r bui l di n g c hu r c h es o r attending public worship. As well as it can not find in the books or in words or in lectures o r i n o r g an i z at i on s. R el i gi o n co n si s t s o n r e al i z at i on. R el i gi o n d oe s not con s i s t i n subscribing to a particular creed or faith but in spiritual realization.Therefore, spiritual realization is religion. He said that “I shall try to bring before you the Hindu theory that religions do not come from without, but from within. It is my belief that religious thought is in man's very constitution, so much so that it is impossible for him to give up religion until he can give up his mind and body, until he can give uphis thought and life.” 3 Religion is inseparable with man and his life. Another thing is that,it is within the man. Each and every one should understand God within their soul through self-realization.Religion is the manifestation of the divinity already within man. Therefore, it is not necessary to have doctrines or dogmas and intellectual argumentation. It is realizationin the heart of our hearts. It is touching God; it is feeling God and realizing that I am aspirit in relation with the universal spirit and all its great manifestations. 2.Vidyatmananda, S. What Religion is; In the Words of Swami Vivekananda,Adviata Ashrama, Kolkata,1972, p.20 3.The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda , Advaita Asrahma, Kollkata,1994, Vol 3,p. 01 4Jyotirmayananda,Vivekananda; His Gospel of Man Making , Madras, 1988 p 55 4In a simple manner, his way of understanding of religion is that man must realize God, feel God, see God, and talk to God. That is the religion. To him material prosperity and wealth is not an important thing. But the wealth of the spiritual thought in brain that is needed to the human progress.To him, religion has been a great healer as well as cruel killer. In this he try to explain if one religion given a true and bless to the people, it has capacity to heal evil thoughts in human mind, as well the false religion has a capacity to bring darkness in human mind. So that, Vivekananda‟s message was that man must occupy the highest place. Hence, the true welfare of man is his predominant impulse, and a true religion is the only agent for that purpose. He further said that the supreme reality is the only source of happiness. True religion teaches us that the goal of life has to be sought in Ātman only. The world is a vale of tears, but through such experience an ardent seeker has tofind that the world is a vale of soul‟s growth too. Vivekananda said that, man is like an infinite spring, coiled up in a small box, and that spring is trying to unfold5.His ideal of religion is a spiritual concept. So that without inner growth religion has no value. The very soul of religion is experience. To realize it his suggestion was the yoga system.Through practices of yoga, people can achieve the inner divinity. The Concept of God Th e ex i s t en c e o f Go d and h i s n at u r e i s a m a j o r qu est i on i n t he P hi l os op h y o f Religion. Vivekananda questions, “Why people in every nation and every society looking for a God? Why they want perfect ideal somewhere, either in man, in God, or elsewhere?The idea is within you.‟ It is your own heart beating, and you did not know”. In this we can see Viveka nanda‟s identification of God with „self‟. He told that, God is within your own self. That is propelling you to seek for him, to realize him. That is his concept o f G od. T o hi m Go d ex i st s , but he i s no t t h e m an si t t i n g u pon a cl o ud . B ut i f yo u approach to your real self you can see the God within you. He is pure spirit. That is your self.God is body, mind, soul and everything in this world. He is something still higher than known, unknown, and unknowable.6If it can be known, He will be no longer God.God can only be known in and through man.7We are ordinary morals and He can be seen 5.The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Kollkata, vol 3,1994 p.271 i n m an al o ne as a f orm , c an no t b e w o rsh i p pe d as H e i s a n i m m a ne nt B e i n g of t h e universe.Vivekananda‟s suggestion in this regard was that, play your part in the universeas an actor on the stage. He told to the people to see each and every man or woman in theworld as God. His identification of God is in everything, in every work, every thought, inevery feeling. Such realization of divinity in humanity leaves no room for