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January 12, 2013, marked the sesquicentenary of the birth of one of India’s most revered spiritual figures — Swami Vivekananda. Born Narendra Nath Datta in Calcutta in 1863, Vivekananda grew up in a comfortable Bengali household, but after the death of his father the family lived in abject poverty. At the age of 18, his natural spiritual inclinations led him to a life-changing meeting with the great spiritual master Sri Ramakrishna. Immediately, Ramakrishna saw something extremely special in the young Naren and, although Ramakrishna only remained on earth for another 5 years, it was Vivekananda who would take the teachings of his Master to the entire world.
Sri Chinmoy called Swami Vivekananda “the patriot-saint of India”. His profound love and respect for him were boundless and he honoured this immortal son of India in poetry and song; in lectures and concerts; and in prayer and meditation:
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“Swami Vivekananda, who commanded India’s silence-flooded heart to speak and who begged America’s sound-oriented mind to listen.” — Sri Chinmoy |
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• A dramatisation of Vivekananda’s early life with Sri Ramakrishna can be found in Sri Chinmoy’s highly-acclaimed 1973 play, Drink, Drink My Mother’s Nectar. |
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• Throughout 1993 Sri Chinmoy performed 39 Peace Concerts in honour of Swami Vivekananda’s 39 years on earth. At the beginning of each concert, Sri Chinmoy recited a dedication to Vivekananda. Selections from Sri Chinmoy’s performances were released on cassette entitled Vivekananda—An Ancient Silence-Heart And A Modern Dynamism-Liffe and can be heard on Radio Sri Chinmoy.
• In 1993, a songbook containing 30 of Sri Chinmoy’s songs entitled Vivekananda: An Ancient Silence-Heart was published. |