“Swami Vivekananda’s Love and strong
faith in God” – from his letters.
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Through
these letters, we learn about the love and faith Swami Vivekananda had on God.
These are the extracts from the letters written by him from 4th Feb., 1889. up to 31st
August, 1894.
BARANAGORE,
4th Feb., 1889.
DEAR SIR,
For
some reason I had been feeling today agitated and cramped in my mind, when your
letter of invitation to the heavenly city of Varanasi reached me. I accept it
as the call of Vishveshvara. (The Lord of the Universe, or Shiva, as installed
in the leading temple of Varanasi or Kashi.)
22nd February, 1889.
Recovering my health after a few days here, I entertain the
hope of visiting you there. The will of Vishweshwara, the Lord of the universe,
will prevail — whatever that may be.
BARANAGORE,
17th Aug., 1889.
DEAR SIR,
You have expressed embarrassment in your last favour for
being addressed reverentially. But the blame attaches not to me but to your own
excellent qualities. I wrote in one letter before that from the way I feel
attracted by your lofty virtues, it seems we had some affinity from previous
births. I make no distinction as to householder or Sannyasin in this, that for
all time my head shall bend low in reverence wherever I see greatness,
broadness of heart, and holiness — Shรขntih! Shรขntih! Shรขntih! My prayer is that
among the many people embracing Sannyรขsa nowadays, greedy of honour, posing
renunciation for the sake of a living, and fallen off from the ideal on both
sides, may one in a lakh at least become high-souled like you! To you my Brahmin
fellow-disciples who have heard of your noble virtues tender their best
prostrations.
About one amongst my several questions to which
you sent your replies, my wrong idea is corrected. For this I shall remain
indebted to you for ever. Another of these questions was: Whether Acharya
Shankara gives any conclusion regarding caste based on Gunas as mentioned in
Puranรขs like the Mahabharata. If he does, where is it to be found? I have no
doubt that according to the ancient view in this country, caste was hereditary,
and it cannot also be doubted that sometimes the Shudras used to be oppressed
more than the helots among the Spartans and the negroes among the Americans! As
for myself, I have no partiality for any party in this caste question, because
I know it is a social law and is based on diversity of Guna and Karma. It also
means grave harm if one bent on going beyond Guna and Karma cherishes in mind
any caste distinctions. In these matters, I have got some settled ideas through
the grace of my Guru but, if I come to know of your views, I may just confirm
some points or rectify others in them. One doesn't have honey dripping unless
one pokes at the hive — so I shall put
you some more questions; and looking upon me as ignorant and as a boy, please
give proper replies without taking any offence.
1. Is the
Mukti, which the Vedanta-Sutras speaks of, one and the same with the
Nirvana of the Avadhuta-Gitรข and other texts?
2. What is really meant by Nirvana if, according to the
aphorism, "Without the function of creating etc." (ibid., IV. iv. 7), none can attain to
the fullest Godhead?
3. Chaitanya-deva is said to have told
Sรขrvabhauma at Puri, "I understand the Sutras (aphorisms) of Vyasa, they
are dualistic; but the commentator makes them, monistic, which I don't
understand." Is this true? Tradition says, Chaitanya-deva had a dispute
with Prakashananda Sarasvati on the point, and Chaitanya-deva won. One
commentary by Chaitanya-deva was rumoured to have been existing in
Prakashananda's Math.
4. In the Tantra, Acharya Shankara has been called a
crypto-Buddhist; views expressed in Prajnรขparamitรข,
the Buddhist Mรขhรขyana book, perfectly tally with the Vedantic views propounded
by the Acharya. The author of Panchadashi also says, "What we call Brahman
is the same truth as the Shunya of the Buddhist." What does all this mean?
5. Why has no foundation for the authority of the Vedas been
adduced in the Vedanta-Sutras?
First, it has been said that the Vedas are the authority for the existence of
God, and then it has been argued that the authority for the Vedas is the text:
"It is the breath of God." Now, is this statement not vitiated by
what in Western logic is called an argument in a circle?
6. The Vedanta requires of us faith, for conclusiveness
cannot be reached by mere argumentation. Then why, has the slightest flaw,
detected in the position of the schools of Sรขnkhya and Nyรขya, been overwhelmed
with a fusillade of dialectics? In whom, moreover, are we to put our faith? Everybody seems to be mad over establishing
his own view; if, according to Vyasa, even the great Muni Kapila, "the
greatest among perfected souls", is
himself deeply involved in error, then who would say that Vyasa may not be so
involved in a greater measure? Did Kapila fail to understand the Vedas?
7. According to the Nyaya, "Shabda or Veda (the
criterion of truth), is the word of those who have realised the highest";
so the Rishis as such are omniscient. Then how are they proved, according to
the Surya-siddhรขnta,
to be ignorant of such simple astronomical truths? How can we accept their
intelligence as the refuge to ferry us across the ocean of transmigratory
existence, seeing that they speak of the earth as triangular, of the serpent
Vรขsuki as the support of the earth and so on?
8. If in His acts of creation God is dependent on good and
evil Karmas, then what does it avail us to worship Him? There is a fine song of
Nareshchandra, where occurs the following: "If what lies in one's destiny
is to happen anyhow, O Mother, then what good all this invoking by the holy
name of Durgรข?"
9. True, it is improper to hold many texts on the same
subject to be contradicted by one or two. But why then are the long-continued
customs of Madhuparka and the
like repealed by one or two such texts as, "The horse sacrifice, the cow
sacrifice, Sannyasa, meat-offerings in Shrรขddha", etc.? If the Vedas are
eternal, then what are the meaning and justification of such specifications as
"this rule of Dharma is for the age of Dvรขpara," "this for the
age of Kali", and so forth?
10. The same God who gives out the Vedas becomes Buddha again
to annul them; which of these dispensations is to be obeyed? Which of these
remains authoritative, the earlier or the later one?
11. The Tantra says,
in the Kali-Yuga the Veda-Mantras are futile. So which behest of God, the
Shiva, is to be followed?
12. Vyasa makes out in
the Vedanta-Sutras that it is wrong to worship the tetrad
of divine manifestation, Vรขsudeva, Sankarshana, etc., and again that very Vyasa
expatiates on the great merits of that worship in the Bhรขgavata! Is this Vyasa a
madman?
