swami-vivekanand

Swami Vivekananda was an Indian mystic. He was born Narendra Nath Datta on 12 January 1863 in Kolkata, the son of a wealthy Bengali family. As an accomplished lawyer, Vishwanath Datta instilled a strong sense of moral character and a strong sense of devotion in him, and his mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, instilled a strong sense of devotion in him as well. Narendra was a gifted young man who excelled in a variety of pursuits, including music, gymnastics, and academics. He was well-versed in Western philosophy and history by the time he graduated from Calcutta University in India. Because of his yogic upbringing, he has been involved with the Brahmo Movement for a period of time.

Ramakrishna’s teachings

Narendra was confronted with questions about the existence of God as he was entering his adolescence. In college, he was introduced to Sri Ramakrishna by an English professor. Narendra visited Sri Ramakrishna in Dakshineshwar’s Kali Temple one day in November 1881. “Sir, have you ever seen God?” he asked the Master, a question he had previously asked several others but had never received an answer to. Sri Ramakrishna immediately replied, “Yes, I have.” Only in a much more intense way can he be seen by me than you can be seen by me,”

The pure, unselfish love of Sri Ramakrishna swayed Narendra, removing any lingering doubts in his mind. The relationship between a guru and a disciple is one of the rarest in the history of spiritual teachers. Now Narendra came to Dakshineshwar on a regular basis, and under the Master’s guidance, made rapid progress on the spiritual path. Narendra also made friends with a group of young devotees of Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineshwar, and they all became close.

Awkward Circumstances in life of Swami Vivekananda

Several years later, Narendra was greatly disturbed by two events. In 1884, he experienced the untimely death of his father. He had to shoulder the burden of supporting his mother, brothers and sisters after the family’s finances were decimated by the loss of their jobs. Sri Ramakrishna was diagnosed with throat cancer in the second incident. After moving to Shyampukur in September 1885, Sri Ramakrishna moved to a rented villa in Cossipore in December of the same year. In these two locations, the Master’s young disciples took great care of him. Narendra joined the group despite his family’s poverty and his inability to find a job.

Monastic Brotherhood Origins

Sri Ramakrishna taught these young men the virtues of renunciation and brotherly love. They were all given ochre garments and sent out to beg for food one day. A new monastic order was founded by him in this way. Narendra received detailed instructions from him on how to start a new monastic order. Sri Ramakrishna passed away in the early hours of August 16, 1886.

Fifteen of the Master’s students began to live together in a decaying building at Baranagar, North Kolkata, after his death. They formed a new monastic brotherhood under the leadership of Narendra, and in 1887 they took the formal vows of sannyasa, thereby changing their names.

Awareness of the Purpose of Life

Vivekananda’s inner voice called him to a greater mission after he established a new monastic order. Unlike the majority of Sri Ramakrishna’s disciples, Vivekananda saw the Master in terms of India and the world at large, rather than just their own lives. What was Sri Ramakrishna’s message to the modern world, and to India in particular, as a prophet of the present era? Swamiji was inspired by this question and the realisation that he had inherent powers to go out into the world on his own. As a result, Swamiji left Baranagar Math in 1890 after receiving the blessings of Sri Sarada Devi, the divine consort of Sri Ramakrishna, who was then staying in Kolkata.

Experiencing the Real India by Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was deeply moved by the appalling poverty and backwardness of the people he encountered on his travels throughout India. He was the first religious leader to understand and openly declare that neglect of the masses was the real cause of India’s decline. Millions of hungry people needed basic necessities like food and water. With the help of better farming and village industries, they can learn new ways of life. When Vivekananda looked at the problem of poverty in India, he realised that the downtrodden masses had lost faith in their ability to improve their situation because of centuries of oppression. They needed to believe in themselves first and foremost. The message had to be inspiring and life-giving. In Vedanta, the ancient Indian religious philosophy, Swamiji found this message in the concept of the Atman, the soul’s potential divinity. Vedanta’s life-giving, ennobling principles and how to apply them in practical life had never been taught to the masses despite their poverty, he observed.

As a result, the masses needed both secular and spiritual knowledge in order to improve their economic situation and strengthen their moral compass. Next, the question was, how do we get the word out about these two types of knowledge? Swamiji found the answer to his question through education.

