VEDANTA 355 bered millions to whom we have talked of Advaita and whom we have hated with all our strength; the unnum- bered millions to whom we have talked theoretically that all are one, and that all are the same Lord, without even an ounce of practice. O my friends, must it only be in the mind and never in practice?
Wipe off this blot. Arise and awake. What mat- ters it if this little life goes; every one has to die, the saint or the sinner, the rich or the poor. The body never remains for any one. Arise and awake and be perfectly sincere. What we want is character, that steadiness and character that make a man cling to a thing like grim death. "Let the sages blame or let them praise, let Lakshmi come to-day, let her go away, let death come just now, or in a hundred years; he indeed is the sage who does not make one false step from the path of right." Arise and awake, for the time is passing and all our energies will be frittered away in vain talking. Arise and awake, let minor things and quarrels over little details, and fights over little doctrines be thrown aside, for here is the greatest of all works, here are the sinking millions. Mark, when the Mohammedans first came into India, there were sixty millions of Hindus here; to-day there are less than twenty millions. Every day they will become less and less till the whole disappear. Let them disap- pear, but with them will disappear the marvellous ideas of which with all their defects and all their misrepresentations they have stood as representatives. And with them will disappear this sublime Advaita, the crown jewel of all spiritual thought. Therefore, arise, awake, with your hands stretched out to protect 356 J NANA YOGA the spirituality of the world. And first of all, work it out for your own country. What we want is not so much spirituality, as the bringing down of a little of Advaita into the material world, first bread and then religion. We stuff them too much with religion, when the poor fellows have been starving. No dogmas will satisfy the cravings of hunger. There are two curses here, first our weakness, second our hatred, our dried-up hearts. You may talk doctrines by the thousand, you may have sects by the hundreds of thousands; but it is nothing until you have the heart to feel, feel for them as your Veda teaches you; till you find that they are parts of your own bodies, till you realize that you and they, the poor and the rich, the saint and the sinner, all are parts of one Infinite whole which you call Brahman.
Gentlemen, thus I have tried to place before you only a few of the most brilliant points of the Advaita system, and to show that the time has come when it should be carried out into practice, not only in this country, but everywhere. Modern science and its sledge-hammer blows are pulverizing the porcelain foundations of all dualistic religions everywhere. Not only here are the dualists torturing texts till they will extend no longer, for texts are not india-rubber; it is not only here that they are trying to get into the nooks and corners to protect themselves, it is still more so in Europe and America. And even there something of this idea will have to go from India. It has already reached there. It will have to increase and increase, and to save their civilizations too. For, in the West, the old order of things is vanishing, giving way to VEDANTA 357 VEDANTA 357 a new order of things, which is the worship of gold, the worship of Mammon. Even the old crude system of religion was better than the modern system — namely, competition and gold. No nation, however strong, can stand on such foundations, and the history of the world tells us that all those which had similar founda- tions are dead and gone. In the first place we have to stop the incoming of such a wave in India. There- fore preach the Advaita to every one, so that religion may withstand the shock of modern science. Not only so, you will have to help others, your thought must reach out to Europe and America. But above all let me once more remind you that there is need of practical work, and the first part of this is to go down to the sinking millions of India. Take them by the hand, remembering the words of Lord Krishna: "Even in this life they have conquered heaven whose minds are firmly fixed in this sameness, for God is pure and the same to all; therefore such are said to be living in God."
PDBLICATIONS OF THE YEDANTA SOCIETY.
LECTURES BY THE SWAMI VIVEKANANDA.
The Ideal of a Universal Religion.
The Cosmos.
The Atman.
The Real and Apparent Man.
Bhakti Yoga.
World's Fair Addresses.
Price I o cents each; i cent each for postage.
The Ved^nta Philosophy.— An Address before the Graduate Philo- sophical Society of Haivard College, with introduction by Prof. C. C. Everett. 15 cents; 2 cents for postage.
MY MASTER.
Bound, 50 cents; postage 2 cents.
This little book, by Swami Vivekananda, gives an account of the character and career of the remarkable man known in India as Paramhamsa Srimat Ramakrishna, who is regarded by a great number of his country- men as a divine incarnation...It is not more remarkable for the story it tells of a holy man than for the clear English in which it is told, and the expressions of elevated religious thought in its pages...—Journal^ Indianapolis, May 13th, 1901.
The contrast drawn by the author between the dominant ideas of the Occident and the Oiient is a most instructive and interesting one, and will prove a great aid to a correct understanding of that which causes such a wide difference in their respective ideals. — Times, Pittsburg, May 24th, 1901.
