Lecture 49

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:03][music] [music] >> Uh hello students and friends. Uh welcome to this new lecture on another uh very uh vibrant topic that is practical Vedanta.

[00:00:32]We have discussed over far about the Upanishads and other Indian philosophical traditions and uh one of the six schools Vedanta. But here particularly uh in the context of the ideas and philosophies of Swami Vivekananda, one of the renowned philosophers and personalities of modern India.

[00:00:54]And he's also considered as the father of modern Indian consciousness. So the topic on your screen is practical Vedanta Swami Vivekananda and his Ramakrishna Mission.

[00:01:04]So just have a uh look on the uh points of discussions we are going to have.

[00:01:11]Uh first of all, we will have a brief bio sketch of the life of Swami Vivekananda.

[00:01:17]Then ideas on practical Vedanta, Swami Vivekananda's uh views and actions on Vedanta.

[00:01:24]And how he interpreted and how he materialized the concept into the actual being.

[00:01:29]And education and principles of Vedanta, major contribution to education and life by Ramakrishna Mission.

[00:01:37]So these are the few aspects of his great life and works. Uh actually, it uh requires a lot of time and lot of uh consciousness to understand the life and works of such a great personality, but I'll try my best to just have a glimpse of few parts particularly in the context of the uh practical or applied aspects of the Vedanta philosophy, how it is uh applied in the life context and day-to-day working and uh useful for everyone.

[00:02:09]So Swami Vivekananda early life and background, uh his birth name was Narendranath Dutt.

[00:02:16]And then he was born on January 12th, 1863 in Kolkata, today's Kolkata, at that time Calcutta.

[00:02:23]And here is a uh you see the charming personality and energy full of energy of spiritualism and motivation so on. Then family from a traditional Kayastha Bengali family uh with exposure to both Western education and Indian spiritual tradition.

[00:02:42]Uh as far as education is concerned, he was educated at Presidency College. Uh nowadays, it is known as Presidency University in Kolkata.

[00:02:51]As well as at Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta. He studied Western philosophy, logic, and history.

[00:02:58]So he was well versed in uh both Sanskrit language and English language as well as Bangla.

[00:03:05]Guru uh his guru uh the many stories are there the how he uh selected or how he searched for his guru and how uh Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa accepted accepted him as his disciple.

[00:03:21]So a lot of motivational stories are there.

[00:03:24]Uh he was the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who had a profound influence on his spiritual and educational philosophy.

[00:03:32]And he uh just left the world forever on July 4th, 1902 at the young age of 39, but he is still alive with his views and ideas and motivational uh vital energy of life. So let's have a look on uh a thinker on Vedanta is one shade of personality.

[00:03:53]He represented Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893 in Chicago.

[00:04:00]Uh brought Indian philosophy to the global stage. That was his renowned contribution uh to the Indian knowledge traditions.

[00:04:10]Established the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897.

[00:04:13]It was a social religious reform and educational movement. And nowadays, you see that Ramakrishna Mission is working a lot in the areas of service to the humanity.

[00:04:25]Uh now he synthesized synthesized Vedanta and modern thought combining a spirituality with service and rational inquiry. And he also promoted universal humanism, religious harmony, and upliftment of the mass through education. So on your screen, you can have a uh picture of Ramakrishna Mission and his uh guru Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

[00:04:55]Now major works would include Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, My Master, and lectures from Colombo to Almora. So a lot of long chain of literature is there.

[00:05:09]The complete works of Vivekananda is available published by Ramakrishna Mission.

[00:05:14]And his famous speeches are also available. Sisters and brothers of America, that was the famous speech what he delivered in 1893 that made him the world hero and he just became the representative of great Indian civilization based on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

[00:05:34]And another lecture starting the lines with the ideal of a universal religion or the education it needs and its scope. These are few famous speeches what he delivered and that has a stuff for the educational and cultural philosophy based on the Indian traditions.

[00:05:52]Then contributions to education particularly man-making education was propounded and endorsed by him.

[00:06:00]And he worked for its establishment. His most original contribution is education aimed at building strength, character, and self-respect. So uh the picture on your screen is from the world religious summit in 1893 that held in Chicago.

[00:06:19]And other contributions in educations would include harmony of cultures like advocated for synthesis of Eastern spiritualism and Western materialism.

