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Swami Vivekananda was one of the greatest reformers of Hindu religion. While he strongly upheld the greatness of Hinduism and protected it against all missionary influences, he was brave enough to concede that Hinduism needs a cleansing especially of its superstitions and evil practices.  He said in his lecture in Madras,

We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving principles, not the hundreds of superstitions that we have been hugging to our breasts for centuries. These have to be weeded out even on this soil, and thrown aside, so that they may die for ever. These are the causes of the degradation of the race and will lead to softening of the brain. That brain which cannot think high and noble thoughts, which has lost all power of originality, which has lost all vigour, that brain which is always poisoning itself with all sorts of little superstitions passing under the name of religion, we must beware of.

Further, he says,

Here in India, there are several dangers. Of these, the two, Scylla and Charybdis, rank materialism and its opposite arrant superstition, must be avoided. There is the man today who after drinking the cup of Western wisdom, thinks that he knows everything. He laughs at the ancient sages. All Hindu thought to him is arrant trash — philosophy mere child’s prattle, and religion the superstition of fools. On the other hand, there is the man educated, but a sort of monomaniac, who runs to the other extreme and wants to explain the omen of this and that. He has philosophical and metaphysical, and Lord knows what other puerile explanations for every superstition that belongs to his peculiar race, or his peculiar gods, or his peculiar village. Every little village superstition is to him a mandate of the Vedas, and upon the carrying out of it, according to him, depends the national life. You must beware of this. I would rather see every one of you rank atheists than superstitious fools, for the atheist is alive and you can make something out of him. But if superstition enters, the brain is gone, the brain is softening, degradation has seized upon the life. Avoid these two. Brave, bold men, these are what we want. What we want is vigour in the blood, strength in the nerves, iron muscles and nerves of steel, not softening namby-pamby ideas. Avoid all these. Avoid all mystery. There is no mystery in religion.

Do the superstitions followed in Hinduism have the sanction of our Rishis and Sastras? No, he says

Vain delusion! Where indeed is that the case nowadays? Nowhere have I found the laws of the Rishis current in India, even when during my travels I searched carefully and thoroughly. The blind and not unoften meaningless customs sanctioned by the people, local prejudices and ideas, and the usages and ceremonials prevalent amongst women, are what really govern society everywhere! How many care to read the Shâstras or to lead society according to their ordinances after careful study?

To a question of Child marriage he says,

Amongst the educated classes in Bengal, the custom of marrying their boys too early is dying out gradually. The girls are also given in marriage a year or two older than before, but that has been under compulsion — from pecuniary want. Whatever might be the reason for it, the age of marrying girls should be raised still higher. But what will the poor father do? As soon as the girl grows up a little, every one of the female sex, beginning with the mother down to the relatives and neighbours even, will begin to cry out that he must find a bridegroom for her, and will not leave him in peace until he does so! And, about your religious hypocrites, the less said the better. In these days no one hears them, but still they will take up the role of leaders themselves. The rulers passed the Age of Consent Bill prohibiting a man under the threat of penalty to live with a girl of twelve years, and at once all these so-called leaders of your religion raised a tremendous hue and cry against it, sounding the alarm, “Alas, our religion is lost! As if religion consisted in making a girl a mother at the age of twelve or thirteen! So the rulers also naturally think, “Goodness gracious! What a religion is theirs! And these people lead political agitations and demand political rights!”

It is quite clear from his thoughts that certain practices in Hinduism need to go. These practices are not advised by our sages nor have the sanction of our Sastras.

India is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda as a series of events spread over the last year and extending till January 12th next year. The National Youth Festival will begin today and go on till the 16th in Mangalore. All this is in commemoration of the life and message of an extraordinary saint-philosopher-nationalist, Swami Vivekananda.

Swamiji lived for only 39 years (1863 – 1902) but left behind a Nation deeply inspired by him and his teachings. Apart from the Ramakrishna Mission that he established, there are hundreds of other organizations that have found inspiration from his nationalistic and service ideals and have been quietly carrying on the work of national reconstruction.