arrogance. Byrealizing it, a man can not be jealous of or have pity for, any other being, saving man,knowing him to be the manifestation of God. Purifies the heart, and in a short time the asp i r ant w ho d oe s r ea l i z e t hi s . H e i s a p art of G od - Ex i st en c e Kn o wl ed ge - B l i s s - Absolute. God in you is the God in all Needs for Universal Religion He realized the nature of man, according to that mankind in the whole world has been trying to look beyond in the quest of his ultimate destiny or search for God.Therefore, whole of the world community is expecting a religion, which is acceptable to the whole world Hum an i t y i n t h e so c i et y w i t h d i f f e re nt s oci al o r ga ni z a t i o ns a re r e pr e se nt i n g different needs of the man. Man and his spiritual aspiration and struggles are represented by the various religions of the world. The various world religions have been indulging in mutual criticisms, vilification, and persecutions. We can see in the world several religions claiming universal empire in the field of religion over all mankind & e n g a g e d themselves in ruthless wars and bloodshed to achieve this end.To parallel this situation, some intellectuals and peace workers are searching away to e stablish peace among these. Vivekananda told that “we must understand all of those religions have proved their strength, their worth, and their necessity for mankind.”8 Therefore, he understood the equal status of all the religions and the religious plurality in human society. But he did not just jump into this conclusion. He questioned the truth andt he religious plurality. Because if we say that one religion is true, automatically the rest of other religions become false. According to him, all religions are n o t r e a l l y contradictory but supplementary. He said that “each religion, as it were, takes up one partof the great universal truth and spends its whole force in embodying and typifying that 8.Tapasyananda, S.The Philosophical Ashrama,Kolkata, 1984, p28 and Religious Lectures of Swami Vivekananda, Advaita part of the great truth. It is, therefore, an addition and not exclusion”.9That w as his identification of equal status of all the religions.Then he questioned the diversity of views, all of them alike by referring to the same thing and revealing different phases of it. He explained it by giving an example. If,someone takes photography of some building from different angles, we can see different faces of the same object. But those differences apparent can not be called contradictions, but only shows the many-sidedness of a single unique entity. Therefore, according to him“we are viewing truth, getting as much of it as circumstances will permit, colouring thetruth with our own intellect and gra sping it with our own mind. We can only know asmuch of truth as is related to us, as much of it as we are able to receive. This occasion sometimes even contradictory ideas; yet they all belong to the same universal truth” 10.Thus, Vivekananda gave equal importance to the all of the religions in the world. He illustrates from the Islam. The followers of Islam are equal. This is the special excellenc eof that religion. What comes to preach to the world is the brotherhood of all belonging totheir faith. Therefore, this ideal is necessary for the development of social harmony.In Hinduism, spirituality is its soul. Vivekananda pointed out that “in no other religion, in no other sacred books of the world will you find so much energy spent indefining the idea of God. They tried to define the idea of soul, so that no earthly touch might mar it. The spirit must be divine; and the spirit understood as spirit must not be made into a man. The same idea of unity, of the realization of God, the omnipresent, is preached throughout. They think it is all nonsense to say that he lives in heaven, and all that.11Therefore, spirituality is one of the main essences in Hinduism. Christianity alsohas same kind of ideals which is very much needed for the mankind.In the above sense, Vivekananda identified the need for universal religion. Then he searched for, the way to form that universal religion. He realized u n d e r t h e circumstances of universal religion can not be established by any one of world religions converting the followers of all others into theirs. It is possible only to the extent of having a conception of universalism in which there is a place for all religions suited to different