CMYK Rs 10.00 P RABUDDHA B HARATA or AWAKENED INDIA A monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order started by Swami Vivekananda in 1896 February 2009 A Prophet with a Diff erence ISSN 0032- 6178 Art for National Awakening … 9 770032 617002 Vol. 114, No. 2 CMYK P rabuddha b harata or AwAkened IndIA A monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order started by Swami Vivekananda in 1896 Vol. 114, No. 2 Contents February 2009 Traditional Wisdom 163 This Month 164 Editorial: Vedanta and Secularism 165 Swami Vivekananda: 167 A Prophet with a Difference Swami Purnatmananda Amrita Kalasha The Advent of the Satya Yuga 173 Swami Sunirmalananda Towards Humanitarian Development 178 Brahmachari Ajitachaitanya Editorial Office Swami Vivekananda and Nikola Tesla: 184 Prabuddha Bharata New Findings Advaita Ashrama PO Mayavati, Via Lohaghat Somenath Mukherjee Dt Champawat · 262 524 A Famous Dinner 190 Uttarakhand, India Dr Hironmoy Mukherjee E-mail: [email protected] Sister Nivedita: 194 [email protected] Art for National Awakening Publication Office Dr Anil Baran Ray Advaita Ashrama The Many-splendoured 200 5 Dehi Entally Road Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Vedanta – VII Kolkata · 700 014 Dr Sivaramkrishna Tel: 91 · 33 · 2264 0898 / 2264 4000 2286 6450 / 2286 6483 Narada Bhakti Sutra 204 E-mail: [email protected] Swami Bhaskareswarananda Reviews 206 Intern et Edition at: www.advaitaashrama.org Reports 209 Traditional Wisdom Wrút²; std{; ŒtËg JhtrªtctuÆt; > Arise! Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached! Vedantic Harmony February  Vol. , No.  g YfUtu~JKtuo cnwÆtt Nrút¥gtudt=T JKtollufUtrªtrn;t:tuo =Ættr; > rJ air; atà;u rJˆJbt=ti m =uJ& m ltu cwõÓt NwCgt mkgwlútw¥ >> May that Deity, the One, of inscrutable purpose, who though formless, brings into being many forms in the beginning, and into whom the world returns in the end—may he endow us with a noble intellect. (Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 4.1) gk NiJt& mbwvtm;u rNJ Rr; c{Ñur; Ju=trà;ltu ctiõt cwõ Rr; v{btKvxJ& fU;uor; ligtrgfUt& > ynorªtÀg: silNtmlh;t& fUbuor; bebtkmfUt& mtu~gk ltu rJ=Ætt;w Jtr¤A;VUjk ºtijtu¢glt:tu nrh& >> He who is worshipped as Shiva by the Shaivas, as Brahman by the Ved- antins, as Buddha by the Buddhists, as the Agent by the Naiyayikas who are well-versed in the means of knowledge, as Arhat by the Jainas, as Karma by the Mimamsakas—may that Hari, the lord of the three worlds, grant us our desired ends. ôJrmõtà;ÔgJô:tmw Åir;ltu rlrˆa;t =]ZbT > vhôvhk rJh¥Ægà;u ;ihgk l rJh¥Æg;u >> Th e dualists, confi rmed believers in the methodologies establishing their own conclusions, are at loggerheads with one another. But this [non- dual] view has no confl ict with them. (Mandukya Karika, 3.17) rJ˜KwJto rºtvwhtà;fUtu CJ;w Jt c{Ñt mwhuà={tu~:Jt CtlwJto NNjGKtu~: CdJtlT cwõtu~: rmõtu~:Jt > htdÅuMrJMtr;obtunhrn;& múJtlwfUövtu‘;tu g& mJio& mn mkôf]U;tu dwKdKiô;ôbi lb& mJo=t >> Whether the highest Being be Vishnu or Shiva, Brahma or Indra, the Sun or the Moon, Bhagavan Buddha or Mahavira the Perfect, I always off er my salutations to him who is free from the poison of attachment and hatred, worldliness and ignorance, who is moved by compassion for all creatures, and is possessed of all noble attributes. 163 PB February 2009 —No bleed here— THIS MONTH Fundamentalist thinking has been behind many re- Mukherjee, Researcher, Ramakrishna Mission In- cent wars, genocides, and acts of terrorism, deeply stitute of Culture, Kolkata. Th e author begins his undermining liberal religious and secular values presentation with a review of Nikola Tesla’s life globally. Th e relation between Vedanta and Secu- and works. larism may not be very obvious, but Swami Viveka- A Famous Dinner is the story of nanda’s interpretation of Vedanta and its application three Indians who were making are of singular importance in these troubled times. a name for themselves in Lon- Practical Vedanta based on a reinterpretation of don when Swami Vivekananda Advaita, universality, acceptance, and principles was busy preaching Vedanta over persons are some of the features that make there in 1896. Th e author, Swami Vivekananda: A Prophet with a Diff er- Dr Hironmoy Mukherjee, ence. But Swami Purnatmananda, Secretary, Rama- is former Chief Controller krishna Mission, Viveknagar, argues that there is of Explosives, Nagpur. something more that makes the swami special. Dr Anil Baran Ray, Pro- Given their aphoristic nature, Swami Vivekananda’s fessor, Department of Po- utterances on Th e Advent of the Satya Yuga re- litical Science, Burdwan main an enigma. Swami Sunirmalananda of the University, has had a long- Centro Ramakrishna Vedanta, Curitiba, explores standing research interest the meaning of these statements to suggest why we in Sister Nivedita’s life and may be part of an epoch-making process and how contributions. Sister Ni- the challenges of our times may be harbingers of a vedita: Art for National better future. Awakening is a fresh fruit of his endeavour. Developmental concerns have undergone a para- digm shift over the last century, with