Swamiji was a multifaceted personality. His talks and writings covered a vast array of subjects. This led to a wide variety of people being inspired by him and each one saw him in a perspective that was suited to their own temperament. If a few saw him as a monk, others saw him as a philosopher, orator, writer, nationalist, friend of the poor, and a fiercely independent thinker. A few of us saw in him the ideals of service and sacrifice, that he so fondly called our ‘national ideals’.

As a young impressionable 17-year-old, when I first read his works, what struck me deeply was his love and concern for the poor and the less fortunate. For Swamiji, the amelioration of the masses was of a greater concern than his own moksha. Over the years, as I started to internalize and understand his works better, I began to learn and interpret his teachings as that coming from the mind of a ‘development thinker’. My own understanding of development is built around Swamiji’s call for the constant evolution of man. From this understanding was built my view of development being the constant expansion of human capabilities. This whole concept was based on the indomitable and ‘never say die’ spirit of man, whom Swamiji considered as a representation of God himself. Swamiji’s concept of service was very simple – learn to serve the God in man and you achieve not only the betterment of society but also the spiritual evolution one’s own self.

Swamiji’s development philosophy was practical and has socialist leanings. His writings clearly indicate how he differentiated charity from development. He knew that people below the safety net needed charity, while at the same time he felt that it should not be disempowering and make them dependants on others. He wanted any act of service to be filled with respect and dignity for both the participants – the so called ‘provider’ and the ‘recipient’. His statements like “I do not believe in a religion or God that cannot wipe away the widow’s tears or bring a piece of bread to the orphan’s mouth” show not only his concern for the marginalized but also brings in the religious basis for both service and development programs. His remark that “half a loaf of bread is better than no bread at all” reflects the socialist leaning in him. At the same time, he realized that any economic growth had to be inclusive without hurting either the rich or the poor. He writes, “It is not by bringing down the rich but by pushing up the poor can we hope to bring in equity”. Apart from being intensely practical, it provides the space for all to participate in a growing economy like India of today. No wonder his brother Mahendranath, a known communist of his days called Vivekananda one of the greatest socialists that he knew of. He said about Swamiji that spirituality’s gain was socialism’s loss. Swamiji also realized that equity could not and should not be something that is forced on people either through the State or by violence.

Swamiji always maintained that it was only by ‘evolution’ and not by ‘revolution’ that India should grow and progress. And all this he wanted to happen on the platform of science and technology. He always felt that what India needed was a scientific temperament in everything that it did, and this would go a long way in ushering in the much-needed change in the lives of the masses. His constant concern for the masses and what needed to be done is reflected in the many letters he wrote to his disciples and the Maharajas of different princely states in India.

Celebrating his birthday should go beyond mere sloganism and iconization. We need to integrate his message into our daily lives. Swami Vivekananda is more relevant to India and her progress today than a century ago. We now need to ensure that his life and message becomes integral to the development interventions that both the Government and NGOs undertake in the pursuit of national reconstruction.

More than a century ago, Rabindranath Tagore wrote “If you want to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative”. Romain Rolland, the French Nobel Laureate had this to say: “I cannot touch these sayings of his…without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock…what transports must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero”. Romain Rolland is known to have expressed that his greatest regret in life was not to have met Swami Vivekananda and learnt at his feet. Understanding Swami Vivekananda and his personality is more than a life-time study for many. Gauging his intellectual prowess is not something that all and sundry can indulge in. One needs to study his life, understand his message and try to live it – before one can even come close to commenting on them. I have always been fascinated on how Swamiji who lived more than a hundred years ago continues to inspire people even today.

In August 1893, Swami Vivekananda met with Prof John Henry Wright of Harvard University to request him for an introduction to enable him to get invited to the Parliament of Religions at Chicago. After a brief interaction with him, Prof Wright told Swami Vivekananda “To ask you, Swami, for your credentials is like asking the sun to state its right to shine”. One also needs to recall that Swami Vivekananda was the first Indian to be invited to chair the Department of Oriental Philosophy at the Harvard University, though he politely turned it down saying ‘as a wandering monk, he could not settle down to work of this kind’.

