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''My Master'' is an English book combined from two lectures delivered by
Next, Vivekananda started discussing the life of Ramakrishna from the beginning (i.e. birth of Ramakrishna in Kamarpukur in 1836). Though he presented every biographical detail in correct order, his main attempt was to draw a sketch of Ramakrishna's religious life and to show how Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (pre-monastic name of Ramakrishna) became Ramakrishna, a person venerated by thousands of Indians as an incarnation of God.
Vivekananda divided the life of Ramakrishna in two parts. He told, Ramakrishna spent the first part of his life in acquiring spiritual knowledge and the second part of his life, the remaining years, in distributing it for the welfare of the people.
Vivekananda discussed on different aspects of Ramakrishna's character. He told, in the presence of Ramakrishna, he discovered a man could be perfect, even in a human body. He told the lips of Ramakrishna never cursed or criticized anyone, nor his eyes saw any evil. The mind of Ramakrishna never thought of any evil, too. Vivekananda talked about the tremendous purity and renunciation Ramakrishna had and told that is the only secret of spirituality. It was Vivekananda's conclusion that Ramakrishna was the embodiment of spirituality.
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...
in New York
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* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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* '' ...
and England, published in 1901.
In the lecture Vivekananda clearly told, if there was even a single word of truth, a single word of spirituality in his lectures he owed it to his Master — Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...
, only the mistakes were his own.
Background
Vivekananda went to the West for the second time in 1899. At this time his health was declining and ailments such as asthma, diabetes and chronic insomnia restricted his activities. During this visit, Vivekananda gave few remarkable lectures in America and England. In these lectures Vivekananda covered a wide range of subjects from Indian history, Hindu mythological characters to human mind. The book ''My Master'' was compiled from two lectures delivered by Vivekananda in New York and England in 1901.Synopsis
In the lectures (therefore in the book) Vivekananda discussed Ramakrishna's biography. But, Vivekananda was well aware that his listeners were those Western people who had detailed idea on neither Ramakrishna nor India's religious and spiritual history and inheritance. That's why before entering the main topic of discussion, i.e. the life of Ramakrishna, he narrated the religious lives and religious ideals of India in details. He tried to show how the lives of Westerners and Indians were different, under which circumstances the reform movement began in Indian religions and Ramakrishna was born.
Next, Vivekananda started discussing the life of Ramakrishna from the beginning (i.e. birth of Ramakrishna in Kamarpukur in 1836). Though he presented every biographical detail in correct order, his main attempt was to draw a sketch of Ramakrishna's religious life and to show how Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (pre-monastic name of Ramakrishna) became Ramakrishna, a person venerated by thousands of Indians as an incarnation of God.
Vivekananda divided the life of Ramakrishna in two parts. He told, Ramakrishna spent the first part of his life in acquiring spiritual knowledge and the second part of his life, the remaining years, in distributing it for the welfare of the people.
Vivekananda discussed on different aspects of Ramakrishna's character. He told, in the presence of Ramakrishna, he discovered a man could be perfect, even in a human body. He told the lips of Ramakrishna never cursed or criticized anyone, nor his eyes saw any evil. The mind of Ramakrishna never thought of any evil, too. Vivekananda talked about the tremendous purity and renunciation Ramakrishna had and told that is the only secret of spirituality. It was Vivekananda's conclusion that Ramakrishna was the embodiment of spirituality.
Publication
The book first published in 1901 in New York by The Baker and Taylor Company. The book contained an appended extract from a writing by Protap Chunder Mozoomdar, published in ''Theistic Quarterly Review'' in October 1979.Importance
Vivekananda was against coloring the life and activities of Ramakrishna. ''My Master'' is the only book where Vivekananda told something about his master Ramakrishna.References
Citations
Sources
* {{Swami Vivekananda 1901 non-fiction books English-language books Works by Swami Vivekananda Classic yoga books Books of lectures