Complete Works: Vol - III

Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
Volume – I	Volume – IV	Volume - VII
Volume – II	Volume – V	Volume - VIII
Volume – III	Volume – VI	Volume - IX

Swami Vivekananda was called the “Prophet of Modern India”. But was his message only for India? He declares in Volume III of his Complete Works………

“I have a message for the world which I will deliver without feat and without care for the future.
To the reformers I will point out that I am a greater reformer than any one of them.
Where we differ is in the method.
Theirs is a method of destruction, mine is that of construction.
I do not believe in reform; I believe in growth.” (Vol III: p. 213)

And he reminds us again in Volume V:
“You must not forget that my interests are international and not Indian alone.” (V 125.1)

By heart and soul, he was an Indian first, naturally because he was the son of this very soil which produced many a great soul.

விவேகானந்தர் இந்த காலகட்டத்தில் வாழ்ந்திருந்தால் எவ்வாறு இக்கால அரசியல் மற்றும் ஆத்மீக சவால்களை கையாண்டிருப்பார் என்பதை கணிக்கப்பட வேண்டிய ஒன்று. அவர் வாழ்ந்த நாட்களிலேயே துறவியாக இருந்தாலும் இந்திய மக்களின் நலனையும் இந்திய நாட்டின் எதிர்காலத்தையும் மையமாகக்கொண்டுதான் அவருடைய செயல்பாடுகள் இருந்தன என்று கூறினால் அது மிகையாகாது. He says in Volume IV (page 368) “India is to be raised, the poor are to be fed, education is to be spread, and the evil of priest-craft is to be removed.”

Gandhiji misses Vivekananda

சுவாமி ஜிதாத்மானந்தார் தன்னுடைய “Swami Vivekananda, Prophet and Pathfinder” என்ற நூலில் 159-ஆம் பக்கத்தில் இவ்வாறு எழுதுகிறார்: “In December 1901, during the Calcutta congress, many nationalists came to Belur Math and met Vivekananda personally. Unfortunately Swami was away when Gandhiji came to see him on a visit to Belur Math”. “குஷி” என்ற திரைப்படத்தில் நடிகர் விவேக் சாலையைக்கடக்க உதவும் கல்லூரி மாணவியிடம் “Just missed” என்று சொன்னது போலத்தான், மகாத்மா காந்தி விவேகானந்தரைக் காண இழந்த இந்த வாய்ப்பும்.  அதே பேலூர் மடத்திற்கு இருபது வருடங்கள் கழித்து விவேகானந்தரின் பிறந்தநாளன்று வந்த மகாத்மா காந்தி, அங்கிருந்தோரிடம் இவ்வாறு உரையாற்றினார்: “I have come here to pay my homage and respect to the revered memory of Swami Vivekananda, whose birthday is being celebrated today (6 Feb 1921). I have gone through his works very thoroughly, and after having gone through them, the love that I had for my country became a thousand fold”. 

39 வயதான விவேகானந்தர் இறந்த 3 வருடங்களுக்குப்பின், அதாவது 1905-லேயே, வங்காளத்தை இரண்டாகப் பிரிக்க திட்டமிட்ட வெள்ளையரின் ஆனையை எதிர்த்து, முதன் முதலாக தேசிய அளவிலான போராட்டம் துவங்கியது. 1911-ஆம் ஆண்டு வாக்கில், இந்திய விடுதலைப் போராட்டம் முழு வீச்சில் துவங்கியது. இவ்வளவு இளம் வயதில் உயிரிழந்த விவேகானந்தர் ஒருக்கால் 60 வயதுவரை வாழ்ந்திருந்தால்…..? இந்திய  விடுதலைப்போராட்ட இயக்கத்தில் ஒரு முக்கியப்பங்கை வகித்திருப்பார் என்பதை விவேகானந்தர் எழுதியவற்றிலிருந்து நம்மால் உணரமுடிகிறது. இவ்விரண்டு கூற்றுகள் மட்டும் போதுமானது …...

“Arise, Awake and Stop not till the goal is reached”
“There is a great future for India after her Independence”

Now, some interesting quotes from Volume III, the subject of our discussion this week. There are so many interesting sayings in this volume. I am really constrained to choose the best, but I have to do my job. Just a few glimpses of brilliance of Vivekananda:

What is Salvation? (மோட்சம் என்றால் என்ன?)

"Well has it been said that man is the only animal that naturally looks upwards; every other animal naturally looks down.
That looking upward and going upward and seeking perfection are what is called Salvation". (p 3)

Man and God (இறைவனை மனிதனாகக் காணும் மனிதனைப்பற்றி……)

“By our present constitution we are limited and bound to see God as man.
If, for instance, the buffalo want to worship God,
    they will, in keeping with their own nature, see Him as a huge buffalo;
If the fish wants to worship God, it will have to form an idea of Him as a big fish;
And man has to think of Him as man.” (p. 55)

God Himself is your image.
“God created man after His own image.” That is wrong.
Man creates God after his own image. That is right.  (p 24)

Vivekananda on idol worship (உருவ வழிபாட்டைப் பற்றி...)

 

"It has become a trite saying that idolatry is wrong, and every man swallows it at the present time without questioning.
I once thought so, and to pay the penalty of that, 

I had to learn my lesson sitting at the feet of a man who realized everything through idols.
I allude to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa". (p. 218)

"If such Ramakrishnas are produced by idol worship, what will you have  - the reformers’ creed or any number of idols?
I want an answer. Take a thousand idols more if you can produce Ramakrishnas through idol worship, and may God speed you!" (p. 218)

"Yet idolatry is condemned. Why? Nobody knows.
Because some hundreds of years ago, some man of Jewish blood happened to condemn it?
That is, he happened to condemn everybody else’s idols except his own".  (p. 218)

(And Vivekananda continues to illustrate how idol worship exists in one form or the other, in all major religions including Christianity, Judaism and Islam).

Fanatics in religion (சமய வெறியர்களைப் பற்றி……)

“Associations, surroundings and education were responsible for the great number of religions,
and how foolish it was for an exponent of one religion to declare that another man’s belief was wrong”. (p. 502)

“In the matter of religion, there were two extremes, the bigot and the atheist.
There was some good in the atheist, but the bigot lived only for his own little self. ……….
Bigots belong to no religion. They are a singular phenomena.” (p. 502)

Hope you all enjoyed this week's bit on Vivekananda. See you all next week.... with quotes from his fourth volume.

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