I have many doubts besides these, and, hoping to have them
dispelled from my mind through your kindness, I shall lay them before you in
future. Such questions cannot be all set forth except in a personal interview;
neither can as much satisfaction be obtained as one expects to. So I have a
mind to lay before you all these facts when presenting myself to you, which I
expect will be very soon, by the grace of the Guru.
I have heard it said that without inner progress in the
practice of religion, no true conclusion can be reached concerning these
matters, simply by means of reasoning; but satisfaction, at least to some
extent, seems to be necessary at the outset.
Yours etc.,
VIVEKANANDA.
GHAZIPUR,
February, 1890.
The Lord Buddha is my Ishta — my God. He preached no theory
about Godhead — he was himself God, I fully believe it. But no one has the power to put a limit to
God's infinite glory. No, not even God Himself has the power to make Himself
limited.
GHAZIPUR,
3rd March, 1890.
PS. To no big person am I going any longer —
"Remain, O mind, within yourself, go not to anybody
else's door; whatever you seek, you shall obtain sitting at your ease, only
seek for it in the privacy of your heart. There is the supreme Treasure, the
philosophers' stone and He can give
whatever you ask for; for countless gems, O mind, lie strewn about the portals
of His abode. He is the wishing-stone that confers boons at the mere
thought." Thus says the poet Kamalรขkรขnta.
GHAZIPUR,
15th March, 1890.
I am leaving this place tomorrow. . . . My countless
salutations to Mother. You all bless me that I may have sameness of vision,
that after avoiding the bondages which one is heir to by one's very birth, I
may not again get stuck in self-imposed bondages. If there be any Doer of good
and if He have the power and the opportunity, may He vouchsafe the highest
blessings unto you all — this is my constant prayer.
Khartabad, Hyderabad,
11th February, 1893.
man learns as he lives, and experience is the greatest
teacher in the world.
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven, for Thine is the glory and the kingdom for ever and ever."
KHETRI
28th April, 1893.
what more shall I wish for you, my dear Diwanji Saheb, but
that the Lord would be your all in all in your well-merited, well-applauded and
universally respected latter end of a life which was ever holy, good, and
devoted to the service of so many of the sons and daughters of the great Father
of Mercies. Amen!
BOMBAY,
22nd May, 1893.
May the blows you have received draw you closer to that Being
who is the only one to be loved here and hereafter, so that you may realise Him
in everything past, present, and future, and find everything present or lost in
Him and Him alone. Amen!
Metcalf, Mass.
20th August, 1893
Know, then, that this is the land of Christians, and any
other influence than that is almost zero. Nor do I care a bit for the enmity of
any -----ists in the world. I am here amongst the children of the Son of Mary,
and the Lord Jesus will help me. They like much the broad views of Hinduism and
my love for the Prophet of Nazareth. I tell them that I preach nothing against
the Great One of Galilee. I only ask the Christians to take in the Great Ones
of Ind along with the Lord Jesus, and they appreciate it.
. . Look
sharp, my boy, take courage. We are destined by the Lord to do great things in
India. Have faith. We will do. We, the poor and the despised, who really feel,
and not those. . . .
Yesterday Mrs. Johnson,
the lady superintendent of the women's prison, was here. They don't call it
prison but reformatory here. It is the grandest thing I have seen in America.
How the inmates are benevolently treated, how they are reformed and sent back
as useful members of society; how grand, how beautiful, you must see to
believe!
The Lord is great. I know He will help me. I may perish of
cold or hunger in this land, but I bequeath to you, young men, this sympathy,
this struggle for the poor, the ignorant, the oppressed. Go now this minute to
the temple of Parthasarathi, and before
Him who was friend to the poor and lowly cowherds of Gokula, who never shrank
to embrace the Pariah Guhaka, who accepted the invitation of a prostitute in
preference to that of nobles and saved her in His incarnation as Buddha--yea,
down on your faces before Him, and make a great sacrifice, the sacrifice of a
whole life for them, for whom He comes from time to time, whom He loves above
all, the poor, the lowly, the oppressed. Vow, then, to devote your whole lives
to the cause of the redemption of these three hundred millions, going down and
down every day.
It is not the work of a day, and the path is full of the most
deadly thorns. But Parthasarathi is ready to be our Sarathi--we know that. And in His name and with eternal faith in
Him, set fire to the mountain of misery that has been heaped upon India for
ages--and it shall be burned down. Come then, look it in the face, brethren, it
is a grand task, and we are so low. But we are the sons of Light and children
of God. Glory unto the Lord, we will succeed.
Hundreds will fall in the struggle, hundreds will be ready to
take it up. I may die here unsuccessful, another will take up the task. You
know the disease, you know the remedy, only have faith. Do not look up to the
so-called rich and great; do not care for the heartless intellectual writers,
and their cold-blooded newspaper articles. Faith, sympathy--fiery faith and
fiery sympathy! Life is nothing, death is nothing, hunger nothing, cold
nothing. Glory unto the Lord--march on,
the Lord is our General. Do not look back to see who falls--forward--onward!
Thus and thus we shall go on, brethren. One falls, and another takes up the
work.
Salem (USA)
30th Aug., 1893
Here are a
few lines written as an attempt at poetry. Hoping your love will pardon this
infliction.
Ever your friend,
Vivekananda
O'er hill and dale and mountain range,
In temple, church, and mosque,
In Vedas, Bible, Al Koran
I had searched for Thee in vain.
Like a child in the wildest forest lost
I have cried and cried alone,
"Where art Thou gone, my God, my love?"
The echo answered, "gone."
And days and nights and years then passed--
A fire was in the brain;
I knew not when day changed in night,
The heart seemed rent in twain.
I laid me down on Ganga's shore,
Exposed to sun and rain;
With burning tears I laid the dust
And wailed with waters' roar.
I called on all the holy names
Of every clime and creed,
"Show me the way, in mercy, ye
Great ones who have reached the goal".
Years then passed in bitter cry,
Each moment seemed an age,
Till one day midst my cries and groans
Some one seemed calling me.
A gentle soft and soothing voice
That said "my son", "my son",
That seemed to thrill in unison
With all the chords of my soul.
I stood on my feet and tried to find
The place the voice came from;
I searched and searched and turned to see
Round me, before, behind.
Again, again it seemed to speak--
The voice divine to me.
In rapture all my soul was hushed,
Entranced, enthralled in bliss.