We see examples of Swamiji’s brilliant intellect and the way he could explain the complexities of Vedanta and Advaita philosophy in simple and understandable English. He himself had this to say about it (in his letter to Alasinga Perumal, dated 17-Feb-1896):

To put the Hindu ideas into English and then make out of dry philosophy and intricate mythology and queer startling psychology, a religion which shall be easy, simple, popular, and at the same time meet the requirements of the highest minds – is a task only those who have attempted it can understand. The dry, abstract Advaita must become living – poetic – in everyday life; out of hopelessly intricate mythology must come concrete moral forms; and out of bewildering Yogi-ism must come the most scientific and practical psychology – and all this must be put in a form so that a child may grasp it. That is my life’s work.

Such was the extraordinary genius of Swamiji that he could not only teach his many disciples about it, but has also left behind huge collections of his writings that are both relevant and necessary for mankind even today.

Kannada version in Prajavani (02-Feb-12)

Many of the experiences that we have in our young age shape our lives and character. Each of us form our own interpretation of our early experiences and this impacts the way we think and react to what happens around us. People who influence our thinking usually mould these interpretations. For most of us, it is either an immediate family member or a charismatic teacher in our school. While Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was the key architect of Swami Vivekananda and his thinking in his later life, much has been written about on what could have shaped young Narendra’s life and thoughts in his childhood.

Two key people had a deep seated influence on him and some of his fiercely independent qualities that we see manifest throughout his life. They were his parents – father Vishwanath Datta and mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi. Swami Vivekananda used to say time and again that he was indebted to his mother for his intellectual development. What was unique about his mother’s influence was the fact that it was done unobtrusively and in a non-prescriptive manner. One often-quoted illustration is Narendra getting punished at school for no fault of his. His geography teacher had asked a question in class which he had answered correctly. The teacher thought that Narendra was wrong and punished him. Narendra insisted that his answer was correct and refused to change it. This made his teacher furious and he caned Narendra mercilessly. Narendra returned home eyes filled with tears and narrated the events to his mother. Her consoling words were “Why do you care if you are right? Follow the truth always, whatever happens”.

In another instance she gave this advice: “Be pure, live a clean life, defend your dignity and be respectful to others. Be gentle and modest, but do not hesitate to be firm when the situation requires it”. His father Vishwanath Datta is known to have shaped his concern for the poor and the suffering. Vishwanath Datta influenced Naren by living the values of charity and sympathy for the poor by his everyday actions.

While each one of us may have similar experiences in our own lives, very few of us will have the courage to stand by our convictions. Fewer still will have the ability to think through them and form own conclusions. The lessons learnt in our formative years go a long way in shaping our attitudes and the way we react to the reality and context around us.

Kannada version in Prajavani (09-Feb-12)

Most people know that Swami Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission which today has grown into a large spiritual-social mission quietly working in all parts of the world for the betterment of humanity and amelioration of suffering. Very few know of another extraordinary organization that was founded on the suggestion of Swami Vivekananda.

It was early 1894 and Swamiji was traveling around the United States giving lectures. He had become very popular after his famous speech at the Parliament of Religions. It was around the same time another American had amassed a lot of riches from the oil business. This was John D. Rockefeller and he was known for his ruthlessness and single-minded pursuit for making money. In fact, he was known to be obsessed with his wealth and making profits that it had begun to tell on his health. It was around then that he learnt of the wonderful and extraordinary Hindu monk staying in the house of one of his business colleagues in Chicago. Rockefeller was invited many times by this friend but he refused the invitation. One day, although he did not want to meet the Swamiji, he was pushed to do so by an impulse and went directly to the house of his friend, brushing aside the butler saying that he wanted to meet the Hindu monk. The butler ushered him into the living room and not waiting to be announced, Rockefeller entered Swamiji’s adjoining study room and was much surprised to see Swamiji behind the writing table, not even lifting his eyes to see who has entered.

