Vivekananda and Parliament of Religions III

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Dear friends, here is the third part of

 

Swami Vivekananda and the Parliament of Religions: Chicago 1893

Part III

 

Swami Vivekananda began to plan for his visit to America, and on 31st

May 1893 he set sails for that far off land; the ochre robed sadhu

planning to conquer the scientific reason of West with Vedantic

intuition of the East.

 

At the parliament of Religions: 11th to 27th of September 1893.

 

It is worthwhile to give a few direct quotes from the lectures/speeches

of the Swami at the Parliament. The readers are requested to make their

own judgments. In another article, the impact of Swami Vivekananda's

life, teachings, and efforts in the East and West would be discussed.

 

(1) 11th September, 1893: 'Response to welcome' address

 

Swami Vivekananda addressed the august assembly of seven thousand people

starting with the words: " Sisters and Brothers of America... " , and the

whole of audience went into inexplicable rapture with standing ovation

and clapping that lasted for more than three minutes.

 

What Swami Vivekananda spoke came from the inmost depth of his illumined

soul, from his conviction and deep spiritual insight. This explains why

his common words- 'Sisters and Brothers of America'-- created an

unprecedented spontaneous spiritual upsurge of emotion in the minds of

an audience of seven thousand members and raised them to their feet.

He continued,

" I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the

world; I thank you in the name of mother of religions; I thank you in

the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and

sects " .

The lord says in Gita, " Whosoever comes to Me; through whatever form, I

reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to

Me. "

" I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of

this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all of

persecution with the sword or with the pen. "

 

(2) 19th September: Paper on Hinduism

 

" ...Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery, and

would exist if all humanity forgot it, so is it with the laws that

govern the spiritual world. The moral, ethical, and spiritual relation

between soul and soul and between individual spirit and Father of all

spirits, were there before their discovery, and would remain even if we

forgot them. "

" ...Allow me to call you; brethren, by that sweet name-heirs of immortal

bliss-yea, the Hindu refuses to call you sinners. Ye are the children of

God, the sharers of immortal bliss, holy and perfect beings. Ye

divinities on earth-sinners! It is a sin to call a man so; it is

standing libel on human nature... "

 

(3) 27th September 1893: Address at the Final Session

 

" If the Parliament of Religions has shown anything to the world it is

this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity, and charity are

not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every

system has produced men and women of the most exalted character. In the

face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of

his own religion and the destruction of others, I pity him from the

bottom of my heart, and point out to him that 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. "

 

The Swami's epoch-making representation of Hinduism at the Parliament of

Religions was to raise India not only in the estimation of the West but

in her estimation as well, and was eventually to bring about a profound

change in her national life.

 

contd... in part IV in the next mail.

dr c s shah

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