November 15, 2014

Vivekananda's Influence on Modern India


India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi has let it be know through social media his great reverence for the words and teachings of Swami Vivekananda. Publicly proclaiming Vivekananda's message of religious harmony, Modi encourages the young Hindu movers and shakers to emulate the forward inner change they want to see in their world. Swami Vivekananda is credited with bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion following his grand appearance at the 1893 Chicago Parliament of Religions where he planted the first seeds of the modern day Yoga movement. For years Swami Vivekananda lectured successfully throughout America bringing Eastern philosophy to the Western World introducing such Vedic ideas as Karma, Bhakti, Raja, and Jnana Yoga. “Every nation has a message to deliver, a mission to fulfill, a destiny to reach. The mission of India has been to guide humanity.” At Kanyakumari Swamiji realized India’s purpose- its message of spirituality, its mission to teach human beings the science of life- a destiny of wearing the crown of a world leader. He spent his entire life in spreading this message. And so it is fitting that Vivekananda's teachings have recently become societal main stream speaking points between contemporary world leaders. The latest exchange on the subject of "Yoga" being recently discussed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama, with hopes of leading today's youth to an ever expanded global oneness of body and mind. This could truly be the realization of Swami Vivekananda's dreams and India's pre-ordained destiny for the betterment of humankind. As an American and a Vedanta Society devotee, I pray this will be the case.  :)
My faith is in the younger generation, the modern generation, out of them will come my workers. They will work out the whole problem, like lions. - Swami Vivekananda