The Svvami passed on to the Dualislic, Qualified Dualislic, and Advaitic ihcniics, and lecoiiciled them by sav ing, that each one of these was like a step, by which one passed before the other was reached; the final evolution to Advaitism was the natuial outcome, and the last step was “ 'rallvamasi.” He pointed out where even the great commentators,.Sankaiacharya, Ramamijacharya and IMadhvva- ciuirya had committed mistakes. Each one believed in the Upanishads as the sole authotily, but thought that they preached one thing, one path only. Thus Sankara- chaiya committed the mistake in supposing that the whole of the Upanishads taught one thing, which W'as Advaitism, and nothing else; and wherever a passage bearing distinctly the Dvaita idea occurred, he broke and tortured the meaning to make it support his own theory. So with Ramanuja and Madhvvacharya when pure Advaitic texts occurred. It was perfectly true that the Upanjshads had one thing to teach, but that W'as taught as going up from one step to another. Swamiji regretted, that in modern India the spirit of religion is gone; only the externals remain; the people are neither Hindus, nor Vedanlisls; they arc incicly don't-touchists; the kitchen is their LECTURES— FROM COLOMBO TO AlMORA temple and hatufi bar/am (cooking pots) are their dera/d (object of worship), U'his state of tiling must go. The sooner it is given up the better for obf religion. I^et the Upanishads shine in their glory, and at the same time let not quarrels exist amongst different sects.
As Swamiji was not keeping good health, he felt exhausted at this stage of hia speech; so he took a little test of half an hour, during which time the whole audfence waited patiently to hear the rest of the lecture. He came out and spoke again for another half hour, and explained that knowledge was the finding of unity in diversity, and the highest point in every science was reached when it found.the one unity underlying all variety. This was as true in physical science, as in the spiritual.
THE INFLUENCE OF INDIAN SPIRITUAL THOUGHT IN ENGLAND.
The S\vami Vivekananda presided at a meeting at which the 5>ister Nivedita (jMiss M. K. Noble) delivered a lecluie on, “The Influence of Indian Spiritual Thought in Kngland,” on the nth IMaich, i8y8, at the Star Theatie, Calcutta* Swaiiii Vivcka- nanda on lising to introduce Miss Noble spoke as lollows Ladies and Gentlemen, — When I was travelling through the Kastern parts of Asia, one thing especiall)* struck me, that is, the prevalence of Indian spiiitual thought in Eaj>tern Asiatic countiies. You may imagine the suipiise with which I noticed wiillcn on the walls of Chinese and Japanese temples, some well-known Sanskiit Mantras, and possibly it will please you all the moie to know, that they w'ere all in old Bengali characters, standing even in the present day, as a monument of missionaiy eneigy and zeal displayed by our foiefaihers of Bengal.
Apait from these Asiatic coimtiie!!, the work of India’s spiritual ihouglu is so wide-spiead and unmistakable that even in Western countiics, going deep below the suiface, I found tiaces of the same inHucncc still present. It has now become an histoiical fact that the spiiitual ideas of the Indian people tiavcllcd towards both the East and the West in days gone by. Kveiyhody knows now how much the woild owes to India’s spiiitualily, and what a potent factor in the present and the past of humanity have been the spiiitual powers of India. These have taken place in the past. I find another most remarkable phenomenon, and that is, that the most stuiycndous powers of civilisation and [irogress lowaids humanity, and social progress, have been elTecled by that wonderful uce— I mean the Anglo-Saxon. 1 may go fuithcr and tell you, that had it not been for the power of the Anglo-Sa-xons w'c should not have met here to-day to discuss as we are doing, the influence of our Indian spiritual thought. And coming back to our own country, coming from the West to the East, I sec the same Anglo-Saxon pow'eis woiking here w'ith all theii defects, hut lelaining their pecLiliaily chaiacteiistic good features, and I believe that at last the grand result is achieved. The Biilish idea of expansion and progress is forcing us up, and let us remember that the civilisation ol the West has been diawn from tlie fountain of the Greeks, and that the gieat idea of Greek civilisation is that of expression. In India, we ////V/zt— but unfoitunately sometimes we think so deeply that there is no power left for expression. Giadually therefore, it came to pass that our force of expiession did not manifest itself bcfoie the world, and what is the result of that? The result is this— we woiked to hide everything we had. It began first with individuals as a faculty of hiding, and it ended by becoming a national habit of hiding— there is such lack of power of expic.ssion with us that we aie now considered a dead nation. Without expression, how can we live? 1 he backbone of Western civilisation is-expansion and expression. This side of the w^ork of the Anglo-Saxon lace in India to which I diaw your altenlion, is calculated to rouse