Does it ring a bell?

For thousands of years, temples have played a significant role in our history, than have anything else in the history of any country. Very often, we hear people criticize the various customs and rituals of ancient-India. But, with a little investigation into the origin of most of these practices, what we dismissed to be cheap superstitions, reveal, yet again, the high intellect of our ancestors. Temples are no exception to this.

Not many of us would have cared to bother about the significance of the vastly abundant bells in our temples. Are they mere invocations to God or are they something more? Physics answers this question. The sound produced by the striking of bells, decays in an exponential manner; to speak in a layman's language, this sound keeps decreasing (in amplitude) at rates that diminish with time. Theoretically, the sound exists for infinite duration, very feebly, though.

The main purpose of the bells has been to facilitate meditation. A person who wishes to meditate (that used to be the motive behind a person's visit to the temple) simply has to bong the bell and tune to it, concentrating on its chime. This chime, steadily diminishing in amplitude, is capable of absorbing a person into deep meditation. The more intensely the person concentrates, the longer will he be able to keep track of this diminishing sound. This fact is very easy to verify, individually. Moreover, it is not difficult to deduce that these bells were traditionally designed to generate sound waves within a particular frequency-band, researched to be the most suitable for meditation.

This purpose, unfortunately, stands defeated in most crowded-temples, where, the striking of the bell by one devotee is immediately followed by that of another, giving the former hardly any time to meditate on it.

Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Dr. Gururaj S. Punekar of NITK for throwing light on these otherwise veiled facts.

India, the eternal

In 1897, exactly 50 years before independence, Swami Vivekananda had predicted that "India would be free in the next 50 years in unforeseen circumstances". This prophecy was made at a time when the idea of an independent India never even crossed the minds of Indians. Far from fighting for freedom, many Indians were even convinced that British rule was a symbol of justice, peace and prosperity. Many of them even thought it was a blessing. No one attached any importance to Swamiji's words. Today, even after 60 years of Independence, Swamiji's teachings are as relevant as they would have been way back then. Noted below are extracts from Swamiji's descriptions of India. To avoid diluting the flavour in Swamiji's words, they have been reproduced as it is from the book, "My India- The India eternal"*.

"If there is any land on this earth that can lay claim to be the blessed punyabhumi, the land where humanity has attained its highest towards gentleness, towards generosity, towards purity, towards calmness, above all, the land of introspection and of spirituality-- it is India."

"The debt which the world owes to our motherland is immense. India has given to anitquity the earliest scientific physicians, and, according to Sir William Hunter, she has even contributed to modern science by the discovery of various chemicals and by teaching you how to reform misshapen ears and noses. Even more it has done in mathematics, for algebra, geometry, astronomy, and the triumph of modern science-- mixed mathematics-- were all invented in India, just as much as the ten numerals, the very cornerstone of all present civillization, were discovered in India, and are in reality, Sanskrit words. In music, India gave to the world her system of notation, with the seven cardinal notes and the diatonic scale. In philology, our Sansksrit language is now universally acknowledged to be the foundation of all European languages. India has given to the world the fables of Aesop, which were copied from an old Sanskrit book; it has given the Arabian Nights, yes, even the story of Cindrella and the Bean stalks. Last but not the least, she invented the game of chess, cards and the dice."

"So great, in fact, was the superiority of India in every respect, that it drew to her borders the hungry cohorts of Europe, and thereby indirectly broughtt about the discovery of America."

"India I loved before I came away. Now the very dust of India has become holy to me, the very air is now holy to me; it is the holy land, the place of pilgrimage, the tirtha!"

"This national ship, my countrymen, my friends, my children-- this national ship has been ferrying millions and millions of souls across the waters of life. But today, perhaps through your own fault, this boat has become a little damaged, has sprung a leak; and would you therefore curse it? Is it fit that you stand up and pronounce malediction upon it, one that has done more work than any other thing in the world? If there are holes in this national ship, this society of ours, we are its children. Let us go and stop the holes. Let us gladly do it with our heart's blood; and if we cannot, then let us die. We will make a plug of our brains and put them into the ship, but condemn it never. Say not one harsh word against this society. I love it for its past greatness." [...to be continued in future posts.]

