5

Who (or what) was Swami Vivekananda in his previous births?

This answer to Why don't we remember our past lives? says:

Swami Vivekananda said he remembered all his past lives. Patanjali says in the Yoga Aphorisms that a man who attains samadhi is able to know all his past lives.

If Vivekananda wrote at length on several topics, why was he silent about his past lives?

What's the harm in writing about ones previous births?

Say No To Censorship
  • 30,811
  • 17
  • 131
  • 257
  • 2
    Because there is no point dwelling on past lives. Present is what matters, Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is reached. – Pinakin Apr 27 '17 at 18:55
  • @ChinmaySarupria 'no point dwelling on past lives' - is that so? Ironically, Vivekananda himself lectured on the story of Jada Bharata from the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. – Say No To Censorship Apr 27 '17 at 19:01
  • Normally human life in the present life is an improvement/betterment over the previous.By reciting a certain Shloka some 10 K times you may get a power to know the past.You may be sorry to learn that you were a thief, liar etc. before, so what use is that in spiritual life during the present well conscious life? – Narasimham Apr 27 '17 at 22:49
  • What is the point or purpose of writing about previous births? The default state of attaining a siddhi is not exhibiting it. He had no need to talk about his previous birth and derail his current mission and shift the focus away from his message. –  Apr 28 '17 at 03:27
  • 3
    In the Complete Works a boyhood friend of his asks the Swami this question. He answered that he knew his past lives, but choose not to speak of them. Volume 5. – Swami Vishwananda Apr 28 '17 at 05:17
  • @SwamiVishwananda Do you remember your past births? – Say No To Censorship Apr 30 '17 at 20:40
  • @moonstar2001 "What is the point or purpose of writing about previous births?" - the same reason why Gandhi wrote 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth' (one can learn from mistakes of others). – Say No To Censorship Apr 30 '17 at 20:42
  • @sv. There is a difference between a journey of evolution and character building in one lifetime and esoteric /unprovable journies of a jeeva, –  May 01 '17 at 01:05
  • 1
    @sv. Other than satisfying an idle curiosity of your brain, what is your point? – Swami Vishwananda May 01 '17 at 04:23
  • Based on your past history, it seems obvious what you're getting at - that he is 'hiding behind desire to mask inability'. Anyways, the answer to why it is harmful depends on the audience. Yes, Jada Bharata remembered his previous lives. But did he go about talking about it to everyone, or was he 'silent' about it ? The reason why we don't have memories of previous birth, is to prevent us from dwelling on them, thus preventing progress. 'Forgive and forget' - it is very hard to forgive transgressions, but easier to forget. Advanced Yogis may be able to remember but still forgive. – ram Oct 17 '18 at 19:24
  • The question "Why was he silent" sounds opinion based and increse the chances of opinion based answers. – Pandya Oct 19 '18 at 01:48
  • @Pandya The full question is "If Vivekananda wrote at length on several topics, why was he silent about his past lives?" -- it's both a question and an argument and is no different from: 'Why was Krishna silent on Balarama's killing of Rukmi?' which is a perfectly valid question on this site. It's asking for opinions/justifications using proper sources. 'increase the chances of opinion based answers' - this needs to be handled by voting/flagging/deleting. – Say No To Censorship Oct 19 '18 at 16:08
  • 1
    Although I've read most of the text in the complete Volume series, I am not going to cite much about what Vivekananda said or did. To me (yes, very subjective), people like Vivekananda for sure could not have thought in the short term.

    People of his caliber would have clearly known all the consequences of telling the world about their previous births. Even if he had revealed about it, there is no way to prove that it could be right or wrong. He might have also thought spending energy to convince people about this could be used elsewhere like Giving a lecture on Gita or abt buddha's life.

     – bragboy Oct 22 '18 at 11:23

1 Answers1

2

The Life of Swami Vivekananda by his Eastern and Western disciples - Vol 1

pag 46 of book (57 on pdf), final of 1st paragraph

Thus he went on amid sobs. The next moment he stood before me with folded hands and began to address me, ‘Lord, I know you are that ancient sage, Nara—the Incarnation of Narayana—born on earth to remove the miseries of mankind,' and so on!

So, Sri Ramakrishna recognize him as Nara in his previous life (from Nara-Narayana twins), you can read about them on this question from Keshav Srinivasan on this forum

After that (Swamiji being Nara himself), you can keep tracking some lives

About why was he silent about his past lives? I don't know, it will be a conjecture. Some gurus say is not good to speak about one own spiritual progress, but I have not quotation, I'm pretty sure Rakhal (Swami Brahmananda) say something like this in a book titled "The eternal companion" but I can't find it now.

I believe his sayings was about some experience he attain as a boy, and his own mother tell him not to speak about that because he can "diluted" it and finally loose it, and Sri Ramakrishna confirming that. But not quotation for now.

Just_Do_It
  • 8,896
  • 1
  • 17
  • 57
Indra
  • 1,005
  • 6
  • 13
  • 3
    Means Arjuna reincarnated as Swami Vivekananda? – ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Feb 10 '18 at 04:14
  • @Rajas. Yes but many monks in RKM have also seen Swamiji as Shiva. They are also many who believe He was one of the Saptarishis. –  Feb 10 '18 at 15:01
  • 2
    @SuryaKantaBoseChowdhury in same link share up but now on page 50 (61 on pdf) 3rd paragraph, Sri Ramakrishna tells how Swamiji is one of 7 sages. And (later I can search the text, but in Romain Rolland's The Life of Ramakrishna, Mathur Babu look at Ramakrishna transfigured into Shiva, and Kali, and other Devas – Indra Feb 10 '18 at 16:36
  • @Rajas. yes, that's the meaning. And also there is a quotation I have to search later, of Sri Ramakrishna saying to Swamiji, he himself (Sri Ramakrishna) is avatar. Imagine why Swamiji choose not to speak about his previuos lives ;) – Indra Feb 10 '18 at 16:38
  • @Indra Also, His father had a vision in Gaya of Sri Ram who said He would incarnate as his son. –  Feb 10 '18 at 16:54
  • 1
    @SuryaKantaBoseChowdhury yes, good point. So, as Rama is another incarnation of same krishna,vishnu,narayana rishi, Sri Ramakrishna should be Narayana, and according to post, Swamiji Nara, which is actually the believe. Om Sri Ramakrishnaya Namaha!! – Indra Feb 10 '18 at 17:09