In spite of his illness Vivekananda kept a watchful eye on the monks and the activities of the monastery. He gave regular classes on Vedanta scriptures, conducted meditation in the shrine, inspired the workers with a spirit of virile confidence in themselves, and paid strict attention to discipline and cleanliness. One day he found that Swami Shivananda had missed the morning meditation in the shrine. He said to him: “Brother, I know you do not need meditation. You have already realized the highest goal through the grace of Sri Ramakrishna. But you should meditate daily with the youngsters in order to set an example for them.” Shivananda obeyed that command till his old age.
Ramakrishna had always been very particular about cleanliness and Swamiji followed his example. He would check the beds and rooms of the monks, and asked that they be kept clean. Once the sweeper was sick and the privy was not cleaned for three or four days. Swamiji noticed this and decided to clean it himself. One morning at four o’clock, without informing anybody, he began scrubbing the privy. Some young monks saw him in the dark and rushed to him, asking that he return to his room so that they could clean it. But he did not stop until he had finished the task. An ideal teacher is the person who practises what he teaches. Swamiji thus demonstrated the role of an ideal teacher. (Source: God Lived with Them)