Summary: The Swami and Mother-Worship
By Sister Nivedita
Summary: The Swami and Mother-Worship
In this deeply personal and spiritual prose, Sister Nivedita offers a profound insight into Swami Vivekananda’s
devotion to the Divine Mother (Kali) and his philosophical journey. Although Swamiji was a staunch follower of Advaita Vedanta, believing in the formless, impersonal Brahman, he was also passionately devoted to the Mother Goddess—a devotion he had inherited from his guru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
The text highlights Swami Vivekananda’s inner struggle to reconcile the philosophical concept of a formless God with the emotional and spiritual pull of a personal deity like Kali. Initially, he resisted Mother-worship and even admitted to hating it. However, after intense personal and spiritual challenges, he surrendered to Kali, believing that she guided every action of his life. He ultimately realized that Brahman and the gods were not contradictory but complementary aspects of the same divine reality.
Sister Nivedita, influenced by Swamiji’s teachings, also chose to immerse herself in Kali worship to better understand the Indian spiritual psyche. She emphasizes Swamiji’s inclusive approach to religion, stating that he believed all religious experiences are valid and must be expressed in one’s spiritual language.
The text portrays Swamiji as a spiritual revolutionary who urged people to embrace not only the divine seen in joy and peace but also in pain, fear, and destruction. He called for courageous worship, not a sentimental attachment to a merciful God, but a bold acceptance of the Terrible aspect of divinity.
In conclusion, Sister Nivedita believes that Kali-worship represents the future of Indian spirituality, allowing people to face life’s deepest experiences, only to return eventually to the oneness and peace of Brahman. Swamiji, through his life, became the bridge between form and formless, the personal and impersonal aspects of God.
इस गहरे आध्यात्मिक गद्य में सिस्टर निवेदिता ने स्वामी विवेकानंद की देवी माँ काली के प्रति भक्ति और उनके आध्यात्मिक संघर्ष को अत्यंत भावपूर्ण ढंग से प्रस्तुत किया है। यद्यपि स्वामीजी अद्वैत वेदांत के अनुयायी थे और निराकार ब्रह्म को ही सर्वोच्च मानते थे, फिर भी वे माँ काली के प्रति अत्यंत समर्पित और भावुक थे। यह भक्ति उन्हें उनके गुरु श्री रामकृष्ण परमहंस से प्राप्त हुई थी।
प्रारंभ में स्वामीजी को माँ की पूजा से विरोध था। वे इसे स्वीकार नहीं कर पा रहे थे और काली से घृणा तक करते थे। लेकिन जीवन के कठिन समय और आंतरिक संघर्षों के बाद उन्होंने माँ काली के आगे आत्मसमर्पण कर दिया और माना कि वही उनके जीवन का हर कार्य संचालित करती हैं।
यह गद्य यह भी बताता है कि स्वामीजी ने निजी ईश्वर और निराकार ब्रह्म के बीच सामंजस्य बैठाने का प्रयास किया। उन्होंने माना कि ब्रह्म और देवी-देवता विरोधाभासी नहीं, बल्कि एक ही परम सत्ता के दो रूप हैं।
सिस्टर निवेदिता स्वयं भी स्वामीजी के प्रभाव में आकर काली-पूजा में शामिल हुईं ताकि भारतीय धार्मिक भावना को गहराई से समझ सकें। उन्होंने बताया कि स्वामीजी का मानना था कि हर धर्म एक आध्यात्मिक भाषा है, और हर व्यक्ति से उसी की भाषा में बात करनी चाहिए।
स्वामीजी का यह विश्वास था कि दुख, भय, विनाश और अंधकार में भी ईश्वर का दर्शन करना चाहिए। उन्होंने भक्ति को भावुकता नहीं, बल्कि साहसी समर्पण के रूप में देखा और “भयानक की पूजा” को स्वीकार किया।
अंततः सिस्टर निवेदिता का मानना है कि काली-पूजा भारत के भविष्य की आध्यात्मिक साधना होगी, जो जीवन के सबसे गहरे अनुभवों को समझने का मार्ग देगी, और अंततः आत्मा को ब्रह्म की एकता और शांति की ओर ले जाएगी। स्वामी विवेकानंद स्वयं इस समन्वय के साक्षी बने—निराकार और साकार, दोनों के बीच सेतु।
MCQ Questions with Answers Based on ‘The Swami and Mother-Worship’ by Sister Nivedita (Class 11 Level)
- At what age did Swami Vivekananda develop the power of entering Samadhi?
