Swami Vivekananda · Philosophy

Service as Worship

Vivekananda&rsquo;s turning of Advaita toward the poor: because the same divinity dwells in every being, serving the suffering is literally worshipping God - <em>daridra-narayana</em>, God in the poor - and this conviction founded the Ramakrishna Mission and a new gospel of practical service.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Vivekananda drew from the divinity of the soul a radical ethic: that God dwells in all beings, so serving the poor ( daridra-narayana , God-in-the-poor) is worship - &lsquo;he who sees Shiva in the poor really worships Shiva&rsquo; - and that this founded the Ramakrishna Mission. Explain the idea in y…

Leads to Jesus of Nazareth.

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