To the 4th of July

To the Fourth of July is a poem written by Swami Vivekananda in 1898. Coincidentally, he died the day (4th of July, 1902) he eulogized in his poem; the day America gained Independence was the day he too was freed from the Earthly bonding.


The cause of Vivekananda’s death has been debated on countless occasions. While it is said what came upon him was an act of self will, it may not be, looking at the verifiable facts; ironically, he was afflicted with the same disease his master Ramakrishna Paramahamsa died of – cancer. His throat began to bleed when he was nearing 40. It was at first diagnosed as Clergyman’s sore throat (Dysphonia, loss of voice), but soon re-diagnosed as throat cancer. Paradoxically, his own prophesy that he wouldn’t live to see 40 turned out to be true.

Despite the verifiable facts, few other startling facts force us to believe Swami Vivekananda was aware of his fate. On the morning of his death, it is said, the poem To the Fourth of July was read to him. Three days before his demise, while walking across a spacious lawn with his brother monk, he is said to have pointed to a particular place near river Ganga and expressed his desire to have his body cremated there. A month before his death, in June, he spoke of tapasya and death. On the day of his death, he woke up rather early; meditated for three hours from 8 to 11am, then shut himself off bolting all doors and windows in the chapel of his monastery.

Let me summarize in a Website Author’s own words what transpired next:

“Then he called one of his disciples in and asked him to open all the windows and fan his head. Without a word, he lay down and a silence enveloped the room. The disciple continued to fan the Swami. Minutes passed and not a word was uttered. It was presumed that Vivekananda was either sleeping or gone into deep meditation and in any event it was not for the disciple to disturb him either by word or deed. “

“At the end of an hour, says Swami Nikhilananda in the Swami's official biography, Vivekananda's hands trembled a little and he seemed to take a deep breath. There followed a shattering silence. The Swami again took a similar deep breath. 'His eyes became fixed in the center of his eyebrows, his face assumed a divine expression and eternal silence fell.”