A flash illumined all my soul;
The heart of my heart opened wide.
O joy, O bliss, what do I find!
My love, my love, you are here,
And you are here, my love, my all!
And I was searching thee!
From all eternity you were there
Enthroned in majesty!
From that day forth, where'er I roam,
I feel Him standing by
O'er hill and dale, high mount and vale,
Far far away and high.
The moon's soft light, the stars so bright,
The glorious orb of day,
He shines in them; His beauty--might--
Reflected lights are they.
The majestic morn, the melting eve,
The boundless billowy sea,
In nature's beauty, songs of birds,
I see through them--it is He.
When dire calamity seizes me,
The heart seems weak and faint,
All nature seems to crush me down,
With laws that never bend.
Meseems I hear Thee whispering sweet
My love, "I am near", "I am near".
My heart gets strong. With Thee, my love,
A thousand deaths no fear.
Thou speakest in the mother's lay
That shuts the baby's eye;
When innocent children laugh and play
I see Thee standing by.
When holy friendship shakes the hand,
He stands between them too;
He pours the nectar in mother's kiss
And the baby's sweet "mama".
Thou wert my God with prophets old;
All creeds do come from Thee;
The Vedas, Bible, and Koran bold
Sing Thee in harmony.
"Thou art", "Thou art" the Soul of souls
In the rushing stream of life.
"Om tat Sat om." Thou art my
God.
My love, I am thine, I am thine.
Chicago
2nd October, 1893
Dear brother, I was so so afraid to stand
before that great assembly of fine speakers and thinkers from all over the
world and speak; but the Lord gave me strength, and I almost every day
heroically (?) faced the platform and the audience. If I have done well, He
gave me the strength for it;
And oh! everybody is so kind here to me who am nothing that
it is beyond my power of expression. Glory unto Him in the highest in whose
sight the poor ignorant monk from India is the same as the learned divines of
this mighty land. And how the Lord is helping me every day of my life, brother
I sometimes wish for a life of [a] million million ages to serve Him through
the work, dressed in rags and fed by charity.
May He make us all more and more pure and holy so that we may
live a perfect spiritual life even before throwing off this earthly body.
I am now going to be
reconciled to my life here. All my life I have been taking every circumstance
as coming from Him and calmly adapting myself to it. At first in America I was
almost out of my water. I was afraid I would have to give up the accustomed way
of being guided by the Lord and cater for myself and what a horrid piece of
mischief and ingratitude was that. I now
clearly see that He who was guiding me on the snow tops of the Himalayas and
the burning plains of India is here to help me and guide me. Glory unto Him in
the highest. So I have calmly fallen into my old ways. Somebody or other gives
me a shelter and food, somebody or other comes to ask me to speak about Him,
and I know He sends them and mine is to obey. And then He is supplying my
necessities, and His will be done !
"He who rests [in] Me and gives up all
other self assertion and struggles I carry to him whatever he needs"
(Gita).
So it is in Asia. So in Europe. So in America. So in the
deserts of India. So in the rush of business in America. For is He not here
also? And if He does not, I only would take for granted that He wants that I
should lay aside this three minutes' body of clay and hope to lay it down
gladly.
We may or may not meet, brother. He knows. You
are great, learned, and holy. I dare not preach to you or your wife; but to
your children I quote these passages from the Vedas
"The four Vedas,
sciences, languages, philosophy, and all other learnings are only ornamental.
The real learning, the true knowledge is that which enables us to reach Him who
is unchangeable in His love."
"How
real, how tangible, how visible is He through whom the skin touches, the eyes
see, and the world gets its reality!"
"Hearing Him nothing remains to be heard,
Seeing Him nothing remains to be seen,
Attaining Him nothing remains to be
attained."
"He is the eye of our eyes, the ear of our
ears, the Soul of our souls."
He is nearer to you, my dears, than even your father and
mother. You are innocent and pure as flowers. Remain so, and He will reveal
Himself unto you. Dear Austin, when you are playing, there is another playmate
playing with you who loves you more than anybody else; and Oh, He is so full of
fun. He is always playing sometimes with great big balls which we call the sun
and earth, sometimes with little children like you and laughing and playing
with you. How funny it would be to see Him and play with Him! My dear, think of
it.
"He who gets hold
of the One in this world of many the one constant existence in a world of
flitting shadows the one life in a world of death he alone crosses this sea of
misery and struggle. None else, none else" (Vedas).
"He who is the Brahman of the Vedantins, Ishvara of the
Naiyayikas, Purusha of the Sankhyas, cause of the Mimamsakas, law of the
Buddhists, absolute zero of the Atheists, and love infinite unto those that
love, may [He] take us all under His merciful protection": Udayanacharya a
great philosopher of the Nyaya or Dualistic school. And this is the Benediction
pronounced at the very beginning of his wonderful book Kusumanjali (A handful
of flowers), in which he attempts to establish the existence of a personal creator and moral ruler of infinite love
independently of revelation.
CHICAGO,
10th October, 1893.
He who has brought me hither and has not left me yet will not
leave me ever I am here. You will be glad to know that I am doing well and
expect to do very well in the way of getting money.
Chicago
2nd November, 1893
I was out of pocket at that time. Since then the Lord sent me
friends. ……
I addressed the assembly as "Sisters and Brothers of
America", a deafening applause of two minutes followed, and then I
proceeded; and when it was finished, I sat down, almost exhausted with emotion.
The next day all the papers announced that my speech was the hit of the day,
and I became known to the whole of America. Truly has it been said by the great
commentator Shridhara--mUk< kraeit vacal< --Who maketh the dumb a fluent
speaker." His name be praised! From that day I became a celebrity, and the
day I read my paper of Hinduism, the hall was packed as it had never been
before.
I must remain in this country at least through the winter,
and then go to Europe. The Lord will
provide everything for me. You need not disturb yourself about it. I cannot
express my gratitude for your love.Day by day I am feeling that the Lord is
with me, and I am trying to follow His direction. His will be done. . . .
We will do great things for the world, and that for the sake of doing good and
not for name and fame.
"Ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die."
Be of good cheer and believe that we are selected by the Lord to do great
things, and we will do them. Hold yourself in readiness, i.e. be pure and holy,
and love for love's sake. Love the poor, the miserable, the down-trodden, and
the Lord will bless you.
Think not that you are poor; money is not power, but
goodness, holiness. Come and see how it is so all over the world.