Need to start an organization by Swami Vivekananda

It became clear to Swamiji that an efficient organisation of dedicated people was required to carry out his plans for education and the uplift of the poor masses and also of women. His stated goal was to “set in motion a machinery which will bring the noblest ideas to the doorstep of even the poorest and the meanest,” as he stated later on. Swamiji founded the Ramakrishna Mission a few years later to serve as this “machinery.”

Plan to attend the Parliament of Religions

Vivekananda first heard about the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions while on his travels, when he was forming these ideas in his mind. People in India wanted him to attend the Parliament. For the same reason, he decided to travel to the United States in order to spread his Master’s message around the world in the House of Representatives. One of the reasons Swamiji departed from India for the United States was to seek financial assistance for his mission to uplift the masses.

Swamiji, on the other hand, aspired to a firm sense of purpose and divine guidance in his mission. Kanyakumari’s rock island provided him with both of these while he sat in deep meditation. As a result of funds raised by his disciples in Chennai and given to him by the Raja of Khetri, Vivekananda departed Mumbai on May 31, 1893.

Swami Vivekanand
Swami Vivekanand at the Parliament of Religions
The participation in the Parliament of Religions

On Sept. 18, 1893, he became known as a “orator by divine right” and “Messenger of Indian wisdom to the Western world” for his speeches at a World’s Parliament of Religions. He spent nearly three and a half years after the Parliament promoting Sri Ramakrishna’s Vedanta in the eastern United States and London.

Educating His People

January 1897 saw him return to India. In response to the warm reception he received all over India, he gave a series of lectures in various parts of the country that caused quite a stir. He hoped to accomplish the following through these uplifting and profoundly meaningful speeches by Swamiji:

  • Awaken the people’s religious sensitivity and inspire pride in their cultural heritage
  • Unify Hinduism by pointing out the commonalities between its various sects
  • Expound on his plan for the uplift of the masses based on the principles of practical vedanta
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The Ramakrishna Mission was established

After returning to Kolkata, Swami Vivekananda completed another important part of his mission on this planet. As a result of this, he founded the Ramakrishna Mission on May 1, 1897, which was a unique type of organisation in which monks and lay people would work together to spread the teachings of Practical Vedanta and carry out various forms of social service, including running hospitals and schools as well as establishing rural development centres and assisting the victims of natural disasters.

Belur Math

When Swami Vivekananda purchased a large plot of land in Belur, on the western bank of the Ganga, in early 1898, he did so to establish an official home for the monastery and order he had started in Baranagar. The property was registered as Ramakrishna Math after a few years. An entirely new model for monastic life was created here by Swamiji, which combines the best of traditional monastic ideals with the realities of today’s world, ensuring that it is accessible to all men regardless of their religion, race or caste.

The Swami Vivekananda temple at Belur Math
The Swami Vivekananda temple at Belur Math
Disciples of Swami Vivekananda

It should be mentioned here that Swami Vivekananda’s life and message had a profound impact on many people in the West. He had a number of followers, some of whom became disciples or close friends. They include Margaret Noble, Captain and Mrs. Sevier, Josephine McDowell, and Sara Ole Bull, who later became known as Sister Nivedita. Educating girls in Kolkata was Nivedita’s entire life’s work. Others in India who were influenced by Swamiji were also disciples of Ramakrishna Math.

Death of Swami Vivekananda

He made a second trip to the West in June of that year. He spent most of his time on the West Coast of the United States this time around. In December 1900, he returned to Belur Math after delivering numerous lectures. He spent the rest of his life in India, inspiring and guiding both monks and non-monks, both of whom he helped. Swamiji’s deteriorating health was made worse by his nonstop activities, particularly lectures and inspiring others. On the night of July 4, 1902, his health deteriorated and he passed away peacefully.

Contributions to world culture by Swami Vivekananda

Vivekananda’s contributions to world culture were assessed objectively by British historian A.L. Basham, who stated that “in centuries to come, he will be remembered as a key figure in shaping modern society.”