* "My India, the India eternal" a compilations of swamiji's messages on India published by the Ramakrishna mission institute of Culture, Kolkata. To purchase online, please visit: http://www.chennaimath.org/estore/my-india-the-eternal-india

Azaaad

1921, Benares(India):

Non-co-operation movement had just been launched under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. A group of supporters were mercilessly subject to severe lathi-charge by a British police-man. A school-going boy, hardly 15 years old, seeing the incident from a distance, could not keep his temper within bounds. He grabbed a stone and, aiming it with perfection, struck the sub-inspector right on his forehead. It started bleeding and another police-man, in order to get hold of the boy, chased him. The boy, however, made his getaway. The police-man, after carrying out a rigorous search at the schools in the neighbourhood, finally located the boy in his room in a Dharamshala. To his surprise, the walls of the little room were totally covered with portraits of Gandhiji, Tilak, Lala Lajpat Ray and the likes.

The boy was put in a dark prison which was poorly ventilated. The unbearable cold assisted the police in making the lives of prisoners more miserable, as if it already weren't. In spite of all this, the boy, much different from the boys of his age, was not one to be shaken by such mundane problems. The sub-inspector, expecting the boy to be struck with fear and cold, paid a visit at midnight. He was shocked to see him busy exercising himself, shedding sweat despite the cold.

The next day the boy was produced before the magistrate, Khereghat, who was notorious for awarding cruel punishment to offenders. The boy, seemingly unaware of all this, boldly came to the accused-stand.

"What is your name?", the judge questioned.
"Azad (freedom)", was the bold reply.
Not sensing anything strange, the judge continued, "What is your Father's name?"
"Swadhinata (Independence)", was the immediate reply.
"Place of residence?".
"Jail".
Baffled, the judge proclaimed- "15 lashes by cane". Without any further questioning, he dismissed the case.

15 lashes is something that would make even a brave adult shudder. But the boy remained cool. He was tied to a plank. Sparing just a vest on his tender body, the jailer began the flogging. One after the other, the blows landed, each more devastating than the previous. There were tears in the eyes of the onlookers (the punishment was carried out in the presence of the public, to create fear). But, with every blow, the boy shouted- "Bharat Mata Ki jai", "Vande Mataram", "Mahatma Gandhiji ki Jai". His skin peeled out. But, there was no place either for tears or fear. People there were awestruck by his courage and patriotism. Ever since this incident, the boy, Chandrashekhar Tiwary came to be called as Chandrashekhar Azad" or simply "Azad". When he was released, he vowed that he would never be arrested by the British and would die as a free man.

Chandrashekhar was born in Jhabua District of Madhya Pradesh on July 23, 1906. Being inspired by leaders like Gandhiji, he plunged into freedom struggle at the tender age of 15. Deeply pained by the treatment infringed on the Indians by the British, he decided that fighting back with arms was the best solution. He, along with his friends Bhagat Singh, Rajguru became revolutionaries. In order to raise funds for their anti-British activities, the revolutionaries resorted to robbing the rich, sometimes even from their very homes. However, they sent each of them, receipts for the money that had been robbed and each pie of the loot was accounted for. Their amount would be returned after India became free, it was promised. Once, on being questioned by his friend about this practice, Azad replied,
"For me, first comes the freedom of the country. I don't consider the looting of the rich a sin. They grow rich on sucking the blood of the poor. The wealth amassed by them belongs to the country. It is no sin to use this money for the good of the country." There was nothing that he wouldn't do if the country would become free. Attempting to describe his patriotism with mere words would be foolishness.


It had been decided by the revolutionaries that during the process of robbing the rich, none would resort to maltreating, especially when it came to women. But during the second robbery, in which Azad too was involved, a member, overcome by lust, misbehaved with a girl notwithstanding Azad's requests not to do so. Azad shot him dead and then begged the lady's pardon for his colleagues misconduct.

To evade the police, Azad once took refuge at the home of an old widow. On knowing that she was in dire need of money for her daughter's marriage, Azad even requested her to bring him to the police and get the prize-money of Rs 5,000 that he carried on his head, to which the widow refused. When Azad left her home, he left a large part of the money he had.

The influence of the revolutionaries was such that, the owner of a store looted by them, on sensing that it was the handiwork of Azad and his team, asked the police to drop the case (garodia store dacoity).

He was unmarried and lived the austere life of a ‘Brahmachari’, till his last breath. For his ceaseless activities, he was rightly called quick-silver.
In February 1931, a close associate of Azad, in order to claim the price on Azad's head, double-crossed him (as has happened numerous times in our history) and tipped the police about his movements. Having been surrounded by nearly 100 police in a park (which now has a memorial in his name), he fought them single-handed, killing many policemen. When he realised that only the last bullet was left in his pistol and that there was no way to escape the British, he shot himself in the head, thereby keeping up his promise that he would never let the British arrest him, even at the cost of death.