types of humanity. Therefore, he gave a place for the humanity in society. There may be different types of people with different mentality, with a different habits, rituals, and beliefs in world. Each and every one has one‟s own place. All of these various minds and various types of people are needed to the society. That was his liberal idea on formation of universal religion. He explained it in a following way:“Our watchword, there will be acceptance and not exclusion. Not-only toleration, but acceptance. I accept all religions that were in the past and worship with them all; I worship God with every one of them, in whatever form they worship Him. I shall go to the mosque of the Mohammedan; I shall enter the Christian‟s church and kneel before the crucifix; I shall enter the Buddhists temple where I shall take refuge in the Buddha and inthe law. I shall go into the forest and sit down in meditation with the Hindu who is tryingt o s ee t h e l i ght t h a t enl i gh t e ns t h e he a rt o f ev e r yo ne .” 12 Therefore, religion must bes t s t u di ed on a br oa d er b as i s than fo rm al l y. Vi v ek an a nd a co nt i nu ed: A s hum a n m i nd broadens, its spiritual steps broaden too. The time has already come when a man can not record a thought without its reaching all corners of the earth; by merely physical means we have come into touch with the whole world; so the future religions of the world have to become as universal and as wide. The religious ideals of the future must embrace all that exists in the world and is good and great, and at the same time, have infinite scope for future development Concept of Universal Religion According to Swami Vivekananda, it is the direct realization of the truths of the spiritual world that forms the real essence of religion. True religion i s a d i r e c t , t ran sc e n de nt al ex p er i e n ce o f t h e Ul t i m at e R e al i t y. Thi s i d ea o f d i -r e ct r e al i z at i on i s common to all religions. The end of all religions is the realizing of God in the Soul, and t hi s i s t h e o ne Uni v e rs al R el i gi o n. If t h e r e i s o ne Uni ve r s a l Tr ut h , i n al l re l i gi on s, according to Vivekananda, it is the realizing God. Ideals and methods may differ, but this is the main point to be noted.Swami Vivekananda built his theory of the Transcendental Unity of all religions based on the direct experience of the Ultimate Reality. He spoke on the oneness of all religions with regard to the transcendental aspect of each re ligion. Differences among religions would not be the cause of conflict; we have to understand them to be mutually complementary. For Swami Vivekananda, religion is a total concept. All the religions of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol,ii p.67 world together constitute one whole. For him, there existed only one Eternal Religiono f w hi ch al l ot h er r el i gi on s we r e on l y v a ri at i on s. E a ch r el i gi on h a s a sp e ci al b en t , au ni q ue t r ai t , s om e goo d poi n t s a nd t hi s u ni q ue ne ss i s no t t he di f f er en t bui l di n gs , languages, rituals, books etc employed in various religions, but…… the internal soul of every religion. Every religion has a soul behind it, and that soul may differ from the soulof another religion. He c ont i nu e s „ m y i de a, t h e re f or e , i s t h at al l t h es e re l i gi on s a r e different forces in the economy of God, working for the good of mankind‟. All the religions of the world together constitute one whole. All religions are valid means to the same end. It is not necessary to change ones religion. To enrich one‟s life, one can accept some of the good points in other religions. The Practice of Universal Religion To put in to practice the universal religion he showed the easy way, which is the idea of God. Then, he turns it as the universal existence is God, the ultimate unity in the whole universe. According to him, we are all one. But he had one target that was the religion should be equally acceptable to all mind, it must be equally philosophic, equally emotional, equally mystic, and equally conductive to action. To promote this situation man and his nature should be perfect. Hence he suggested four yoga methods to achievethat position. He classified the nature of man in to four categories. Those are the active type, the mystic type, the philosophic type, the devotional type. Four yogas based on that four types of nature of man, and it is