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Swami Vivekananda
The Universal Man - 9
Back to America: Consolidating
the gains there
Meanwhile in the midst of his work in England, Swami Vivekananda received
letters and messages from his disciples and friends in America to the effect
that in his absence the American work was suffering, losing direction and force.
The swami was pulled on one side by the American friends, and on the other by
the British insistence to stay in England! As a compromise, the swami decided to
call one of his brother disciples from India (Turiyananda, Saradananda,
Abhedananda) to England to continue the work there, and he himself left again
for the United States of America (27th November 1895), promising the British
people he would come again.
In his absence of nearly four months, his friends and disciples, notably Swami
Kripananda, Mme. Marie Louise and Leon Landsberg, had continued the work in
America. In the early months of 1896, the swami consolidated the mains during
1895. Mr. Josiah J. Goodwin constantly accompanied the Swami and faithfully
noted down every word the swami spoke at lectures and discourses. Thus, we owe
much to him for the recorded details of swami's words.
In New York again
Swami Vivekananda delivered a series of lectures in a short span after his
arrival back to USA. Beginning from January 1896, the lectures were - "The ideal
of Universal Religion," "The Cosmos: The Macrocosm," "The Cosmos: The
Microcosm," "Immortality," ad so on. He continued with his classes and
instructed the disciples about Yoga, and also helped in free translation and
running commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Furthering his exposition of
paths to purification of mind and realization of Self, the swami now talked on
Karma Yoga, Bhakti, and Jnana. A year back he had already talked about Raja
Yoga. Thus, for the first time, the swami attempted a neat, systematic, and
complete elucidation of all the four yogas mentioned in the Scriptures, the
Gita, and the Puranas. This unique contribution of Swami Vivekananda to
elaborate different means for differing likings and aptitudes of the aspirants,
and emphasizing the utility of combining these yogas suitable to the spiritual
aspirants, can be seen as the new contribution and fresh wave in Vedanta.
The swami's success in America did not come easily. Many attempts were made to
malign/tarnish his image by raising doubts about his intentions and even
character. But the swami remained unruffled and calm. His disciples wrote in the
columns of the newspapers and journals and won the war against narrow-minded
distracters.
The swami's fame spread from one place to the next, from one corner to the
other. Attendance at his lectures and public meetings significantly increased,
reaching more than 1500 people at Madison Square. This "Lightning Orator" gave
lectures on (February 1896) "Bhakti Yoga," "The Real and Apparent man," "My
Master," "The Hindu Conception of God: the Atman," and many more. Swami
Kripananda wrote in his letter dated 19th February, "People are quick to
appreciate the grandeur and beauty of a system (Vedanta), which equally as a
philosophy and religion appeals to the heart as well as to the reason, and
satisfies all the religious cravings of human nature..."
To Detroit
In February 1896 The Swami gave formal shape to the first Vedanta Society (of
New York) in America. The work was organized to speed up the maintenance of
accounts, distribution of books and literature, planning his lectures and
discourses, and most importantly, to invite members of 'all religious creeds and
organizations to become students of Vedanta without a change of faith'.
'Toleration and acceptance of all religion' was the watchword. Mr. Francis H.
Legget was appointed as the president, while Miss Mary Philips was chosen as the
secretary of this Vedanta Society. Miss Waldo, Mrs. Arthur Smith, Mr. And Mrs.
Walter Goodyear, and Miss Emma Thursby counted themselves as dedicated workers.
Through this, the swami envisaged an interchange of ideals and ideas between the
east and the west. He felt that this would reduce the friction and bias born out
of strangeness between the two worlds. In exchange for the spiritual outpourings
from the east, the swami dreamt of transport of the message of science,
industry, economics, applied sociology, organization, and cooperation, and such
highly evolved ideologies of the west to the east. The Vedanta would offer the
necessary common platform for the eastern and the western people to meet, the
swami believed.
In March 1896 the swami left for Detroit, where he stayed for two weeks. During
this short stay he conducted twenty-two classes and gave three public lectures.
These included: "The Ideal of a Universal Religion," in two sessions, and on
March 15th - "India's Message to the World". His lectures were very well
received; the organizers finding it difficult to accommodate the crowd! The
swami had a spiritual aura about him; he was full with bhakti, and was
spiritually at a very high level of expression. The listeners were inspired by
his mere presence, his words adding the necessary finish.
To Boston
In the second half of March 1896, the swami went to Boston and stayed there for
another two weeks. Here he spoke before the most prestigious and highly
intellectual class of people of America: The Professors and scholars of the
Graduate Philosophical Club of Harvard University. Swami's most devoted
disciple, Mrs. Bull, had arranged the lectures, ably supported by equally
respectful Professor John Henry Wright. The Swami spoke on "The Vedanta
Philosophy" on 25th March before the club where such distinguished thinkers as
George H. Palmer, William James, Josiah Royce, Hugo Munsterberg, and young
George Santayana were present.
