Significance of Swami Vivekananda's Message

G.M.C. BALAYOGI

I consider it a privilege and an honour to be with you this evening and to associate myself with this function here. It is significant that you have chosen today for opening this building named after one of the greatest saints and social reformers of modern India, Swami Vivekananda. Tomorrow is the Universal Brotherhood Day, commemorating the anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's inspiring speech at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago a century and seven years back.

That famous speech of Swamiji was significant in many ways. It was through that speech that Swami Vivekananda revealed the true soul of Indiaits deeply ingrained spiritual valuesto the rest of the world.

It is almost a century since Swamiji left this world. But even after all these years, Swami Vivekananda's ideas continue to inspire millions of men and women to devote themselves to ideals like social justice, religious harmony and human fellowship that he had propagated during his lifetime.

Swami Vivekananda did not preach any particular religion. What he actually tried to do was to preach the universal principles and concepts of the Vedanta, the all-pervasiveness of the Divine. According to him, all the divisions that we make on the basis of religion or nationality are ultimately petty divisions in the light of the grand unity of the family of Man. It is a fact that he took pride in being a Hindu. But he used his religious identity primarily to instill a sense of national pride and patriotism among his Hindu brethren.

He sincerely believed that the different religions of the world are not contradictory but supplementary to each other, so far as their inner meanings and purposes are concerned. According to him, no civilization could grow unless fanaticism, bloodshed and brutality stopped and no civilization could begin to lift up its head until men and women learnt to look charitably and kindly upon the religious convictions of others.

At the World Parliament of Religions, he also reminded the followers of all religions of the innumerable inhuman deeds committed by man against his fellow beings in the name of religion. He said:

Sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilizations and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now...'

Friends, we should not miss the significance of these words for our country today. Nothing can be more effective in turning humanity from conflict and confrontation to harmony and co-operation than the universal acceptance of the principle of the essential oneness of all humankind as taught by Swami Vivekananda. This is the essence of Vedantic philosophy as expounded by Swamiji and his Guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Swamiji was not just a man of religion and his contribution was not merely in the spiritual field. He influenced religion as much as religion influenced him. He had a total vision of the welfare of humanity. Social reform was an intrinsic part of his message. It is important that India does not lose sight of that part of Swamiji's teachings. He believed that the regeneration of India was not possible without the uplift of women and called for greater attention to be diverted for the development of villages, as the nation lived in the cottages.

Friends, an institute of human excellence, perhaps, cannot be named after any one better, for Swami Vivekananda represented the best in human beings. Throughout his life, he was on ceaseless pursuit of excellence of truth, of the Divine in us. Many in the West often ask why is it that India lags behind in several areas in spite of being well endowed with natural resources, good climatic conditions, good human stock and an excellent spiritual foundation. Probably, the answer to this lies in the fact that our society as a whole, particularly our youth and the work-force, lack the desire to excel in life. Nations can achieve greatness only through the hard work of their people and the dynamism of their leaders. It is, therefore, important that we have many more institutes like this devoted to the pursuit of human excellence across the length and breadth of the country. We have a lot to learn from our saints and leaders of the past. It is through institutes like this that we can accomplish that.

Swamiji, a great nationalist as he was, always laid emphasis on the youngsters to strive for the cause of nation building. He laid equal emphasis on character building also. As a matter of fact, character building was an intrinsic part of his message. It is unfortunate that we are witnessing a decline in ethical and moral values. It is but appropriate that the younger generations must follow the ideas propagated by Swamiji.

At a time when our country is at the crossroads, we have to imbibe Swamiji's lofty teachings of scientific outlook, rationality, broadmindedness, social sensitivity and deep sympathy for the deprived and the downtrodden which are as relevant today as they were during his lifetime.

Swamiji's abiding significance lies in what he accomplished among his own people, awakening in them a hope for the future. He always exhorted Indians to consistently and continuously work hard to achieve the desired goals.

Today, our Hon'ble Chief Minister, Shri Chandrababu Naidu garu, has inaugurated the physical structure for this Institute. This structure should, in fact, stand as a symbol of your commitment to pursue excellence in whatever position and wherever you are. If our young children and the youth have that drive to be the number one in their own creative endeavours, our society and our country as a whole, will come to occupy a place of prominence in the world at large. This was what Swami Vivekananda had dreamt for India.

I wish the Ramakrishna Math and their Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence all success in all their endeavours.