Today is Swami Vivekanand Jayanti, it’s his birthday! This day is also known as national youth day. Swami Vivekanand was a great man who went into countries and gave speeches about India and Rajyoga. He spread the name of Rajyoga and India to all the world and explained what God meant to the Hindu mind.

Here is his story:

He was born in the nineteenth century, to Vishwanath Datta and Bhuvaneshwari, in Calcutta. He was named Narendranath. He always liked to sit in a quiet corner and meditate. One day he went to Dakshineshwar , to a guru named Shri Ramakrishna. A question always occupied his young mind. He asked that question to Shri Ramakrishna. “Have you seen God?” To his surprise, the answer he gave was, “Yes, I have seen god”.

From that day, Narendranath became his disciple. After Shri Ramakrishna died, Narendranath decided to set out on a pilgrimage. He wore a monk’s garb and set out. He went and traveled all around India from east to west, north to south. Then he saw a vision. In that vision he saw his guru, Shri Ramakrishna, urging him to go to the parliament of religion. He made up his mind to go. From that day on, he was known as swami Vivekanand. He went to the west and gave speeches in different places. He became famous. When he returned back to India, he helped the poor and needy and the sick. He took the work of his guru, forwarded and devoted himself to the needy and fed the poor. He helped revive the spirit of India, he inspired the countrymen to be proud of their heritage, he urged them to be fearless.

He was a real hero.

Here are some quotes of Swami Vivekanand:

You cannot believe in God,  until you believe in yourself.

“Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.”

“You are the creator of your own destiny.”

“They alone live who live with others.”

“Be a hero, always say I have no fear.”