Vivekananda (1863-1902)

Ramakrishna was a much revered Bengalese holy man. A priest in the Dakshinaswar temple of Kali, he practiced intense devotion to God through many faiths. Ramakrishna was known to enter frequent blissful states of communion with God and attracted a large following of devotees. A devotee of Shakti, a feminine form of deity, his teaching was based in Vedanta, a classical Hindu school of thought cented on the recognition of the true self (atman) with Brahman, a conception of God as the highest state of reality, consciousness and existence. One of his devotees was Vivekananda, a young monk (swami). Attending the Parliment of Religions in Chicago unannounced in 1893, Vivekananda impressed those present with his brilliant elucidation of Vedantic thought.Vivekananda traveled the world and founded the Vedanta Society, an international organization promulgating Ramakrishna's and Vivekananda's teachings.