The book, besides telling of the life of Sri Ramakrishna, gives an in- sight into some of the religious ideas of the Hindus and sets forth the more important ideals that vitally influence India's teeming millions. If we are willing to sympathetically study the religious views of our Aryan brethren of the Orient, we shall find them governed by spiritual concepts in no way inferior to the highest known to ourselves— concepts which were thought out and practically applied by those ancient philosophers in ages so remote as to antedate history. — Post, Washington, May 13th, 1901.
Orders received and filled promptly by the VEDANTA PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 102 East 58th Street, New York.
PDBLICATIONS OF THE YEDANTA SOCIETY.
LECTURES BY THE SWAM! ABHEDANANDA. PHILOSOPHY OF WORK. (3 Lectures.)
I. Philosophy of Work. II. Secret of Work. III. Duty or Motive in Work.
Paper, 35 cents. Cloth, 50 cents. Postage 2 and 6 cents.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE AND VEDANTA. (Lecture.)
Price ID cents. Postage i cent.
WOMAN'S PLACE IN HINDU RELIGION. (Lecture.)
Price 10 cents. Postage i cent.
This lecture will correct many of the erroneous ideas which Christian missionaries have spread abroad regarding the condition of Hindu women. In it the Swami gives the real causes of child marriage, the burning of widows and other social evils which arose in certain parts of India.
Bishop Potter writes: " Believe me, it is not of the smallest consequence what I have to say on the subject, but rather what they who are accused of such a custom have to say. And here again I summon the accomplished gentleman and scholar, who has already testified, SwS,mi Abhedananda. In the address, * Woman's Place,' from which I have already quoted and which I have yet to see challenged, he says..." — The Cburcbman, " It is an able survey of the rights of Indian womanhood from the Vedic down to the latest period of Hindu literature and history, and fur- nishes the most complete answer to those who accuse Hinduism of having denied the dignity and moral worth of woman.,,. The learned Swami makes out by an unassailable array of authorities that the idea of equality of man and woman is the comer-stone of religion among the Hindus." — Indian Review, Sept., 1901.
Orders received and filled promptly by the VEDANTA PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 102 East 58th Street, New York.
PDBLICATIOHS OF THE YEDAHTA SOCIETY.
WORKS BY THE SWAMI ABHEDANANDA. HOW TO BE A YOQI.
i6o pages, bound, $i.oo. Postage, 7 cents.
This volume contains a comprehensive survey of the Science of Yoga as a whole and of its different branches. The first chapter answers the question '* What is Yoga? "; and in five succeeding chapters on " Hatha Yoga," "Raja Yoga," "Karma Yoga," "Bhakti Yoga," and " Jn^na Yoga" the peculiar character and specific practices of each of these branches are described. The Science of Breathing and its bearing on health and spiritual development is also treated at length; while the con- cluding chapter on " Was Christ a Yogi?" brings the Yoga teaching into direct relation with the religious thought of the West. The text has been kept as free as possible from technical or Sanskrit terms, and this will make the book especially useful for the general reader desirous of gaining a clear idea of the Science of Yoga and of its various methods of training, SPIRITUAL UNFOLDMENT. (3 lectures.)
Paper, 25 cents. Cloth, 40 cents. Postage, 2 and 5 cents.
I. Self-control.
II. Concentration and Meditation. III. God-consciousness.
" This attractive little volume comprises three lectures on the Vedinta Philosophy. The discourses will be found vitally helpful even by those who know little and care less about the spiritual and ethical teachings of which the Sw^mi is an able and popular exponent. As the Veda,nta itself is largely a doctrine of universals and ultimates, so also is this book of common utility and significance among all races of believers. Its precepts are susceptible of application by any rational thinker, regardless of relig- ious predilection and inherited prejudices. The principles set forth by this teacher are an excellent corrective of spiritual bias or narrowness, and as such the present work is to be commended. It has already awakened an interest in Oriental literature that augurs well for the cause of human brotherhood, and it merits a wide circulation among all who cherish ad- vanced ideals." — Mind, April, igo2.
Orders received and filled promptly by the VEDANTA PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 102 East 58th Street, New York.
PDBLICATIONS OF THE YEDANTA SOCIETY.
LECTURES BY THE SWAMI ABHEDANANDA.
The Way to the Blessed Life.
Scientific Basis of Religion.
Cosmic Evolution and its Purpose.
The Philosophy of Good and Evil.
Does the Soul Exist after Death?
The Relation of 5oul to God.
The Word and the Cross in Ancient India.
The Motherhood of God.
Why a Hindu is a Vegetarian.
Religion of the Hindus.
Divine Communion.
Who is the Saviour of Souls?
Woman's Place in Hindu Religion.
Why a Hindu Accepts Christ and Rejects Churchianity.
Christian Science and Vedanta.
10 Cents Each; i Cent Postage.
REINCARNATION.
