In Commemoration of 11th September 2001

Swami Gautamananda

Transcript of the talk given on 11th September 2002 at the American Consulate General, Chennai, India, by Swmi Gautamananda, President, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, and the Managing Editor of The Vedanta Kesari.

Dear Dr.Richard D. Haynes, other distinguished guests on the dais and my dear brothers and sisters,

You all know that we have assembled here to express our feelings towards the sufferers of the tragedy on September 11, 2001, in New York. I would like to share with you some of the feelings of millions of educated Indians on 'Terrorism' and about the difference it has made in our lives, individual and collective.

Before that, let me recollect the other great historical event that occurred on the soil of America on the same date viz. 11th September. That was the appearance of Swami Vivekananda on the platform of the Parliament of Religions of Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893. Strangely, the great Swami, in his very first lecture, spoke mainly on tolerance and Universal Acceptance. He said, 'We believe not only in Universal tolerance but we accept all religions as true.' He quoted from a famous hymn to Lord Shiva written by Pushpadanta several centuries ago, which stated, 'As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water into the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.'

He then concluded with the following wonderful words, which appear to me most appropriate to be quoted before this meeting: '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 civilization and sent whole nations to despair & I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.'

Though we are yet to find out what all ideas worked behind that tragedy of September 11, 2001, we can be sure that an extreme fanatic ideology that considered all other ideologies as worth nothing and itself as the only worth-living ideology was behind the dastardly act. The further events have revealed that this fanatic ideology was inculcated into receptive minds of the youth who became the instruments of terror that revealed itself at the W.T.O., New York. Fanaticism drives away all reason and thus persons with fanatic ideas act like robots, rather, like animals. Fanaticism is the fuel by which the machine of terrorism works.

Fanaticism has been there in human life whenever people have been deprived of their spiritual food. What is this spiritual food? The disciplines or values of life that lead persons to realize their oneness with the Universe and with God, and thus come to love humanity and God.

The sages of the Vedas, the oldest available scriptures to humanity, say that all this creation is God alone: Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma. It implies that this Divinity is in every creature as its fundamental, inalienable nature. That is why Swami Viveka- nanda proclaimed the 'Divinity of man' in his many lectures in America. He thundered, 'Ye, the divinities on earth, sinners? It is a sin to call a man so.'

When this idea of the 'Divinity of man' is widely taught, not only in our schools and colleges but also in all churches, mosques, pagodas, tabernacles and temples where most innocent minds throng in millions, then only will people get back their highest respect and regard, irrespective of their gender, wealth, intelligence, power etc. Then only would the very idea of harming anyone, be it for any cause, appear abhorring. Then alone can violence be radically uprooted from society.

In spite of the best technical and science education that people are getting nowadays, the love and respect for fellowman as a brother in God is lacking. This is what has made our scientists and politicians prepare nuclear weapons, biological bombs, ultimately killing all the fellow-feelings in the hearts of people. Is there any wonder if such people indulge in wholesale destruction of their fellow-beings as in the 'program of Hitler' or 'the tragedy of September 11 of 2001' in New York? This is the mental impact that Terrorism of September 11 has made on the thinking men .

The difference it has made in my and our countrymen's life is that it has awakened a sense of urgency to educate people against falling a prey to the 'brain-washing' ideologies masked under various garbs like 'Jehad, i.e. religious war'. In killing innocents, there can be no religion except Demon's dance.

Men who join such fanatic's training camps are generally the poor and the deprived. They are 'brainwashed' to think that the religious and pious act of killing others not beloging to their own fold, will confer on them the gift of 'Heaven and its unending joys' as a reward.

This is made possible in general where people don't have basic freedoms of democratic rule, but are lead by the nose, as it were, by selfish politicians. We have to stop all help to such non-democracies and pseudo-democracies. We have to push on with meaningful education supplemented with scientific skills and spiritual 'values' that will make our men and women not only efficient but also good. Goodness can be summarized as truthfulness, a feeling of brotherhood of whole humanity, a sympathy to serve the needy and a firm conviction that humanity is one Divine family and to hurt anyone would mean bringing unhappiness on ourselves. I would like to close my words with a simple prayer thus: 'Oh God, please bless us all with the will to spread these ideas of love and brotherhood to all our brothers from wherever we are.'