Swami Vivekananda 150 - A Tribute - concluding part

He was dead against sectarianism. In his own words, “All this fight between sects and all those differences in dogmas will not be remembered anymore, and quarrels between your religion and my religion will have vanished altogether, when mankind will understand that there is but one eternal religion, and that is the perception of the divine within.”

We can see in the world around us a massive change, compared to the late nineteenth century in which he appeared. India is now more self confident and of late has seen tremendous activity. Indian women were not only actively pursued education soon after the beginning of twentieth century, but also participate side by side, along with their male colleagues, in the freedom movement. His ideals of helping others have taken a firm root and countless voluntary organizations have sprung up, who, though not explicitly subscribing to his ideals, nevertheless perform work which would be much to his liking, in various spheres. Interfaith societies keep the hope alive for a world free of religious strife and tensions and many organizations promote harmony and tolerance. The world is far more benign towards cultural and religious differences and orthodoxy is no more acceptable in most parts of the world, esp. among the educated and the better informed. There are many more migrations of skilled and educated labour across different borders and inter cultural and cross cultural connectivity have increased the awareness about the other cultures resulting in mutual appreciation and trust. Swami Vivekananda said that the present age is the right age to disseminate ideas because information flow the fastest in this age. We have seen what wonders have been achieved in the field of information technology after the advent of internet and the spiritual treasure which were hitherto a property of few have now been thrown open to all who can appreciate its worth.

His words sound very prophetic -

Our Upanishads say that the cause of all misery is ignorance; and that is perfectly true when applied to every state of life, either social or spiritual. It is ignorance that makes us hate each other, it is through ignorance that we do not know and do not love each other. As soon as we come to know each other, love comes, must come, for are we not ones. Thus we find solidarity coming in spite of itself.

About his teachings he said -

I am the teacher of virtue, not of sin. I glory in being the preacher of light, and not of darkness. It is true that through the propagation of the Vedantic ideas he made a stark contrast between the Semitic over emphasis on sins and their redemption, and the ancient Indian teachings of manifestation of the divinity. The manifestation of divinity is the absence of sin and sin or evil is the lower manifestation of divine traits just as light is absence of darkness and vice versa. As one would light a torch in a dark room instead of crying that “it is too dark”, one should highlight the positive traits, i.e. how one should acquire divine character rather than harping on the negative side, the so called sins and evils.

Above everything towers this brilliant personality who proclaimed that the spirituality is the soul of India. Those who follow his ideals confer benefit upon themselves, those who do not, hopefully have something better to contribute besides lust for name, fame and fortune, none of which are everlasting. The Lord had summed up in Gita – “Those who sincerely practice My teachings, they are liberated from all bondage. Those ignorant deluded ones, who, out of unsound understanding, deride Me and do not practice the teachings, know them to be perished.” – Something to be pondered upon.