Swami Vivekananda, one of India’s greatest teachers of Vedanta Philosophy, left his physical body on July 4th, 1902. He was just 39 years old. While there is no suspicion on his death, what has remained a mystery is how the legend attained his death. ⁣
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On 4 July 1902 (the day of his death) Vivekananda awoke early, went to the monastery at Belur Math and meditated for three hours. He taught Shukla-Yajur-Veda, Sanskrit grammar and the philosophy of yoga to pupils, later discussing with colleagues a planned Vedic college in the Ramakrishna Math. At 7:00 pm. Vivekananda went to his room, asking not to be disturbed, he died at 9:20 p.m while meditating. ⁣
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According to his disciples, Vivekananda attained mahasamādhi  the rupture of a blood vessel in his brain was reported as a possible cause of death. ⁣
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His disciples believed that the rupture was due to his brahmarandhra (an opening in the crown of his head) being pierced when he attained mahasamādhi. Vivekananda fulfilled his prophecy that he would not live forty years. He was cremated on a sandalwood funeral pyre on the bank of the Ganga in Belur, opposite where Ramakrishna was cremated sixteen years earlier.⁣
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On that night, Nivedita (disciple of Swami Vivekananda) dreamed Sri Ramakrishna leaving his body a second time. On the next morning, Swami Saradananda from Belur Math sent a monk with a letter to Sister Nivedita and conveying the message of Vivekananda’s death.⁣
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“I don’t want to work. I want to be quiet, and rest. I know the time and the place; but the fate, or Karma, I think, drives me on – work, work.”⁣ -Swami Vivekananda wrote this in a letter to Sister Nivedita in March 1900. ⁣
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The death of Swami Vivekananda has still remained a mystery!⁣
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