An incident from Swami Vivekananda’s life that reveals his unshakeable faith in India’s destiny and his foresight about the revival of Indian spirituality.
Days of Wandering
During his Parivrājaka (wandering monk) days – before leaving for the West – Swami Vivekananda was deeply contemplating India’s future.
The Despair and the Question
As he traveled across the country, he witnessed severe poverty, social stagnation, and religious hypocrisy. He felt deep anguish over the condition of his Motherland — a nation with such profound spiritual heritage, yet weakened and suffering.
In those moments of despair, one question haunted him:
“Can India ever rise again? Has her ancient spiritual power completely vanished?”
The Vision
One evening, while resting, he had a powerful vision of the Goddess Durgā — the Divine Mother and symbol of India herself.
In that vision, the Goddess appeared serene but asleep upon her cosmic lion. Her immense power was dormant – not lost, merely resting.
In that instant, Vivekananda understood:
India is like the sleeping Goddess — her divine strength is not gone, only waiting to be awakened.
The Prophecy and the Vow
The experience filled him with renewed conviction. He realized that the task of his generation was not to invent new truths, but to awaken the sleeping Divinity already present in every Indian heart and in the collective soul of the nation.
He resolved:
“India will be great again — not by imitating the materialism of the West, but by sending forth her spiritual power to uplift the world.
Our ancient Mother is only sleeping; we must wake her up!”
The Teaching: Awakening the Dormant Divine
This vision became the seed of his life’s mission — to rekindle faith in the Self and inspire selfless service.
He taught that:
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Destiny is Spiritual: India’s strength lies in her timeless spiritual ideals, not merely in material or political power.
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Power is Internal: The force for national renewal comes not from outside aid but from awakening the immense, dormant energy of the Ātman — the Divine within.
Source: The Life of Swami Vivekananda by His Eastern and Western Disciples and Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda
Vedik Mind 