Today’s Blog on Ancient wisdom for Contemporary times: Unveiling Swami Vivekananda’s teachings by Guiding Guru - Ms. Nancy Khanna, Officiating Principal

 

Ancient wisdom for Contemporary times: Unveiling SwamiVivekananda’s teachings

                                 

Among the plethora of thought leaders that the Indian sub continent has produced, from Kautilya to Adi Sankaracharya and Sri Ramanujacharya and others, Swami Vivekananda is certainly a beacon among them.  We are blessed that our school is named on this great Saint who was a visionary and a philosopher emphasisisng the importance of education, self-discipline, and service to humanity. His values of simplicity, humility, and compassion are still relevant today, and it's essential to incorporate them into our daily lives. As a school named after him, it's a great responsibility to uphold his legacy and inspire students to follow in his footsteps.

Today being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is a significant day for our school, and it's a great opportunity to reflect on his values and principles. 

In his lifetime that lasted for less than forty years, he simply defied the visual image of a saffron clad man sitting under a tree, that most of us associate with sainthood and was instrumental in spreading the universalism expounded in the Hindu philosophy. As a prominent youth icon, his calls for the youth to step up to the occasion and make India in particular and the world in general a noble and peaceful place gives goosebumps to present day youngsters. ‘Desh’ and ‘Dharma’ were what he stood for. From Narendranath to Swami Vivekananda, this journey of Thakur’s disciple is simply astounding and inspiring. Today, on his birth anniversary, let us delve into some of his views which we as youngsters can appropriate into our lives.

Vivekanand's contribution for today's India can best be described as the 3C's-community, courage and Country. When a young individual is entrenched in dilemmas of life, he/she can lend a thought to the famous saint of India and learn to fight difficulties with courage and serve their country and community. His life and teachings are of inestimable value to everyone.

The youth of the day are mostly second generation learners who deal with challenges of life in a pragmatic manner; they unlike their predecessors are better equipped to question the power structures of society. However, the dilemmas facing them like employment, social recognition and the larger question of belongingness to a particular nation are still pertinent. This makes the human resources available with this great nation vulnerable to factional propaganda Swami Vivekananda envisioned the nation as a condensed whole where employment will be a medium to serve others rather than only being a source of income.

Vivekananda argues that our existence is to serve the whole society and he goes on to create a philosophy to empower the individual to the same. His ideas can best be described as that of a karamyogi. The citizen of India can learn a great deal from his messages. To start with, firm determination and dedication to one’s goal is a prerequisite to achieve individual aspirations as well as social progress.

Vivekananda's most important message to the Indians in 21st century is- self belief.

"All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who we have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark." 

 He challenged the supremacy of the west and proved at the congress of religions 1893 that Hinduism is the most ancient and complete philosophy of life. This speech was also a reality check to the founding principles of modernity which disempowered the individual by putting production before person. His message was loud and clear that compassion and love are the means to reach social and global harmony and further he added that without spiritual awakening economic empowerment will be a half hearted enterprise. The Vedantic teachings enlighten the west on the utility of religion as a rational and humanistic enterprise. His messages were foundation of the modern Indian nation and a basic feature of the Indian freedom struggle.

Swami Vivekananda's teachings and lessons on love, life, and spirituality continue to set life goals for people across generations, all over the world. We can learn a lot by following the principles of Swami Vivekananda, his trials as well as his achievements.

Personally, I think, Swami Vivekananda should always be remembered for his inspiration to the mankind. Swami, without a doubt, the greatest source of achievement, pride and inspiration. He taught us unconditional love, reinforced the importance of giving back and taught us how to be a better person.

On his birth anniversary let us pledge to learn from the ideas, work, life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda. Let us pledge to stand up to the ideals he stood for and make our future public leaders fully trained in body, mind, and soul for the nation and the entire humanity.May his teachings continue to guide and inspire you all throughout the year.