our nation once moie to express itself- and is inciting it to bring out its hidden tieasuies before tlie woild by using the means of communication provided X lECTUJiES—FR03I COLOMBO TO ALMORA by the same mighty race. The Anglo-Saxons have created a future for India, and the space through which our ancestral ideas are now ranging is simply phenomenal. Aye, what great facilities had our forefathers when they delivered their message of truth and salvation? Aye, how did the great Buddha preach the noble doctrine of universal brothei hood? There were even then great facilities here, in our beloved India, for the attainment of real happiness, and we could easily send our ideas from one end of the woild to the other. Now we have even reached the Anglo-Saxon race. Tins is the kind of interaction now going on, and we find that our message is heard, and not only heard but is being responded to. Already England has given us some of her gieat intellects to help us in our mission. Every one has heard and is peihaps familiar with my friend Miss Miillei, who is now here on this platform. This lady, boin of a veiy good family and well educated, has given her whole life to us out of love for India, and has made India her home and her family. Every one of you is familiar with the name of that noble and distinguished Englishwoman who has also given her whole life to w'ork for the good of India and India’s regeneration, I mean Mrs. Besant. To-day, we meet on this platfoim two ladies from America who have the same mission in their hearts; anil I can assure you that they also are willing to devote their lives to do the least good to our poor country, I lake this opportunity of reminding you of the name of one of our countiymen — one who has seen England and America, one in whom I have gieat confidence, and whom I respect and love, a,nd who would have been present heie but for an engage- ment elsewhere — a man working steadily and silently for the good of our countiy — a man of great spiiitualily — I mean Mr. Mohini Mohun Cliatterji. And now England has sent us another gift in Miss Margaret Noble, from whom we expect much. Without any more woids of mine I intioducc to you Miss Noble, who will now address you.
After.Sister Nivedita had finished her interesting lecture, the Swami rose and said: — ■ I have only a few words to say. Wc have an idea, that we, Indians, can do something, and amongst the Indians we Bengalees may laugh at this idea, but I do not. My mission in life is to rouse a struggle in you. Whether you are an Advaiiin, whether you are a qualified-Monist or Dualist, it does not matter much. But let me diaw your attention to one thing which unfortunately we always forget, that is, “ O man, have faith in yourself.*’ That is the way oy which we can have faith in God. Whether you are an Advailist or a Dualist, whether you are a believer in the system of Yoga oi a bclievei in.Sankaracharya, whether you are a followei of Vyasa or Visvamitra, it does not matter much. But the thing is, that on this point Indian thought differs from tliat of all the rest of the world. T.et us remember for a moment that, whereas in every other religion and in every other country, the power of the soul is entiiely ignored — the soul is thought of as almost powerless, weak, and inert, we in India consider the soul to be eternal, and hold that it will remain perfect through all eternity. We should always bear in mind the teachings of the Upanishads.
Remember your great mission in life. We Indians, and especially those of Bengal, have been invaded by a vast amount of foreign ideas that are eating into the very vitals of our national leligion. Why arc we so backward now- adays? Why aie ninety-nine per cent, of us made up of entirely foreign ideas and elements? This has to be thrown out if we want to rise in the scale of nations. If we want to rise, we must also remember that we have many things to leain from the West. We should learn from the West her arts and her INFLUENCE OF INDIAN SPIRITUAL THOUGHT IN ENGLAND 187 sciences. From the West vve have to learn the sciences of physical nature, while on the other hand the West has to come to us to learn and assimilate leligion and spiritual knowledge. We Hindus must believe that we are the teachers of the world. We have been clamouiing here for getting political rights and many other such things. Very well; lights and piivileges and olhei things can only come through friendship, and fiiendship can only be expected between two equals. When one of the paities is a beggar, what friendship can there be? It is all vciy well to speak so, but I say that without mutual co-operation we can never make ourselves strongmen. So, I must call upon you to go out to luigland and America, not as beggars but as teachers of religion. The law of exchange must be applied to the best of our power. If we have to learn from them the ways and methods of making ourselves happy in this life, why, in return, should we not give them the methods and ways that would make them happy for all eternity? Above all, work for the good of humanity. Give up the so-called boast of your narrow oilhodox life. Death is waiting for every one, and mark you this — the most marvellous hisioiical fact — that all the nations of the world have to sit down patiently at the feet of India to learn the eternal truths embodied in her literature. India dies not. China dies not. Japan dies not. 