Swami Vivekananda prays to maa Kali

Story

We know Swami Vivekananda for his wisdom and courage. He spread the knowledge of Hindu philosophy far and wide with his enthusiasm and hard work, earning praise not only in India but also from people all over the world.

However, many of us may not know that he faced disappointment in life and had gone through various hardships.

Let us tell you about one such incident from Swami Vivekananda's life. Swami Vivekananda's birth name was Narendra Nath Datta. His parents lovingly called him Narendra.

When Narendra was 21 years old, his family fell into a severe financial crisis due to a shortage of money. Friends and relatives did not help Narendra's family during this difficult time.

All the responsibilities of the household fell on Narendra. At that time, Narendra was a student, and he searched for a job everywhere but couldn't find one.

He shared all these concerns with his guru, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. His guru asked him to pray to Goddess Kali for wealth so that his family's situation could improve.

Although Swami Vivekananda did not believe in Goddess Kali, he agreed to follow his guru's advice.

On September 16, 1884, Vivekananda went to pray at the Kali temple in Dakshineshwar. He paid his respects to the idol of Kali and prayed to her for knowledge and devotion.

He completely forgot that he was supposed to pray to maa Kali for wealth. His guru was waiting for him outside the temple.

When Vivekananda came out after praying, his guru asked him, "Did you pray to Kali to improve your family's situation?" Vivekananda then told his guru that he had forgotten to pray for wealth.

His guru sent Vivekananda to pray to Mother Kali again. Vivekananda went to the temple again and prayed to Kali for true knowledge. Once again, he forgot the real reason for his prayer.

Upon seeing this, his guru sent him to the temple for the third time to pray to Mother Kali.

Vivekananda went to the temple for the third time. He tried to ask Kali for wealth, but he felt very small doing so. The eternal and endless power of Mother Kali, from whom the whole world is derived, was being asked for small and perishable things like wealth and material comforts.

With this realization, he came out of the temple without asking for anything. His guru was very pleased to see that his disciple had placed knowledge and devotion above everything else.

After this incident, Swami Vivekananda became a true devotee of Mother Kali.