I. Reincarnation. II. Evolution and Reincarnation. III. Which is Scientific, Resurreofion or Reincarnation?
Paper, 25 cents. Cloth, 40 cents. Postage, 2 and 5 cents.
** In these discourses the Swimi Abhedananda considers the questions of evolution and the resurrection in their bearing upon the ancient teaching of rebirth, the truth, logic and justice of which are rapidly permeating the best thought of the Western world. For the preservation of this doctrine mankind is indebted to the literary storehouses of India, the racial and geographical source of much of the vital knowledge of Occidental peoples. Reincarnation is shown in the present volume to be a universal solvent of life's mysteries. It answers those questions of children that have staggered the wisest minds who seek to reconcile the law of evolution and the existence of an intelligent and just Creator with the proposition that man has but a single lifetime in which to develop spiritual self-consciousness. It is commended to every thinker." — Afind, February, J goo.
Orders received and filled promptly by the VEDANTA PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 102 East 58th Street, New York, BAKER 6- TAYLOR CO:S PUBLICATIONS.
BOOKS ON THE VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY.
BY SWAMI VIVEKANANDA.
RAJA YOOA. — Lectures by Swami Vivekananda, contain- ing also Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms, with Commentary, and a copious Sanslcrit Glossary. The book includes a lecture on " Immortality," and the Swami's lectures on BHAKTI YOGA. A fine portrait of the author, frontispiece. The whole hand- somely bound in cloth, $1.50.
*' With the simplicity of language of a child's primer, and the pro- gressive logic of a mathematical proposition, the Swami explains the simple working rules of this science...The book is charming to any one interested in the subject, and an instructive study in logic to even the most indifferent." — Public Opinion^ N. Y., July 27th, 1899.
KARMA YOQA. — Eight lectures on the practical applica- tion of the Vedanta Philosophy to the affairs of daily life, showing in a clear and forcible manner how it is possible to lead the highest life without abandoning the duties and avo- cations of one's station in the world, and proving conclusively that the loftiest aspiration and attainment are entirely com- patible with the humblest occupation, and are open to every human being. Cloth, with portrait. New and revised edi- MY MASTER, besides telling of the life of Sri Rama- krishna, gives us an insight into some of the religious ideas of the Hindus and sets forth the more important ideals that vitally influence India's teeming millions. If we are willing to sympathetically study the religious views of our Aryan brethren of the Orient, we shall find them governed by spirit- ual concepts in no way inferior to the highest known to our- selves; concepts that were thought out and practically applied by these ancient philosophers in ages so remote as to antedate history. i2mo, cloth. 50 cents.
Sent^ postpaid^ on receipt of the price By THE BAKER & TAYLOR CO., PUBLISHERS. 33-37 E. 17th St., Union Sq. North, New York.
BAKER ^ TAYLOR CO:S PUBLICATIONS, PRESS NOTICES OF RAJA YOGA.
The whole spirit of the book is candid in the extreme. It appeals to what is best and noblest in ma— It makes no foolish mysteries, and demands no blind belief. It puts forth its system in a plain and simple manner. It is able to pre- sent its own method without in any way attacking the method of others. It manifests a charity that it is usual to call Chri.ian, b-.t which Vivekananda proves is equally the property of the Hindu. If this little book had nothing to teach but the beautiful toleration it advocates, it..ould be well worth reading; but many will find in it valuable sug- gestions to aid in reaching the higher life. — Arena, March, This work embraces a series of lectures that fully explain the doctrines and principles of the philosophy of the Indian monks, wI-j have aroused such a widespread interest in this country. To the reader who is seeking after the truth and light, this volume will be indeed welcome. It is written in an unusually clear style that all readers can understand. — Bookseller and Newsman.
How to get at the soul and put the reins of the mind and the body into its hands, is the problem that Raja Yoga at- tempts to solve, and all those persons who practice Yoga are known as Yogis. Then — how to become a Yogi, how to rise to a high state of psychic control is what Vivekananda endeavors to point out in these lectures. — Literary Digest.
A large part of the book is occupied with that method of attaining perfection known as Raja Yoga, and there are also translations of a number of aphorisms and an excellent glos- sary.— Living Age, Aug. sth, 1899.
A valuable portion of the volume to students is the glos- sary of Sanskrit technical terms. This includes not only such terms as are employed in the book, but also those frc- jquently employed in works on the Vedanta philosophy in I general. — New York Times, July 22nd, 1899.
A new edition, with an enlarged glossary, which will be welcomed by students of comparative religion, who arc al- ready familiar with the author's lectures in this country.— Review of Reviews, Oct., 1899.
The methods of practical realization of the divine within the human are applicable to all religions, and all peoples, and only vary in their details to suit the idiosyncrasy of race and individuals.— Fw^, Washington, D. C, June 12th, 1899.