intrinsic Th e seventh instalment of Dr M Sivaramkrishna’s human values gaining prominence. Brahmachari study of Th e Many-splendoured Ramakrishna- Ajitachaitanya of the Ramakrishna Mission Ash- Vivekananda Vedanta takes him to texts exploring rama, Narendrapur, examines the theoretical and Sri Sarada Devi’s role as a dialogician and providing practical dimensions of this movement Towards fresh hermeneutical insights into Swami Viveka- Humanitarian Development in the light of Swami nanda’s doctrine of seva. Th e author is former Vivekananda’s thought. Head, Department of English, Osmania Univer- sity, Hyderabad. Swami Vivekananda and Nikola Tesla: New In the fi ft h instalment of Narada Bhakti Sutra, Findings is a presen- Swami Bhaskareswarananda, former President, tation of some docu- Ramakrishna Math, Nagpur, continues his exposi- ments freshly brought tion of the aphorisms, now discussing the means for to light by Sri Somenath the attainment of bhakti. PB February 2009 —No bleed here— EDITORIAL Vedanta and Secularism I n his seminal study India as a Secular State, religious traditions. In so doing, it even compels ‘tra- Donald E Smith suggests the following defini- ditional points of view to give up parts of their tradi- tion of secularism: ‘The secular state is a state tions in order to provide opportunities for previously which guarantees individual and corporate freedom disenfranchised people’. Interestingly, the Constitu- of religion, deals with the individual as a citizen ir- tion does not define the categories ‘secular’ and ‘re- respective of his religion, is not constitutionally ligious’. But articles 25 and 26 clearly set limits on connected to a particular religion nor does it seek religious freedom in consonance with its secular out- either to promote or interfere with religion.’ The look. Thus, though ‘all persons are equally entitled to Constitution of India as originally enacted did not freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, use the term ‘secular’ to describe the new Indian re- practise, and propagate religion’, this freedom is ‘sub- public. Justice P N Bhagawati suggests that ‘perhaps ject to public order, morality, and health’. the Constitution makers were apprehensive that if In pursuit of its secular goals, the Constitution the words “secular” or “secularism” were introduced aims at the development of a uniform civil code ap- in the Constitution, they might unnecessarily bring plicable across religious categories. The Hindu Mar- in, by implication, the anti-religious overtone asso- riage Bill, Hindu Succession Bill, Hindu Minority ciated with the doctrine of secularism as it had de- and Guardianship Bill, and Hindu Adoption and veloped in Christian countries. The Indian concept Maintenance Bill passed by the Parliament, after of secularism recognizes the relevance and validity intense initial opposition from Hindu groups, were of religion in life, but seeks to establish a rational major steps in this direction. But efforts to bring synthesis between the legitimate functions of reli- the Muslim community under the purview of a uni- gion and the legitimate and expanding functions of form civil code have proved futile. Thus polygamy the State’ and ‘this concept is clearly brought out in is illegal for Hindus but legal for Muslims in India, the various provisions of the Indian Constitution’. the latter being covered by Islamic personal law. Swami Vivekananda described India as a ‘veri- The followers of most major religions consider table ethnological museum’. That India—with its their religious faiths to pervade all aspects of their incredible religious, linguistic, ethnic, and cultural lives. Hence secular aspirations often come in conflict diversity—still has a remarkable functional unity with religious beliefs. The problem is compounded has been a source of surprise to many thinkers. Not by the fact that though administrative institutions that it is devoid of tensions on each of the above and the judiciary are supposed to be secular they are counts, sometimes severe enough to threaten its nevertheless peopled by men and women who may very integrity. The domains of the ‘secular’ and the have deep personal religious convictions. How does ‘religious’ provide one such antithesis. But Indians one reconcile one’s beliefs with secular responsibili- have shown great resilience in absorbing stresses and ties, especially in case of a conflict? evolving synthetic cultures and thought processes. A secularism that ignores religion is bound to be The Constitution of India has been seen as a dysfunctional in a society that is overwhelmingly re- product of the ‘ideology of the Enlightenment’. It ligious. It is therefore important that we try to under- seeks to protect minority points of view and diverse stand religion and religious diversity as undeniable 165 PB February 2009 —No bleed here— 14 Prabuddha Bharata existential facts. Any such study would require a suit- faith of the world and every noble effort of man— able framework. According to Swami Vivekananda, reconciling spirituality and material