As one of the most significant contributions to the modern world, Swami Vivekananda’s interpretation of religion as an experience of transcendent Reality shared by all humanity is one of his most important contributions today. Swamiji showed that religion is as scientific as science itself; religion is the’science of consciousness.’ He met the challenge of modern science. As a result, religion and science do not conflict with each other, but rather complement each other.

As a result of this universal conception, religion is freed from the shackles of superstitions, dogmatism, priestcraft, or intolerance, and becomes the highest and noblest pursuit—the pursuit of freedom, knowledge, and happiness.

One of the most important aspects of Vivekananda’s teachings is his belief in the potential divinity of the human soul. Currently, we live in an age of humanism, the idea that everything we do and think about should be centred around the human being. As a result of advances in science and technology, human society has become a ‘global village,’ with all people living in close proximity. There has also been an enormous increase in the number of broken homes, immorality, violence, crime, etc. in today’s society as a result of this degradation of man. Because of Vivekananda’s idea of the soul’s potential divinity, this degradation can be avoided, human relationships can be elevated to a higher plane, and life can be considered meaningful and worthwhile. For decades, Swamiji has laid the groundwork for “spiritual humanism,” which is manifesting itself in various neo-humanistic movements as well as a worldwide interest in meditation and Zen.

Individual and social morality is largely based on a fear-based approach: fear of the police, public ridicule, God’s punishment, Karma, etc. A person’s morality and good deeds are not explained by current ethics theories. Based on the intrinsic purity and oneness of the Atman, Vivekananda’s ethics and morality are a revolution. Purity is our true nature, our divine Self or Atman, and we should strive to live in accordance with it. Because we are all one in the Supreme Spirit, known as Paramatman or Brahman, we should treat each other with respect and compassion.

Creating a link between Indian and Western cultures was another one of Swami Vivekananda’s many accomplishments. As a result of this, he was able to communicate with Westerners about Hinduism in a way that they could understand. It was through his writings that Westerners were made aware of the importance of Indian spirituality. Because of her poverty and backwardness, India had much to offer the world’s culture, he argued. By bringing India’s cultural isolation to an end, he was instrumental in bringing India’s cultural isolation to an end. When he arrived in Europe, he was India’s cultural ambassador.

When it comes to Western culture, Swamiji was able to open the minds of Indians by interpreting Hindu scriptures, philosophy and institutions in such a way that Indians could learn to accept and apply two of the best aspects of it, science and technology and humanism. While teaching Indians how to master Western science and technology, Swamiji has helped the Indians develop their spirituality. Swamiji has also taught Indians how to adapt Western humanism (especially the ideas of individual freedom, social equality and justice, and respect for women) to the Indian ethos.

In India, Swami Vivekananda made a significant impact

As a result of her many linguistic and cultural differences, India has always maintained its strong sense of cultural unity since time immemorial. Nevertheless, it was Swami Vivekananda who uncovered the culture’s true foundations, strengthening the nation’s sense of oneness in the process.

To the Indian people, Swamiji gave them an appreciation for their country’s spiritual heritage, which in turn bolstered pride in their history. As a further point of emphasis, he made clear to Indians that Western culture has its limitations and that India’s contribution is needed to overcome these limitations. India became a global power because of Swamiji’s efforts.

Swami Vivekanand with followers

It was the nationalist movement in India’s sense of unity, pride in the past, and a sense of mission that gave it real heft. Several of India’s most prominent freedom fighters have expressed their gratitude to Swamiji. Vivekananda was a modern thinker with roots in the past who served as a link between India’s ancient past and its present, according to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Depressed and demoralised, he came to give hope and a sense of identity back to the depressed Hindu mind. This quote by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose sums it up perfectly: “Swamiji harmonised the East and West, religion and science, past and present. That’s why he’s so impressive. With the help of his teachings our people have gained an unprecedented sense of pride and confidence in their own abilities,” he said.

Swamiji’s most important contribution to the creation of a new India was to open the minds of Indians to their responsibility to the underprivileged. Prior to Karl Marx’s ideas becoming popular in India, Swamiji argued that India’s wealth could only be produced by the country’s labourers. In India, Swamiji was the first religious leader to speak for the masses, formulate a definite philosophy of service, and organise large-scale social service.