'I'hereforc, we must always remember the backbone of our spiiituality, and to do that we must have a guide who will show the path to us, that path about which I am talking just now. If any of you do not believe it, if theie be a Hindu boy amongst ns who is not ready to believe thatdiis leligion is pine spint- ualily, I do not call him a Hindu. I reinember in one of the villages of Cashmeie, while talking to an old Mahommcdan lady, I asked her in a mild voice, “ What religion is youis?” She replied in her own language, “ Piaisc the T.oid! Ily the mercy of God, I am a Musalmnn.” And then I asked a Hindu, “ What is your leligion? ’ He plainly replied — “ I am a Hindu.” I remember that grand word of the Kalha Upanishad — '' Shraddhd," or maivellous faith. An instance of Shraddhd can be found in the life of Nachiketas. To preach the doctrine of Shraddhd or genuine faith is the mission of my life. Let me lepeat to you that this faith is one of the potent factors of humanity, and of all icligions. First, have faith in your- selves. Know that one may be consideied a little bubble and another may be mountain-high, but behind both the bubble and the mountain, there is the infinite ocean. 'I'licrefore, theic is hope for eveiy one. There is salvation for eveiy one. Every one must sooner or later get rid of the bonds of Maya. I'his is the first thing to do. Infinite hope begets infinite aspnation. If that faith comes to us, it will bring back our national life as it ivas m the days of Vyasa and Aijuna—the days when all our sublime doctrines of humanity were preached, 'i'o-ilay we are far behindhand in spiritual insight and.spiritual thoughts. India has plenty of spirituality, so much so that her spiritual greatness has made India the greatest nation of the existing races of the world; and if traditions and hopes aie to be believed, these days will come back once more to us, and that depends upon you. You, young men of Bengal, do not look up to the rich and gieat men who have money. The poor did all the great and gigantic woik of the woild. You, poor men of Bengal, come up, you can do eveiything, and you must do eveiything. Many will follow your example, poor though you are. Be steady, and, above all, be pute and sincere to the backbone. Have faith in youi destiny. You, young men of Bengal, are to work out the salvation of India. l^Iaik that, whether you beliete it or not. Do not think that it will be done to-day or to-morrow. J believe in it as I believe in my 188 LECTURES—FROM COLOMBO TO ALMORA own body and my own soul. Therefore, my heart goes to you — young men of Bengal. It depends upon you who have no money; because you ate poor, theicfore, you will woik. Because you have nothing, therefore, you will be sinceie. Because you are sincere, you will be ready to renounce all. That is what 1 am just now telling you. Once more I repeat this to you. This is your mission in life, this is my mission in life. I do not care what philosophy you take up; only I am ready to prove here that throughout the whole of India, there luns a mutual and coidial string of eleinal faith in the perfection of humanity, and I believe in it myself, And let that faith be spiead over the whole land.
SANNYAS: ITS IDEAL AND PRACTICE.
A parting Address was given to Swamiji by the junior Sannyasins of the Math, (Belur), on the eve of his leaving for the West for the second lime (i9lh June, 1899). The following is the substance of Swamiji’s reply This is not the time for a long lecture. But I shall speak to you in brief about a few things which I should like you to carry into practice. Fii.st, we ha\e to under- stand the ideal, and then the methods by which wc can make it practical. 'I'hose of you who are Sannyasins must try to do good to others, for Sannyas means that. There is no time to delivei a long discourse on ‘Renunciation,’ but I shall very briefly charac- terise it as love of death." Worldly people love life. The Sannyasin is to love death. Are we to commit suicide then? Far fiom it. For suicides are not lovers of death, as it is often seen that when a man liying to commit suicide fails, he never attempts it for a second time. What is the love of death then? We must die, that i.s certain; let us die then foi a good cause. Let all our actions — eating, di inking, and everything that we do— lend towards the saciifice of our self. You nouiish your body by eating. What good is there in doing that if you do not hold it as a sacrifice to the well-being of otheis? You nourish your n inds by reading books. There is no good in doing that unless you hold it also as a saciifice to the whole world. It is right for you that you should serve your millions of brothers rather than aggrandise this little self. Thus you must die a gradual death. In such a death is heaven, all good is stored therein — and in its opposite is all that is diabolical and evil.