advancement, Vedanta provides such a framework. The term ‘Ved- faith and reason, science and mysticism, work and contemplation, service to man and absorption in anta’ had traditionally been taken to mean a system God. Never before had it been conceived as the of philosophy based on the Upanishads. But Swami one universal religion, by accepting the principles Vivekananda saw a much deeper meaning in the of which the follower of any or no creed could term. He wrote to a disciple in May 1895: continue along his own path and at the same time be able to identify himself with every other creed Now I will tell you my discovery. All of religion and aspect of religion. is contained in the Vedanta, that is, in the three stages of the Vedanta philosophy, the Dvaita, Sri Ramakrishna’s axiomatic statement of the Vishishtadvaita, and Advaita; one comes after the truth underlying all religions—yato mat tato path; other. These are the three stages of spiritual growth as many faiths, so many paths—continues to be in man. Each one is necessary. This is the essential of religion: the Vedanta, applied to the various poorly understood. Religious doctrines often ap- ethnic customs and creeds of India, is Hinduism. pear hopelessly contradictory and religions seem to The first stage, i.e. Dvaita, applied to the ideas of be dogmatic in their assertion of distinctive goals. the ethnic groups of Europe, is Christianity; as Swami Vivekananda clarifies: applied to the Semitic groups, Mohammedanism. The Advaita, as applied in its Yoga-perception To learn this central secret that the Truth may be form, is Buddhism etc. Now by religion is meant one and yet many at the same time, that we may the Vedanta; the applications must vary according have different visions of the same Truth from dif- to the different needs, surroundings, and other cir- ferent standpoints, is exactly what must be done. cumstances of different nations. Then, instead of antagonism to anyone, we shall have infinite sympathy with all. Knowing that It would be wrong to interpret this statement in as long as there are different natures born in this ‘triumphalist’ terms—to see Vedanta as some sort world, the same religious truth will require differ- ent adaptations, we shall understand that we are of ‘super-religion’. In his lecture ‘My Master’ Swami bound to have forbearance with each other. Just Vivekananda stated: as nature is unity in variety—an infinite variation I learnt from my Master … the wonderful truth in the phenomenal—as in and through all these that the religions of the world are not contradic- variations of the phenomenal runs the Infinite, tory or antagonistic. They are but various phases the Unchangeable, the Absolute Unity, so it is of one eternal religion. That one eternal religion is with every man; the microcosm is but a miniature applied to different planes of existence, is applied repetition of the macrocosm; in spite of all these to the opinions of various minds and various races. variations, in and through them all runs this eter- … One Infinite religion existed all through eternity nal harmony, and we have to recognise this. This and will ever exist, and this religion is expressing idea, above all other ideas, I find to be the crying itself in various countries in various ways. There- necessity of the day. fore we must respect all religions and we must try It is therefore important that we study and im- to accept them all as far as we can. bibe Vedanta as a means to understanding religious As Marie Louise Burke points out, a detailed study truths and phenomena. We shall thus not only of Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts shows that: broaden our own understanding of religion and deepen our spiritual lives, but also learn to have a Never before Swamiji’s time had the term [Ved- sympathetic view of religious diversity. In so doing anta] been given such universal significance as he gave it. Never before had it been broadened into we would be able to discharge our secular duties a philosophy and religion which included every without losing our religious moorings. P 166 PB February 2009 —No bleed here— Swami Vivekananda: A Prophet with a Difference Swami Purnatmananda I t all began with a wonderful vision. One day Sri Ramakrishna’s account of the vision is too Sri Ramakrishna was in a deeply ecstatic mood. vivid to demand any explanation. An incarnation His mind was soaring high in samadhi along an of the Divine, Sri Ramakrishna brought Swami effulgent path. Transcending the stellar universe Vivekananda down from the highest spiritual plane and entering the subtle realm of ideas, he found to fulfil his mission: to preach unto humans their gods and goddesses in their ideal forms on both divinity and to help them actualize that divin- sides of the path. His mind gradually crossed the ity, so that they can transcend their limited selves luminous barrier separating the region of relative every moment of their lives and emerge finally as existence from that of the Absolute. In that tran- gods. It was indeed Sri Ramakrishna’s aim to evolve scendental realm nothing physical was