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Swami Vivekananda’s Influence on Hinduism

When it comes to Hinduism’s overall identity, Swami Vivekananda was the man to thank. It was a loose confederation of many different sects before Swamiji arrived. He was the first religious leader to speak about the common foundations of Hinduism and the common ground of all sects of the religion. Sri Ramakrishna was the first person to accept all Hindu doctrines and the views of all Hindu philosophers and sects as different aspects of one total view of Reality and life known as Hinduism.

Previously, there had been a lot of fighting and competition among the different Hindu sects. Similarly, proponents of various philosophical systems and schools asserted that their positions were the only ones that were correct. On the basis of unity in diversity, Swamiji brought about an overall unification of Hinduism by applying Sri Ramakrishna’s doctrine of Harmony (Samanvaya).

Swamiji’s defence of Hinduism was another important service he provided. Although it wasn’t his only job, it was one of the most common. Westerners had a poor understanding of Hinduism and India because of Christian missionary propaganda. In his efforts to defend Hinduism, Swamiji encountered a lot of opposition.

To meet these challenges, India and Hinduism both had to contend with the Western world’s materialistic way of life, the ideas of a free society, and Christian proselytising. By integrating the best of Western culture into Hindu culture, Vivekananda overcame these difficulties.

Indian monasticism was revived and modernised by Vivekananda, who was an important figure in Hinduism at the time. The Ramakrishna Order adheres to a new monastic ideal that combines the ancient principles of renunciation and God realisation with service to God in man (Shiva jnane jiva seva). Vivekananda elevated social service to the level of a divine service.

Vivekananda did not simply translate ancient Hindu scriptures and philosophical ideas into modern terms; rather, he reconstructed them from the ground up. His own transcendental experiences and vision of the future also inspired him to add a number of new ideas.