After a while, in a quiet voice Swamiji, who had not seen Rockefeller even once, talked to him of his (Rockefeller’s) innermost secrets and anxieties. He talked of things which even his closest friends and relatives would not have known. It seemed miraculous, almost supernatural to Rockefeller. “How do you know all this? Who has talked of this to you?” he burst out. Swamiji looked at him with a quiet, calm smile on his lips as if a child standing before him had asked a foolish question. Swamiji said, “Forget the past. Become gay again. Build up your health. Do not dwell on your sorrows. Transmute your emotions into some form of creative external expression. Your spiritual health requires it. You are only a channel for God’s money that you have accumulated and it is your duty to do good to the world. God has given you all His wealth in order that you may get an opportunity to serve Him and His starving millions of children”.

On hearing this, Rockefeller was annoyed that anyone dared to talk to him in that manner. He left the room in irritation, not even saying goodbye. But after a week, again without being announced, he entered Swamiji’s study and finding him the same as before, threw on his desk a paper which told of his plans to donate an enormous sum of money towards financing a public institution. “Well, there you are Swami” Rockefeller said, “You must be satisfied now and you can thank me for it”. Swamiji did not even lift his eyes, did not move for a time. Then taking the paper he quietly read it and said, “It is for you to thank me”. That was all!

That was Rockefeller’s first large donation to public welfare and that was how the activities of The Rockefeller Foundation started.

Kannada version in Prajavani (16-Feb-12)

Youth is that wonderful time in life when energy is limitless, human creativity is at its best and the ‘never say die’ spirit is at its peak. Today, one keeps seeing and reading about the achievements of hundreds of young people in practically all spheres of life. Demographically, the India of today is at its youngest best. Nearly 78 percent of India’s population is less than 40 years old. Imagine the potential energy in these millions of young Indians and you can then fathom the fact that we could face any challenge as a Nation. Youth is also an impressionable age wherein we try and model our life against that of a ‘role model’ or ‘icon’. This is the time when one is ready to take on tasks however onerous they are; the time when ideals can drive and determine one’s actions. This is the time when we are easily motivated by the environment and by what we see and value around us. Swami Vivekananda mentioned repeatedly, “My faith is in the younger generation”. His clarion call to the youth was to focus their collective energies towards Nation Building. Amongst the many inspirational writings of his, one that conveys what the youth can do is his call to focus on the 3 ‘H’s.

The first ‘H’ that he writes about is the ‘Heart’ to feel. He wanted every one to feel for the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalized. He wanted us to feel till our head reeled and our hearts stopped. Only with the power of emotion driving us, can one inspire oneself or others to think beyond the ordinary mundane existence. While an emotional reaction in isolation has its own limitations, Swamiji wanted one to go beyond and bring in the thinking that is required for appropriate action.

Finding solutions to the complex social, economic, infrastructural, political and poverty-related problems that India faces today is indeed a great challenge. This challenge needs enormous energy, a fresh new perspective, a grandiose vision and superhuman effort. Our response to solve these issues cannot be emotional. We need to think through, strategize and then arrive at a workable, well thought-out solution. Swamiji called this cognitive phase as the second ‘H’ – the ‘Head’ to think.

Merely feeling for the poor and thinking through a solution is by itself a meaningless exercise. One needs to be able to implement the plans and strategies that we conceive of. This is the third ‘H’ that Swamiji wrote about. We need the ‘Hands’ to work too. We need to convert our emotions into concrete strategies and have the discipline and willingness to apply ourselves to the task of translating them into pragmatic action. Only then can the young of today help in realizing Swami Vivekananda’s dreams for India.

A illustration of this could be seen in the recent anti-corruption movement that we saw in India. The youth of this country responded to the issue emotionally and joined in the thousands to protest against corruption. If only, they had spent some time in thinking through the problem, strategizing a solution framework and then implementing it, we could have possibly made a better impact. The heart and hands were surely there, but a head in-between would have made a huge difference.

Kannada version in Prajavani (23-Feb-12)

What qualification should one possess to involve oneself in the world of social work? This is a common question asked in the many interactions that I have with young people. Many of them feel that they need to be either a doctor or a teacher or a professional social worker before they can get involved in the service of others. While formal qualifications and training do add to the competence of people engaged in this kind of work, I would like to mention the qualities that Swami Vivekananda saw as a basic requirement of people wanting to work for others.