given strength to life with open mind. Means for it Realization Ac c or di n g t o S w am i Vi v ek an an d a m an i s t o b e com e „ di v i n e b y r e al i z i n g t h e di vi ne ‟ . To a t t ai n t hat p osi t i o n, t h e c l e an s i gn o f m i n d i s ne ed e d, t h at i s t he s pi ri t ua l realization. He suggested four fold methods of spiritual realization. It is evident that until we realize ourselves as the absolute, we can not attain to deliverance.To attain the selfrealization, Vivekananda introduced the method, called “Yoga” (to join, to join ourselves to Reality). There are four Yogas. As each one is only a method leading to the realization of the Absolute, they are suited to different temperaments. But,it is not to be assumed that the man becomes the real man or the Absolute. It is ever free, ever perfect; but the ignorance that has covered its nature for a time to be removed. Inthis sense, the whole scope of all yogas is to clear this ignorance, and allow the Ātman to manifest its own nature.As Vi v ek an a nd a, p oi nt ed o ut t ha t yo ga i s t he s ci en c e o f r el i gi on . “ As ev e r y s ci en c e ha s i t s m et hod s, so h as e ve r y r el i gi on. T he m et hod s o f at t a i ni n g t h e e nd o f religion are called yoga (union) by us, and the different forms of yoga that we teach are adapted to the different natures and temperaments of men. To the worker, it is union between men and the whole humanity; to the mystic, between his lower and the Self; tothe lover, union between himself and the God of love; and to the philosopher, it is the union of all existence. The man who seeks after this kind of union is called a Yogi. The worker is called a Karma Yogi. He who seeks the union through love is called Bhakti yo gi . H e who se e ks t hr ou gh m ys t i ci s m i s c al l ed t he R aj a Y o gi . An d he wh o se e ks i t through philosophy is called the Jnāna Yogi. Following give a detailed account of Four Yogas. Bhakti Yoga Bhakti Yoga, according to Vivekananda is a real, genuine search after the Lord. It is the path of systematized devotion for the attainment of union with the absolute. It is the science of higher love. It teaches that we have to love without any ulterior motives. It lay son us the imperative command not to hate or deny any one of the various paths that lead salvation. God manifests himself whenever the heart expands. This is what it is taught by Bhakti Yoga, Vivekananda says. The first essential is to want God honestly and tensely.It is the realization of the divinity through devotion to and love of a personal God. “ It does not say,‟Give up‟ it only says, love, love the highest!” Bhakti is divided into the Gauni or the preparatory and the Para or the supreme form. Para Bhakti is a form of love of God when it grows or takes the absolute form of love and all other forms are onlystages. According to Vivekananda Bhakti is the absolute and continuous remembrance of the Lord, which can be directed towards Brahman. It is the easiest and the most natural wayto reach the great divine end in view and is more easily attained than Jnana. The principal cause of Bhakti is the mercy of a great or free soul. Bhakti is of five kinds, Santa, Dasya,Sakhya, Vatsalya, Madhura. What is non -Bhakti Bhakti is not the outcome of fear or greediness. So long as there is the least fear,Bhakti cannot begin. If we worship with the desire to be rich or get a son or for achieving selfish ends or to escape or save from the tortures of hell, it is not Bhakti, but a lower from of worship. The first part of Bhakti Yoga deals with preliminaries, such as the definitions of God, the qualification of teacher and disciple, the meaning of symbols, the characteristics of Divine Incarnations and the chosen ideal, and the details of concrete worship. Para Bhakti W i t hi n t h e i d e a o n P a ra - B ha kt i or sup r em e d ev ot i on , t h e h um a n s oul ha s t o understand and realize that it has been spirit, and not matter, through eternity, and that this conjunction of it with matter is and can be only for a time. In Bhakti Yoga, here there is no violence, nothing to give up, nothing to tear off, as it were, from ourselves, nothing from which we have violently to separate ourselves. Love of God grows and assumes a form which is called Para-Bhakti, or supreme devotion. Forms vanish, rituals fly away, books are superseded; images, temples, churches, religions and sects, countries and nationalities- all these