SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
[1863-1902]
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S inspiring personality was well known both
in India and in America during the last decade of the nineteenth century and the
first decade of the twentieth. The unknown monk of India suddenly leapt into
fame at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, at which he
represented Hinduism. His vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture as well
as his deep spiritual insight, fervid eloquence, brilliant conversation, broad
human sympathy, colourful personality, and handsome figure made an irresistible
appeal to the many types of Americans who came in contact with him. People who
saw or heard Vivekananda even once still cherish his memory after a lapse of
more than half a century.
In America Vivekananda's mission was the interpretation of
India's spiritual culture, especially in its Vedantic setting. He also tried to
enrich the religious consciousness of the Americans through the rational and
humanistic teachings of the Vedanta philosophy. In America he became India's
spiritual ambassador and pleaded eloquently for better understanding between
India and the New World in order to create a healthy synthesis of East and West,
of religion and science.
In his own motherland Vivekananda is regarded as the patriot
saint of modern India and an inspirer of her dormant national consciousness, To
the Hindus he preached the ideal of a strength-giving and man-making religion.
Service to man as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special form
of worship he advocated for the Indians, devoted as they were to the rituals and
myths of their ancient faith. Many political leaders of India have publicly
acknowledged their indebtedness to Swami Vivekananda.
The Swami's mission was both national and international. A
lover of mankind, he strove to promote peace and human brotherhood on the
spiritual foundation of the Vedantic Oneness of existence. A mystic of the
highest order, Vivekananda had a direct and intuitive experience of Reality. He
derived his ideas from that unfailing source of wisdom and often presented them
in the soulstirring language of poetry.
The natural tendency of Vivekananda's mind, like that of his
Master, Ramakrishna, was to soar above the world and forget itself in
contemplation of the Absolute. But another part of his personality bled at the
sight of human suffering in East and West alike. It might appear that his mind
seldom found a point of rest in its oscillation between contemplation of God and
service to man. Be that as it may, he chose, in obedience to a higher call,
service to man as his mission on earth; and this choice has endeared him to
people in the West, Americans in particular.
In the course of a short life of thirty-nine years (1863-1902),
of which only ten were devoted to public activities-and those, too, in the midst
of acute physical suffering-he left for posterity his four classics: Jnana-Yoga,
Bhakti-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, and Raja-Yoga, all of which are outstanding treatises
on Hindu philosophy. In addition, he delivered innumerable lectures, wrote
inspired letters in his own hand to his many friends and disciples, composed
numerous poems, and acted as spiritual guide to the many seekers, who came to
him for instruction. He also organized the Ramakrishna Order of monks, which is
the most outstanding religious organization of modern India. It is devoted to
the propagation of the Hindu spiritual culture not only in the Swami's native
land, but also in America and in other parts of the world.
Swami Vivekananda once spoke of himself as a "condensed India."
His life and teachings are of inestimable value to the West for an understanding
of the mind of Asia. William James, the Harvard philosopher, called the Swami
the "paragon of Vedantists." Max Muller and Paul Deussen, the famous
Orientalists of the nineteenth century, held him in genuine respect and
affection. "His words," writes Romain Rolland, "are great music, phrases in the
style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Handel choruses. I cannot
touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of books, at
thirty years' distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an
electric shock. And what shocks, what transports, must have been produced when
in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero!''
NIKHILANANDA
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center
New YorkJanuary 5,
1953
In America
On the occasion of America's Bicentennial
Celebration in 1976, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., mounted a
large portrait of Swami Vivekananda as part of its exhibition "Abroad in
America: Visitors to the New Nation," which paid tribute to the great
personalities who visited America from abroad and made a deep impression on the
American mind. Among those honored in the exhibition, some influenced art or
literature, some science, education or social reform. But Swami Vivekananda
touched the very soul of American people. The commemorative volume of the
exhibition says: "The Swami charmed the audiences with his magical oratory, and
left an indelible mark on America's spiritual development." This is no
exaggeration. Swami Vivekananda was the first Hindu monk from India ever to
visit America. Guided solely by the will of Providence, he embarked on this
journey to the new world. The unknown wandering monk, lost in the streets of
Chicago, suddenly became famous after his first day's brief address before the
Parliament. A select audience of nearly 7,000 enlightened representatives of
different branches of American thought became thrilled to hear his message and
welcomed him with sustained and thunderous applause. He captured the hearts of
the American people. Crowds gathered in the streets of Chicago to see the
picture posters of Swami Vivekananda placed on billboards around the city, and
lecture bureaus vied with one another to enlist him for lectures in different
cities. Leading newspapers and journals published his words in bold letters.
