Spirituality and the human
Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902 C.E.) was a Hindu monk and saint of India. According to the English calendar he was born on 12th January 1863 into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta. However his birthday is celebrated according to the Hindu calendar and this day is known as Swami Vivekananda Jayanti. Vivekananda was born on Krishna Paksha Saptami after seven days of Paush Purnima. As Jayanti day is decided based on the Hindu (lunar) calendar, it is not fixed on the Gregorian calendar.
If India were to have patron saints, then perhaps we might say that Swami Vivekananda is the patron saint – or guru – of Inter-religious encounter, or perhaps, in a more modern sense, an advocate for toleration and harmony among the world’s religions. Swami Vivekananda travelled to the Americas and participated in the inaugural Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893. We bring you excerpts from his speech on this occasion (in 2016) of the Birthday of Swami Vivekananda. (Vivekananda Jayanti)