- a) Eight years old ✅
- b) Twelve years old
- c) Fifteen years old
- d) As an adult
- Who gave Sister Nivedita her name?
- a) Rabindranath Tagore
- b) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
- c) Swami Vivekananda ✅
- d) Mahatma Gandhi
- Where did Sister Nivedita open her first school for girls?
- a) South Calcutta
- b) Bagbazar, North Calcutta ✅
- c) Howrah
- d) Serampore
- What was the date of Sister Nivedita’s initiation into Brahmacharya?
- a) 26 January 1898
- b) 25 March 1898 ✅
- c) 12 August 1899
- d) 15 August 1897
- What is the central theme of the text?
- a) Swami Vivekananda’s travels
- b) Worship of Shiva
- c) Devotion to the Divine Mother ✅
- d) Indian Independence
- What philosophy did Swamiji follow mainly?
- a) Dvaita
- b) Vishishtadvaita
- c) Advaita ✅
- d) Tantra
- What was Swamiji’s primary scripture authority?
- a) Bible
- b) Quran
- c) Vedas and Upanishads ✅
- d) Bhagavata Purana
- What did Swamiji compare ‘Mother’ to?
- a) A teacher
- b) A household member ✅
- c) A stranger
- d) A ruler
- What did Swami Vivekananda say about pleasure and pain?
- a) Everyone seeks pleasure
- b) Everyone avoids pain
- c) Some are born to seek pain ✅
- d) Pain is always bad
- What was Swamiji’s reply to Nivedita’s objection on animal sacrifice?
- a) It is outdated
- b) It’s essential
- c) Why not a little blood, to complete the picture? ✅
- d) He avoided the topic
- What did Swamiji try to banish from his consciousness?
- a) Ego
- b) Love
- c) Fear and weakness ✅
- d) Curiosity
- Which poem did Swamiji refer to while describing his belief?
- a) The Guardian Angels ✅
- b) The Tyger
- c) If
- d) The Mother
- What was Swamiji’s personal struggle related to Mother worship?
- a) He never believed in it
- b) He hated Kali initially ✅
- c) He wanted to follow Islam
- d) He didn’t understand it
- Who did Ramakrishna dedicate Swamiji to?
- a) Saraswati
- b) Kali ✅
- c) Durga
- d) Lakshmi
- What did Swamiji call himself after surrendering to the Divine Mother?
- a) A devotee
- b) A follower
- c) A slave ✅
- d) A teacher
- Whom did Swamiji compare Ramakrishna to?
- a) Krishna
- b) Guru Nanak ✅
- c) Jesus
- d) Shankaracharya
- How did Swamiji describe the gods?
- a) Imaginary
- b) Just symbols
- c) Forms that the bhaktas have seen ✅
- d) Meaningless
- What is the ultimate truth according to the text?
- a) All religions are false
- b) Worship brings wealth
- c) Through the Mother to Brahman ✅
- d) One must renounce the world
- How did Swamiji describe his own spiritual path?
- a) A smooth journey
- b) A logical process
- c) A struggle and submission ✅
- d) A divine vision
- What lesson did Sister Nivedita learn from Swamiji about understanding religions?
- a) Avoid rituals
- b) Learn new languages
- c) Religions are languages to reach people ✅
- d) All religions are false
- Who is ‘Mother’ according to Swamiji?
- a) Goddess Lakshmi
- b) Feminine form of Brahman ✅
- c) A symbolic figure
- d) An illusion
- What feeling dominates Swamiji’s worship of the Mother?
- a) Fear
- b) Respect
- c) Surrender ✅
- d) Greed
- What expression shows Swamiji’s contemplative nature?
- a) Silence during Kali worship
- b) Saying “Her curse is blessing” ✅
- c) Focus on American visit
- d) Attention to food
- What does Swamiji imply when he says “all this was but a dream”?
- a) Disappointment
- b) Liberation of the soul ✅
- c) Struggle of life
- d) Illusion
- What does ‘Unity in complexity’ signify in the text?
- a) Society
- b) Brahman ✅
- c) Vedas
- d) Nation
- How did Swamiji view animal sacrifice to demons in Kali worship?