[00:06:28]Then empowerment of the masses by education for all movement especially the marginalized.

[00:06:35]Women's education believed in the upliftment of women through education and character development. And another uh major contribution uh was about establishment of institutions like Ramakrishna Mission and its schools working under the Ramakrishna Mission as a principal organization and certain other colleges, teacher training institutions, and training centers across India and abroad, too. So these are the few works what he just started.

[00:07:02]And uh a lot many other things are still associated with Ramakrishna Mission's activities. We will see uh those activities, too.

[00:07:10]Swami Vivekananda's Vedanta views, that's the core of today's discussion.

[00:07:16]Uh he just reinterpreted the Vedanta and his Vedanta theory is known as the Neo-Vedanta also. He tried to establish the Vedantic philosophy in the practical aspect of the students and general masses and how he correlated it, how he established the uh ideas and concepts of Vedanta in the practical life. He himself did it and showed as a specimen as a benchmark he established for uh uh the for the people. So these are certain uh ideas that he established as a practical aspects of Vedanta. Divinity of man.

[00:07:55]Each soul is potentially divine.

[00:07:58]Ultimate soul is to manifest this inner divinity. This is based on the principle that the soul is pure, perfect, and eternal. Another uh view uh is regarding the practical application. He advocated for a practical Vedanta that could be applied to daily life not just for a spiritual liberation in a distant future.

[00:08:19]He believed in manifesting this divinity through a combination of work, worship, and self-control. Then universal oneness. Uh believed he believed in universal oneness. All is Brahma. And the goal is to see this oneness in all beings and things which eliminates the illusion of separation. So he was of the view that every man is full of the essence of Brahma.

[00:08:44]And service to humanity is the core of his principles of Vedanta. Serving uh others is the highest form of worship.

[00:08:51]The divine resides within every human being. By serving people in the body, one is serving God. That was his idea what he established.

[00:09:01]Then integral philosophy. Vivekananda's thought combined the strength of Shankaracharya's monistic philosophy with the compassion of a bhakti saint.

[00:09:10]So it was his philosophy was the combination of the compassion and the service uh spirit of a bhakti saint.

[00:09:20]And as well as the monistic philosophy.

[00:09:22]Monistic means the Advaita what Adi Shankaracharya establishes. So he combined and collaborated both the ideas. He sought a head and heart combination of both the scholarly and devotional aspects. Just like the uh he takes his ideas most of the time from Srimad Bhagavad Gita as well as from the Upanishads. So Vedanta is also a combination of Bhagavad Gita, Brahma Sutra, and Upanishads. So Vivekananda takes uh the Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga all three from the core of the Vedanta principles. And another view on Vedanta philosophy uh regarding empowerment and strength.

[00:10:04]He saw Vedanta as a great nine great mind of his strength that could inspire people to overcome their weaknesses and assert their inherent power. This included a call to eradicate physical weakness and mental slavery through self-study and rational thought. Then regarding education, he says uh that it's a education should be a combination of Western scientific education for physical development with Indian philosophical tradition. So, he was of the view that there should be a collaboration between Western scientific approach as well as the Indian philosophical traditions.

[00:10:45]Uh that kind of fusion for the global requirement.

[00:10:50]Then for a spiritual strength, Vedanta including Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads should be essential suggestive readings for the students.

[00:10:59]Uh he was very much fond of the teachings of Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

[00:11:03]That's why he wanted that a student should get inspiration from Srimad Bhagavad Gita because it's it's it's a book for the whole humanity, not just confined to a religious scripture.

[00:11:14]So, regarding the practical Vedanta, what is this concept? Uh on the on your screen, you just see saint a person from Ramakrishna Mission uh Swamiji.

