Vivekananda’s guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa highly respected Trailanga Swami He called Trailanga Swami A walking Shiva of Varanasi.
Varanasi had great importance in the life of Vivekananda. From birth to death, his association with Varanasi remained.
Bhubaneswari was worshiping lord shiva in one of the houses in that locality. At the close of the her worship , she prayed to Shiva everyday while offering pranam, “o Shiva , give me a son on my lap.” she had a few daughters already . but how could she live without a son?
so, she offered daily worship to Shiva for a son . she had even asked one of her old relatives at Benares (Varanasi)to offer daily worship to Vireswar Shiva there on her behalf . god heeds to whatever is asked of him with devotion in a simple heart . Bhubaneswari’s prayer was also granted. In the early morning of January 12,1863, she gave birth to a son .
The child was named Vireswar after Vireswar Shiva as his mother believed that she was granted her son as a boon from the lord . but the name was too difficult to be used as a nickname.so everybody in the house used to call him as a Biley. he was named NarendraNath Dutta at the annaprasshana ceremony but still he remained the same Biley for all .
(Vivekananda for children -publisher : Sri Ramkrishna Math Chennai)
In 1890, Vivekananda came to Varanasi with Swami Akhandanand. The house where Vivekananda stayed in Varanasi was known as Bengali Deodhi. (Vivekananda stayed in this house in Varanasi in 1888 too.) This house belonged to Pramadadas Mitra ji, who was an eminent scholar of that time. You translated the British national anthem into Sanskrit and the Gita into English.
“i shall not return until i burst on society like a bomb shell, and it will folow me like a dog”
When the rich people showed no enthusiasm in public welfare work, Vivekananda once said angrily between Pramadadas Mitra and the respected people of the city.
After proving this to be true in 1893 in the Parliament of Religions Chicago, Vivekananda returned to his Shiva city in Varanasi in 1901.
Once Vivekananda was coming from the temple at Durgakund, suddenly a herd of monkeys started chasing him. Vivekananda started running after being frightened by the monkeys, when suddenly a monk gestured to stop him and drove the monkeys away, Vivekananda learned to” face fear”.
This small incident left an indelible impression on his life, he mentioned this incident many times.
Vivekananda met Pawhari Baba in Ghazipur near Varanasi. Sister Nivedita wrote in “The master as i saw him” that after Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami ji was most influenced by Pawhari Baba .
Vivekananda arrived in Varanasi a few days before his death in 1902.
This time Vivekananda stayed in the Gopal Lal Villa, the garden house of King Kali Krishna Thakur in Varanasi. Despite being extremely ill and weak, he could not distance himself from public welfare work during this period.
https://nithinks.com/2019/01/11/vivekanandawarrior-monkvaranasi/
Impressive stories from the life of Vivekananda!
Thnx