little limitations and bondages fall off by their own nature from him who knows this love of God. The supreme Bhakti is to realize God as the form of Premaya(love) itself. Only love for Supreme Lord is true Bhakti. There is no difference between the supreme Bhakti and the Supreme Jnana.Para-Bhakti is also known as the love that comes after attachment. When this supreme love once comes into the heart of man, his mind will continuously think of God a nd r em em b e r n ot hi n g e l s e. S u ch l ov e wo rk s i t s el f out o n t h e p l a n e o f s pi ri t ua l i t y, actually in here talking about the universal love. The characteristic of that universal love is that, love knows no bargaining. Wherever, there is any seeking for something in return,t h er e c an b e no r e al l o v e; i t be co m e s a m er e m a t t e r o f s ho p k e epi n g. Lov e kn ow s no reward. Love is always for love‟s sake.Another characteristic of love is that love knows no fear. Fear comes from theselfish idea of cutting one‟s self off from the universe. Another important point is that love knows no rival, for in it is always embodied the lover‟s highest ideal. True love never comes until the object of our love becomes to us our highest ideal. If people have that kind of love he becomes an eternally blessed and eternally happy.The Bhakti Yogi works his way to complete oneness with the Supreme through love and devotion. He knows the meaning of lives struggles and seeks the union throughlove and realize Brahman very soon.Bhakti Yoga is the science of love. It shows us how to direct it; it shows us how to control it, how to manage it, how to use it, how to give it a new aim, as it were, and from it obtain the highest and most glorious results, that is how to make it lead us tospiritual blessedness Karma Yoga Karma yoga literally translates to the path of union through action. It is described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which one acts in accordance with one's duty(dharma) without consideration of personal selfish desires, likes, or dislikes. What is Karma Swami Vivekananda explains what karma is. According to him, any action, anywork, any thought that produces an effect is called Karma.17 This human form is the great chance which is called the Karma-body. Every mental and physical blow given to the soul is karma. Karma belongs to the body or the mind, but never to the Atman (Self).Only it can cast a veil before the Atman. Our thought, words, and deeds are the threads of the veil which we throw round ourselves for good or evil. Law of Karma The law of karma is that every action must be followed sooner or later by an effect. Karma leaves its marks on us. It brings us together and it separates Good karma has the power to strengthen the moral powers. It creates non-attachment that destroys the tendency towards bad karma, and thus purifies our mind. Under the influence of new and right knowledge, strengthen of karma will be broken and its poison is lost.Our Karma determines what we deserve and what we can assimilate. We are responsible for what we are; and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power tomake ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions. Therefore, we have to know how to act or work.According to him all work is simply to bring out the power of the mind which is already there, to wake up soul. The power is inside of every man, so is knowledge; the different works are like blows to bring them out, to cause these giants to wake up. He pointed out that people work to achieve different targets. But Vivekananda‟s suggestionfor that is “ work for work sake.” There are some who are really the salt of the earth in every country and who work for work‟s sake. Who do not care for name, or fame, or even to go to heaven? They work just because good wills come of it. Therefore, man must wo rk w i t h goo d m ot i v e. Ac c or di n g t o Vi ve k an an d a, i f a m a n c a n w o rk wi t ho ut a n y selfish motive that is the most important. A man who can work for five days or even five minutes without any selfish motive whatever, without thinking of future, of heave, of punishment, or anything of the kind, has in him the capacity to become a powerful moralgiant. It is difficult but that is the valuable thing in society.The idea of the duty is different from society to society. Therefore, Vivekananda says that we must understand the duty and morality which vary in and under different circumstances. Another