[00:11:28]And you see uh that they are mixed with the people without any discrimination, without any arrogance, with all the spirit of humanity, all the spirit of bliss and happiness. They are mixed with the general public without any discrimination of caste, creed, color, or gender. They go to village, they play with the children. So, that is that's why uh I just found one thing that almost all the Swamis uh uses the word Ananda, I think before their name. Uh Sarvapriyananda and like that. So, you at the end of the name, you find the Ananda because they believe in the idea of Satchidananda. God himself manifested uh the Ananda in his personality, in his divine personality. So, that is the core of the principles of Vedanta. That bliss, Anandamaya Kosha is at the end of all uh means a journey from Annamaya Kosha to the Anandamaya Kosha. So, that is the core principles, some of the core principles of the practical Vedanta. We just have a I have an idea of the concept of practical Vedanta. The meaning is practical Vedanta means applying the philosophy of Vedanta in daily life, not merely as a theory, but as a way of living. So, core idea means realization of oneness of existence, divinity in every being. That's why they take delight and they feel happiness and the bliss in every human being, in every creature of God, in whether it's animate or inanimate. That's why they try to correlate it. This is the practical aspect of Vedanta. That Ananda is everywhere. Philosophical base rooted in Advaita Vedanta, all is Brahma.

[00:13:15]So, goal is transform spiritual ideals into social action and human service.

[00:13:21]So, that's why if a person feels that everywhere there is Brahma and everything has been created by Brahma, if you have a passion, if you have a love for Brahma, then naturally you will love whom of all the objects who are dear to the creator. So, if you love to the creator and don't love to the creation, that will be a different aspect. So, that's why the practical Vedanta philosophy believes that everyone is Brahma. It means Brahma has created everything. So, if we love the creations of the Brahma, that is the practical aspect of the Vedanta theory and that is manifested by the activities of Ramakrishna Mission and the saintly people also. So, key principles of practical Vedanta would include divinity of man. Every individual is inherently divine.

[00:14:15]Education and service should awaken this divinity. Unity of all religions. Truth is one, different paths lead to the same realization. Strength and fearlessness.

[00:14:26]Religion must make man strong, courageous, and self-reliant. And service as worship. Work done in the spirit of service as worship, worship of the divine. Then harmony of action and contemplation. Then true spirituality lies in balancing meditation and social responsibility. Then faith in oneself. Self-belief as the foundation for moral and spiritual development.

[00:14:52]Then what is the application in Indian society?

[00:14:55]In the area of educational reforms, education should build character, strength, and self-confidence, not just literacy. That is the idea from practical Vedanta or practical applied aspect of the Vedanta theory. Social equality. Recognition of divine unity supports removal of caste and gender discrimination. National regeneration. Spiritual awakening as the basis of national reconstruction.

[00:15:20]Service movements like inspired information.

[00:15:24]The inspiration from the this this idea of Vedanta.

[00:15:29]Ramakrishna Mission was established by Swami Vivekananda for the service of the general masses, for the service of the downtrodden and marginalized people.

[00:15:39]And they organize service to humanity.

[00:15:42]Then women's upliftment is one of the aspects, one of the very important application in Indian society.

[00:15:48]Empowering women as equal manifestation of divinity and an interfaith harmony.

[00:15:53]That is another very interesting and very important aspects of this applied form of Ramakrishna Mission too. Promoting tolerance and dialogue among religions.

[00:16:04]The Ramakrishna Mission established by Swami Vivekananda undertakes extensive work as service to humanity. Here you see the schools established by Ramakrishna Mission. The mission manages a vast network of over 1,200 educational institutions. They may be more even.

[00:16:22]12 plus educational institutions including universities, colleges, schools, and vocational training centers. Mostly these schools are in the tribal areas, in the rural areas, not and the outskirts of the towns and big cities all over India where the students don't have the approach to the schools.

[00:16:44]In these areas, in remote areas, these people go and Ramakrishna Mission establishes schools for the tribal people and the women and the girls and so on and they go there and they serve the humanity.

[00:16:55]And then again, university situated at Belur Math. This is the principal university you may see on your screen.

[00:17:03]It is situated in Kolkata that provides higher higher education and also run teachers training institutes.

[00:17:09]Then Ramakrishna Mission some core activities apart from the education also include health care services. It runs hospitals, dispensaries, and mobile medical units to provide medical services to the public.

[00:17:23]And then disaster relief and rehabilitation. The mission also provides timely aid and support during natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and cyclones as well as during man-made calamities.

[00:17:37]Then rural and tribal developments. The mission engages in projects aimed at the welfare of rural and tribal communities including water resources management, sustainability aspects, agricultural training, and health awareness programs.