CHICAGO,
24th January, 1894.
Our modern reformers are very busy about widow remarriage. Of
course, I am a sympathiser in every reform, but the fate of a nation does not
depend upon the number of husbands their widows get, but upon the condition of the masses. Can
you raise them? Can you give them back their lost individuality without making
them lose their innate spiritual nature? Can you become an occidental of
occidentals in your spirit of equality, freedom, work, and energy, and at the
same time a Hindu to the very backbone in religious culture and instincts? This
is to be done and we will do
it. You are all born to
do it. Have faith in yourselves, great convictions are the mothers of
great deeds. Onward for ever! Sympathy for the poor, the downtrodden, even unto
death — this is our motto.
Onward, brave lads!
CHICAGO,
29th January, 1894.
With the Lord's help they will do things for which the whole
world will bless them for ages. So on the one hand, my vision of the future of
Indian religion and that of the whole world, my love for the millions of beings
sinking down and down for ages with nobody to help them, nay, nobody with even
a thought for them; on the other hand, making those who are nearest and dearest
to me miserable; I choose the former. "Lord will do the rest." He is
with me, I am sure of that if of anything. So
long as I am sincere, nothing can resist me, because He will be my help.
DETROIT,
12th March, 1894.
I am fed up.I would take rest in Boston or New York if the
Lord permits.
Detroit
16 March 1894
I am dreaming just now and philosophising upon that work
fever which was upon me. It is all
nonsense. I am nothing, the world is nothing, the Lord alone is the only
worker. We are simply tools in His hands etc., etc., etc.
DETROIT,
17th March, 1894.
She knows everything about the Yogis and is herself much
advanced in practice!!
"Thy ways are beyond searching out."
Lord bless her — so innocent, holy, and pure! This is the grandest recompense
in my terribly toilsome, miserable life — the finding of holy happy faces like
you from time to time. The great Buddhist prayer is, "I bow down to all
holy men on earth". I feel the real meaning of this prayer whenever I see
a face upon which the finger of the Lord has written in unmistakable letters
"mine". May you all be happy,
blessed, good and pure as you are for ever and ever. May your feet never touch
the mud and dirt of this terrible world. May you live and pass away like
flowers as you are born — is the constant prayer of your brother.
DETROIT,
18th March, 1894.
Nowhere in the world are women like those of this country. How
pure, independent, self-relying, and kindhearted! It is the women who are the
life and soul of this country. All learning and culture are centred in them.
The saying,
— Who is the Goddess of Fortune Herself in the families of the
meritorious" (Chandi) — holds good in this country, while that
other, "
— The Goddess of ill luck in the homes of the sinful" (ibid.)
— applies to ours. Just think on this. Great God! I am struck dumb with
wonderment at seeing the women of America.
"— Thou art the Goddess of
Fortune, Thou art the supreme Goddess, Thou art Modesty" (ibid.),
— The Goddess who resides in all beings as Power" (ibid.) —
all this holds good here. There are thousands of women here whose minds are as
pure and white as the snow of this country. And look at our girls, becoming
mothers below their teens!! Good Lord! I now see it all. Brother,
" — The gods are
pleased where the women are held in esteem" — says the old Manu. We are
horrible sinners, and our degradation is due to our calling women
"despicable worms", "gateways to hell", and so forth. Goodness gracious!
There is all the difference between heaven and hell!!
" — He adjudges gifts according to the merits of the
case" (Isha, 8). Is the Lord to be hoodwinked by idle talk? The Lord has
said,
" — Thou art the woman, Thou art the man, Thou art the boy
and the girl as well." (Shvetรขshvatara Upa.) And we on our part are
crying,
" — Be off, thou outcast!"
" etc. — Who has made the bewitching woman?" My brother,
what experiences I have had in the South, of the upper classes torturing the
lower! What Bacchanalian orgies within the temples! Is it a religion that fails
to remove the misery of the poor and turn men into gods! Do you think our
religion is worth the name? Ours is only
Don't touchism, only "Touch me not", "Touch me not." Good
heavens! A country, the big leaders of which have for the last two thousand
years been only discussing whether to take food with the right hand or the
left, whether to take water from the right-hand side or from the left, ... if
such a country does not go to ruin, what other will?
" — Time keeps wide awake when all else sleeps. Time is
invincible indeed!" He knows it; who is there to throw dust in His eyes,
my friend?
New York
9th April, 1894
My brother, no good thing can be done without obstruction. It
is only those who persevere to the end that succeed. . . . I believe that the Satya Yuga (Golden Age) will come when there will be
one caste, one Veda, and peace and harmony. This idea of Satya Yuga is what
would revivify India. Believe it.
NEW YORK,
26th April, 1894.
I have an old mother. She has suffered much all her life and
in the midst of all she could bear to give me up for the service of God and
man; but to have given up the most beloved of her children — her hope — to live
a beastly immoral life in a far distant country, as Mazoomdar was telling in
Calcutta, would have simply killed her. But the Lord is great, none can injure
His children.
The cat is out of the bag — without my seeking
at all. And who do you think is the editor of one of our leading papers which praise
me so much and thank God that I came to America to represent Hinduism?
Mazoomdar's cousin!! — Poor Mazoomdar — he has injured his cause by telling
lies through jealousy. Lord knows I never attempted any defence.
Boston
14 May 1894
Oh, they are so, so
dry--even girls talk dry metaphysics. Here is like our Benares where all is
dry, dry metaphysics!! Nobody here understands "my Beloved". Religion
to these people is reason, and horribly stony at that. I do not care for
anybody who cannot love my "Beloved". Do not tell it to Miss Howe--she may be offended.
Any amount of enmity to certain persons cannot efface the
good works of a life. And then they were only children in Religion. They never
were much of religious men--i.e. they only wanted to talk and reason, and did
not struggle to see the Beloved; and until one does that I do not say that he
has any religion. He may have books,
forms, doctrines, words, reasons, etc., etc., but not religion; for that begins
when the soul feels the necessity, the want, the yearning after the
"Beloved", and never before. And therefore our society has no
right to expect from them anything more than from an ordinary
"house-holder".
Boston,
May, 1894
the fever of jealousy which attacked Mazoomdar gave me a
terrible shock, and I pray that he would know better for he is a great and good
man who has tried all his life to do good. But this proves one of my Master's
sayings, "Living in a room covered with black soot-however careful you may
be some spots must stick to your clothes." So, however one may try to be
good and holy, so long he is in the world, some part of his nature must
gravitate downwards.
