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| Rediscovery of India | |
The first phase begin after the sad demise of his guru Ramakrishna, there was a great sense of solidarity felt among his followers. However, at the same time there were some serious differences developing among them. After the death of their master, the followers distanced themselves from the group of Brahmachari`s. Vivekananda renounced the world and criss-crossed India as a wandering monk. It was at this time when he changed his name from Narendranath to Vivekananda. Though committed to the mutt Vivekananda did not want to remain confined within the mutt. `Bharat` had now become his abode and Indians his brothers and sisters. He set out to wipe the tears of the unfortunate. His only possessions were - a saffron robe, `Kamandalu` (an ascetic`s waterpot) and `danda` (staff). The experiences that he gained during his journey were invaluable and enabled him to set practical limits on his ideals. Amidst his Indian tour he realized that all that he had learnt from books had to be tempered in the light of actual experiences. The several years of wandering reinforced in Vivekananda an inherent courage and mental power to withstand adversity and criticism. Often, Vivekananda was rebuked for entertaining untouchables and Muslims. Then Swamiji would try to explain the importance of the community as a major building block. He was of the opinion that the nation cannot progress amidst such glaring inequalities. For Vivekananda, man`s duty to man was as important as man`s duty to God. His second phase begin in 1897 when he returned back from tour of the west. In this period Swamiji not only received bouquets but also brickbats from the Indian society. Though Vivekananda received accolades for his works on the international front. He was equally criticized by the Calcutta orthodox society. To them the most outrageous issue was the Kayastha origin of Vivekananda, which in their opinion disqualified him both as a sanyasi and a legitimate spokesman for Hinduism. Throughout the 1890`s the orthodoxy created fuss over this issue; at the Town Hall meeting of 1894, the Chairman, Raja Peray Mohun Mukhodpadhyay refused to call him `Swami`. To make matters worse for Swamiji, there was a growing dissent among the disciples. This had to do with the way in which Vivekananda was running the Mission. It appears that whereas the belief in Ramakrishna`s avatar status had gradually begun to permeate his fellow sanyasis, Vivekananda continued to disagree. The matter had reached to a state that some devotees severed connections with the Belur Math and established a parallel organization called the `Garib Ramakrishna Sabha`. To put to rest the increasing criticism, Vivekananda celebrated the Durga puja in 1901 in an orthodox fashion, using Tantric rites and the local Brahmins lavishly fed. It was then that the orthodoxy relented and was convinced that the monks were indeed Hindu sanyasis. Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. The Math was established at a formal gathering of monks in May 1897, where Vivekananda was made the general president and Swami Brahmananda and Yogananda, the president and vice-president respectively. The year 1899 also saw the realization of Swamiji`s cherished dream of setting up a monastic retreat up in the Himalayas. There was also a growing involvement of in social service observed through a network of sevashrams. Volunteers were seen nursing the sick and attending to the flood victims. Thus, Vivekananda reinforced his long-term belief that: Service to mankind is the service to God. | |