[00:17:53]And then cultural and spiritual activities are also handled and taken care by the Ramakrishna Mission. It promotes the spiritual and cultural values through publications, teaching, preaching, and spiritual retreats. So, these are all the service aspects of Ramakrishna Mission.

[00:18:10]Some underlying principles what they follow while applying these activities. Service to humanity is at the core of all their works and actions. The mission's work is guided by the principle that service to man is service to God. Then Karma Yoga of Bhagavad Gita.

[00:18:29]Its activities are based on the principles of Karma Yoga, which is the path of selfless action. So, they serve the humanity without any discrimination just for the sake of God, for the service to the the divinity because they believe in selfless service like as suggested by the Karma Yoga. Vedanta philosophy is also at the core of their actions.

[00:18:53]The mission is a spiritual organization at the core of the Vedanta movement, which emphasizes the unity of existence and the divinity within every person.

[00:19:03]Then some views of Swami Vivekananda on on education are equally important because there Swami Vivekananda worked a lot because education is considered as most important tool to change this entire scenario of the helplessness or sorrowness or that is to be understood uh uh on the part of the social development or the cultural development. So, education was used by uh by such great personalities as a wonderful wonderful instrument to change the society and to change the inner aspect too. So, Swami Vivekananda is of the view that education is the manifestation of the perfection already in in the child. So, for him education is just to find out that that inner inner power or what you say that potentiality in the child.

[00:20:03]So, foundational principles of his educational philosophy would include the Advaita Vedanta tradition of India is rooted, which emphasizes the oneness of existence, divinity of the soul, and the ultimate goal of human life as self-realization. His vision of education includes spirituality, man-making, self-realization, and universalism, and humanism.

[00:20:27]Then again, he says education is the manifestation of the perfection already in men. This is the central thesis of his educational thought. Every human being is potentially divine, and education is not about pouring information from the outside, like the spoon-feeding, but about drawing out the inner potential. True education helps a person realize the atman, that is the self, which is pure, perfect, and infinite. The concept aligns with the Indian Upanishadic ideas, atmana vindate viryam.

[00:20:59]Through the self is strength is gained.

[00:21:02]Now, some major statements that also just make us aware about the views of Swami Vivekananda, like on character, he says uh uh we want that education by which character is formed, the strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one's own feet. Then on another occasion, he says on self-realization, "Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal." And in the same way, he says on practical education, "If the poor boy cannot come to education, education must go to him." Then on faith, he says, "Faith in ourselves and faith in God, that is the secret of greatness."

[00:21:52]So, according to Swami Vivekananda, the aim of education should be character formation, truthfulness, purity, courage, and self-control. Then man-making education, building strong minds, cultivating leadership, services, and moral strength, creating self-reliant individuals, and spiritual awakening is another important aim of education.

[00:22:14]Must awaken the inner divinity and the spiritual realization. Then self-confidence and self-realization is another aim. Self-faith is essential.

[00:22:23]Self-faith is essential on the part of the students, and then social welfare and services, they alone live who live for others. Then nature and process of education to him. Education as a spiritual process, education as development.

[00:22:39]These two are the core of his principles of education. Then regarding the curriculum, Swami Vivekananda talks about that curriculum should be balanced of Western and Indian knowledge system.

[00:22:51]It should be reflected in the curriculum in a balanced curriculum, and modern subjects like science, mathematics, technology should be the part of curriculum, and spiritual knowledge of Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, and ethics.

[00:23:03]Language should be both mother tongue and English. That's why he's also called the father of modern Indian consciousness. Moral and physical training, yoga, meditation, discipline. He said, "We need the energy of the West and the spirituality of the East." So, his wonderful quotation is also on your screen. All power is within you. You can do anything and everything.

[00:23:26]So, again regarding methodology or the teaching methods or the pedagogy, he says that inspiration-based learning should be there, practical and experiential learning, not the rote learning, self-learning, and inquiry, and he he emphasizes the encouraging the encouragement to the students for discussion, for questioning, and freedom of thought. So, anything that makes you weak, Swamiji says, "Anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject it as poison." So, he was his his thoughts are very vibrant, and they will they will instill in you just a vibration of energy all of a sudden. So, that's the personality of Swamiji.

[00:24:13]So, role of the teacher, Swami Vivekananda held the teacher in the highest regard.