The way to God is the opposite to that of the world. And to
few, very few, are given to have God and mammon at the same time.
I was never a missionary, nor ever would be one my place is
in the Himalayas. I have satisfied myself so far that I can with a full
conscience say, "My God, I saw terrible misery amongst my brethren; I
searched and discovered the way out of it, tried my best to apply the remedy,
but failed. So Thy will be done."
U. S. A.,
20th May, 1894.
I am in receipt of your letter and am glad to learn that
Shashi (Ramakrishnananda) is all right. Now
I tell you a curious fact. Whenever anyone of you is sick, let him himself or
anyone of you visualise him in your mind, and mentally say and strongly imagine
that he is all right. That will cure him quickly. You can do it even without
his knowledge, and even with thousands of miles between you. Remember it and do
not be ill any more.
I cannot understand why
Sanyal is so miserable on account of his daughters' marriage. After all, he is
going to drag his daughters through the dirty Samsรขra (world) which he himself
wants to escape! I can have but one opinion of that — condemnation! I hate the
very name of marriage, in regard to a boy or a girl. Do you mean to say that I
have to help in putting someone into bondage, you fool! If my brother Mohin
marries, I will throw him off. I am very decided about that. . . .
Yours in love,
VIVEKANANDA.
Chicago
24th May, 1894
I do not know whether I shall go away this summer or not.
Most probably not. In the meantime try to organise and push on our plans.
Believe you can do everything. Know that the Lord is with us, and so, onward,
brave souls!
I have had enough appreciation in my own country.
Appreciation or no appreciation, sleep not, slacken not. You must remember that
not a bit even of our plans has been as yet carried out.
Act on the educated young men, bring them together, and
organise them. Great things can be done by great sacrifices only. No
selfishness, no name, no fame, yours or mine, nor my Master's even! Work, work
the idea, the plan, my boys, my brave, noble, good souls--to the wheel, to the
wheel put your shoulders! Stop not to look back for name, or fame, or any such
nonsense. Throw self overboard and work. Remember, "The grass when made
into a rope by being joined together can even chain a mad elephant." The
Lord's blessings on you all! His power be in you all--as I believe it is
already. "Wake up, stop not until the goal is reached", say the
Vedas. Up, up, the long night is passing, the day is approaching, the wave has
risen, nothing will be able to resist its tidal fury. The spirit, my boys, the
spirit; the love, my children, the love; the faith, the belief; and fear not!
The greatest sin is fear.
My blessings on all. Tell all the noble souls in Madras who
have helped our cause that I send them my eternal love and gratitude, but I beg
of them not to slacken. Throw the idea broadcast. Do not be proud; do not
insist upon anything dogmatic; do not go against anything--ours is to put
chemicals together, the Lord knows how and when the crystal will form. Above
all, be not inflated with my success or yours. Great works are to be done; what
is this small success in comparison with what is to come? Believe, believe, the
decree has gone forth, the fiat of the Lord has gone forth--India must rise,
the masses and the poor are to be made happy. Rejoice that you are the chosen instruments in His hands. The flood
of spirituality has risen. I see it is rolling over the land resistless,
boundless, all-absorbing. Every man to the fore, every good will be added to
its forces, every hand will smooth its way, and glory be unto the Lord! . . .
Do not be afraid of a small beginning, great things come
afterwards. Be courageous. Do not try to lead your brethren, but serve them.
The brutal mania for leading has sunk many a great ship in the waters of life.
Take care especially of that, i.e. be unselfish even unto death, and work. I
could not write all I was going to say, but the Lord will give you all
understanding, my brave boys. At it, my boys! Glory unto the Lord! . . .
CHICAGO,
20th June, 1894.
Educate and raise the masses, and thus alone a nation is
possible. Our reformers do not see where the wound is, they want to save the
nation by marrying the widows; do you think that a nation is saved by the
number of husbands its widows get? Nor is our religion to blame, for an idol
more or less makes no difference. The
whole defect is here: The real nation who live in cottage have forgotten their
manhood, their individuality. Trodden under the foot of the Hindu, Mussulman,
or Christian, they have come to think that they are born to be trodden under
the foot of everybody who has money enough in his pocket. They are to be given
back their lost individuality. They are to be educated. Whether idols will
remain or not, whether widows will have husbands enough or not, whether caste
is good or bad, I do not bother myself with such questions. Everyone must work
out his own salvation. Our duty is to put the chemicals together, the
crystallisation will come through God's laws. Let us put ideas into their
heads, and they will do the rest. Now this means educating the masses.
CHICAGO,
26th June, 1894.
Come up, young ones of
the bird of Paradise, before your feet touch the cesspool of corruption, this
world, and fly upwards.
"O
those that are awake do not go to sleep again."
"Let the world love its many, we
have but one Beloved — the Lord. We care not what they say; we are only afraid
when they want to paint our Beloved and give Him all sorts of monstrous
qualities. Let them do whatever they please — for us He is only the beloved —
my love, my love, my love, and nothing more."
"Who cares to know how much power, how much quality He has — even that of
doing good! We will say once for all: We love not for the long purse, we never
sell our love, we want not, we give."
"You, philosopher, come to tell us
of His essences His powers, His attributes — fool! We are here dying for a kiss
of His lips."
"Take your nonsense back to your own home and send me a kiss of my Love —
can you?"
"Fool! whom art thou bending thy tottering knees before, in
awe and fear? I took my necklace and put it round His neck; and, tying a string
to it as a collar, I am dragging Him along with me, for fear He may fly away
even for a moment that necklace was the collar of love; that string the ecstasy
of love. Fool! you know not the secret — the Infinite One comes within my fist
under the bondage of love." "Knowest
thou not that the Lord of the Universe is the bond slave of love?"
"Knowest thou not that the Mover of the Universe used to dance to the
music of the ringing bracelets of the shepherdesses of Vrindaban?"
Excuse my mad scribbling, excuse my foolery in trying to express
the inexpressible. It is to be felt only.
Ever with blessings, your brother,
VIVEKANANDA.
NEW YORK
9th July (Sept.?), 1894.
