Chapter 2 – The Swami and Mother-Worship Solutions & Q&A

Content Structure

1. About the author – Sister Nivedita
2. Summary of The Swami and Mother-Worship
3. Word meanings
4. Exercises solutions
5. Additional Multiple choice questions & answers (MCQs)

1. About the author – Sister Nivedita

Sister Nivedita’s original name was Margaret Elizabeth Noble. She was born in Ireland on 28 October 1867 and became a teacher, writer, and social worker. In 1898, she came to India and met Swami Vivekananda, who deeply inspired her and gave her the name “Nivedita,” which means “the dedicated one.” She opened a school for girls in Kolkata and worked hard during famines and plagues. She also wrote many books and essays about Indian history, spirituality, and nationalism, encouraging Indians to take pride in their culture. People still remember her hard work and love for India with great respect, even after her death on 13 October 1911.

2. Summary of The Swami and Mother-Worship

In the story, Sister Nivedita shares her experience of Swami Vivekananda’s deep love and faith in Mother Kali and explains how his life became a powerful source of spiritual learning. She explains that to truly understand Swamiji one must first understand his worship of the Mother which strongly guided his thinking and way of life. Swamiji who was known as a Brahmajnani, believed in the formless God from a very young age and had the ability to enter deep meditation by the time he was eight. He was more interested in deep thoughts about God than in praying to idols and this made his connection to the Mother especially meaningful while he lived and taught in India. He believed that everything that happened to him whether joyful or painful was the will of the Divine Mother. Once he gave a powerful prayer to a disciple and instructed him to say it with strength and confidence without fear or pleading so that the Mother would listen. He often described Her power saying that one of her hands offers blessings while the other holds a sword and he believed that even mother curse was a form of blessing. In his view not all people are born to find happiness. Some people learn and become stronger through pain, and that is why he worshipped her. When Sister Nivedita asked about animal sacrifices in religious rituals Swamiji gave a brief response, saying, “Why not a little blood to complete the picture?” Even though his answer was short he made it clear that he did not support harmful or cruel practices and he strongly rejected all forms of devil worship. His teaching focused on recognising the presence of the Mother not only in peace and happiness but also in fear, pain, and destruction. However this deep love and faith did not come to him easily. At first he did not accept Mother Kali and even said he disliked Her ways struggling with these feelings for six years. Later when he experienced deep personal pain, his thoughts began to change. That experience led him to believe that Sri Ramakrishna had offered him to the Mother and from that point forward he felt that She guided every part of his life. He no longer saw himself as an individual acting alone but rather as someone fulfilling Her will. Sister Nivedita wanted to understand this form of worship more deeply so she began to learn about Kali worship as if she were learning a new language. Swamiji never forced his beliefs on her and always encouraged her to think for herself. When she once asked if Kali might be Shiva’s vision he gently responded by telling her to express the idea in her own way. He often said that different religions are like different languages and that we must speak to people in the language of their own faith if we truly wish to connect with them. He believed in both the formless God, Brahman and gods with form. He explained that these deities were not imaginary but real forms experienced by true devotees. Later in life Swamiji believed that life itself was like a dream, full of moments of joy, sorrow, and fear but all of it leads to one great truth. Sister Nivedita felt that Swamiji’s journey through life was like reading a sacred book, and when he reached its final page he gently rested in the arms of the Mother.He believed in both the formless God Brahman and gods with form explaining that these deities were not imaginary but real forms experienced by people who truly love God. Later in life Swamiji believed that life itself was like a dream full of moments of joy, sorrow and fear but all of it leads to one great truth. Sister Nivedita felt that Swamiji’s journey through life was like reading a sacred book and when he reached its final page he gently rested in the arms of the Mother.