thing is that, the idea of duty is different from person to person.A c c o r d i n g t o V i v e k a n a n d a e a c h d u t y h a s i t s o w n p l a c e , a n d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e circumstances in which we are placed, we must perform our duties. Vivekananda, S, The Yoga of Action: Karma Yoga, Advita Ashrama , Kollkata, 2005 p29,(www.advaitaashrama.org To fulfill duties, the knowledge on how to work is needed. Vivekananda believed that spiritual knowledge is the only thing that can destroy our miseries for ever 20. F o r him, spirituality is the true basis of all our activities in life. A, strong spiritually is the highest, next to it comes intellectual help, and there after physical help. To him ignoranceis the mother of all the evil and all the misery we see in the world. All work is by nature co m po s ed of goo d a nd evi l . W e c an not d o a n y wo rk w hi ch wi l l not d o som e goo d s om ew h er e; t h er e c an not be an y w o r k wh i c h w i l l n ot c aus e s om e h a rm s om ew h er e . Therefore, he suggested that good impressions have capacity to become good.W i t hi n t he K ar m a Y o ga h e h ad gi v en p ri or i t y fo r t h e wo rk e rs r i ght s and t he psychological factors too. We should not work like slaves, because the result of theslave‟s work is misery. His identification is that “work through freedom, work through love. Vivekananda believed th at love is impossible without freedom. That‟s why he links both of them together. Therefore, he recognized that every act o f l o v e h a s possibility to bring happiness. In that his mission was selfless service to the peace fulworld and the existence of mankind. Raja Yoga R aj a Yo ga i s p ri m a r i l y co n c er ne d wi t h t he m i n d. It s ai m s at co nt rol l i n g al l thought-waves or mental modifications. Vivekananda pointed out that Raja-Yoga deal inimportant role within process of self-realization. It is covering various disciplines for the practice of selfcontrol, concentration, and meditation by means of which the truths of religio n are directly experienced. He strongly pointed out that the practice is the very important thing in this. Next valuable thing is that the healthy body. He told that “we must not forget that health is only a means to an end. If health were the end, we would be like animals rarely become unhealthy. Another point he traced that „doubt‟. He explains that “we always feel doubtful about things we do not see. Man can not live upon words,however he may try.” That is the nature of the man. But within the practice that doubtwill disappear. So that the concentration is the important thing. That is his way on to become a master of the nature. Vivekananda, S. Conquering the Internal Nature, Advita Ashrama, Kollkata, 2006, P.23 He demonstrated through Raja-Yoga that religion could stand the test of reasonand was valid. Beside on the higher basis of man‟s inner experience. In this he showed that the process of the mind has unlimited power. That is the highest good. But to getthat, knowledge is needed. For which we must start step by step. The Pranayama is the beginning point.According to Vivekananda “Every part of the body can be filled with Prana, thevital force, and when you are able to do that, you can control the whole body. All the sickness and misery felt in the body will be perfectly controlled; not only so, you will beable to control another‟s body. Everything is infectious in this world, good or bad. If your body be in certain state of tension, it will have a tendency to produce the same tension inothers. If you are strong, healthy, those that live near you will also have the tendency to become strong and healthy, but if you are sick and weak, those around you will have thetendency to become the same.” Th at i s t h e o n e o f ne c es si t y t o h a ve t he co nt rol o f t h e m i nd a nd b od y. If we practice it in correct time and correct way even the sheer force of hunger will break manslaziness. Then body becomes healthy with blessed thought. Whole scope of Raja-yoga isreally to teach the control and direction in different planes of the PranaWhen a man hasconcentrated his energies, he masters the Pranat h a t i s i n h i s b o d y . W h e n a m a n i s meditating, he is also concentrating the Prana. Therefore, Raja-yoga is a science whichteaches us how to gain the power of concentration. Therefore, Pranayamadoes not reallymean control of breath, but the