Glory unto Jagadambรข (Mother of the Universe)! I have gained
beyond expectations. The prophet has been honoured and with a vengeance. I am weeping like
a child at His mercy — He never leaves His servant, sisters.
O sisters! What a rogue am I that in the face of such mercies
sometimes the faith totters — seeing every moment that I am in His hands. Still
the mind sometimes gets despondent. Sister,
there is a God — a Father — a Mother who never leaves His Children, never,
never, never. Put uncanny theories aside and becoming children take refuge in
Him. I cannot write more — I am weeping like a woman.
Blessed, blessed art Thou, Lord God of my soul!
U.S.A.
11th July, 1894
I shall have to print much matter next year. I am going
regularly to work. . . . The sheer power
of the will will do everything. . . . You must organise a society which
should regularly meet, and write to me about it as often as you can. In fact,
get up as much enthusiasm as you can. Only, beware of falsehood. Go to work, my
boys, the fire will come to you! The faculty of organisation is entirely absent
in our nature, but this has to be infused. The great secret is--absence of
jealousy. Be always ready to concede to the opinions of your brethren, and try
always to conciliate. That is the whole secret. Fight on bravely! Life is
short! Give it up to a great cause…..
Work hard. Be holy and pure and the fire will come.
Fishkill on the Hudson
19 July 1894
You need not feel any
worry about my being taken care of. The Lord always takes care of His servants;
and so long as I am really His servant and not the world's, I am very confident
of getting everything that would be good for me.
MAINE,
31st July, 1894.
The inn people are more or less well-to-do, and the camp
people are healthy, young, sincere,
and holy men and women. I teach them Shivo'ham, Shivo'ham, and they all repeat
it, innocent and pure as they are and brave beyond all bounds. And so I am
happy and glorified. Thank God for making me poor, thank God for making these
children in the tents poor.
The Dudes and Dudines are in the Hotel, but iron-bound nerves
and souls of triple steel and spirits of fire are in the camp. If you had seen
them yesterday, when the rain was falling in torrents and the cyclone was
overturning everything, hanging by their tent strings to keep them from being
blown down, and standing on the majesty of their souls — these brave ones — it
would have done your hearts good. I will go a hundred miles to see the like of
them. Lord bless them! I hope you are enjoying your nice village life. Never be
anxious for a moment. I will be taken care of, and if not, I will know my time has come and shall pass
out.
"Sweet One! Many
people offer to You many things, I am poor — but I have the body, mind, and
soul. I give them over to You. Deign to accept, Lord of the Universe, and
refuse them not." — So have I given over my life and soul once for all.
One thing — they are a dry sort of people here — and as to that very few in the
whole world are there that are not. They do not understand "Mรขdhava",
the Sweet One. They are either intellectual or go after faith
cure, table turning, witchcraft, etc., etc. Nowhere have I heard so much about
"love, life, and liberty" as in this country, but nowhere is it less
understood. Here God is either a terror or a healing power, vibration, and so
forth. Lord bless their souls! And these parrots talk day and night of love and
love and love!
Now, good dreams, good
thoughts for you. You are good and noble. Instead of materialising the spirit,
that is, dragging the spiritual to the material plane as these folks do,
convert the matter into spirit, catch a glimpse at least, every day, of that
world of infinite beauty and peace and purity — the spiritual, and try to live
in it day and night. Seek not, touch not with your toes even, anything that is
uncanny. Let your souls ascend day and night like an "unbroken
string" unto the feet of the Beloved whose throne is in your own hearts
and let the rest take care of themselves, that is the body and everything else.
Life is evanescent, a fleeting dream; youth and beauty fade. Say day and night,
"Thou art my father, my mother, my husband, my love, my lord, my God — I
want nothing but Thee, nothing but Thee, nothing but Thee. Thou in me, I in
Thee, I am Thee. Thou art me." Wealth goes, beauty vanishes, life flies,
powers fly — but the Lord abideth for ever, love abideth for ever. If here is
glory in keeping the machine in good trim, it is more glorious to withhold the
soul from suffering with the body — that is the only demonstration of your
being "not matter", by letting the matter alone.
Stick to God! Who cares
what comes to the body or to anything else! Through the terrors of evil, say —
my God, my love! Through the pangs of death, say — my God, my love! Through all
the evils under the sun, say — my God, my love! Thou art here, I see Thee. Thou
art with me, I feel Thee. I am Thine, take me. I am not of the world's but
Thine, leave not then me. Do not go for glass beads leaving the mine of
diamonds! This life is a great chance. What, seekest thou the pleasures of the
world? — He is the fountain of all bliss. Seek for the highest, aim at that
highest, and you shallreach the highest.
Yours with all blessings,
VIVEKANANDA.
Fishkill landing, N.Y.,
July, 1894
Dear Mother,
……..Our religion
teaches that anger is a great sin, even if it is "righteous".
Each must follow his own religion. I could not for my soul distinguish ever the
distinction between "religious anger" and "commonplace
anger", "religious killing" and "commonplace killing",
"religious slandering and irreligious", and so forth. Now may that
"fine" ethical distinction ever enter into the ethics of our nation!
Jesting apart, Mother Church, I do not care the least for the gambols these men
play, seeing as I do through and through the insincerity, the hyposcrisy, and
love of self and name that is the only motive power in these men…………With my
sincerest love and respects for you and Father Pope.
I remain,
Yours,
Vivekananda.
CHICAGO,
(Beginning of?) 1894.
…… now I am in flying colours. Such is the will of the Guru, what
shall I do? It is childishness on M—'s part to be annoyed at this. Never
mind,
— Great men like you should pay no heed to what he says. Shall we,
children of Shri Ramakrishna, nourished with his heart's blood, be afraid of
worm-bites? "The wicked criticise the conduct of the magnanimous, which is
extraordinary and whose motives are difficult to fathom" (Kalidasa'sKumรขrasambhavam.)
— remember all this and forgive this fool. It
is the will of the Lord that people of this land have their power of
introspection roused, and does it lie in anybody to check His progress? I want
no name — I want to be a voice without a form. I do not require anybody to
defend me —
— who am I to check or to help the course of His march? And who are others
also? Still, my heartfelt gratitude to them.