discernible. gods out of material men and women by show- The very next moment he saw seven venerable rishis ing how to put the ideal of Vedanta into practice, seated there in samadhi. It appeared to him that a method later designated ‘Practical Vedanta’ by these sages had far surpassed in knowledge, purity, Swami Vivekananda. renunciation, and love not only men but even the The Genesis of Practical Vedanta gods. Lost in amazed reverence, he was reflecting on their greatness when he saw a portion of that Swami Vivekananda’s advent can be traced to the undifferentiated effulgent sphere condense into wonderful vision of Sri Ramakrishna mentioned the form of a divine child. The child came close to above. Sri Ramakrishna’s mission could also be one of the rishis, lovingly stretched his two tender traced to a unique utterance of his, the dissemina- arms around the rishi’s neck and addressed him in tion of which we owe to Swami Vivekananda’s dis- a sweet voice which dragged the mind of the sage tinct genius. Sometime in 1884 Sri Ramakrishna down from the state of samadhi. The rishi opened was explaining to a group of devotees gathered in his eyes and fixed his loving gaze upon the won- his room the essence of the Vaishnava doctrine. derful child. His face beamed with joy, showing Love for chanting god’s name, compassion for all that the child was very dear to his heart. The divine beings, and service to devotees, he pointed out, child said to him: ‘I am going down. You must go constitute the three salient instructions that all with me.’ The sage did not utter a word, but his Vaishnavas must follow. As he started explaining affectionate look revealed his assent. As he kept ‘compassion for all beings’, he went into samadhi. A looking at the child, he again became absorbed in little later, when he came down to a semi-ecstatic samadhi. Then, to Sri Ramakrishna’s amazement, a state, he said: ‘Compassion for all beings? How portion of the rishi’s body and mind descended to foolish to speak of compassion! Human beings are earth in the form of a bright light. When he first as insignificant as worms crawling on the earth— saw Narendra, Sri Ramakrishna recognized him to and they are to show compassion to others? That’s be the rishi he saw in samadhi. He also indicated absurd. It must not be compassion, but service to that the divine child of the vision was none other all. Recognize all as manifestations of God and than himself.1 serve them as such’ (852). 167 PB February 2009 16 Prabuddha Bharata Everybody present heard Sri Ramakrishna’s world with a similar ideal and method of work is words. But none except Narendra could compre- Buddha. But although Buddha’s approach was re- hend their true import. After leaving the room he markable, the absence of God in his entire scheme said to some of his friends: tended to make it more a secular philanthropic philosophy than a spiritual concept and phenom- What a wonderful light I saw today in those words enon. The disciples of Buddha served humans with of the Master! How beautifully did he reconcile great sincerity and feeling, but they served only the simple, sweet, and refreshing ideal of devotion the afflicted—people torn by misery and distress. with the knowledge of Vedanta, which people be- They never served God in them. On the other hand, lieve to be dry, difficult, and heartless! For so long when the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna—fired with we’ve heard that anyone who wants to attain non- dual knowledge must retire to the forest, shunning the spirit of service advocated by the Master and in- family and friends completely and forcibly uproot- terpreted by Swami Vivekananda—served humans, ing love, devotion, and other sweet sentiments they served their God or their Chosen Deity in from the heart, driving them away forever. … But them. Sister Nivedita recorded the story of ‘one what the Master said today in his ecstatic mood is disciple, who, in the early days of the Order, was clear: One can bring Vedanta from the forest to so filled with the impulse of this reverence that he the home and practise it in daily life. Let people sucked the sores of the lepers to bring them ease’. continue with whatever they are doing; there’s no This was the attitude and spirit that differentiated harm in this. People must first believe and under- stand that God has manifested Himself before the philanthropic religion of Buddha from the spir- them as the world and its creatures. Whomever itual religion of Ramakrishna. This was a new phe- people come in contact with in every moment of nomenon in the realm of religion and spirituality. their lives, whomever they treat with love, respect, From this follows, as a corollary, another of and compassion—they all are parts of God, God Swami Vivekananda’s contributions to religion Himself. If people consider every human being and spirituality in modern times: there is noth- to be God, how can they consider themselves to ing secular, all work is spiritual; and this in a sense be superior to others and harbour anger, hatred, very distinct from the concept of