Famous Spech From History - Essay Example

Instead of the formal ‘Ladies and Gentlemen,’ the way he addressed the audience itself was highly stimulating. ‘Sisters and Brothers of America,’ he exposed the broad Vedantic concept of human brotherhood to the audience of seven thousand people and received a standing ovation that lasted for three minutes. Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest religious reformers of India was born in Calcutta in 1863. His family name was Narendranath Datta. He was the son of a distinguished lawyer and his mother was a religious lady.

Since his childhood he displayed extraordinary intelligence in his studies and other activities. At the age of 15 he experienced a spiritual elation and began to seek the Divine truth. Yet he was always unconvinced of traditional religious practices and longed for acquiring more spiritual insights. In 1881 he met the well known Hindu saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and that was in fact the turning point in his life. Ramakrishna identified the unusual personality and invited him to join his mission.

Later in 1885, when Ramakrishna died he became the leader of the Ramakrishna Order. He proclaimed peace and human brotherhood not only in India but also in many of the European countries and in the United States. He worked hard for the spiritual uniqueness of Indian culture. Besides his spiritual mission he worked as a social reformer who stood against the caste discrimination, and for the eradication of poverty and illiteracy from India. Many of the political leaders, thinkers and philosophers were highly influenced by his doctrines.

His fame brought him the opportunity to represent India in the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. It was indeed a major breakthrough for the acceptance of his doctrines in America and in many other countries all over the world. As mentioned earlier, he addressed the Americans as his ‘brothers and