To my brave boys - Swami Vivekananda, NY, 19 Nov.1894

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To my brave boys

Swami Vivekananda

 

Push on with the organization. Nothing else is necessary but these —

love, sincerity, and patience. What is life but growth, i.e.

expansion, i.e. love? Therefore all love is life, it is the only law

of life; all selfishness is death, and this is true here or

hereafter. It is life to do good, it is death not to do good to

others. Ninety per cent of human brutes you see are dead, are

ghosts — for none lives, my boys, but he who loves. Feel, my

children, feel; feel for the poor, the ignorant, the downtrodden;

feel till the heart stops and the brain reels and you think you will

go mad — then pour the soul out at the feet of the Lord, and then

will come power, help, and indomitable energy. Struggle, struggle,

was my motto for the last ten years. Struggle, still say I. When it

was all dark, I used to say, struggle; when light is breaking in, I

still say, struggle. Be not afraid, my children. Look not up in that

attitude of fear towards that infinite starry vault as if it would

crush you.

 

Wait! In a few hours more, the whole of it will be under your feet.

Wait, money does not pay, nor name; fame does not pay, nor learning.

It is love that pays; it is character that cleaves its way through

adamantine walls of difficulties.

 

Now the question before us is this. There cannot be any growth

without liberty. Our ancestors freed religious thought, and we have

a wonderful religion. But they put a heavy chain on the feet of

society, and our society is, in a word, horrid, diabolical. In the

West, society always had freedom, and look at them. On the other

hand, look at their religion.

 

Liberty is the first condition of growth. Just as man must have

liberty to think and speak, so he must have liberty in food, dress,

and marriage, and in every other thing, so long as he does not

injure others.

 

We talk foolishly against material civilisation. The grapes are

sour. Even taking all that foolishness for granted, in all India

there are, say, a hundred thousand really spiritual men and women.

Now, for the spiritualisation of these, must three hundred millions

be sunk in savagery and starvation? Why should any starve? How was

it possible for the Hindus to have been conquered by the

Mohammedans? It was due to the Hindus' ignorance of material

civilization. Even the Mohammedans taught them to wear tailor-made

clothes. Would the Hindus had learnt from the Mohammedans how to eat

in a cleanly way without mixing their food with the dust of the

streets! Material civilization, nay, even luxury, is necessary to

create work for the poor. Bread! Bread! I do not believe in a God,

who cannot give me bread here, giving me eternal bliss in heaven!

Pooh! India is to be raised, the poor are to be fed, education is to

be spread, and the evil of priestcraft is to be removed. No

priestcraft, no social tyranny! More bread, more opportunity for

everybody! Our young fools organise meetings to get more power from

the English. They only laugh. None deserves liberty who is not ready

to give liberty. Suppose the English give over to you all the power.

Why, the powers that be then, will hold the people down, and let

them not have it. Slaves want power to make slaves.

 

Now, this is to be brought about slowly, and by only insisting on

our religion and giving liberty to society. Root up priestcraft from

the old religion, and you get the best religion in the world. Do you

understand me? Can you make a European society with India's

religion? I believe it is possible, and must be.

 

The grand plan is to start a colony in Central India, where you can

follow your own ideas independently, and then a little leaven will

leaven all. In the meanwhile form a Central Association and go on

branching off all over India. Start only on religious grounds now,

and do not preach any violent social reform at present; only do not

countenance foolish superstitions. Try to revive society on the old

grounds of universal salvation and equality as laid down by the old

Masters, such as Shankarâchârya, Râmânuja, and Chaitanya.

 

Have fire and spread all over. Work, work. Be the servant while

leading. Be unselfish, and never listen to one friend in private

accusing another. Have infinite patience, and success is yours.

 

Now take care of this: Do not try to " boss " others, as the Yankees

say. Because I always direct my letters to you, you need not try to

show your consequence over my other friends. I know you never can be

such a fool, but still I think it my duty to warn you. This is what

kills all organizations. Work, work, for, to work only for the good

of others is life.

 

I want that there should be no hypocrisy, no Jesuitism, no roguery.

I have depended always on the Lord, always on Truth broad as the

light of day. Let me not die with stains on my conscience for having

played Jesuitism to get up name or fame, or even to do good. There

should not be a breath of immorality, nor a stain of policy which is

bad.

 

No shilly-shally, no esoteric blackguardism, no secret humbug,

nothing should be done in a corner. No special favouritism of the

Master, no Master at that, even. Onward, my brave boys — money or no

money — men or no men! Have you love? Have you God? Onward and

forward to the breach, you are irresistible.

 

How absurd! The Theosophical magazines saying that they, the

Theosophists, prepared the way to my success! Indeed! Pure nonsense!

Theosophists prepared the way!

 

Take care! Beware of everything that is untrue; stick to truth and

we shall succeed, maybe slowly, but surely. Work on as if I never

existed. Work as if on each of you depended the whole work. Fifty

centuries are looking on you, the future of India depends on you.

Work on. I do not know when I shall be able to come. This is a great

field for work. They can at best praise in India, but they will not

give a cent for anything; and where shall they get it, beggars

themselves? Then, they have lost the faculty of doing public good

for the last two thousand years or more. They are just learning the

ideas of nation, public, etc. So I need not blame them.

 

Blessings to you all!

Swami Vivekananda

 

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