Honoring Swami Vivekananda on his 161st Birthday

The annual conference celebrating the birthday of Swami Vivekananda was held on January 13, a cold, snowy Saturday, at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) in Lemont, Illinois. It was the 161th birthday of the renowned Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, and teacher who is credited with bringing yoga to the West in September 1983 […]

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Statue of Swami Vivekananda at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago

The annual conference celebrating the birthday of Swami Vivekananda was held on January 13, a cold, snowy Saturday, at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC) in Lemont, Illinois. It was the 161th birthday of the renowned Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, and teacher who is credited with bringing yoga to the West in September 1983 when he participated in the Parliament of Religions, the world’s first organized interfaith gathering, which was held in conjunction with the Chicago World’s Fair, or Columbian Exhibition.

More than 6,000 people gathered in the building that is now the Art Institute of Chicago to hear Vivekananda’s groundbreaking speech in which he proclaimed the unity of all faiths and the essential divinity of man. Vivekananda’s message of tolerance and universal acceptance established him as a leading world religious figure. Even before he began speaking, after he was introduced, the audience gave him a standing ovation.

Indian spiritual thought was not entirely new to Americans. The naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher Henry David Thoreau was drawn to Hindu scriptures that explored ways to seek God and the divine in the material world, concepts that were reflected in his writings. He and his contemporary writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman were all transcendentalists who shared a core belief in the inherent goodness of people and nature

Vivekananda also paved the way for other swamis, including Paramahansa Yogananda, who arrived in the U.S. in 1920 and spoke at the Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston and subsequently spread yogic teachings throughout the country.

Poonam Gupta and Kali Om

The celebration in Lemont, the Vivekananda International East West Conference (VIEW) 2024, included talks, yoga, pranayama (breathing) practices, meditation, and a musical performance. The event was co-hosted by yoga teachers Poonam Gupta, who leads the yoga programs at HTGC, and Kali Om, author and former adjunct professor of yoga at DePaul University in Chicago.

Dr. Gopal Srinivasan, President of the HTGC, opened the conference with a curious story about the 10-foot-high bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda (modeled from a photograph taken after his appearance at the World’s Parliament of Religions) that is currently on the Temple’s grounds. Originally the statue was shipped to Chicago to be installed at the Vivekananda Vedanta Society in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Due to a lack of suitable space for it there, the decision was made to bring the statue to the Hindu Temple in Lemont. The statue’s foundation was not strong enough, however; during an attempt to strengthen the base, the statue began tilting backward and was in danger of falling. An engineering firm, Katz & Sons, was contacted to address the emergency. The contractor believed that the only person he knew who could properly solve the problem was his father­­­­­, who lived in Florida. He immediately called him for help. As it turned out, his father had just arrived in Chicago for a surprise visit to see his children. He went to the site without delay and had a crane brought in to hold the statue while the foundation was strengthened. A few days later, July 12, 1998, the statue was installed where it stands today.

Prasad Palacharla leads the group in Sun Salutations

Talks at the conference largely centered around karma (the relationship between a person’s mental or physical actions and the consequences following of those actions). Swami Sahajananda Giri of the Kriya Vedanta Gurukulam in Joliet spoke about Swami Vivekananda’s relationship with his guru, Ramakrishna, and his own spiritual evolution, teaching, and work in the West.

Prasad Palacharla, PhD, spoke about the four paths of yoga: jnana, the yoga of knowledge and wisdom; bhakti, the yoga of love and devotion; rajas, the yoga of meditation and consciousness; and karma, the yoga of action. Focusing on raja yoga, he emphasized the need to let go of our ego and attachments. After his talk, Prasad led the group in a practice of sun salutations, pranayama, and meditation.

Gopal Gupta, author and Distinguished Professor of Ethics at Aurora University, spoke on “Karma, Grace, and Freedom.” Our actions bring us toward our goal, he said, yet action is limited. Referring to the Bhagavad Gita, he said Lord Krishna helps us balance between effort and grace.

Kali Om

Kali Om spoke about swadharma (following our inherent, natural tendencies regarding work), karma yoga, selfless action, and performing our duties without seeking the fruits of our actions. “The results are not up to us,” she said. “We think we are in charge, but we are not.” When we give up our expectations of results and sense of agency (I made this happen), we are more at peace.

After the talks, the attendees were treated to a rousing devotion-filled kirtan led by the group Prana, which is composed of seven musicians/singers. The conference ended with a delicious Indian lunch.

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The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago is located at 10915 Lemont Road, Lemont, Illinois. Free yoga classes are held on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 and Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 10:30. Kirtans are held on the third Friday of the month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. For a schedule of all the HTGC activities, visit their website at www.htgc.org.

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