Brij Mohan Sharma
Today is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanandaji, the most influential spiritual leader and a teacher of the highest order. This auspicious occasion is also observed as National Youth Day in our country so as to give our youth an exposure at national level. This year, the theme for the day is “Viksit Yuva- Viksit Bharat” (Developed Youth- Developed India).
Swami Vivekanandaji has tremendous faith in the youth of our country. He considered them as the greatest asset and wealth of India. He believed that they were the backbone of India, full of energy, idealism, enthusiasm and adventurous spirit. He was confident that if our country has to win back its ancient glory, power and prosperity, it is in the hands of our youth. To achieve this end, however, he felt our youth need proper inspiration, the right type of education and excellent character. He was confident that our youth are competent enough to create a healthy new India, which is truly spiritual, not just pious, not just religious. Elaborating his ideal, he said “My ideal indeed can be put into a few words, and that is, to preach unto mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life”. Let man remember his true nature-divinity. Let is become a living realization and everything else will follow-power, strength and manhood.
He, therefore, felt the need to organize our youth with the sole object “To Serve God in Man”.
It was this philosophy of Vedanta that Vivekanandaji took upon himself to preach to the Indian people and to the people of the West. But before he entered upon this mission, he decided to see for himself the mind and face of contemporary India.
He, as such, plunged into the ocean of Indian humanity, receiving the devoted hospitality of its princes and peasants, intellectuals and street sweepers, Hindus, Muslims and Christians. He shed tears seeing the dire poverty and misery of the common man, the heartlessness of the intellectuals and upper classes, the various forms of social injustice and oppression, which had thwarted the free development of man in India. His spiritual vision of the ‘divinity in man’ received a rude jolt.
It was towards the end of these wanderings, a firm decision took possession of his heart that the Vedantic vision of human dignity should be implemented through practical measures, and that he should dedicate himself completely to the service of man, of God in man, everywhere.
He took this universal message of Vedanta to the West and broadcasted it, first through the Chicago Parliament of Religions in 1893 and later through hundreds of lectures and discourses in the United States, United Kingdom and in his own country India. He worked hard to give this spiritual orientation to the world’s religions, so that they may be transformed into wholly constructive forces. He held that this spirituality was the core of every religion; dogmatic exclusiveness and intolerance are no part of true religion.
He advised youth to work together, put their wills together, put their little self behind, and manifest their large self by putting the nation, its interests and its welfare in front. If the mounting problems of India are to be solved by them, it is only by their acquiring character and developing the power of organization.
We have political and other organizations, but behind them we miss the presence of this character-energy and work-energy and the inspiration of the vision of human dignity.
That is why, today, there is need for a re-education of our youth in the great ideals of Swami Vivekanandaji. By this, we shall create a new mighty and gentle force which could selflessly work upon our national problems. Awakened, enlightened, energetic and patriotic public opinion is the strength of democracy. Democracy is not strong because politicians and administrators or ministers have power in their hands.
Let the young people work in any field-in a small shop or in offices or colleges, anywhere, but let them work silently inspired by the great vision of Swami Vivekanda- to serve God in man. Work hard to create that kind of strong stable India where all our men and women will live dignified lives.
He always electrified youth his thundering slogan: “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached”. He wanted our youth, and, for that matter, every citizen of India to give up hypnotism of weakness and proclaim God within their selves, and teach everyone his true nature. He always proclaimed that if we are able to wake up this inborn divinity in our souls, we will certainly by rewarded by power, glory, goodness and purity. Everything that is excellent will be ours.
Truth is nobody’s property. No race, no individual can lay any exclusive claim to it. Truth is the nature of all souls. But is has to be made practical, to be made simple, so that it may penetrate every pore of human society.
Let people say whatever they like, stick to your own conviction, and rest assured, the world will be at your feet, said Vivekananda. (The old religions said that he is the atheist who did not believe in God. The new religion says that he is the atheist who does not believe in himself).
Vivekanandaji said we have wept long enough. No more weeping, but stand on your feet and be men. What we want in our youth is ‘muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which a thunderbolt is made’.
A religion that does not infuse strength into its believers is no religion… Strength is religion and religion is strength. A man cannot be made virtuous by an Act of Parliament. It is the religion which goes deep into the roots of conduct.
The following are some valuable and inspiring excerpts culled from a writing of Jawaharlal Nehru, which can be of great help to readers to assess the true personality of Swami Vivekanandaji :-
Pandit ji says : “Rooted in the past and full of pride in India’s prestige, Vivekananda…was a fine figure of a man, imposing, full of poise and dignity, sure of himself and his mission and at the same time full of dynamic and fiery energy and a passion to push India forward……
…….Wherever he went he created a sensation by what he said and how he said it.. In America he was called the ‘Cyclonic Hindu’… But he was not impressed by the manifestations of religion in the West and his faith in the Indian philosophy and spiritual background became firmer…India represented to him the Light…….
……”I do not know how many of younger generation read the speeches and the writings of Swami Vivekananda. But I can tell you that many of my generation were very powerfully influenced by him and I think that it would do a great deal of good to the present generation if they also went through Swami Vivekananda’s writings and speeches and they would learn from them.. that would perhaps……enable us to catch a glimpse of that fire that raged in Swami Vivekananda’s mind and heart and which ultimately consumed him as an early age.
………”While he drank from the rich streams of English literature, his mind was full of ancient sages and heroes of India…….
“He gave us a certain pride in our inheritance. He talked of our weaknesses and our failings too.. because we have to correct those failings.
“He was not a politician in the ordinary sense of the word and yet he was, I think, one of the great founders.. of the national modern movement of India.. Directly or indirectly, he has powerfully influenced the India of today. And I think our younger generation will take advantage of this fountain of wisdom of spirit and fire that flows through Swami Vivekananda…”
In nutshell, his main teaching is : Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship or psychic control, or philosophy- by one or more, or all of them… and be free. This is the whole religion. Doctrines or dogmas, or rituals or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.
(The author is former Additional Secretary to Govt)
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