Despite his sacrifice, Azad has sunk into the annals of history without much remembrance. Most school text-books only consider him a "Terrorist", which is highly unfortunate. Our current leaders are in a state of utter confusion. They declare great patriots as "terrorists", whereas, the real terrorists are happily looked upon as 'heroes'. What more.
A certain 'leader' of U.P has proposed to rename a college originally named after Azad, just because she thinks him a "terrorist". The same person can erect statues in her glory, at our expenses, but cannot tolerate a great leader, who sacrificed his life for the country. Isn't it shameful that such are our leaders?

Before I conclude, it is worth mentioning Azad's most popular quote-
“दुश्मनों की गोलियों को हम सामना करेंगे. आज़ाद रहे हैं, आज़ाद ही रहेंगे ” ( I shall not run away from the bullets of the enemies. Freedom was always mine, it shall always be.)

(Azad's photo after sacrificing himself at Allahabad )

References:1. "Chandrashekhar azad- An immortal revolutionary of india"

Superstition- A Superstition?

This post would not have been blogged down, had it not been for a post-dinner discussion, a few days back, somehow converging to philosophy. Group A thought that 'Samadhi', a state where a person can live without air, food, water was impossible and shunned it as a mere superstition, whereas, the other group thought that it might be possible. Much contrary to what Science teaches, our ancient scriptures, and the proponents of Yoga* claim that when a person reaches Samadhi, the last stage of Yoga, as mentioned in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the body gets into hibernation and the person can live without food, air, water for infinite time.

* Please note that by the word Yoga, is meant the systematic procedure developed in India for the communion of the soul with the divine. It is, by no means, restricted to Asanas and Pranayama, which form a very small part of Yoga.

If there is one point I would like to make in this post, it is this: it is foolishness, in my opinion, for any person to declare that a certain belief is a superstition just because that person doesn't conceive it. I have never been to the USA. My mere knowledge of the existence of such a country is by virtue of the geography classes I had in High school and the books I read subsequently. It may even be so that the teachers who taught us, have never been to this country themselves. Now, just because I am oblivious of the existence of such a place, what right do I possess to claim that it doesn't exist? If I am to claim so, am I not making a fool out of myself? If I were really contemplative to find out the truth, I would have taken the pain to travel to this land and then deduce for myself. Then alone would I have the right to argue in this matter. Similar is the case with Yoga. I have no right to raise my voice against it unless I follow the conditions laid in it, practice it sincerely and even then, do not obtain the promised results in part or full.

A few people claim that these things are absurd because they cannot be proved by modern science. When a person is hungry, he helps himself to the available food. Does he even bother if Science has proved that food satisfies hunger or not? Does he care to find out what reactions undergo in his body when he eats. He knows from his own experience that food satisfies hunger and that is all that really matters to him at that point of time. Similarly, Yogic practices are based on the experiences of people who strived their entire lifetime and found that it was true. We, common people, do not know if their experiences were true or whether all of them were illusioned to believe so. But still, we have no right, whatsoever, to say that it is mere fallacy. Can we declare that a certain thing does not exist because its presence has still not been proved. Wasn't there a time when Science believed that the planets and the Sun revolved around the Earth? When Galileo tried to prove it otherwise, not only was his idea widely condemned but he was detained for the rest of his life. But now, even a school-going child will laugh at that old idea. It is not right to say that the people of those times were foolish in believing that Earth was the planetary centre. But, in arguing that there could be nothing beyond their ideas, they were indeed foolish to the core. Thus, we conclude from history that even science goes wrong at times. Even those hundreds of theories which were widely accepted yesterday, as the ultimatum, are being dismissed as utterly wrong, today. I would like to bring to your notice that, of late, many yogic theories are being proved and accepted by modern science. [I shall make an attempt to pen down some of them in my future posts.] After all, is science the ultimatum? Can there be nothing beyond science? Aren't there numerous happenings in the world that defy science? There are times when a scientist dismisses a certain idea as false just because his set of laws, which he calls modern science, cannot prove it. Doesn't this also suggest that his set of laws are very limited and needs to be consolidated. Verification is also an acceptable proof for any theory. As in many accepted facts of Science, Yoga's sole proof is in its verification (as claimed by the exponents of yoga). But, as the yogis themselves opine, it is a herculean task to achieve the goals of Yoga. Our world has seen many saints, in India and beyond, who claim to have reached the goals of Yoga. There could be some truth in it, or, it may be another heap of nonsense. I don't mean to say that we need to accept it just because certain people said so. Let us follow it and find out for ourselves. But if we do not will to verify, and yet criticize it, then in what way are we different from the 'foolish frog of the well'? The same applies to all other practices which are mocked in the name of superstition. Perhaps, many of them really are. But it is not wise to reject everything as superstition.