Swami Vivekananda felt that unless one knew how to swim, one should not attempt to jump into the ocean. I have seen many people begin to engage in social service activities with a lot of enthusiasm, only to crumble at the first sign of a problem. Swamiji has said “Purity, Patience and Perseverance are three qualities that every social worker needs to have”. This is not only extremely relevant but a very practical mantra. In a world filled with corruption and negativism, purity in thought, word and deed helps build strength of character and one can stand out like an oasis.

Social service is also a very stressful activity and it is easy for one to give up in frustration. It is during these circumstances that the virtue of patience pays off. The tendency of most people is to keep searching for motives and they tend to look at those doing selfless service with a lot of suspicion. One needs enormous patience to accept people as they are and continue to do what one is doing with no desire for name, fame or any other tangible return. Gandhi also talks about the need for enormous patience. In his remarks on ‘Social Service and Reform’, he mentions that since it is the social worker who goes in search of people to serve, he needs to cultivate enormous patience to not get demotivated by the non-responsiveness of society towards the acts of service that he does.

Finally one needs to understand that any social change is a gradual process. In these days of instant gratification, one should have enormous perseverance to sustain the attempts and energy at bringing about this change. Surmounting a societal problem requires enormous will power and Vivekananda maintained that perseverance will always conquer.

Having these qualities of purity, patience and perseverance not only helps a social worker serve society better, but also enables him to mature spiritually. Swami Vivekananda always saw selfless service to mankind as an opportunity for self-purification and a means to attain salvation.

Kannada version in Prajavani (01-Mar-12)

Having founded an organization inspired by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda more than 28 years ago, a question often asked of me is “How has your organization managed to grow into a large one managed by a team of highly committed people today?” People often ask me if there is a deliberate, purposive management or leadership strategy that the organization has deployed to achieve the seemingly difficult challenge of a group of young like-minded persons working together for nearly three decades. After all, Swami Vivekananda had mentioned in one his talks that it was a challenge for two Indians to work together. He had said, “If 2 Indians get together, then they will fight over the 3 ideas that they get and fall apart in 4 minutes”.

The answer lies in another simplistic, yet profound and practical saying of Swami Vivekananda. He wrote that three things were needed to make an organization and a Nation great – (1) absence of jealousy and suspicion, (2) conviction in the power of goodness and (3) doing good and helping all those who want to do good.

Team work is truly possible only when the team members not only have respect and love for each other but also learn to operate with a high level of trust, reciprocity and interdependence. This is possible only when there is absence of jealousy and suspicion. The situation of the world around us may look despondent, but needs a lot of positive and constructive action. The environment today can appear bleak and discouraging to young people who set out with noble ideas. Self doubt can be dreadful at times and one is constantly challenged by a seemingly hopeless situation. One needs tremendous strength and faith in oneself to persevere at such times. The belief that good will always triumph is not only a truthful reality but can serve as a very good motivator and keep the spirit alive in times of such extreme crisis. The change that we hope to bring about can seem small, insignificant and hopeless when one looks at the larger picture. While this need not be necessarily true, it can wear us down and push us to inertia. It is only then does the statement of doing good and helping all those who are doing good truly has a profound and practical meaning.

Swamiji was always a very practical man and knew the difficulties that ordinary men would face. It is for us to internalize what he said and raise above the ordinary and take ourselves, our organizations and our Nation towards greatness.

Kannada version in Prajavani (15-Mar-12)

The last one year has seen a lot of young people talking about service and engaging in national reconstruction. In many places where I speak, people ask specific questions on how does one get to engage in social work, and what are the areas in which one could engage productively.

The youth today are extremely result-oriented and seek explanations for everything that they need to do. To them, Swami Vivekananda had a simple formula. He laid down in clear and simple terms the three levels of service that one can do. The first is that of the Physical service – taking care of the human body and undertaking activities to ameliorate human physical suffering. Running hospitals, orphanages, old-age homes and various income generation programs would qualify for this level. The next higher level is that of Intellectual service. Running schools, colleges and awareness and empowerment programs would operate at this level. And finally for the evolved, he prescribed the highest level of Spiritual service.