Swami Vivekananda was at his best in bringing forth the essence of Vedanta
philosophy, and made an indelible impression on the minds of the learned
professors and scholars. Indeed, the Swami was offered the prestigious 'Chair of
Eastern Philosophy' in the university, which the sannyasin did not accept! The
lecture was followed by critical evaluation of the eastern thought in all its
ramifications, in particular Vedanta, by way of question and answer sessions,
and criticism and discussions. Reverend C. C. Everett, Dean of the Harvard
Divinity School wrote:
"There are indeed few departments of study more attractive than the Hindu
thought. ...Vedanta System is not to be regarded merely as a curiosity, as a
speculative vagary. We Occidentals busy ourselves with the manifold. We can,
however, have no understanding of the manifold, if we have no sense of the One
in which the manifold exists. The reality of the One is the truth, which the
East may well teach us; and we owe a debt of gratitude to Vivekananda that he
taught this lesson so efficiently."
Such and more reports appeared, with full praise for the Swami, in many more
journals, magazines, periodicals, and newspapers. The swami's answers, after the
lectures, were sincere, erudite, emotionally appealing, and impromptu. Full with
eloquence, and penetrating with truth, freshness, vitality, and wit these
lectures affected the curious minds with a force that was great, but always
gentle and never disturbing. Speaking on Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and other Yogas,
the Swami emphasized the need to understand the limitations of mind and senses,
including emotions and feelings; even in their all-encompassing realm of
esthetic expressions: art, music, painting, science, and literature! The bliss
and beauty of Atman was incomparable with any of these, to say the least. Every
art, every scientific truth is surely worthy of experience and knowledge, but
Vedanta preaches a state beyond all these, the state where hypnotic spell of
mind and matter vanishes into inexplicable Freedom.
But, it is indeed very difficult, even to think of such state, let alone, try to
attain to it; hypnotized as we are by the magic of this world.
To Chicago and back to New York
From Boston, the swami traveled to Chicago on March 30. Here also he remained
for about two weeks before returning to New York. In Chicago he conducted many
classes arranged by his friends. However, soon his health was not all that good;
he felt the strain of his arduous tours and lectures, and thus, he soon returned
to New York for rest and planning the future course of action (13th April 1896).
In New York, the swami busied himself with editing and perfecting the Harvard
Lectures, and adding explanatory notes to them, for they were to be printed
soon. The swami was constantly mindful and thoughtful of the need to
'systematize his religious ideas'. He felt it necessary to reorganize the whole
Hindu philosophy in such a way as would become intellectually appealing and to
the western mind and psyche. Of course, Vedanta was firm base, but the swami
wanted to reconcile the dualism, qualified monism, and Advaita Vedanta into a
grand synthesis of truth. Each has its own place, a necessity, depending on the
faiths, beliefs, and the customs of the different sections of the people, he
maintained. It was necessary to show the Vedanta in every religion, for Vedanta
was not only the practical, but also the philosophical basis of every religion.
The Indian sects like the Shaivaite, the Shakta, the Vaishnava, and the
followers of religious faiths practiced but one denomination of Vedanta. 'His
first and immediate task was to remodel the Indian thought forms they contained
along the lines acceptable to modern intellect of the west.' He insisted that
'Hindu spiritual ideas were truly scientific as well. Thus, he tried to bring
closeness between the progress of science and the Hindu spiritual philosophy.
Second Visit to England
The first phase of American work came to an end about middle of 1896, and Swami
Vivekananda decided to revisit England. Accordingly he left America in July and
reached England on 17th September 1896. He stayed here for about three months
and left for India in the month of December 1896. His second visit to England,
in fact, was more fruitful and intense as far as his work was concerned. During
this short stay, the Swami delivered eight very important lectures that
projected his clarity of the intricacies of Vedanta in its all ramifications
culminating into the full-blown flower of Advaita. More importantly, as a
consequence of the substance of and mastery over the subject, he could push
forward his plan for the western world to put Vedanta into practice in daily
life. Out of these lectures four were on "Maya" and the other for on "Practical
Vedanta". Margaret Noble, later to become Sister Nivedita, was highly impressed
by his knowledge and spiritual personality now accepted Swami Vivekananda as her
Master and decided to dedicate her life in the service of the poor and the
education for girls in India. Similarly, Mr. and Mrs. Sevier also became his
disciples and came to India to work and take up the full responsibility of
managing and running the Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati in the district of Almora
at the foot-hills of the Himalayas.
In his lectures on "Maya" the Swami elaborated the concept of Maya as not
something illusory, not something that does not exist, but as 'it is a statement
of fact about the world as one perceives it.' Such simplicity of definition
could come only from someone who has fully comprehended the essence of Universal
Philosophical thought. On the basis of such understanding the Swami came to the
conclusion that 1) The aim of human life is to realize our true divine nature,
and 2) as a natural consequence of this, the person should be able to render
selfless service, to enrich the world of values, and to effect the welfare of
all from the manifestation of one's divinity.
Thus, Practical Vedanta is the method to struggle to realize and manifest our
Divine Nature. In this way was born the Motto of Ramakrishna Order: Atmano
Mokshartham Jagad-hitayacha - For the liberation of self and welfare of the
world.
Return to India
After triumphant success in spreading India's message of Advaita Vedanta -
Eternal Truth of Eternal Religion - Swami Vivekananda returned to India on 15th
January 1897.
–
Dr. CS Shah
March 17, 2002
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