Again let me make my point clear if my post has not, unfortunately, already done. I do not support accepting something merely because it was said so or certain people believe so. But at the same time I consider it foolishness to discard something as superstition just because it does not fit in our ideas. Let us try our best to dig out the truth from it and then accept it or reject it. But before we make a sincere attempt, we have no right to shun it. In my opinion, both are equally irrational- the ones that blindly accept something and their counterparts, the ones that blindly reject something as superstition without any justification. In that context, isn't Superstition itself a Superstition? To the people who mock our practices as superstition, our sages would say "Look, your world in itself is a superstition". This being said, I dedicate my upcoming posts to some practices considered superstition, which in reality are in very much agreement with modern science. Again, as already declared in my maiden post, if any thing fails to convince you, it is solely because of my poor convincing skills rather than due to the insignificance of the actual topic under consideration.

SewaKunj

Swami Vivekananda had exclaimed, "If the poor cannot come to education, education must go to them". The Sewakunj Ashram of the Akhila Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyana Ashram is in the endeavour of bringing this dictum to practice. I was highly fortuitous to celebrate republic day here, and, justice is not done if a post in this blog is not dedicated to Sewakunj.

Not very far from Varanasi is a district (in Uttar Pradesh), Sonebhadra, that is home to a large number of tribals. Notwithstanding its vicinity to this ancient city which is considered to be the seat of learning, the number of poor illiterates in this district has reached shocking figures, the literacy rate among the people being only around 40%*. Despite the vast industrial development in this region, the economic conditions of people have hardly improved. To most of the poor tribals, getting 2 square meals a day is the greatest comfort they can ever think of. For many parents, education of their children doesn't seem more worthy than the petty rupee notes that their children earn if they are sent out to do odd jobs. Thus, convincing the parents that education of their children was more important, was by itself a herculean task. Owing to the persistent efforts of a group of philanthropists the SewaKunj Ashram was setup in 1998, at a remote place- Chapki, situated nearly 200 kms from Varanasi. Ever since, Sewakunj has been catering to the educational needs of poor students of this area. The students are given not only quality education totally free of cost, but are also given free accommodation and food.

( A routine class)**

At sewakunj, the day dawns at 4 a.m. After offering their routine prayers, the students assemble in the classrooms for their lessons. The students, almost 65 in number, belong to classes 2-9. Sewakunj caters to classes upto 6, whereas the remaining students have to attend classes at a High school about 7 kms from Sewakunj. The children cook food for the ashram, in turns and also take care of the cleaning and other activities at the ashram. They are also engaged in music, dance, gardening and sports like football, archery etc. It is indeed an appreciable achievement that every year, 10-12 students from here get selected for Training in Archery by the National Sports Authority of India. Some students also succeed in obtaining seats for B. Ed and Engineering.

(The students cook food on rotation basis)**

(Republic Day Celebrations - 2011 )

Thus says the elderly Mr. Veerendra Narayan Shukla, one of the important member in the group, "We have taken the help of the government in the setting up of the ashram. However, our recurring expenses are managed solely using the generous funds collected from people". He adds, "people are ever ready to contribute, provided that the right use of their money is guaranteed". Indeed, of what better use can money be put to, than educating a poor child!

(Lunch being served)

Mr. Anand, who is the person responsible for the smooth running of the ashram seems to have a wonderful rapport with the students. Mr. Shantakumar, an enthusiastic social worker and Engineer at NTPC, opines that, "This is also a silent, positive war against Naxalism. People who joined naxalism with a sense of adventurism, now want to exit. They themselves cannot come out, so they desire that at least their children should have a better life. Such avenues give them a way for better life".

(The students enjoy doing odd jobs in the ashram)**

Here, nothing could be more appealing than the discipline of the kids. In contrast to modern education, where money is the driving force, in Sewakunj, it is Discipline and Moral upliftment that finds more importance. I am of the firm opinion that our education system shall fare better if its prime focus is shifted from money to intellect and discipline. I hope that in the years to come, Sewakunj shall brighten the lives of more deserving students and that it shall be a benchmark for other organizations working towards the same goal.