3. Word meanings

Word	Meaning
Consciousness	Being aware
Gravitated	Moved towards
Presumably	Probably
Imperative	Very important
Fierceness	Great strength
Incarnation	A god or spirit taking birth as a person
Psalm	Prayer song
Squeamishness	Feeling sick
Mawkishness	Showing silly or fake emotions
Degradation	Losing respect, value, or quality
Butcher	A person who prepares and sells meat
Slaughter-house	A place where animals are killed for meat
Annihilation	When something is completely destroyed
Dwelt	Stayed or lived
Overwhelmed	Feeling too many emotions at once
Manifests	To show something clearly so others can see or feel it
Stern words	Strict words
Pilgrimage	Holy journey
Lingered	Stayed longer
Exaltation	Great joy
Reconciliation	Making peace
Half-soliloquy	Talking to self
Disjointedly	Broken speech
Multitude	Large group of people
Reconciled	Made peace

WB 11 all notes

4. Exercises solutions

Choose the correct answer from the alternatives given :

1. What is the Swami’s attitude towards Mother worship, according to Sister Nivedita?
a) He advocates for the worship of all deities equally
b) He emphasises the importance of Mother worship in spiritual life
c) He considers it a primitive form of religious expression
d) He discourages devotees from practicing Mother worship
Ans: b) He emphasises the importance of Mother worship in spiritual life

2. How does Mother worship play the role in Hinduism, as mentioned in the text?
a) It is an outdated tradition that the modern Hindus no longer follow.
b) It’s a superstitious practice rooted in ancient mythology
c) It’s a means of seeking material blessings and prosperity
d) It serves a bridge between the individual Soul and the individual Spirit
Ans: d) It serves a bridge between the individual Soul and the individual Spirit

5. Additional Multiple choice questions & answers (MCQs)

1. Vivekananda felt the presence of —
(a) his mother
(b) Goddess Durga
(c) his father
(d) Goddess Kali

Ans: (d) Goddess Kali

2. “I loved him” – Who loved whom?
(a) Vivekananda to Ramakrishna
(b) Ramakrishna to Vivekananda
(c) Vivekananda to Sister Nivedita
(d) Sister Nivedita to Vivekananda

Ans: (a) Vivekananda to Ramakrishna

3. The word ‘brain-sick’ means-
(a) crazy
(b) dull
(c) intellectual
(d) extremely enthusiastic

Ans: (a) crazy

4. Which group did Swamiji join in his youth?
(a) Arya Samaj
(b) Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
(c) Brahmo Samaj
(d) Indian National Congress

Ans: (b) Sadharan Brahmo Samaj

5. What did Swamiji believe about gods and Brahman?
(a) He believed in Brahman only
(b) Brahman and gods are both real
(c) Gods are imaginary
(d) Only idols are real

Ans: (b) Brahman and gods are both real

6. What was Swamiji’s inner fight for six years about?
(a) Reading books
(b) Moving to England
(c) Becoming a monk
(d) Accepting Mother Kali

Ans: (d) Accepting Mother Kali

7. Who gave Swamiji the prayer that he shared with his disciple?
(a) Sri Ramakrishna
(b) Sister Nivedita
(c) A monk in Kashmir
(d) His mother

Ans: (a) Sri Ramakrishna

8. What did Swamiji call the kind of worship done just for blessings?
(a) Real worship
(b) Holy tradition
(c) Shop-keeping
(d) Personal prayer

Ans: (c) Shop-keeping

9. How did Nivedita describe Swamiji’s teaching style?
(a) Like a born educator
(b) Quiet
(c) Strict
(d) Boring

Ans: (a) Like a born educator

10. What kind of feelings did Swamiji say we should also worship?
(a) Only peaceful ones
(b) Painful and fearful ones
(c) Sweet and joyful ones
(d) Only successful ones

Ans: (b) Painful and fearful ones

11. What was Nivedita’s role before coming to India?
(a) Doctor
(b) Scientist
(c) Musician
(d) Educationist

Ans: (d) Educationist

12. What event changed Nivedita’s view about Indian worship?
(a) A temple visit
(b) A pilgrimage to Amarnath
(c) A lecture
(d) A festival

Ans: (b) A pilgrimage to Amarnath

13. What was Swamiji’s advice about understanding others’ beliefs?
(a) Speak in their religious language
(b) Stay away from them
(c) Change their views
(d) Correct them

Ans: (a) Speak in their religious language

14. What did Swamiji believe about the forms of gods?
(a) They are not real
(b) They are symbols only
(c) They should not be followed
(d) They are real to true worshippers