- a) Encouraged it
- b) Ignored it
- c) Opposed it ✅
- d) Practised it secretly
- What was Swamiji’s goal in Kali worship?
- a) To appease the goddess
- b) To gain power
- c) To overcome fear and weakness ✅
- d) To follow tradition blindly
- According to Swamiji, what do people often do incorrectly in worship?
- a) Offer too much money
- b) Expect only kindness from God ✅
- c) Forget rituals
- d) Read wrong scriptures
- What did Swamiji think of Ramakrishna’s visions in the beginning?
- a) Miraculous
- b) Delusions ✅
- c) Holy
- d) Powerful
- What event marked a turning point for Sister Nivedita in spiritual understanding?
- a) Reading Vedas
- b) Kali image brought in during worship ✅
- c) Visit to America
- d) Founding of her school
- What phrase did Swamiji use to describe his spiritual dedication?
- a) Warrior of the divine
- b) Slave of Her ✅
- c) Child of light
- d) Son of India
- Why did Swamiji believe religions should be communicated in people’s own language?
- a) For cultural dominance
- b) For political unity
- c) To ensure true understanding ✅
- d) To teach literacy
- What is the ‘Voice of the Mother’?
- a) A scripture
- b) A prayer Swamiji wrote
- c) A psalm written by Nivedita ✅
- d) A hymn in the Gita
- What was Swamiji’s attitude towards emotional sentimentality in worship?
- a) Encouraged it
- b) Tolerated it
- c) Rejected it ✅
- d) Avoided discussion
- What did Swamiji ask disciples to do when praying to the Mother?
- a) Cry softly
- b) Show full devotion
- c) Make Her listen ✅
- d) Light candles
- According to the text, what did Ramakrishna say after coming out of Samadhi?
- a) God is only one
- b) The soul within him had lived as Rama, Krishna, Jesus ✅
- c) Everything is maya
- d) Truth is relative
- What comparison is drawn between Guru Nanak and Ramakrishna?
- a) Both were poets
- b) Both renounced the world
- c) Both gave their power to one disciple ✅
- d) Both wrote scriptures
- How did Swamiji view the modern system of slaughterhouses?
- a) He never mentioned them
- b) He opposed them silently
- c) He condemned their cruelty ✅
- d) He supported them
- What important instruction did Swamiji give before Nivedita’s Kalighat lecture?
- a) Use English only
- b) Let foreigners sit on chairs
- c) All must remove shoes and sit on the floor ✅
- d) Allow VIP treatment
- What realization helped Sister Nivedita understand Indian spirituality better?
- a) Reading scriptures
- b) Her past as a teacher
- c) Participating in Kali worship ✅
- d) Attending American lectures
- What was Swamiji’s thought on joy and terror?
- a) Only joy is divine
- b) Terror is to be avoided
- c) One must embrace terror as well as joy ✅
- d) Joy is worldly
- What line shows Swamiji’s acceptance of both unity and multiplicity?
- a) “I worship the Terrible”
- b) “Unity in complexity” ✅
- c) “None of that cringing to Mother!”
- d) “Her curse is blessing!”
- What did Swamiji say about ‘fools’ in worship?
- a) They ignore rituals
- b) They ask for mercy
- c) They decorate the goddess but fear Her ✅
- d) They recite incorrect hymns
- What does Swamiji say about the impersonal and personal God?
- a) Both are false
- b) Both are illusions
- c) One melts into the other ✅
- d) One is superior
- According to the Gita quote in the end, how is peace attained?
- a) By avoiding action
- b) Through constant worship
- c) Not by avoiding action but through experience ✅
- d) By isolating oneself
- What metaphor does Swamiji use for life’s experiences?
- a) A battlefield
- b) A river
- c) A book of experience ✅
- d) A burning fire
- What feeling did Swamiji express when he accepted the Mother finally?
- a) Defeat
- b) Relief
- c) Reverence and trust ✅
- d) Confusion
- Who did Ramakrishna reject in favor of a true disciple?
- a) Foreigners
- b) His own children ✅
- c) Nivedita
- d) Swamiji himself
- How did Swamiji regard superficial religious devotion?
- a) As beneficial
- b) As harmless
- c) As egoistic and shopkeeping ✅
- d) As educational
- What conclusion does Nivedita reach about Kali worship?
- a) It will vanish with time
- b) It will become the worship of India’s future ✅
- c) It should be westernized
- d) It must be discarded
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