At our own peril 3

Not all are lost. There is still a sizeable proportion, notwithstanding the stance at the leadership and academia level, who eulogize Vivekananda and his ideologies and stand for it. Prof. Sankari Prasad Basu was one of the leading Vivekananda scholars, who did in India what Mary Louis Burke did in America, through his seven volume magnum opus Vivekananda and contemporary India (Bibekanda O Samakalin Bharatbarsha) and 2 volumes of Nivedita Lokamata on Sister Nivedita’s work and contribution towards Indian independence and Indian Renaissance. Other scholars, poets and literary figures include such names as poet Subramania Bharati, noted grammarian Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, historian Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, social activist Anna Hazare, social activist Begum Sufia Kamal, scientists Basishwar Sen and Satyendranath Bose, philosophers and leaders Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, C.R Rajagopalachary, and many other eminent persons, who did leave indelible imprints through their own work and in turn inspired and influenced others. 

Ramakrishna Math and Mission did everything possible within their limited means to distribute his message by running schools and colleges, interacting with students and academia, publishing books and literature at subsidized prices, opening centres around the world to promote the ideology and taking up a whole gamut of service activities as “seva” or service to the God in all beings. Many noted individuals served as icons by dedicating their lives to selfless activities and became the living examples, being torch bearers of the great ideology. Around the world interfaith meetings and dialogues among religions became norms, just as what the great saint wanted. Many leading mind and luminaries of 20^th century across the world were inspired by him and in turn reflected his ideas in their won works. Among them were Romaine Rolland, Christopher Isherwood, Huston Smith, Arnold Toyenbee, William James, Count Tolstoy, J. d Salinger, Joseph Campbell, Aldous Huxley, Lex Hixon and others. Several eminent scholars and intellectuals embraced him. Many doctrines and dogmas were shed, many prejudices, racial, caste and religion based divisions washed away in the deluge of free thinking and rationalism. People across the world wanted to become spiritual, but fed up with the dogmas they wanted nothing of the established religions. Lot of emphasis were placed on service to humanity. 

Many private organizations were fired up with the ideal of service and started working towards betterment of living conditions of people, even in inaccessible and remote areas. Many leading organizations today like Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Youth for Seva, Seva Bharati, Parivaar founded by IIM Alumni Vinayak Lohani, Mamoon Akhtar who established a self-help group to empower women in west Bengal, Babar Ali, the youngest headmaster, Arunima Sinha, who conquered Everest with one leg, and countless Vivekananda foundations, Vivekananda samitys, Vivekananda study circles, Vivekananda homes for aged and orphans, yuva jagaran manchas and many other notable institutions. Websites sprang up from nowhere to spread his ideals – like www.vivekananda.net or www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info, which were purely individual efforts. 

Corporate organizations are promoting the ideal of practical Vedanta, the harmony through a meaningful and purposeful life through contributing back to the society and humanity, to serve the God in human form and in every living being. This is based upon the eternal principles of Gita, that “Yajnarthat karmani, anyatra loko ayam karma vandhanah.” All work is based on the fundamental principles of selfless sacrifice to others, else that work binds one to the world if there are even traces of selfish desires like name, fame and fortune in that work. Vivekananda himself said that, “I am a voice without form”. He said that even if he left his body he would continue to inspire people everywhere till the entire human civilizations realizes that it is one with God. Stories of such inspiration from around the world are abundant. He did not care about name and fame. To him, the ideals, the thoughts and actions are more important than words. Through a story he illustrated this point. A man had two gardeners, one who did nothing and idled away his time and when the master came he used to sing praises of the master, while the other toiled day in and day out and grew good fruits and vegetables and offered them to the master. Now the master would be pleased with whom? Answer is needless. Similarly if ideals are followed although the person is not brought to the forefront and does not get eulogies, it is perfectly acceptable and he would probably been happy today to see that, although one may feel that things should have happened on a bigger and better scale had his teachings been promoted. So while intellectuals, scholars, missionaries, fundamentalists, intellectuals, politicians and several others had tried their best, we’re not exactly in a hopeless situation because he is still there, an ethereal voice without form, the atman who knows no bound of time, space and causation, inspiring, influencing and driving people to work out his ideologies. The world teachers cannot be throttled by mere mortals. What chance mankind has against divine designs, however vicious and powerful their attempts be to repudiate the immortal and eternal teaching? It is exactly as Aurobindo had spoken about him – “We perceive his influence still working gigantically, we know not well how, we know not well where, in something that is not yet formed, something leonine, grand, intuitive, upheaving that has entered the soul of India, and we say: “Behold, Vivekananda still lives in the soul of his Mother and in the souls of his children”