Swami Vivekananda: The Messenger of Modern Vedanta

Born Narendranath Datta, Swami Vivekananda was a seminal Indian monk and philosopher who gained international fame after his 1893 speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions. As the primary student of the mystic Ramakrishna, he worked to bridge Eastern and Western thought by introducing the concepts of Vedanta and Yoga to a global audience. He established the Ramakrishna Mission and the Ramakrishna Math to provide humanitarian relief and spiritual education across the globe. His teachings emphasize the divinity of the soul and the practice of viewing service to humanity as a form of worship. Even after his early death at age thirty-nine, his legacy endures through his influential literary works and his status as a symbol of Indian nationalism. Today, India honors his contributions by celebrating his birthday as National Youth Day.