He did not forget to warn us of the pitfalls of undertaking such service activities. He understood the human ego and its extraordinary potential for creating problems. He repeatedly warned us against placing ourselves at a higher level than what we should. His famous quote of not standing on the pedestal and offering the poor man five cents is legendary. He wanted us to undertake these activities, not merely for the betterment of society but for our own evolution and growth. He saw the ‘means’ of serving society leading on to the ‘end’ of spiritual growth of the person doing it. And he so beautifully advised us to ‘Serve God in Man’. All his philosophy is so elegantly and simplistically packed into one statement, and in such simple and lucid language that makes it at once achievable and attractive. This ideal is not only within the reach of each one of us but makes it so emotionally appealing and motivating to undertake.

One also needs to understand that social service does not automatically translate as giving up all the worldly responsibilities and sitting half-clad and starving in a remote village. It begins with arousing one’s social conscience and translating this in practical terms into social action. One needs to be pragmatic and keep one’s needs and limitations in mind before embarking on any such activity. One needs to begin with oneself first and then gradually expand this reach concentrically to include more and more deserving people. Each young person can continue to be what he/she is – a technocrat, a scientist, an engineer or a doctor. There is so much within the circle of our own small lives that we could do something about. The idea is to start with these small changes and incrementally build on them. Being a good and honest technocrat, scientist, engineer and a doctor itself is a good beginning. We could then expand to include more and more lives that we touch in our everyday existence.

And finally, Vivekananda wanted us to realize that what matters most is the understanding that in undertaking social activities lies the answer not only to the problems of people around us, but also to our own inner troubles and dilemmas.

Kannada version in Prajavani (08-Mar-12)

Swami Vivekananda’s vision went beyond propagating Hinduism to the West. He was keen that India, though religious, also understands the use of Science and Technology. He was concerned that Indians were steeped in ignorance and superstition and this came in the way of both physical and spiritual progress. He constantly urged his devotees not to accept anything without taking it through the test of experimentation. Vivekananda advocated testing thoroughly before making the decision of accepting or denying something. He said, “It is not the sign of a candid and scientific mind to throw overboard anything without proper investigation. Surface scientists, unable to explain various extraordinary mental phenomena, strive to ignore their very existence”.

Very few also know of his contribution in setting up the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. It was in 1893 that Swami Vivekananda met Sir Jamshedji Tata for the first time. They were traveling together in a ship that sailed from Yokohama to Vancouver. Swamiji was traveling to the US on his ‘life’s mission’ of taking Hinduism to the World. Sir Jamshedji Tata was the doyen of Indian Industry and was visiting the United States in search of equipment and technology needed for his steel plant. Both these extraordinary Indians loved their country and were very concerned about the welfare of their countrymen. Both started talking and Swamiji remarked “How wonderful it would be if we could combine the scientific and technological achievements of the West with the asceticism and humanism of India!” He asked Jamshedji to consider creating an institution that would build the scientific and technological human-resource pool for the country. Though they never met after that journey, these words struck a chord in Jamshedji’s heart. Five years later, Jamshedji’s response came in a letter to Vivekananda in which he mentioned that he was starting such an institution in Bangalore and wanted to know if Swamiji could take on the responsibility of heading it. Swamiji courteously turned down this offer but encouraged him on. Swamiji passed away in July 1902. Jamshedji did not live long either. He died in 1904, unaware that his vision would be realized just five years later. The Indian Institute of Science, a gift from the Tatas, was born in 1909 and is today the pride of the Nation.

Swami Vivekananda always maintained that India needed a scientific temperament for it to develop. He used to goad his disciples to carry a ‘magic lantern’ (projector of those days) and go from village to village teaching science to our rural brethren. He was a visionary who understood that problems of India would need the background of science for them to be solved.

Kannada version in Prajavani (22-Mar-12)