Chapter 4
Swami Vivekananda
1. What do you see in the picture?
Ans: In the picture, I see a group of children sitting around a table, wearing blue school uniforms. They are reading books that contain images of Swami Vivekananda. The children appear to be engaged in their reading, looking at the books with interest. The books have a prominent image of Swami Vivekananda wearing an orange robe and a turban.
2. What are the children doing?
Ans: The children are sitting around a table and reading books. They appear to be engaged in their reading and are looking at images of Swami Vivekananda in the books.
3. Can you identify the person in the books?
Ans: Yes, the person in the books is Swami Vivekananda. He is depicted wearing an orange robe and a turban.
4. Tell a few words about the person in the books.
Ans: Swami Vivekananda was a great spiritual leader, philosopher, and social reformer from India. He was a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and played a key role in spreading Indian culture and philosophy worldwide. He is best known for his inspiring speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893, where he introduced Hinduism to the West. His teachings emphasize strength, self-confidence, and service to humanity.
Answer the following questions:
1. Who were the parents of Vivekananda?
Ans: Swami Vivekananda's parents were Viswanath Dutta and Bhuvaneswari Devi.
2. When was he born?
Ans: Swami Vivekananda was born on 12th January 1863.
3. How was he called in his childhood?
Ans: In his childhood, Swami Vivekananda was called Narendra.
4. What did he say to the teacher who punished him?
Ans: When Narendra was punished by his teacher for answering a question correctly, he protested and said, "I've not committed any error, sir. I am sure what I said is right."
5. How did his mother console him?
Ans: His mother consoled him by saying, "My son, why do you worry if you are right? Always follow the truth, whatever may happen."
6. Why didn't Narendra run away on hearing 'Ghost'?
Ans: Narendra did not run away on hearing "Ghost" because he was brave and fearless. While his friends ran away in fear, he stood firm and asked the gardener, "Where is the ghost? I don't see any ghost in the tree."
7. Whose teachings inspired him?
Ans: Swami Vivekananda was deeply inspired by the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and his teacher Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Answer the following questions:
1. What are the gardens according to the poet?
Ans: According to the poet, kind hearts are the gardens.
2. Why are kind thoughts compared to roots?
Ans: Kind thoughts are compared to roots because roots provide nourishment and support to a plant, just as kind thoughts form the foundation for kind words and deeds. Without strong roots, a plant cannot grow, and similarly, without kind thoughts, kindness cannot flourish.
3. When should we take care of the garden?
Ans: We should take care of the garden all the time by keeping it free from weeds. This means we should always nurture kind hearts, maintain good thoughts, and avoid negative influences.
4. Where do we find weeds?
Ans: Weeds are found in the garden, growing among the plants. In the poem, weeds symbolize negative thoughts and actions that can harm kindness and goodness.
5. Who takes care of the gardens?
Ans: People who want their gardens to flourish take care of them. In the poem, this symbolizes individuals who nurture kind hearts, kind thoughts, kind words, and kind deeds by keeping negativity (weeds) away.