Some of these newspapers described him as the "cyclonic Hindu," some as "prince
among men" or "Brahmin monk," while others chose to designate him by such
epithets as "warrior prophet" and "militant mystic." Contemporary leaders of
American thought who met him were entranced by the radiance of his spiritual
personality and his powerful message. Professor John Henry Wright of Harvard
University told Swami Vivekananda: "To ask you, Swami, for your credentials is
like asking the sun about its right to shine." After hearing Swami Vivekananda,
the correspondent of one journal wrote: "The impertinence of sending
half-educated theological students to instruct the wise and erudite Orientals
was never brought home to an English-speaking audience more forcibly." Professor
William James referred to Swami Vivekananda as "the paragon of Vedantists." The
Parliament of Religions, which was an afterthought of the planners of the
Columbian Exposition, became a focus of historic importance because it served as
a pulpit for the presentation of the message of Swami Vivekananda to the
American public. Recalling this event, Romain Rolland wrote: "His strength and
beauty, the grace and dignity of his bearing, the dark light of his eyes, his
imposing appearance, and from the moment he began to speak, the splendid music
of his rich deep voice enthralled the vast audience.... The thought of this
warrior prophet of India left a deep mark upon the United States." America thus
had the blessing of directly hearing a person of the stature of Buddha,
radiating purity, compassion, and love.
The message of Swami Vivekananda was the message of
Vedanta -- a spiritual teaching that again and again saved India during periods
of decline and crisis. The keynote of this message is: "Truth is one: Sages call
it by various names." Its four cardinal points are non-duality of the Godhead,
divinity of the soul, oneness of existence, and harmony of religions. Religion,
in the light of Vedanta, is the manifestation of the divinity already in man.
The central theme of Vedanta is harmony of religions. This spiritual harmony is
to be realized by deepening our spiritual consciousness. Vedanta asks a
Christian to be a true Christian, a Hindu a true Hindu, a Buddhist a true
Buddhist, a Jew a true Jew, Moslem a true Moslem. The message was timely and
powerful. America had received a rude shock from the Civil War and its
aftermath. Science had already shaken the very roots of religious beliefs and
dogmas, and the ideas of Darwin were challenging conventional American thought
and religion. Americans were looking for a philosophy that could harmonize
science with humanism and mystical experience, and Swami Vivekananda's words
gave them hope for the fulfillment of their spiritual aspirations. The message
was powerful not because of its dialectical superiority or philosophical
subtlety, but because of the personality of Swami Vivekananda. The message was
an ancient one, but it bore a fire of conviction that was new. One familiar with
the life of Swami Vivekananda will recall that his Master, Sri Ramakrishna, saw
in him the power and potentiality of a great world teacher. Before the Master
passed away, he prophesied: "Narendra (Swami Vivekananda) will teach others …..
Very soon he will shake the world by his intellectual and spiritual
powers."
The news of Swami Vivekananda’s success in America soon
reached the shores of India and spread like wildfire. The country, lost in the
slumber of inertia, woke up with its new vigor and confidence, and a spiritual
renaissance was set into motion that would propel India to great intellectual
and social development. Today Swami Vivekananda is regarded as the "patriot
prophet" of new India. His words carry the power of inspiration and
transformation.
Swami Vivekananda indicated Vedanta is the future
religion of mankind. With his prophetic vision, he predicted that modern science
and education would break down the barriers between nations and prepare the
ground for the fulfillment of the age-old dream of one united world. But one
world is possible only when there is one common Soul that transcends the
limitations of race, culture, and religious denominations. Swami Vivekananda
presents before humanity the World-Soul of Vedanta, the non-dual, nameless and
formless all-pervading Pure Spirit that alone can make the dream of one world a
reality. He foresaw a new world order in which science and religion would
cooperate, mysticism would combine with humanism and spiritual harmony would
replace religious dissension. His final words at the Chicago Parliament of
Religions were, "Upon the banner of every religion will soon be written in spite
of resistance 'Help and not Fight,' 'Assimilation and not Destruction,' 'Harmony
and Peace and not Dissension.'" At a time when world peace is being maintained
by continuous wars, divisiveness is glorified at the expense of unity, and the
human soul is being buried beneath the debris of brutality, violence and hatred,
the words of Swami Vivekananda give us assurance -- an assurance that we are not
living the last days of our destiny and that the light of the Divine, shining in
every heart, will triumph over the forces of darkness.