control of the universal energy.Through the science of Raja-Yoga, Vivekananda explained that religion is notonly based upon the experience of ancient times, but that no man can be religious until hehas the same perceptions himself. Rajayoga proposes to put before humanity a practicalan d s ci en t i f i c al l y w or ke d o ut m et hod of r e a chi n g t hi s t ru t h. In t h e fi r st p l a c e, e v er y science has its own method of investigation. Raja-yoga is the method to discover thattruth. So that in the method of Raja yoga no faith or belief is necessary. Believe nothing until you find it out for yourself.The study of Raja-yoga takes a long time and constant practice. A part of this practice is physical, but in the main it is mental. As we proceed we shall find how Vivekananda, S,Conquering Internal Nature: Raja Yoga ,Advita Ashrama, Kollkata, 2006, p43 intimately the mind is connected with the body. If we believe that the mind is simply afiner part of the body, and that mind acts upon the body, then it stands to reason that the body must react upon the mind. That‟s why concentration is very much needed for man.By manipulating the mind, we shall be able to bring it under our control, make it work aswe like, and compel it to concentrate its powers as we desire.Therefore, Raja yoga proposes to start from the internal world, to study internalnature, and through that, control the whole- both internal and external. That is the goal of the Raja-yoga. In other words that is the self-realization through the control of mind. Jnāna Yoga The Jnāna has always been cited as the highest authority by all our teachers. TheJnāna teaches that knowledge alone can save. To separate ourselves utterly from matter a n d a l l b e l i e f i n i t s r e a l i t y i s t r u e J n a n a . A c c o r d i n g t o V i v e k a n a n d a , J n ā n a i s t h e realization of a man‟s own divinity through knowledge. “It tells man that he is essentiallydivine. It shows to mankind the real unity of being…” It takes the help of nothing else but sheer intellectual reasoning. The explanation and rationale of unselfish work is onlyin Jnāna. Jnāna yoga is the surest way of arriving at facts. This is divided in to three parts-•Hearing the truth•Reasoning•Giving up all further argumentation and realizing the truth.The object of Jnāna yoga is the same as that of Bhakti and Raja yogas. But the method isdifferent. “Meditating on…… reality always and reminding the soul of its real nature arethe only ways in this yoga.”It is the highest and the most difficult. Jnāna Yogi Jnāna yogi has the harshest of all renunciation to go through, as he has to realize from t h e v er y fi rs t t h at t h e w hol e of t hi s s ol i d l oo ki n g n at u r e i s al l an i l l u si on . SwamiVivekananda explains how a Jnāna yogi makes use of philosophic reasoning, knowledge,and one‟s own will as instruments he believes in. A Jnāna yogi is expected of throwing away all old ideals, beliefs and superstitions, desires for this world or another and bedetermined to find freedom. He has to know from the start that all knowledge and allexperience are in the soul and not in nature. These are the marks of the true Jnāna –yogithat are mentioned below:▪ He desires nothing, save to know.▪ All his services are under perfect restraint.▪ He knows that all but the one is unreal.▪ He has an intense desire for freedom. He wants to go beyond the visible and forces his way to the realization of God by the power of pure reason. All science even will notJ n ā n a Y o g a b a s e d u p o n t h e t e a c h i n g o f t h e U p a n i s h a d s , w h i c h f r o m t h e philosophical section of the Hindu scriptures. In Vedas shows the way to realize theo n e n ess of the individual soul and the supreme soul, through the dis c i p l e o f discrimination between the real and the unreal. Jnāna yoga in other words the path of kn owl e d ge w ri t t en V i v ek a na n da b a se d on hi s di r e ct ex p e ri en c e of t r ut h . In t h at h e discussed the divinity of the soul, the non duality of the Godhead, the harmony of thereligion and the unity of all existence.J n ā n a i s n e v e r s e n s e k n o w l e d g e . V i v e k a n a n d a s a i d t h a t “ w e c a n n o t k n o w Brahman, but we are Brahman, the whole of it, not a piece. The variety and plurality of Jivas or centers of consciousness are like the reflections of the one sun in innumerabledew drops. In Jnāna this variety is overcome, and we