BIOGRAPHY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 49acceptance, and a brilliant group of enthusiasticyoung men became his ardent adherents. It washere that his intention to attend the Parliament ofReligions took a definite shape. During the monthsof March and April, 1893, the disciples of the Swamitook active steps to raise requisite funds for thispurpose. But before leaving for America, the Swamihad to visit Khetri at the earnest importunities ofthe Maharaja, his disciple. It was at the court of theMaharaja of Khetri that the Swami, at the Maharaja’srequest, assumed the name of Vivekananda bywhich he was to be known in future. He sailedfrom Bombay on May 31, 1893—a memorable dayfor India.FROM THE OLD WORLDTO THE NEWSwami Vivekananda went by way of Ceylon,Penang, Singapore, Hongkong, and then visitedCanton and Nagasaki. From there he went by landto Yokohama, seeing Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. TheSwami gradually accustomed himself to the life onboard the ship. His rich imaginative nature sawbeauty, in a thousand forms, in the swelling and