Swami Vivekananda (The Master Builder of Our Nation)

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AS A COLLEGE STUDENT

At college, as in school, Naren was in the forefront and had many distinctions to his credit. He was an ardent student of history and literature. Originally, he was prejudiced against English, but later overcome it and became a master in the use of this language. Logic and philosophy were his favourite subjects. He acquainted himself with the science of modern medicine. Among the English poets, Wordsworth, appealed to him most. He was very proficient in making toy machines and engines and had a high mechanical skill. His natural inborn nobility and integrity of character marked him out from his college mates. Though he was highly conscious of his intelligence and brilliance, he was humble and modest. He could instinctively sense bad people and scrupulously avoided their company. He was never inclined to untruth of any kind. His thirst for knowledge was phenomenal. Mere learning without deeper realisation, he found insipid. His principal, Mr. Hastie, is reported to have said, "Naren is really a genius and he would make his mark in life". He had extra-ordinary intelligence, out of proportion to his physical age.

 

Once he lost two years of schooling as he had to be out of Calcutta with his father, but on return he mastered those two years' lessons in one year and thus made up for the time lost. When he appeared for the entrance examination, he passed in the first division with all his other co-pupils lagging far behind. His father was highly pleased at this and presented him with a watch.

 

EXTRAORDINARY ABILITIES

He had certain extraordinary talents. Once on the eve of an examination, he mastered four books of geometry within 24 hours. At another time, he mastered the contents of the big history book prescribed for B.A. examination in just three days while other students were battling for months to assimilate the same. His parents and relatives, friends and teachers, recognised his great intellectual power. They even thought of sending him up for the I.C.S. examination, which was the highest ambition of youth in those days.

 

IN SEARCH OF TRUTH

Though Naren studied many books at great speed and acquired a vast store of information he was not satisfied with mere book knowledge. His quest was directed elsewhere. He was restless in his heart for which no book had a remedy. He became a member of the Brahmo-Samaj, the Hindu Reformist Organisation founded by Raja Ram Mohan Rou and nursed by Maharishi Devendranath Tagore. Not satisfied with all the theories and beliefs he had read and accumulated, he desired to come face to face with reality. This thirst to experience 'Reality' dominated his life. It could not be quenched through the knowledge he acquired from the Brahmo-Samaj. Like a lotus pining for the first rays of the morning sun, Naren too, with his unquenching thirst for the realisation of the ultimate truth, appeared to be waiting for the grace of a true master.

 

Once it so happened that Mr. Hastie, the Principal of the Presidency College was teaching English poetry to Narendra's class. The topic under discussion was Wordsworth's famous poem, "Excursion". In the poem the poet speaks at length about blissful trance. Mr. Hastie, while explaining the meaning of the word "trance", cited the living example of Sri Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar temple as that of a person very frequently experiencing trance and added that his students could go and see him themselves. This roused an interest in Narendra.

 

THIRST FOR DIVINE

Narendra was already eager to meet a man who has had direct experience of the highest kind. In his very first meeting, he asked Sri Ramakrishna point blank whether he had seen God, as it, was his habit of putting this question to every great man he met. So far none could give him a positive reply of having seen God. But on this occasion, for the first time, he received an answer in the affirmative. Sri Ramakrishna told him that he saw God as clearly as he saw him. He further added that anyone could see and talk to Him but people worrying over useless things in life hardly ever took the trouble to see God. This made a deep impression on Naren. He was enchanted by the man who asserted to have seen God.

 

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