(Archery @ Sewakunj)

Readers are requested to also visit the blog of the Ashram.


* As per the data issued by the govt. of Uttar Pradesh based on 2001 census.
** Image Courtesy of Mr. Shantakumar.

Netaji..

The history of India has seen great Heroes who laid down their lives for the Liberation of the Country from British Tyranny. Beyond doubt, the role of Subash Chandra Bose in reviving India's lost Freedom, is highly significant. Rightly called the "Netaji", Bose was highly feared by the British Rulers. Subhas Chandra Bose's eloquence and unmatched Courage had won him thousands of followers. His words- "Remain faithful to India, and do not, for even a moment, waver in your faith in India's destiny", even today, cause great sensation in the young and the old, alike.

Born on 23rd Jan, 1897, Bose was strongly influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, like many of his contemporaries, and he accepted him as his Spiritual Guru. In 1916, Subash Chandra Bose thrashed a British Professor by name, F E Otten, who had made racist comments against Indians. This marked his entry into India's freedom struggle. Though he stood Fourth in the civil services exam, which enabled him work as a civil servant of India (under the British, though), he had, by then made up his mind to not serve the British in any way. He immediately returned to India and joined the Indian National Congress. He was strongly influenced by C. R. Das, another freedom fighter, whom he accepted as his Political Guru.

When in Vienna, he happened to get acquainted with Vittalbhai Patel, who was very much impressed with Bose's plans for India. Together they chalked out schemes of bringing the British tyranny to international notice and gaining the support of anti-British Nations. He then visited various foreign nations, and held discussions with eminent political leaders. While still abroad, he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress(INC). As Bose would resort to aggressive methodologies, he was often in altercations with the non-aggressive leaders, who, unfortunately, formed the majority. Despite Gandhi's opposition of his re-election as the President, he got successfully re-elected as the President of the INC defeating the Gandhi-supported candidate Dr. P. Sitaramayya. Considering the possibilities of a world war breaking out, he brought out a proposition forcing the British to grant India independence within 8 weeks. But, owing to protests from Gandhi and his supporters, he resigned from the post of the President, saying that he didn't have any desire to be a "dummy president". He then founded the Forward Bloc party, and as world war broke out, he was arrested by the British and then put under "house-arrest". In spite of the tight security, he escaped to Germany. It is in Germany that Bose founded the Azad Hind Fouj, which later on came to be known as the Indian National Army(INA). He was wrongly labelled as a Nazi by the western media. However, it is clear from the evidences of history that his support to the Germans was limited to their fight against Britain. He not only 'Not supported' the Nazis but was also involved in Anti-Nazi activities. Seeing that defeat was inevitable to the Germans, he moved to South East Asia, on the lookout for better options of liberating India. He joined hands with two other influential leaders, Ras Behari Bose and Captain Mohan Singh in Singapore, and with their help strengthened the INA. He allied with the Japanese, and succeeded in acquiring the Andaman and Nicobar islands to the Provisional Govt. of India, setup by him. In 1944, the INA, commanded by Bose attacked India from the Burmese border and successfully captured a significant part of Indian Territory. However, owing to extreme climatic conditions prevalent, the INA had to retreat. Following the defeat of Japan to the allied forces of the British, the INA was left with no choice. History has it that, on August 17, 1945, the plane with Bose on board, crashed, thereby killing him. On the contrary, many historians claim that it was not Bose who was aboard. Many even allege that he lived incognito, for many decades after independence. However, owing to lack of evidence, nothing is certain in this issue.

Bose played a very important role in awakening the youth of the country and moulding them into great leaders. He shall always be remembered as a man of infinite Courage and will. It is highly unfortunate that Bose could not live to see India Independent (assuming the official statement of his death to be true, as a last resort), but his ideals shall eternally live in the hearts of every Indian. Hats off to Netaji!!!

The cyclonic monk of India...

