Swami Vivekananda's Childhood Memories:

Swami Vivekananda Said: My father and mother fasted and prayed, for years and years, so that i would be born.


I know that before i was born, my mother would fast and pray and do hundreds of things which i could not even do for five minutes. She did that for two years. I believe that whatever religious culture i have, i owe to that. It was consciously that my mother brought me into the world to be what i am. Whatever good impulse i have was given to me by my mother-and consciously, not unconsciously.

Bhuvaneshwari Devi (Mother of Swami Vivekananda)




The love which my mother gave to me has made me what i am, and i owe a debt to her that i can never repay.


How many times i have seen my mother going to take her first meal when it was two o'clock. We took ours at ten and she at two because she had so many things to attend to. [for example],someone knocks at the door and says,"Guest", and there is no food except what was for my mother. She would give that to him willingly and then wait for her own. That was her life and she liked it. And that is why we worship mothers as gods.


I have such a memory. When i was only two years old, i used to play with my myce at being Vairagi, clothed in ashes and Kaupina. And if a Sadhu came to beg, they would lock me in,upstairs,to prevent my giving too much away. I felt that i also was this ,and that for some mischief i had had to be sent away from shiva. No doubt my family increased this feeling,for when i was naughty they would say"Dear,dear!so many austerities, yet Shiva sent us this demon after all, instead of a good soul!" Or when i was very rebellious they would empty a can of water over me, saying"Shiva! Shiva!" And then i was all right,always. Even now, when i feel mischievous, that word keeps me straight.


When i was a little boy at school, i had a fight with another schoolfellow about some sweetmeats, and he being the stronger boy snatched them from my hand. I remember the feeling i had; I thought that boy was the most wicked boy ever born, and that as soon as i grew strong enough i would punish him; there was no punishment sufficient for his wickedness. We have both grown up now, and we are fast friends. This world is full of babies to whom eating and drinking,and all these little cakes are everything. They will dream of these cakes,and their idea of future life is where these cakes will be plentiful.


When[my teacher] came to our house, i brought my English and Bengali books to him, and showing the particular books and the portions in them that were to be learnt as lessons for the day, i laid myself down or sat quietly. The teacher repeated twice or thrice the spelling, pronunciation, meaning etc, of the words of those portions of those books, as if he was himself learning the lesson, and went away. That was sufficient for me to learn them.


Even while i was a student at calcutta, I was of a religious temperament. I was critical even at that time of my life, mere words would not satisfy me.