Debendranath Tagore

There was once a very great man who came from a very rich family. He was a great seeker, a seeker of the highest order, and to the whole of Bengal he was the very embodiment of Truth. Countless people admired him, loved him and adored him. They felt he was a saint. This great saint and sage of Bengal was none other than Debendranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore's father.

In the life of Swami Vivekananda, Maharshi Debendranath played a most significant role. The young Narendranath, steeped in agnosticism, accepting matter and doubting the existence of the supreme Spirit, would question people who seemed to be advanced in spirituality as to whether they had direct vision of God. Maharshi Debendranath attempted thrice in vain to answer the query of the bold young man, and at last said, "You possess the eyes of a Yogi."