Selections from Swami Vivekananda’s teachings
  • In a few words, my goal is to teach people how to live their lives in a way that reflects their inherent divinity.
  • To achieve perfection, one must first attain education.
  • We are looking for an education that cultivates character, strengthens the mind, expands the intellect, and enables one to stand on one’s own two feet.
  • As long as the millions are starving and illiterate, I consider every man who was educated at their expense a traitor.
  • It doesn’t matter what you imagine yourself to be. If you believe you are weak, you will be weak; if you believe you are strong, you will be strong.
  • It’s impossible to be saved if you have faith in all three hundred and thirty million of your mythological gods, but lack faith in yourself. Have faith in yourself, and then stand firm on that belief and your strength.
  • What we call sin and sorrow have all the same root cause: our inability to stand up for ourselves. There is a direct correlation between inability and ignorance, and inability and misery.
  • The more I mature, the more I see that manliness is at the root of everything. This is the new Gospel for me.
  • There are three essentials to success: patience, persistence, and love.
  • It’s more than just a beautiful theory or a beautiful doctrine; it’s a way of life, a way of being. It’s not just hearing or acknowledging; it’s the whole soul’s transformation into the belief it holds.
  • Religious faith is a way of expressing the Divinity that is already present in each of us.
  • Educate yourself and others about your true nature, and watch as the sleeping soul is awakened. Power, glory, goodness, purity, and all that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is awakened to self-consciousness.
  • Only those who live for the sake of others are truly alive; the rest are merely dead.
  • To be pure and to help others is the essence of all worship.
  • Love is the only message I preach, and the great Vedantic truth that all things are one and the same, as well as its omnipresence, is the foundation of my teachings.
Trivia about Swami Vivekananda
  • Swami Vivekananda was born into an affluent, upper-caste Hindu household. An attorney in Calcutta high court, and his mother was a housewife, were his parents. However, following the death of his father in 1884, Swami’s family was plunged into poverty. He began to doubt God’s existence when he was forced to become the family’s lone breadwinner.
  • He influenced some of the country’s most notable figures with his writings on spirituality, religion, social reform, and the fight for freedom. Numerous people, including Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru, were influenced by his teachings.
  • A professor at General Assembly’s Institution recommended that all students visit the Hindu mystic to understand the true essence of the world’s “trance,” which is how Swami Vivekananda first met his guru Ramakrishna. As a result, he travelled to Dakshineswar to see Sri Ramakrishna. He later became Ramakrishna’s chief disciple and remained with him until his passing.
  • As a child, Swami Vivekananda developed a love for music. Dhrupad maestros Beni Gupta and Ahmad Khan trained him in classical Indian music and he could play the Sitar and dholak among other instruments. His other interests included reading and sports, as well as an appreciation for music.
  • Swami Vivekananda was born Narendranath Datta, but he changed his name to Swami Vividishananda just before he arrived in Chicago in 1893 as a monk.
  • As many as 31 different ailments and illnesses plagued Swami Vivekananda over the course of his life. Some of the more common side effects include liver and kidney damage, insomnia, migraines, asthma, and type 2 diabetes. According to legend, he was able to discern and inflict severe pain on his own body, and he ignored it throughout his entire life.
  • Swami Vivekananda wanted to become a wandering monk after the death of his guru Ramakrishna. During these trips, he gained a deep understanding of the hardships faced by the common man in India’s Hindu culture.
  • As an orator, Swami Vivekananda’s unparalleled wisdom and eloquence became known to the entire world during his brief public career. However, few people are aware of the fact that he was an average student throughout his entire academic career.. He is widely believed to have scored only 47% on the university entrance exam and around 50% on his BA exams, despite being a promising student. Furthermore, he was rumoured to have terrible grammar skills in English.
  • At first, he was not well-known and often didn’t have the opportunity to spread his message. In 1893, he was invited to speak at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he represented Hinduism, and he had a profound impact. The audience was so moved by Swami Vivekananda’s speech that he became India’s spiritual ambassador in America, and his teachings spread all over the world.
  • One of Swami Vivekananda’s greatest passions was tea. It wasn’t until he introduced tea to his monastery that most Hindu pandits were opposed to it. Taxes on Belur math, his headquarters/monastery, were even raised by the Bally municipality, which claimed it was a “private garden house” where tea was served.
  • Despite having a BA, Swami Vivekananda struggled to find work as a young man, going door to door in search of openings.
  • When he was unemployed, Swami Vivekananda experienced a spiritual crisis. One of his English professors first mentioned the name ‘Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa’ to him at that time. In Dakshineshwar’s Kali temple in 1881, he met Shri Ramkrishna and was influenced by his teachings.
  • In spite of his admiration for women, Swami Vivekananda never allowed them into his monastery. He once became enraged because one of his followers let his mother in.
  • Swami Vivekananda was a voracious reader and possessed remarkable concentration power. Every day, he’d go to the library, take out a stack of books, and give them all back. This went on for a while until the librarian decided to check to see if he had actually read the books or not. Because Vivekananda answered the librarian’s question, as well as quoted several lines from a random book, he was awarded a gold medal.
  • He was supposed to die in less than 40 years, according to Swami Vivekananda, who prophesied this in his lifetime. He awoke early on July 4, 1902, and went to the chapel at Belur Math to meditate. After that, he taught his students about the Shukla-Yajur-Veda, Sanskrit grammar, and yoga philosophy before retiring to his room to meditate once more at 7 p.m. He asked to be left alone and died at 9:10 p.m. after meditating for several hours.
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Stories related to Swami Vivekananda
The Evidence of God’s Existence

Vivekananda was a very intelligent, logical, and passionate young man when he was just 19 years old. He demanded answers to all of his questions. Ramakrishna asked him, “You are talking about God all the time? ” What is the evidence? “Prove it to me!” I loved Ramakrishna because he was so down-to-earth. He was not a well-educated person. Not a scholar: He was mystic. This led him to say that he was “the proof.”

swami-vivekanand

When Vivekananda saw this, he couldn’t think of anything to say because it was insane. In his mind, “The seed sprouting and the planet spinning” was proof of God’s existence. Ramakrishna, on the other hand, said, “I am the proof God exists.” According to what Ramakrishna was saying, “the way I am proves it.” When Vivekananda ran out of things to say, he left.

Having waited three days, he returned and asked, “Okay, can you demonstrate God to me”? “Do you have the courage to see?” Ramakrishna inquired. Despite the fact that he was being tormented, the brave youngster agreed to participate. He just placed his foot on Vivekananda’s chest, and Vivekananda entered samadhi, which is beyond the limits of the mind. When he finally did emerge, he was a completely different kid than he had been before. After that, he never inquired about anything else.