can see only the unity..The object of Jnāna Yoga is identical with that of Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga, but its method is different. The method is pure reason. According to the Jnāna disciplinethe highest good is realization of the self, which is beyond the senses and thought. AJnāna Yogi goes to the farthest limits of reason, eliminating all objects until he reachesthat which can not be thrown away, the real , the Eternal Subject who is the witness of theuniverse.In this we can see that to a Jnāna yogi, self -realization is the one and onlyway. Tapasyananda, S,The Philosophical and Religious Lectures of Swami Vivekananda, Advita Asrama,Kollkata, 1984, p191 away all old ideals, beliefs and superstitions, desires for this world or another and bedetermined to find freedom. He has to know from the start that all knowledge and all experience are in the soul and not in nature.These are the marks of the true Jnāna –yogithat are mentioned below:▪ He desires nothing, save to know.▪ All his services are under perfect restraint.▪ He knows that all but the one is unreal.▪ He has an intense desire for freedom. He wants to go beyond the visible and forces his way to the realization of God by the power of pure reason. All science even will not Jnāna Yoga based upon the teaching of the Upanishads, which from th e philosophical section of the Hindu scriptures. In Vedas shows the way to realize the oneness of the individual soul and the supreme soul, through th e d i s c i p l e o f d iscrimination between the real and the unreal. Jnāna yoga in other words the path of kn ow l e d ge wr i t t en Vi v ek an a nd a ba s ed on hi s di r e ct ex p e ri en c e of t r ut h . In t h at h e discussed the divinity of the soul, the non duality of the Godhead, the harmony of thereligion and the unity of all existence.J n ā n a i s n e v e r s e n s e k n o w l e d g e . V i v e k a n a n d a s a i d t h a t “ w e c a n n o t k n o w Brahman, but we are Brahman, the whole of it, not a piece. The variety and plurality of Jivas or centers of consciousness are like the reflections o f the one sun in innumerable dew drops. In Jnāna this variety is overcome, and we can see only the unity..The object of Jnāna Yoga is identical with that of Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga, but its method is different. The method is pure reason. According to the Jnāna disciplinethe highest good is realization of the self, which is beyond the senses and thought. AJnāna Yogi goes to the farthest limits of reason, eliminating all objects until he reachesthat which can not be thrown away, the real , the Eternal Subject who is the witness of theuniverse. In this we can see that to a Jnāna yogi, self -realization is the one and onlyway. Tapasyananda, S,The Philosophical and Religious Lectures of Swami Vivekananda,Advita Asrama,Kollkata, 1984, p191 References: His Eastern &Vivekananda: The Man & His Message Advita W e s t e r n D i s c i p l e s ,Ashrama, Kolkata, 1 9 1 8 . 2.Jyotiomayananda, S,Vivekananda, Mount Road, Channi, (1988)3. Nikhilananda, S Vivekananda- A Biography, Advaita Ashrama,kolkata,19644. Romain, R The Life of Vivekananda; and the universal Gospel,Advaita Kolkata,( www.advaitaonline.com ),20065. Robinson, B.A. Ashrama, Definitions of the word ‘Religion’,(www.religioustolerance.org/), last updated, 08.07.20076. Tapasyananda, SThe Philosophy and ReligiousLectures of SwamiVivekanada, Trio Process, Kolkata, India, 19847. Tapasyananda, SThe Nationalistic and Religions Lectures, Vivekanada,Trio Process, Kolkata, India, 1990.8. Tapasyananda, S The Four Yogas of Swami Vivekananda, AdvaitaAshrama, Kolkata, 19799. Tapasyananda, S Meditation on Swami Vivekananda, The VedantaSociety of New York, 199410. Vivekananda, S The Yoga of Knowledge; Jnana Yoga, Advaita Ashrama,Kolkata,( www.advaitaonline.com ), 200411. Vivekananda, S The Science and Philosophy of Religion, AdvitaAshrama, Kolkata,( www.advaitaonline.com ) , 1995(15th impression)12. Vivekananda, SA Study of Religion, Advita Ashrama, Kolkata,( www.advaitaonline.com ), 200413.Vivekananda, S Bhakti Yoga, Advita Ashrama, Kolkata,(www.advaitaonline.com), 200314. Vidyatmananda, SWhat Religion is; in the words of Swami VivekanandaTrio Process, Advita Ashrama, Kolkata, 197215. Edi Mayavati Memorial The completed Works of Swami Vivekananda, (Vol- 01to vol 08) Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, 1989
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