Swami Vivekananda's prayer to Kali at Dakshineswar

Vivekananda's prayer to Kali at Dakshineswar is an event which occurred in September 1884 when Swami Vivekananda (then known as Narendranath Dutta), following the suggestion of Ramakrishna, went to the Kali temple of Dakshineswar with the intention to pray for financial welfare, but ultimately prayed for pure knowledge, devotion and renunciation."[7] One day on the 16th of September, Narendra requested Ramakrishna to pray to Goddess Kali, the Divine Mother, for some financial welfare, which was the immediate need of his family.Ramakrishna listened to his request and told him that the day was a Tuesday, an "auspicious day", asked him to go to the temple in the evening and pray it himself[8][9] Ramarkishna also told Narendra about the mother Goddess: She is absolute knowledge, the supreme power of Bramhan (The Universe) and by her mere will she has given birth to this world.Narendra then believed the words of his master and decided to approach Mother Kali and pray to her to rescue him of his financial problems.As he entered the temple and looked at the image of Kali, he was overawed with a great feeling of devotion and love.Ramakrishna was pleased to learn that his disciple's spiritual inclination and did a forecast that Narendra's family would never face lack of essentials of living like food and clothes."[13] In later years when Vivekananda went to the west to preach and teach Vedanta, in his letters to Sister Nivedita he would say that Mother was protecting him and giving him emotional support."[11] Elizabeth Harding, in her book "Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar" also felt, this was a "turning point" in Narendra's life.[12] Swami Nikhilananda has said, Narendra had two options, he could pray for either a happy worldly life or spiritual progress and independence, and he chose the second one.
Dakshineswar Kali Temple built in 1855 is of the Divine Mother Goddess Kali, known as Bhavatarini
The idol of Goddess Kali at the temple
TuesdayDakshineswar Kali TempleCalcuttaBengalCoordinatesRamakrishnaSwami VivekanandaKali temple of DakshineswarVishwanath DattabankruptRelationship between Ramakrishna and VivekanandaSwami NikhilanandaBirthplaceBaranagar MathSwami Vivekananda's travels in India (1888–1893)Sarada DeviRelationship with Ramakrishnaat the Parliament of the World's Religions (1893)in CaliforniaTeachings and philosophyVivekananda and meditationInfluence and legacy of VivekanandaNeo-VedantaBibliographySangeet KalpataruBartaman BharatInspired TalksJnana YogaKarma YogaLectures from Colombo to AlmoraMy MasterRaja YogaThe East and the West"Kali the Mother"Khandana Bhava–BandhanaMy Play is DoneThe Hymn of SamadhiThe Song of the SannyasinTo the Fourth of JulyNachuk Tahate ShyamaBuddhism, the Fulfilment of HinduismChrist, the MessengerReligion not the crying need of IndiaArise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reachedAtmano mokshartham jagat hitaya chaBahujana sukhaya bahujana hitaya chaAdvaita AshramaBelur MathRamakrishna MathRamakrishna Math, MangaluruRamakrishna MissionUdbodhanVedanta SocietyNew YorkShuddhanandaVirajanandaSwarupanandaParamanandaAjit Singh of KhetriAlasinga PerumalHaridas Viharidas DesaiEmma CalvéJ. J. GoodwinJohn Henry WrightJosephine MacLeodSara Chapman BullSister ChristineSister NiveditaAbhayanandaWilliam HastieVivekananda Rock MemorialNational Youth Day (India)Swami Vivekananda AirportSwami Vivekananda Road metro stationSwami Vivekanand NagarVivekanandar IllamVivekananda SetuSwami Vivekananda statue (Golpark, Kolkata)150th birth anniversary of Swami VivekanandaSwami Vivekananda Youth Employment WeekVivek ExpressBireswar VivekanandaSwamijiBireswarChhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical UniversityRamakrishna Mission Vivekananda UniversityRamakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary CollegeSwami Vivekanand Subharti UniversitySwami Vivekanand University, Madhya PradeshVivekananda Degree College, KukatpallyVivekananda Degree College, PutturVivekananda Global UniversityVivekananda InstitutionVivekananda Kendra VidyalayaVivekananda Vidya MandirSwami Vivekananda on HimselfLife and Philosophy of Swami VivekanandaNotes of Some Wanderings with the Swami VivekanandaPransakha VivekanandaRousing Call to Hindu NationThe Master as I Saw HimSankari Prasad BasuMani Shankar MukherjeeMarie Louise Burke