BIOGRAPHY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 13to Naren. Teachers would often find it difficult totackle such a student.A Story is told of him showing how dauntlessin spirit and impatient of superstition he was:Narendra Nath was in the habit of climbing a treein the compound of one of his friends, not only togather flowers, but to get rid of his superfluousenergy by swinging to and fro, head downward,and then somersaulting to the ground. These anticsannoyed the old, half-blind grandfather of thehouse, and he thought to stop them by telling Narenthat the tree was haunted by an evil spirit that brokethe necks of those who climbed the tree. Narenlistened politely; but when the old man was out ofsight, he again began to climb the tree. His friendwho had taken the words of the old man seriouslyremonstrated. But Naren laughed at his seriousnessand said, ‘What an ass you are! Why, my neckwould have been off long before this if the oldgrandfather’s ghost story was true!’Naren was the beloved of all. With everyfamily in the locality, of high or low caste, rich orpoor, he established some sort of relationship. Ifany of the boys whom he knew suffered anybereavement, he was the first to offer consolation.His ready wit and pranks kept everybody amused,sometimes, indeed, making even the grave-mindedelders burst out into peals of laughter. He never