theocracy. Sister and arrogance—or even compassion—towards them? (ibid). Nivedita comments on this in her introduction to the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda: From this insight of Narendranath emerged two remarkable methods of spiritualizing work and ser- It is this which adds its crowning significance to our Master’s [Swami Vivekananda’s] life, for here vice, later implemented through the Ramakrishna he becomes the meeting-point, not only of East Mission that he founded. These two methods are: and West, but also of past and future. If the many serving humans by looking upon them as the veri- and the One be indeed the same Reality, then it table manifestations of God and performing work is not all modes of worship alone, but equally all in the spirit of worship. These form the very corner- modes of work, all modes of struggle, all modes stone of Swami Vivekananda’s concept of Practical of creation, which are paths of realisation. No dis- Vedanta. As ideas these were not new, but the pre- tinction, henceforth, between sacred and secular. sentation and application was new, something that To labour is to pray. To conquer is to renounce. Life is itself religion. … had never been attempted by any saint or prophet. This is the realisation which makes Viveka- The ideas were there in the Upanishads, Bhagavad- nanda the great preacher of Karma, not as di- gita, and the epics and Puranas of India. Service vorced from, but as expressing Jnāna and Bhakti. has also been an important component in Semitic To him, the workshop, the study, the farmyard, religions. But there was a difference. In fact, the and the field are as true and fit scenes for the meet- only sage who is remembered for acquainting the ing of God with man as the cell of the monk or 168 PB February 2009 Swami Vivekananda: A Prophet with a Difference 17 the door of the temple. To him, there is no differ- Ramakrishna Order: Atmano mokshartham jagad ence between service of man and worship of God, hitaya cha, for one’s own liberation and for the wel- between manliness and faith, between true right- fare of the world. This was the legacy he inherited eousness and spirituality.2 from his Master. Thus was added a new dimension to traditional Hindu monasticism. Reinterpreting Advaita This addition notwithstanding, Swami Viveka- Thus Swami Vivekananda taught us how to equate nanda never deviated from the fundamentals of work with worship, service to man with service to Hindu monasticism. Rather, while strictly adher- God, and all experiences of life—however small or ing to these monastic principles, he brought mo- trivial—with spiritual experiences of the highest nasticism closer to its basic aims and objectives and importance. These ideas also led him to a unique made it more humane in its application. interpretation of the philosophy of Advaita or non- Principle over Person dualism. It had its origin in the moving reprimand he received from his Master in response to his en- Sri Ramakrishna taught his disciples not to make treaty for nirvikalpa samadhi during the last days his person prominent. Being the chief of the dis- of the Master. Sri Ramakrishna had said: ‘Shame on ciples, Swami Vivekananda took upon himself you! You are asking for such an insignificant thing. the hard task of remaining true to the Master’s I thought that you would be like a big banyan tree, precept. He was more for the propagation of his and that thousands of people would rest in your Master’s ideas and cared less to project him as a shade. But now I see that you are seeking your own person. He was very particular about this. There liberation. There is a state higher than that. It is you arose much misunderstanding between him and who sing, “O Lord, Thou art all that exists”. ’3 Nirvi- some of his brother disciples over this issue. Those kalpa samadhi, the highest Advaitic realization, has brother disciples who differed were of the opin- always been cherished by Indian sages and seers as ion that he was not giving due importance to the the ultimate spiritual attainment. But here was a Master and his uniqueness. He in turn tried to teacher who was taking an entirely different stand, convince them that he was doing so only in ac- who was providing a new orientation to Hindu mo- cordance with the Master’s wish and command, nasticism by including human and social commit- and that he was trying to preach his precepts in ment as a mandatory ideal. Sri Ramakrishna never preference to his person. Personally he was con- denied God’s place in a monk’s spiritual sadhana, vinced that as a person the Master was infinitely he only exchanged the position of God for that greater than what even his disciples were capable of the human being. To him the human being was of conceiving him to be. The originality, catholi- none other than the Divine. city, and profundity of Sri Ramakrishna’s ideas Three or four days before he left his mortal body, were remarkable. Swami Vivekananda was, there- Sri Ramakrishna transmitted the full wealth of his fore, all for presenting those ideas to humanity at spiritual realization to Narendra, and then told large and was least bothered whether the Master him: ‘Today I have given you my all and am now as a person was highlighted or not. In his letter only a poor fakir, possessing nothing. By this power of 12 January 1895 to Alasinga Perumal, he wrote: you will do immense good in the world and not ‘The disciples of all the prophets have always in- until it is accomplished will you return [to your extricably mixed up the ideas of the Master with own absolute Self].’ 