Vivekananda on the Vedas (part 149)

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Parts 1 to 148 were posted earlier. This is part 149. Your comments are welcome... Vivekananda Centre London

Earlier postings can be seen at http://www.vivekananda.btinternet.co.uk/veda.htm

 

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON THE VEDAS AND UPANISHADS

By Sister Gayatriprana

part 149

2. Hindu Orthodoxy, Terrible Orthodoxy

If you tell a Hindu, "Our Bible does not say -so-and-so" [he or she will reply]: "Oh, your Bible! It is a babe of history. What other Bible could there be except the Vedas? What other book could there be? All knowledge is in God. Do you mean to say that God teaches by two or more Bibles? God’s knowledge came out in the Vedas. Do you mean to say that God committed a mistake, then? That, afterwards, God wanted to do something better and taught another Bible to another nation? You cannot bring another book that is as old as the Vedas. Everything else - it was all copied after that." They would not listen to you. And the Christian brings the Bible. They say, "That is a fraud. God speaks only once, because God never makes mistakes."

Now, just think of that. That orthodoxy is terrible. And if you ask Hindus that they are to reform their society and do this and that, they say, "Is it in the books? If it is not, I do not care to change. You wait, in five [hundred] years more you will find that this is good." If you say to them, "This social institution that you have is not right", they say, "How do you know that?" Then they say, "Our social institutions in this matter are the better. Wait five [hundred] years and your institution will die. The test is the survival of the fittest. You live, but there is not one community in the world that lives five hundred years together. Look here! We have been standing all the time." That is what they would say. Terrible orthodoxy! And thank God I have crossed that ocean.(21)