— "Established in which state a man is not moved even by great
misfortune" (Gita) — that state he has not reached; think of this and look
upon him with pity. Through the Lord's will, the desire for name and fame has
not yet crept into my heart, and I dare say never will. I am an instrument, and He is the operator. Through this instrument He
is rousing the religious instinct in thousands of hearts in this far-off
country. Thousands of men and women here love and revere me. . . . "
— He makes the dumb eloquent and makes the lame cross mountains." I
am amazed at His grace. Whichever town I visit, it is in an uproar. They
have named me "the cyclonic Hindu". Remember, it is His will — I am a
voice without a form.
The Lord knows whether I shall go to England or any other blessed
place. He will arrange everything. ………..The Lord provides everything. . . . The
Lord be praised, I know nothing. "
— Truth alone triumphs, not
falsehood. Through Truth alone lies the path of Devayรขna." You must be
fearless. It is the coward who fears and defends himself. Let no one amongst us
come forward to defend me. I get all news of Madras and Rajputana from time to
time. . . . There are eyes that can see at a distance of fourteen thousand
miles. It is quite true. Keep quiet now, everything will see the light in time,
as far as He wills it. Not one word of His proves untrue. My brother, do men
grieve over the fight of cats and dogs? So the jealousy, envy, and elbowing of
common men should make no impression on your mind.
For the last six months I have been saying, the curtain is going
up, the sun is rising. Yes, the curtain is lifting by degrees, slow but sure;
you will come to know it in time. He knows. One cannot speak
out one's mind. These are things not for writing. . . . Never let go your hold
of the rudder, grasp it firm. We are steering all right, no mistaking that, but
landing on the other shore is only a question of time. That's all. Can a leader
be made my brother? A leader is born. Do you understand? And it is a very
difficult task to take on the role of a leader. — One must be 
— a servant of servants, and
must accommodate a thousand minds. There must not be a shade of jealousy or
selfishness, then you are a leader. First, by birth, and secondly, unselfish —
that's a leader.
Everything is going all
right, everything will come round. He casts the net all right, and winds it up
likewise 
— ours is but to follow; love is the best instrument. Love conquers in
the long run. It won't do to become impatient — wait, wait — patience is bound
to give success. . . .
I tell you brother, let everything go on as it is, only take care
that no form becomes necessary — unity in variety — see that universality be
not hampered in the least. Everything must be sacrificed, if necessary, for
that one sentiment,universality. Whether I live or die, whether I go
back to India or not, remember this specially, that universality — perfect
acceptance, not tolerance only — we preach and perform. Take care how you
trample on the least rights of others. Many a huge ship has foundered in that
whirlpool. Remember, perfect devotion minus its bigotry — this is what we have
got to show. Through His grace everything will go all right. . . . Everybody
wants to be a leader, but it is the failure to grasp that he is born,
that causes all this mischief. ...
Our matrons are all hale and hearty, I hope? Where is Gour-Mรข? We want a thousand such Mothers with that
noble stirring spirit. ... We want all. It is not at all necessary that all
should have the same faith in our Lord as we have, but we want to unite all the
powers of goodness against all the powers of evil. ... A besetting sin with
Sannyasins is the taking pride in their monastic order. That may have its
utility during the first stages, but when they are full-grown, they need it no
more. One must make no distinction between householders and Sannyasins — then
only one is a true Sannyasin. . . .
A movement which half a dozen penniless boys set on foot and which
now bids fair to progress in such an accelerated motion — is it a humbug or the
Lord's will? If it is, then let all give up party-spirit and jealousy, and
unite in action. A universal religion
cannot be set up through party faction. . . .
If all understand one day for one minute that one cannot become
great by the mere wish, that he only rises whom He raises, and he falls whom He
brings down then all trouble is at an end. But there is that egotism — hollow
in itself, and without the power to move a finger: how ludicrous of it to say, "I
won't let anyone rise!" That jealousy, that absence of conjoint action is
the very nature of enslaved nations. But we must try to shake it off. The
terrible jealousy is characteristic of us. . . . You will be convinced of this
if you visit some other countries.. .
At any cost, any price, any sacrifice, we must never allow that to creep in
among ourselves. Whether we be ten or two, do not care, but those few must be
perfect characters. . . . "It is not good to ask of one's father if the
Lord keeps His promise (to look after His devotees)." And the Lord will do
so, get your minds easy on that score. . . . We must spread his name in
Rajputana, Punjab, U.P., Madras, and such other provinces — yes, in Raiputana,
where still there are people who can say, "Such has ever been the custom
with Raghu's line that they keep their word even at the cost of life."
A bird, in the course of
its flight, reaches a spot whence it looks on the ground below with supreme
calmness, Have you reached that spot? He who has not reached there has no right
to teach others. Relax your limbs and float with the current, and you are sure
to reach your destination.
……..Yes, brother, the
distinction between Sannyasin and layman is a fiction. "
etc. — "He makes the
dumb fluent," etc. My friend it is difficult to judge what is in a
particular individual.
Ever yours in love,
VIVEKANANDA.
Summer 1894
...
We want some disciples — fiery young men — do you see? — intelligent and brave,
who dare to go to the jaws of Death, and are ready to swim the ocean across. Do
you follow me? We want hundreds like that, both men and women. Try your utmost
for that end alone. Make converts right and left, and put them into our
purity-drilling machine.
….. . . We must electrify society, electrify the world. Idle
gossip and barren ceremonials won't do. Ceremonials are meant for householders,
your work is the distribution and propagation of thought-currents. If you can
do that, then it is all right. . .
Let character be formed and then I shall be in your midst. Do
you see? We want two thousand Sannyasins, nay ten, or even twenty thousand —
men and women, both. What are our matrons doing? We want converts at any risk.
Go and tell them, and try yourselves, heart and soul. Not householder
disciples, mind you, we want Sannyasins. Let each one of you have a hundred
heads tonsured — young educated men, not fools. Then you are heroes. We must
make a sensation. Give up your passive attitude, gird your loins and stand up.
Let me see you make some electric circuits between Calcutta and Madras. Start
centres at places, go on always making converts. Convert everyone into the
monastic order whoever seeks for it, irrespective of sex, and then I shall be
in your midst. A huge spiritual tidal wave is coming — he who is low shall
become noble, and he who is ignorant shall become the teacher of great scholars
— through HIS grace. "
— Arise! Awake! and
stop not till the goal is reached." Life is ever expanding, contraction is
death. The self-seeking man who is looking after his personal comforts and
leading a lazy life — there is no room for him even in hell.