The blessings of Sharada are bestowed upon Vivekananda

It’s best to avoid opening your life unless you are a devotee, because if it does, you’ll only cause yourself and everyone else harm. When it came to learning in India, a lack of devotion was never tolerated.

In Vivekananda’s life, there is a beautiful story. After Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s death, Vivekananda gathered a group of young people and set out to travel across India in an effort to help forge a new India. A friend told him about the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, which he had never heard of until that day. It was suggested that he travel there because no one was listening to him in the present. There was no one! Where are the people who are interested in hearing what this young man has to say about things that are not found in the Bible? It was directed at them, “You go and shake them there. Everyone will notice you if you shake their hands there.”

He went to Sharada, Ramakrishna’s wife, when he was about to leave for the West for the first time to bring the message of Ramakrishna to the United States.

When he arrived, she was in the middle of preparing dinner. Sharada was singing a song in her head. Singing was a common pastime for Indian women, especially when they were preparing food. Cooking was an exhilarating, time-consuming experience. They would spend at least three to four hours preparing a 20-30 minute meal, and they would always be singing. At the very least, my mother was always singing.

In response to his request to travel to the United States and spread his master’s message around the world, she did not respond at all. After a brief silence, she commanded loudly, “Naren, hand me that knife.” Vivekananda handed the knife to her in a specific manner, as if he had a ritual for doing so. That was when Sharada said, “You are free to leave, and I wish you all the best.” Why did you wait so long and first of all, why did you ask for the knife?” he asked, perplexed. You’ve completed the vegetable cutting.” “I just wanted to see what you’ll do now that the master is no longer here,” she explained. It was clear from the way you handed me the knife that you were ready to go and carry the master’s message.

What Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo Taught

It is easy to see that most masters are unable to achieve fame on their own. Because the master may not be very knowledgeable in the ways of the world, they need a good disciple to carry the message. There’s a lot of talk about Ramakrishnan Paramhansa today. Ramakrishna’s consciousness was extremely crystallised. It’s something. On the other hand, he was completely uneducated on a practical level. His life would have been over without Vivekananda’s arrival. There are a lot of flowers, but how many people notice them?

Thoughts on prayer

Kicking the football will bring you closer to God than any prayer, according to Swami Vivekananda. It’s true, because football is impossible to play without being fully committed. Involvement, not personal motivation, is the driving force behind this. You already know what you’re capable of and what you’re not, thanks to the years of training you’ve received. It’s now a matter of whether or not you’re willing to get involved.

After some time, you may be able to pray while doing other things, such as going about your daily routine. Because they’ve been doing this “telling the prayer” thing for thousands of years, the Indians have made the prayers more complicated than just verbal. As a result, they made the prayer so complicated, requiring you to remember and perform it correctly, or it’s considered sacrilege. You can’t be doing anything else while you’re praying at that level of difficulty. As a result, a football game forces you into a state of total immersion in which you are unable to do anything else. You are completely unable to do anything else because you are so engrossed in this that you have no time for anything else.

When playing soccer, you must learn to use your feet as a surgeon’s scalpel. Due to its high level of difficulty, it requires a high level of involvement because you must keep up with ten other people who want to do everything they can do with you while balancing the ball on your feet at full speed. Dodge people, take the ball, run at full speed; your feet must be as efficient as a surgeon’s scalpel because at that speed and activity, to direct the ball takes an incredible amount of skill at that speed. It necessitates a level of concentration that is almost mindless.

When you’re fully engaged in a task, you’ll notice that your mind is elsewhere. It’s a lot like that in a soccer game, because it’s all about one thing. That’s why half the world is enthralled when things get really intense. This kind of transcendence isn’t really a spiritual transcendence, but there is a certain going beyond one’s limitations that sets everyone else on fire.

Vivekananda’s View of Women

Once, a certain social reformer went to Vivekananda and asked, “It is great that you also support women, what shall I do? They need to be reformed. To me, this is something I’d like to get behind.” Afterwards, Vivekananda stated, “Hands off. Leave them alone; there’s nothing you can do about them. There is no doubt in my mind that they will carry out their duties.” All that is required is this. A man does not have to change a woman. She will do what she needs to if he just gives her space.