"Sisters and Brothers of America".....This magical assortment of words, solely with the aid of which, a great Indian Sanyasin had conquered the hearts of the not-so-easy-to-conquer Americans, at a time, when the the people of India, which is considered the mother of religions, themselves had lost hope in religion. This great man, Swami Vivekananda, who, even a century after his exit from "our-world"(Mahasamadhi), continues to motivate millions of people, directly or otherwise and therefore needs no introduction. Any blog on India is not complete without delving into the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, who was rightly called the "Cyclonic monk of India" or the "Patriotic Monk of India". Today being the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, it is time to fulfill my long-awaited wish of penning a post on this sage. Therefore, the next few posts (in addition to the current) shall be dedicated to Swami Vivekananda.

This sage who had not a penny in his possession, nor a "popular-name", upon repeated persuasion from his devotees in India, the Maharaja of Rameshwaram being notable among them, sailed to the USA, to attend the "Parliament of World Religions" to be held in Chicago.
Swamiji, who was stolen off all his little possessions, soon after his arrival in Chicago, was invited by the few kind-families of America, in turns, to take shelter in their homes. The organisers of the Parliament of Religions, had plans of letting only delegates with bonafide credentials to participate. Little did they know that here was an effulgent man ready to conquer the world with love. An eminent professor from the Harvard university, who, awestruck with his association with the monk, is said to have exclaimed (and written to the Chairman), "Here is a man who is more knowledgeable than all our professors put together. To ask Swami Vivekananda for credentials is no different from asking the sun, its right to shine". Thus Swamiji was entitled to participate in the World Parliament of Religions.

Initially nervous, as he had never addressed a public gathering before, he opted to be the last of the delegates to deliver his speech. In response to his starting words, "Sisters and Brothers of America", believe it or not, the crowd, over 7000 in number, responded with a full three-minute-long standing ovation with thunderous clapping. It is indeed amazing that Swamiji earned such a rapturous response, that too, having uttered less than half a dozen words. Moreover, it is a clear indication of the abilities of Swamiji. Many claim that it is merely the usage of the words "Sisters and Brothers" which made the crowd rise in joy. Little do they understand that the same words had been used extensively in the earlier part of the parliament of religions, by almost every other speaker. What then, made this crowd give the kind of the applause they did, that too for the mere 5 words uttered by this man, that all the remaining speakers put together had not earned for their complete speeches? The answer lies in the deep-love and the compassion Swamiji had for humanity. This historic event made Vivekananda a (True) Hero, overnight! The newspapers, the following day, were flooded with lines in praise of this "Orange Monk". The Newyork Times remarked thus, "Vivekananda is indeed the greatest figure in the parliament of religions. After hearing him we feel how foolish we had been in sending missionaries to this learned land." As a result of the amazingly huge number of followers that he had gained, he had to spend four years, lecturing in America.

Swamiji used to say, "The west has solved the problem of how much a person can have, and we (in India) are trying here to solve the problem of how little a man can have". Very much true indeed!. On one occassion, referring to the Christian missionaries funded by the British government, he burst forth, "Let England teach us the fine art of government, for in that art Britain is the leader of the nations, let America teach us agriculture and science and your wonderful knack of doing things, for here we sit at your feet; but let no nation presume to teach India religion, for here India shall teach the world."

Till his last breath, Swamiji tried to revive the lost glory of India. His fire-like words greatly inspired the youth of India, to plunge into the freedom struggle. No wonder, leaders like Subash Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi dedicated their lives for India's freedom from the british, having been motivated by the teachings of Vivekananda. Perhaps, Swamiji's love for the country, shall never have a match, nor shall he. Upon returning from the west, he brushed the Indian soil on his head and exclaimed, "India I loved before I came away. Now the very dust of India has become holy to me, the very air is now to me holy; it is now the holy land, the place of pilgrimage, the Tirtha!".


Swamiji had immense love and respect for his Guru, Shree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He describes his Guru, in a discussion with Shree Yogananda thus, "Thousands of Vivekananda's may spring forth through one gracious glance of his (Shree Ramakrishna's) eyes". Indeed, it is harder to even estimate the greatness of this holy master, who was totally responsible for blessing this world with Vivekananda.

Lord Shree Krishna asserts in the Gita,

I come, and go, and come. When Righteousness Declines, O Bharata! when Wickedness Is strong, I rise, from age to age, and take Visible shape, and move a man with men,

(http://sacred-texts.com/hin/gita/bg04.htm)

Swami Vivekananda's life stands in support of this. India is blessed a million-times-over by the birth of Swami Vivekananda. Vivekananda's life itself is a vindication to the world, of the fact that "India is the only country which never went outside of itself to conquer" and that the contribution of India to the world shall always be, great teachers who conquer by love rather than barbarians who conquer by power.