Sri Ramakrishna Math : The Vedanta Kesari, Swamiji : As I See Him

Those who have read about Swami Vivekananda know that he was a many-sided genius. Many have, therefore, wondered why, despite this, he is not better known in the West--as he deserves to be (in India, of course, his is a household name); and some have even written about it, and I too was given the privilege of presenting my views on the subject in the past (see articles in The Vedanta Kesari issues of February 1990, August 1990, and April 1991, by Dr. Martin Kampchen, Swami Vidyatmananda and Sumitora Noma, respectively). But that is a separate issue, and I shall not go into that again.

Intellectual brilliance, inspired oratory, etc. apart--because there have been, and there are, others, in India and abroad, who are intellectually gifted and possessing wonderful oratorical powers--what constitutes Swami Vivekananda's greatness? Do these alone make a man or woman remembered for centuries?

This thought has intrigued me for a long time, and I have been asking myself what vital qualities and attributes specifically in the life of Swami Vivekananda make the world acknowledge his greatness.

To my mind, what should/would make Swamiji well-known and revered in the world at large are, firstly, his universality and, secondly, his compassionate and great heart that bled at the thought and sight of suffering humanity.

True, most of his compassion, situated as he was and circumstances being such, was directed mainly at the down-trodden masses of India, but this is not to say that he did not feel the same way toward other distressed people around the world.

Romain Rolland, in his classic book The Life of Swami Vivekananda and the Universal Gospel, has referred to Swamiji's (and, of course, his Master's) universality in a memorable and insightful passage, of which I am very fond and which I have often quoted in my talks with friends (I had even taken the liberty of reading it at length once to a Swami whom we all love!). The passage is long and, to really appreciate the content and its significance, has to be read in toto, and in its proper context; but this will take too much space, so I will only quote the last portion of the passage. (Those who wish to read the entire passage are referred to pages 304, 305 and the first part of page 306).

'I have never seen anything fresher or more potent in the religious spirit of all ages than this enfolding of all the gods existing in humanity, of all the faces of Truth, of the entire body of human Dreams, in the heart and the brain, in the Paramahamsa's great love and Vivekananda's strong arms. They have carried the great message of fraternity to all believers, to all visionaries, to all who have neither belief nor vision, but who seek for them in all sincerity, to all men of good-will, rationalists and religious men, to those who believe in great Books or in images, to those with the simple trust of the charcoal-burner, to agnostics and inspired persons, to intellectuals and illiterates. And not merely the fraternity of the first-born, whose right as the elder dispossesses and subjects his younger brethren, but equality of rights and privileges.'

(I may be permitted to make a digression at this point to say that, in my humble opinion, Romain Rolland's two books on Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda are his masterpiece, although it is true that he won the Nobel Prize for Literature mainly for his 'Jean Christophe' novel; indeed he will be remembered, and his name become immortal, for his studies of Swami Vivekananda and of his Master. It is one of the best studies on the two great Masters for Westerners and Indians alike. Especially Vol.2 is studded with beautiful and never-to-be-forgotten passages, which have been quoted by various writers/speakers, and will, I believe, continue to be quoted ad infinitum.)

Swamiji was universal in his outlook. He accepted all: sinners and saints alike (did he not call sinners potential saints?); the rich and the poor; the king and the pauper; the illiterate and the educated; those who indulged in 'idolatry' and those who did not; believers in God and non-believers--the list is endless. No one--not one--was ever excluded in his estimation, provided, of course, that one was sincere. There was no such word as exclusion in his vocabulary. His was an all-encompassing and all-comprehensive personality.

And why? Did he not give vent to one of the sublimest utterances of his life when he said: 'Man does not progress from error to truth but from truth to truth, from lower truth to higher truth?' He was only proving the truth of this great utterance in his own life, outlook and practice. How could he have done otherwise?

And what does this imply? Nothing is rejected. It may not be truth at its best, but it is truth nevertheless in its veiled state. Also, no man is lost; he is not condemned for ever. There is hope for him because, despite his weaknesses, he too is struggling may be through devious ways, but that does not really matter. He can make good. So, it is a message of hope of acceptance and inclusion.

To paraphrase Swamiji, I shall borrow the lantern of the Athenian sage and go with you around the world. Show me another man or woman who was so universal--either in ancient or modern times, in the East or the West.

This may sound a tall claim, but I really think so. The reader may disagree, and he is entitled to his own view. No two people think alike.