[00:24:18]Guru as a living example. Teacher should be a role model, pure in heart, high in thought. Teacher must inspire and guide, not just instruct. Emphasis on love, care, discipline, and respect between the teacher and the student. The only true teacher is he who can immediately come down to the level of the student and transfer his soul to the student's soul.

[00:24:41]Teaching is not profession, but a mission. And teacher must awaken shraddha, deep faith, and respect in the learner. So, regarding the concept of a student and learning, Swami Vivekananda envisioned an ideal student as one who is physically strong, morally upright, intellectually awakened, and is spiritually inclined. He also believed that the purpose of a student life is self-development, not just for personal success, but for national uplift and service to humanity. And again, he establishes an ideal student must be fearless in thought and action. And he should be ready to face difficulties with courage and confidence. He again believed that fear is the greatest obstacle to learning and living. So, he also suggests some traits in the light of the Vedanta philosophy. He says that faith in oneself should be the integral part of the personality of teacher personality of a students. The strength both on physical and mental aspects, discipline and self-control, and then pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. So, these four are the fundamental traits of a student. Some more traits what he suggest. So, in detail, these are these traits are available on your screen also. Then you may pause it, and you may go through one by one. Then some other traits, character and moral integrity, then the spirit of service and compassion, and determination and preservation. So, some other traits would also include purity and simplicity, nationalistic spirit and pride in Indian heritage, and then balanced personality, body, mind, and soul. Physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual strength is very much required for the perfect personality of a student. And more important is that a student should be aware of India's spiritual heritage, culture, and moral values. They must carry a sense of responsibility towards the nation. A student should live a simple life, avoiding luxury, idleness, and distractions. So, these are all the ideal forms of the studentship what he suggested in the light of Upanishads, in the light of the simple living and high thinking of the Vedanta philosophy.

[00:26:54]And he was very much interested in yoga, and he was of the view that a students should make it the integral part of their daily routine to perform yoga, as well as at least for few minutes, you should go through as a student the reading of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. So, meaning of yoga for him, union of the individual self, that is jivatma, with the supreme self, paramatma. Swami Vivekananda suggested yoga as a practical science for self-discipline, mental control, and spiritual development. He suggests the four types of yoga, Raja Yoga, the yoga of concentration and meditation, and Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion and love for God, and the Karma Yoga, the yoga of selfless action, and Jnana Yoga, the yoga of knowledge and wisdom. So, these have uh these yogas have the practical implications in the life of the students, and Swami Vivekananda emphasized a balanced practical practice of all four yogas for a complete development of human personality.

[00:28:02]Then he also emphasized the importance of Bhagavad Gita for the students. The Gita is a manual for the life and self-mastery. It teaches how to live with discipline, detachment, and duty.

[00:28:14]It promotes strength and fearlessness.

[00:28:17]The gist of the Gita is to be fearless.

[00:28:20]It explains Karma Yoga, selfless action.

[00:28:23]A students learn to work sincerely without selfish motives.

[00:28:27]It strengthens self-confidence and moral clarity. Builds inner courage, decision-making power, and mental balance. The Bhagavad Gita harmonizes knowledge, actions, and devotions.

[00:28:40]And it offers a complete path for students to grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. Swami Vivekananda urged the youth to read the Gita daily. He believed the Gita teaches how to become strong, wise, and purposeful in life. So, to conclude the this very small discussion, education is the manifestation of the perfection already in men.

[00:29:04]The aim of education is man-making and character building, according to Swamiji. And Swami Vivekananda transformed Vedanta from abstract philosophy into a dynamic principle of social and moral action. His educational vision aimed at manifesting the inherent divinity and strength within every individual. Practical Vedanta emphasized service, self-reliance, and harmony of a spiritual and material life.

[00:29:31]He linked education with nation-building, moral character, and universal brotherhood. And last is Vivekananda's philosophy of practical Vedanta, known as New Vedanta. It remains a timeless guide for holistic human and social development. So, here ends the discussion. Some suggested readings on your screen, you may go through it.

[00:29:54]And I'm just winding up with these beautiful words of Mark Twain.

[00:29:59]Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection. Thank you very much.

[00:30:05]See you in the next lecture. God bless you.

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