Then as to the methods of carrying the ideals into practical life. First, we have to understand that wc must not have any impossible ideal. An ideal which is too high makes a nation weak and degraded. This happened after the Buddhistic and the Jain reforms. On the other hand, too much practicality is also wrong. If you have not even a little imagination, if you have no ideal to guide you, }ou arc simply a "brute. So we must not lower our ideal, neither are wc to lose sight of practicality.
ITS IDEAL AND PE AC TICE 189 Wo must avoid the two exli ernes. In our country the old idea is, to sit in a cave and meditate and die. do go ahead of otheis in sahation is wrong. One must learn sooner or later, that one cannot get salvation if one does not try to.seek the.salvation of ids biothcifi. \ oil must ti} to combine in your life immense idealism ^\ilh immense piacticahty. You must be prepared to go into deep meditation now, and the ne.xt moment you must be ready to go and cultivate these fields (Swamiji said, pointing to the meadows of the Math). You must be piepared to explain the diflicult inliicaciesof the Sliastias now, and the next moment to go and sell the pioduce of the fields in the maiket. You must be prepaied for all menial services, not only heie, but elsewheie also.
The next thing to remember is, that the aim of this Institution is to make men. You must not merely leain what the Rishis taught. Those Rishis are gone, and their opinions ate also gone with them. You must he Rjshis yourselves. You are also men as much as the gieatest men that weie evei hoi n — even our Incain.ttions. What can mere book-leaining do? Wh.at can meditation do even.? What can the Manli.vs and Tantrasdo? You must stand on your own feet. You must have this new method — the method of man-making. The true wan is he who is sliong as slicnglh itself and yet possesses a woman’s heart. You must feel foi the millions of beings around you, and )et you must bo strong and inflexible, and you must also possess obedience; though it may seem a little paiadoxical---you must possess these appaiently conflicting viitues. If your superior order you to ihiow youisclf into a river and catch a crocodile, you must fust obey and then icason with him. Kven if the 01 dei be wrong, first obey and then conliadict it. The bane of sects, especially in IJengal, is that if any one happens to have a difterent opinion he imme- diately stalls a new sect, he ha.s no patience to wait. So you must have a deep regal d for 3'our Su/ig/iii. There is no place for disobedience here. Ciush it out without mercy. No disobedient membeis hcic,you must tuin them out. There must not be any tiaitors in the camp. You must be as free as the air, and as obedient as this plant and the dog.
WHA'r TIAVK 1 LEAKNT?
( iJtlivered at Dana, J\lanh, kjoi.)
At Dacca, Swainiji tlclueied two lecluies in En‘,disli, the fust one was on, “What have I leaiiU?’’ and ihc second one was on, “ 'I'lie Religion we aie boin in.’’ The following is translated fioin the report in Rengali by a disciple, and contains the substance of the hist leciuie:-- First of all, I must express my pleasure at the opportunity afforded me of coming to Eastern Bengal, to acquiie an intimate knowledge of this pait of the countiy, which I hilheity lacked, in spite of my wandeiings through many civilised countries of the West; as well as my giatification at the sight of majestic livers, wide feitile plains, and pictuiesipie tillages in this, my own country of Bengal, which I had not the good fortune of seeing for myselt before. I did not know that theie w'as eveiywheie in my countiy of Bengal — on land and water — so much beauty and chaim. But this much has been my gain, that after seeing the various countiies of the woild I can now much moie appieciate the beauties of my own land. In tlie same w’ay also, in search of lehgion, I had travelled among various sects, — sects which h.id taken up the ideals of foieign nations as their own, and 1 had begged at the door of otheis, not knowing then that m the religion of my country, in oui national leligion, iheie was so much beauty and grandeur. It is now many )eais since I have found Hinduism to be the most perfectly satisf)ing lehgion in the woild. Hence, I feel safl at heart when I see existing among my own countrymen piofessinga pceiless faith, siicli a widespread indiffeience to our lehgion, — though I am veiy well awaie of the unfavoinable mateiialistic conditions in which they pass theii lives, owing to the diffusion of Kuiopean modes of thought in this, oui great motheiland.