Ans: (d) They are real to true worshippers

15. What did Swamiji feel about soft or weak worship?
(a) It is best for all
(b) It is not useful
(c) He taught it to everyone
(d) He disliked it

Ans: (d) He disliked it

16. Swami Vivekananda had been under the influence of –
(a) Sister Nivedita
(b) Bamakhyapa
(c) Sri Ramakrishna
(d) Mother Teresa

Ans: (c) Sri Ramakrishna

17. Here the word ‘disciple’ refers to –
(a) Member
(b) Worshipper
(c) Follower
(d) Aesthete

Ans: (c) Follower

18. Swami Vivekananda had never tolerated –
(a) Vegetable-offering
(b) Fruit offering
(c) Money offering
(d) Blood offering

Ans: (d) Blood offering

19. The right hand of Kali the Mother raised in –
(a) Regret
(b) Blessing
(c) consolation
(d) Curse

Ans: (b) Blessing

20. What is called ‘Psalm’ here?
(a) The voice of the Mother
(b) The voice of the Swami Vivekananda
(c) The voice of the Sister Nivedita
(d) The voice of Ramakrishna

Ans: (a) The voice of the Mother

21. “They put a garland of flowers around thy neck…” Here ‘they’ refers to –
(a) Kali the mother
(b) Swami Vivekananda
(c) Sister Nivedita
(d) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ans: (c) Sister Nivedita

22. According to Swami Vivekananda, pleasure is
(a) The life
(b) The desire
(c) The motive
(d) The truth

Ans: (c) The motive

23. “… we may attack this….” – Here this refers to –
(a) Offering fruits
(b) Offering prayers
(c) Offering animal sacrifice
(d) Offering flowers

Ans: (c) Offering animal sacrifice

24. “When I came to him…” – Here ‘I’ refers to
(a) Sarada Devi
(b) Sister Nivedita
(c) Swami Vivekananda
(d) Ramakrishna Paramhamsa

Ans: (b) Sister Nivedita

25. Swami Vivekananda became a member of –
(a) The Brahmo Samaj
(b) The Asiatic Society
(c) The Brahmo Samity
(d) The Sadharan Brahmo Samaj

Ans: (d) The Sadharan Brahmo Samaj

26. “Being with him one day…” – Here ‘him’ refers to –
(a) Guru Nanak
(b) Swami Vivekananda
(c) Sister Nivedita
(d) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ans: (b) Swami Vivekananda

27. “The witness to the truth of each” – Who is the witness to the truth of each?
(a) Swami Vivekananda
(b) God
(c) The worshipper of God
(d) Sister Nivedita

Ans: (b) God

28. Swami Vivekananda believed in —
(a) Brahman
(b) Brahman and anything else
(c) The Gods and anything else
(d) Brahman and the Gods

Ans: (d) Brahman and the Gods

29. Kali is the vision of –
(a) goddess Laxmi
(b) God Siva
(c) Goddess Durga
(d) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ans: (c) Goddess Durga

30. The narrator was going to give a lecture at —
(a) Bangalore
(b) Mumbai
(c) Delhi
(d) Kolkata

Ans: (a) Bangalore

31. The word “Ungered” means —
(a) Induced
(b) Included
(c) Stayed
(d) Inclined

Ans: (a) Induced

32. The ‘strong place’ refers to —
(a) Amarnath
(b) Badrinath
(c) Kedarnath
(d) Sarnath

Ans: (c) Kedarnath

33. Swami Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita went to Jorasanko to meet —
(a) Abanindra Nath Tagore
(b) Rabindranath Tagore
(c) Maharishi Devendra Nath Tagore
(d) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ans: (c) Maharishi Devendra Nath Tagore

34. Sister Nivedita tried to learn and follow —
(a) Saraswati worship
(b) Kali worship
(c) Durga worship
(d) Siva worship

Ans: (b) Kali worship

35. Who is called “a born educator”?
(a) Swami Brahmananda
(b) Swami Vivekananda
(c) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
(d) Maharishi Devendra Nath tagore

Ans: (b) Swami Vivekananda

36. “He was himself the reconciliation of these.” Who is ‘he’?
(a) God
(b) Brahman
(c) Colonel Hay
(d) Swami Vivekananda

