Swami Vivekananda, A Man Of Indomitable Spirit
A highly influential person, who continues to live on in millions of hearts, his teachings resonating within many souls, and who encourages everyone to carve their own paths on the map of their lives-that is who he is, was and always will be. A man of indomitable spirit, none other than Swami Vivekananda.
A famous poem of Swamiji, titled “Quest for God” talks about how he embarks on a journey to find God. He looks high and low, traversing every place on Earth, but is unable to locate Him. His faith starts to waver and he begins questioning the very existence of the Almighty. It is then that he hears God's voice and puzzled, commences searching for the source of the voice. He realises, that God is not to be found on some specific map or on land, but rather, in the hearts and souls of every human being on this planet. This is one of his staunch beliefs that he expresses through this poem, that each one of us, is a living, breathing example of none other than God, and as long as we keep that in mind while conducting ourselves with people all around us, no force on Earth could ever destroy the love that would blossom in the entire world. This love would be so great that there would be no room left at all for hatred in anyone's hearts.
Swami Vivekananda was full of zeal and wanted to leave no stone unturned in his efforts to make India one of the best nations in the world, and he strongly believed that the youth of India was the key to this enterprise.
Swami Vivekananda was the closest and most dedicated disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He was very attached to his Guru and was ever ready to travel to.the ends of the Earth to proliferate his message. If it were not for his Guru, we would never have known Swami Vivekananda for who he is today. Ramakrishna knew that Vivekananda could reach great heights if guided and encouraged properly, and he proceeded to do just the same.
Vivekananda’s tireless service to man and God took a toll on his physical body. Throughout his 39 years, he suffered from an enormous number of ailments--migraines, tonsillitis, diphtheria, asthma, typhoid, malaria, other persistent fevers, liver problems, indigestion, gastroenteritis, bloating, dysentery and diarrhea, dyspepsia and abdominal pain, gallstone, lumbago, neck pain, Bright’s disease (acute nephritis), kidney problem, dropsy, albuminuria, bloodshot eyes, loss of vision in his right eye, chronic insomnia, prematurely grey hair, neurasthenia, excessive fatigue, sea sickness, sunstroke, diabetes and heart problems.
His motto, “One has to die. . . it is better to wear out than to rust out.”