Despite all that has been written about his life and his classic address at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, 1893, Swamiji remains mostly a paradox: Much is known about him but very little is believed to be understood about the man and his relevance in our own troubled times.
Vivekananda, and his intimate relevance to our lives and times, are to be understood not by reading his lectures alone but first by knowing how he lived his life, a perfect embodiment of love, of truth and oneness with the other. The Indian perceptions of Vivekananda are mostly limited to two images: The one conveying serene tranquility; and the other, strength and power.
Vivekananda, the great patriot, a national hero restored in the Indian society, in the people subjected to a foreign role, self-confidence and pride in their great inheritance. Swamiji, the dominant and compelling voice of renascent Hinduism, demonstrated to the world that Hinduism is not a mass of evil and superstition; it possesses all the abilities to guide the world to the path of enlightenment.
In reading him, one meets him. And if one doesn’t meet him and feel him contemporaneously, one can understand little of the meaning of what he is saying. Indeed, this is true for any great thinker who keeps thinking about life and not just talking metaphysics.
Josephine Macleod once said of Swamiji:
“The thing that held me in Swamiji was his unlimitedness! I never could touch the bottom – or top – or sides! The amazing size of him.”
Swamiji remains highly contemporary and will continue to be so until such time when we reach a state of equilibrium, both political and human.
With his profound knowledge of history, power of acute observation and deep insight into the various factors that shape human life and thoughts, Swamiji could not only analyze the sociopolitical and other problems of his time but also could visualize far ahead into the future beyond the ken of ordinary mortals.
Whilst answering a specific question as to how does a society become strong, Swamiji responded:
“My ideal is growth, expansion, development on national lines ... I see it before my eyes, a nation is advanced in proportion as education and intelligence spread among the masses … Education, education, education alone! Traveling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to mind the state of our own poor people, and I used to shed tears. What made the difference?
Education was the answer I got. Through education comes faith in one’s own self, and through faith in one’s own self the inherent Brahman is waking up in them, while the Brahman in us is gradually becoming dormant.”
It clearly shows that the visionary monk could exactly predict the real solution even for the modern times, by adopting which the poor countries could find a better solution for effecting an overall growth of the people.
It would be interesting for us to know what was his response to the question: “Which one is the ideal state?”
Swamiji answered:
“If it is possible to form a state in which the knowledge of the priest period, the culture of the military, the distribute spirit of the commercial and the ideal of equality of the last can all be kept intact, minus their evils, it will be an ideal state.”
In my views, there can not be a better definition and it still remains quite relevant for the present day, for the politicians and leaders to critically appreciate and adopt. Swamiji remains highly contemporary and will continue to be so until such time when we reach a state of equilibrium, both political and human.
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