There aie among us at the piesent day, ceitain leformcis who want to reform our religion, or rather lain it topsy-turvy, with a view to the regeneration of the Hindu nation. Theie are, no doubt, some thoughtful people among them, but theie are also many who billow otheis blimlly and act most foolislily, not know'ing what they are about. This class ot refoi meis aie veiy enlhusiaslic in inlioikicing foieign ideas into our religion. They have taken hold of the woid ‘ idolatiy,’ and aver that Hinduism is not true, because it is idolatrous. 'I'liey nevei seek to find out what this so-called ‘ idolatry ’ is, vvhethei it is good oi bad; only taking their clue from this woid they are bold enough to shout down Hmdinsiii as uiiLinc. Theie is another class of men among us who aie intent upon making out some slippery scientific explanations of any and eveiy Hindu custom, iite, Ac., and who aie always talking of electiicity, magnetism, ail vibration and all that sort of thing. Who knows, but they will pcihaps someday define God Himself as nothing but a mass of elcctiic vibia- lions! However, iMother bless them all! She it is who is having Her work done in various ways thiough mullifaiious natures and tendencies.
In conlradislinction to these, there is that ancient class, who say, — “I do not know, I do not caie to know or understand all these your haii-splilling ratiocinations; I want God, I want the Atman, 1 want to go to that Beyond, where there is no universe, vvheie there is no pleasure or pain, vvheie dwells the Bliss Supreme”; — who say, “ I believe in salvation by bathing in the holy Ganges with faith”; — who say, WHAT HA VE I LEARNT?
“Whomsoever you may worship wilh singleness of faiih and devotion as the one God of the iiniveifte, in whatsoever foim, as Shi\a, Rama, V'ishmi, &c., you will gel Moksha" to that stuidy ancient class I am pioud to belong. 'Ihen theic is a sect who advise us to follow God and llie woiUl together. They aie not sinccie, they do not expiess what they feel in their heails. What is the leaching of the Gieat Ones? — “ Where there is Rama, theie is no Kdmn) where theie is A'lf/iia, theic Kama is not. Nighl and day can nc\er exist togeiliei. ’ The voice ol the ancient .sages pioclaim to us that, " If you dcsiie to attain God, )ou will have to renounce * Kdma-Rdnchana' (lust and possession). This wSains.iia is untcal, hollow, void of substance. Unless you give it up, you can never leacli (Jod. liy howevci you may. If you cannot do that, own that you ate weak, hut by no means lower the Ideal. Do not cover the coiiuplmg coipse wilh leaves of gold!" So accoiding 10 them, if you want to gain spiiiluahty, to attain God, the fust thing that you have to do is. to give up this playing ‘hide-and-seek with your ideas,’ this dishonesty, this ‘theft within the chanibei of thought.’
What have I leaint } What have I learnt from this ancient sect? I have learnt,— “Veiily, these thiee aic raic to obtain, and come only thiough the giacc of God --human biilh, desiic to obtain Moksha, and the company of the gicat-souled ones.” The hist thing needed is Mauushvalvam, human biith, because it only IS favouiahle to the attainment of Mukli. The next Mitmukshali'om. Though out means of lealisalion vaiy accoidmg to the diffeiencc in sects and indivuluals,- -ihoLigh dilTcicnt individuals can lay claim to their.sjtecial lights and means to gam knowledge, which vaiy accoidmg to their dilTeient stations m lile, - yet it can be said in geneial without feai of contradiction, that without this Mumukshald, lealisalion of God is impossihlc. Arumukshatvam It is the strong desiie for Moksha - -earnest )eaining to gel out of the spheie of jiain and plcasuie— iillei disgust for the world. When that intense buinmg dcsiie to see (lod comes, then you should know that you are entitled to the leali.sation of the Supieme.
Then anolliei thing is ncccssaty, and that i.s, the coming 111 diiecl contact with the Mahapunishas, anil thus moulding oui lives accoidmg to those of the greal-souled ones who have icachcd (he Goal. Even disgust will, the wo, Id and a hmiimg desiie foi God aie not snflicient. Initiation by llie (hiiu is necessaiy. ^\ by? becanso ills the biingiiig of youtself into connection with that gieal souice of powei, which has been handed down through generations, from one Gum to anolliei m uninter- uipled succession. The devotee must seek and accept the Guru or spnilual {ircceptor, as his counseller, philosopher, friend and guide. In shoit, the Gniu is the.n.r.jua non of progres.s in the path of spiiituahly. Whom then shall I accept as my Guru?
unhuit by desiie, he who,s best of the knowei.s of Ihahman. Ah ro/nya-h^ ^^ho is not only learned in the Shastias, but who knows then subtle secrets, who has realised their true import in their lives. ‘‘