The Buddha had a great and compassionate heart. The Bodhisatva Ideal too is great and noble. Then, what is so special about Swamiji? The special thing about Swamiji is that, with him, it was a veritable passion. Awake or asleep, he was 'devoured' with great feeling and compassion for the miserable, the distressed and the rejected. How to improve the condition of the poor masses; how to alleviate their poverty and misery; how to raise the sunken masses--was his constant concern. He wanted the masses to be fed, clothed and given shelter, and stressed that they should have free access to education, employment and facilities for learning new trades so that they could stand on their own feet.

Earlier I said 'passion'. I think that no other word will do. He was literally obsessed at all times with the thought of the poor masses, and how to raise them. I do not have to prove this. His life's episodes are ample evidence of the truth.

Here again, I do feel that this great feeling, compassion and concern or passion for the forlorn, is something quite unique in the history of the world.

It is conceded that times were different. In Buddha's Age the masses were probably better off economically. (Remember, India was once a wealthy nation--in fact, so wealthy that hordes of people from other countries thought it fit to invade India and loot the country of its riches. The Portuguese came; the Dutch came, and the French too. Finally came the British who made India their stronghold and strangled the country and left it poor and destitute. The Moguls, by and large, were an exception. They made India their home, mixed with the natives, even marrying into their families and regarded themselves as Indians first. In contrast, those who came from other regions only plundered the country and never identified themselves with the local populace. They were, and remained, Aliens.)

So, it was not necessary for Buddha to devote himself to improving the condition of the masses.

In Swamiji's time the plight of the masses was deplorable, to say the least. It is, therefore, not surprising that he, because of his concern and passion for the uplift of the sunken people, championed the cause of the masses.

It is true that this passion for suffering humanity was directed mainly at the down-trodden masses of India, but that is because these were the people he came directly in contact with. It does not mean that he did not feel the same way toward other suffering people in the world. If conditions had been otherwise, his sympathy and concern would have been equally manifest toward those unfortunate ones. He was indeed a lover of humanity.

The Buddha had a great heart and Sankaracharya a gigantic intellect, and Swami Vivekananda's ideal was a combination of Buddha's expansive heart and Sankaracharya's intellect; and this, he found in his Master, Sri Ramakrishna, as he himself said in one of his stirring speeches delivered in Madras.

It is fascinating to ruminate and realize that some of the utterances made by Swamiji in a given context hold equally good and remain valid also in his own case and person. One example is his reference to Sri Ramakrishna as the fulfillment of the great ideal of the combination of head and heart of Sankaracharya and Buddha respectively. This could aptly be said of him too.

These two then, viz., Swamiji's universality and his all-encompassing heart, would make a vital difference and make him a celebrity world-wide, but it is going to take time--a long time.

It may be argued that I have not tagged on to this appraisal of Swami Vivekananda's greatness one other very important factor, namely, that he was a man of the highest spiritual realizations, meaning that he spoke with authority, and not like the scribes. True, he was undoubtedly a realized soul, but he was not unique in this. Saints and sages, men and women of realization, there have been in the past, and after him; so, this is not something very unique with Swamiji.

I have also deliberately refrained from referring to Swami Vivekananda's inspiring teachings. (Oh! with what gusto he scattered the seeds of his luminous teachings!) He was, in truth, a Vedanta Kesari ('The Lion of Vedanta', or 'The Vedantic Lion'). He did not simply deliver lectures: he inspired: he uplifted, he thundered, roared, shocked; shook his audiences--the 'Cyclonic Hindu' monk that he was--as he travelled around America.

The power that was behind his spoken words and the inspired manner in which he uttered them had their impact on some ready-to-be-awakened souls in all walks of life, wherever he went, and transformed their lives altogether. Thus, he became known, loved, revered and followed in little circles or groups of devoted men and women who came under the spell of his magnetic and charismatic personality.

It is not possible to count how many people--known and unknown--received inspiration from his life and teachings and how many lives were changed by coming into close contact with him. And this trend should gain momentum as the years pass. But this is still a far cry from being a world-wide celebrity.

As more and more people gradually appreciate and realize more and more the uniqueness of his universality and passion for suffering humanity, the world will finally come to recognize and acknowledge his true greatness; and then--and then alone--would Swami Vivekananda become known in the world and men and women speak in a hushed reverential voice when referring to him. For this to happen, Time is the all-important ingredient.