Ans: (d) Swami Vivekananda

37. Foreign guests had to remove —
(a) Their shoes
(b) Their caps
(c) Their seats
(d) Their socks

Ans: (a) Their shoes

38. Vivekananda got a chance to serve like a slave to —
(a) Goddess Kali
(b) Guru Nanak
(c) the British
(d) Sister Nivedita

Ans: (a) Goddess Kali

39. “She made a slave of me.” Who is ‘She’?
(a) Vivekananda’s mother
(b) Vivekananda’s sister
(c) Vivekananda’s disciple
(d) Goddess Kali

Ans: (d) Goddess Kali

40. Ramakrishna lived after that for —
(a) two years
(b) ten years
(c) five years
(d) fifteen years

Ans: (a) two years

41. Ramakrishna stayed healthy only for —
(a) Six
(b) eight
(c) seven
(d) nine

Ans: (c) seven

42. Guru Nanak founded —
(a) Hinduism
(b) Buddhism
(c) Jainism
(d) Sikhism

Ans: (d) Sikhism

43. Guru Nanak wanted to give his —
(a) his wealth
(b) his blessings
(c) his power
(d) his scimitar

Ans: (d) his scimitar

44. Guru Nanak gave all his power to —
(a) his disciples
(b) his wife
(c) his family
(d) the people of Punjab

Ans: (a) his disciples

45. “…and then he could die” -Whose death is referred to here?
(a) Guru Nanak
(b) Swami Vivekananda
(c) Sister Nivedita
(d) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Ans: (a) Guru Nanak

46. Who is the ‘Master’ here?
(a) Swami Vivekananda
(b) Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
(c) APJ Abdul Kalam
(d) Rabindranath Tagore

Ans: (a) Swami Vivekananda

47. “Book of experience” refers to —
(a) The image of Kali
(b) The image of Durga
(c) The image of Saraswati
(d) The image of Mother India

Ans: (a) The image of Kali

48. Veda-like words are found in —
(a) the Bible
(b) the gita
(c) the Ramayana
(d) the Mahabharata

Ans: (a) the Bible

49. Who is the “great teacher”?
(a) Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
(b) Swami Vivekananda
(c) APJ Abdul Kalam
(d) Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Ans: (b) Swami Vivekananda

50. “As I look more and more __ into the life…”
(a) differently
(b) closely
(c) indifferently
(d) safely

Ans: (b) closely

51. Swami Vivekananda was turning the pages of the book of —
(a) nature
(b) experience
(c) the Gita
(d) none of these

Ans: (d) none of these

52. Vivekananda could bend back like a —
(a) naughty boy
(b) weak child
(c) restless child
(d) weary child

Ans: (b) weak child

53.“That was the ground of my fight” lasted —
(a) six years
(b) three years
(c) five years
(d) eight years

Ans: (c) five years

54. The image of Kali is called —
(a) the book of life
(b) the book of spirituality
(c) the book of experience
(d) the book of oneness with nature

Ans: (c) the book of experience

55. At age eight, Swamiji could enter —
(a) Atmaupalabdhi
(b) Nirvana
(c) Atonement
(d) Samadhi

Ans: (d) Samadhi

56. The word ‘Incarnation’ means-
(a) interpretation
(b) interrogation
(c) impression
(d) avatar

Ans: (d) avatar

57. Goddess Kali used Ramakrishna’s body for —
(a) Her own ends
(b) the general people
(c) all the Gods and Goddesses
(d) only the Gods

Ans: (a) Her own ends

58. The great power thinks of itself as —
(a) feminine
(b) belle
(c) lass
(d) beau

Ans: (a) feminine

59. Vivekananda also believed in —
(a) Brahman
(b) Jainism.
(c) Buddhism
(d) Sikhism

Ans: (a) Brahman

60. The word ‘pilgrimage’ means-*
(a) journey to a sacred place
(b) pedestrian
(c) hallucination
(d) portrait

Ans: (a) journey to a sacred place

Chapter 2 – The Swami and Mother-Worship Solutions & Q&A

Content Structure

1. About the author – Sister Nivedita

2. Summary of The Swami and Mother-Worship

3. Word meanings

4. Exercises solutions

5. Additional Multiple choice questions & answers (MCQs)

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