He alone is a child of Shri Ramakrishna who is moved to pity for
all creatures and exerts himself for them even at the risk of incurring
personal damnation, 
— others are vulgar people.
Whoever, at this great spiritual juncture, will stand up with a courageous
heart and go on spreading from door to door, from village to village, his
message, is alone my brother, and a son of his. This is the test, he who is
Ramakrishna's child does not seek his personal good. "
— They wish to do good to
others even when at the point of death." Those that care for their
personal comforts and seek a lazy life, who are ready to sacrifice all before
their personal whims, are none of us; let them pack off, while yet there is
time. Propagate his character, his teaching, his religion. This is the only
spiritual practice, the only worship, this verily is the means, and this the
goal. Arise! Arise! A tidal wave is coming! Onward! Men and women, down to the
Chandรขla (Pariah) — all are pure in his eyes. Onward! Onward! There is no time
to care for name, or fame, or Mukti, or Bhakti! We shall look to these some
other time. Now in this life let us infinitely spread his lofty character, his
sublime life, his infinite soul. This is the only work — there is nothing else
to do. Wherever his name will reach, the veriest worm will attain divinity,
nay, is actually attaining it; you have got eyes, and don't you see it? Is it a
child's play? Is it silly prattle? Is it foolery? "
— Arise! Awake! " Great
Lord! He is at our back. I cannot write any more. — Onward! I only tell you
this, that whoever reads this letter will imbibe my spirit! Have faith! Onward!
Great Lord! . . . I feel as if somebody
is moving my hand to write in this way. Onward! Great Lord! Everyone will be
swept away! Take care, he is coming! Whoever will be ready to serve him — no,
not him but his children — the poor and the downtrodden, the sinful and the
afflicted, down to the very worm — who will be ready to serve these, in them he
will manifest himself. Through their tongue the Goddess of Learning Herself
will speak, and the Divine Mother — the Embodiment of all Power — will enthrone
Herself in their hearts. Those that are atheists, unbelievers, worthless,
and foppish, why do they call themselves as belonging to his fold. . .
.
Yours affectionately,
VIVEKANANDA.
Annisquam
23 August 1894
Where to fly? In India I have become horribly public--crowds
will follow me and take my life out. I got an Indian letter from Landsberg.
Every ounce of fame can only be bought at the cost of a pound of peace and
holiness. I never thought of that before. I have become entirely disgusted with
this blazoning. I am disgusted with myself. Lord will show me the way to peace
and purity. Why, Mother, I confess to you: no man can live in an atmosphere of
public life, even in religion, without the devil of competition now and then
thrusting his head into the serenity of his heart. Those who are trained to
preach a doctrine never feel it, for they never knew religion. But those that are after God, and not after the
world, feel at once that every bit of name and fame is at the cost of their
purity. It is so much gone from that ideal of perfect unselfishness,
perfect disregard of gain or name or fame. Lord help me. Pray for me, Mother. I
am very much disgusted with myself. Oh, why the world be so that one cannot do
anything without putting himself to the front; why cannot one act hidden and
unseen and unnoticed? The world has not
gone one step beyond idolatry yet. They cannot act from ideas, they cannot be
led by ideas. But they want the person, the man. And any man that wants to
do something must pay the penalty--no hope. This nonsense of the world. Shiva,
Shiva, Shiva.
By the by, I have got such a beautiful edition of Thomas a
Kempis. How I love that old monk. He caught a wonderful glimpse of the
"behind the veil"--few ever got such. My, that is religion. No humbug
of the world. No shilly-shallying, tall talk, conjecture--I presume, I believe,
I think. How I would like to go out of this piece of painted humbug they call
the beautiful world with Thomas a Kempis--beyond, beyond, which can only be
felt, never expressed.
That is religion. Mother, there is God. There
all the saints, prophets and incarnations meet. Beyond the Babel of Bibles and
Vedas, creeds and crafts, dupes and doctrines--where is all light, all love,
where the miasma of this earth can never reach. Ah! who will take me thither? Do you sympathize with me, Mother? My soul
is groaning now under the hundred sorts of bondage I am placing on it. Whose
India? Who cares? Everything is His. What are we? Is He dead? Is He sleeping?
He, without whose command a leaf does not fall, a heart does not beat, who is
nearer to me than my own self. It is bosh and nonsense--to do good or do bad or
do fuzz. We do nothing. We are not. The world is not. He is, He is. Only He is.
None else is. He is.
Om, the one
without a second. He in me, I in Him. I am like a bit of glass in an ocean of
light. I am not, I am not. He is, He is, He is.
Om, the one without a second.
Yours ever affectionately,
Vivekananda.
August 28, 1894
I am having
a very, very good time all the time, Lord be praised.
I have written to India not to bother me with
constant letters. Why, when I am travelling in India nobody writes to me. Why
should they spend all their superfluous energy in scrawling letters to me in
America? My whole life is to be that of a wanderer--here or there or anywhere.
I am in no hurry. I had a foolish plan in my head unworthy of a Sannyasin. I
have given it up now and mean to take life easy. No indecent hurry. Don't you
see, Mother Church? You must always remember, Mother Church, that I cannot settle
down even at the North Pole, that wander about I must--that is my vow, my
religion. So India or North Pole or South Pole--don't care where. Last two
years I have been travelling among races whose language even I cannot speak. "I have neither father nor mother nor
brothers nor sisters nor friends nor foes, nor home nor country--a traveller in
the way of eternity, asking no other help, seeking no other help but God."
Yours ever affectionately,Vivekananda.
U.S.A.
31st August, 1894
Are you sincere? unselfish even unto death? and loving? Then fear
not, not even death. Onward, my lads! The
whole world requires Light. It is expectant! India alone has that Light, not in
magic, mummery, and charlatanism, but in the teaching of the glories of the
spirit of real religion--of the highest spiritual truth. That is why the Lord
has preserved the race through all its vicissitudes unto the present day.
Now the time has come. Have faith that you are all, my brave lads, born to do
great things! Let not the barks of puppies frighten you--no, not even the
thunderbolts of heaven--but stand up and work!
Ever yours affectionately,
Vivekananda
: Divine version on need for Clean and Clear mind, Emotional Healing:
The task given by God
for the New Year: check, transform negative to positive, accomodate, emerge virtues and revise to retain
" (31.12.99 revision of Avyakt Murli on 1.1.2017)