4 In 1897, when Swami Viveka- the person, and at last killed the ideas for the per- nanda founded the Ramakrishna Mission, he son. The disciples of Shri Ramakrishna must guard placed before his brother monks and disciples the against doing the same thing. Work for the idea, twin ideal to be followed by the monastics of the not the person.’5 169 PB February 2009 18 Prabuddha Bharata Swami Vivekananda was keen that the Master’s Similar is the case with religion. The Christian grand ideals be held high above all other things, in is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a spite of criticism and denouncement. He wrote to Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and Alasinga: ‘I have a message to give, let me give it to yet preserve his individuality and grow according the people who appreciate it and who will work to his own law of growth.6 it out. What care I who takes it? “He who doeth the will of my Father” is my own’ (ibid.). Swami Swami Vivekananda dreamt of a universal reli- Vivekananda’s entire life was a burning illustration gion which ‘will have no location in place or time; of the message he received from his Master. He … whose sun will shine … on saints and sinners alike; was satisfied to be the ‘voice’, the ‘form’ being his which will not be Brahminic or Buddhistic, Chris- Master’s. tian or Mohammedan, but the sum total of all these, and still have infinite space for development; which Universality and Oneness in its catholicity will embrace in its infinite arms, Vivekananda’s was a universal mind. Narrowness, and find a place for, every human being’ (1.19). sectarianism, bigotry, and parochialism he hated He carried with him this message of unity and from the core of his heart, trained as he was by a universality wherever he went. Whosoever came in Master who symbolized in his own person the very contact with him was impressed by the catholicity spirit of universality. His great message of harmony of his message. His famous letter of 10 June 1898, of religions, rather of universal harmony, expressed from Almora, to Mohammed Sarfaraz Husain is in his profound pronouncement ‘as many faiths, worth quoting in this context: ‘We want to lead so many paths’, is looked upon today as the pana- mankind to the place where there is neither the cea for the evils threatening the very existence of Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to human civilization. Swami Vivekananda’s addresses be done by harmonizing the Vedas, the Bible and at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chi- the Koran. Mankind ought to be taught that reli- cago, as well as the corpus of his other lectures, let- gions are but the varied expressions of the reli- ters, and conversations are replete with universal gion, which is Oneness, so that each may choose ideas. His words at the concluding session of the the path that suits him best.’7 Parliament of Religions reflect his universal mind Has any system ever preached this oneness? and universal vision: Swami Vivekananda’s answer was ‘yes’. Advaita, the creed of non-dualism, of oneness, has existed Much has been said of the common ground of re- in India for millennia. He dreamt of establishing a ligious unity. I am not going just now to venture centre in the Himalayas that would implement in my own theory. But if any one here hopes that this its everyday activities the philosophy of Advaita as unity will come by the triumph of any one of the religions and the destruction of the others, to him realized and actualized in the lives of Indian sages I say, ‘Brother, yours is an impossible hope.’ Do I and seers down the ages, including Sri Ramakrishna wish that the Christian would become Hindu? in recent times. This dream of his was materialized God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or Buddhist by his disciples a few years before he passed away. would become Christian? God forbid. The Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati, situated at 6,400 The seed is put in the ground, and earth and feet above sea level, in the fascinating solitude of air and water are placed around it. Does the seed a Himalayan jungle and commanding a magnifi- become the earth, or the air, or the water? No. It cent view of snow-covered peaks extending across becomes a plant, it develops after the law of its own growth, assimilates the air, the earth, and the nearly 400 kilometres, was set up in response to the water, converts them into plant substance, and swami’s vision. The grand view and elevating ambi- grows into a plant. ence help one’s mind soar naturally into contempla- 170 PB February 2009