India, of the past, the present and the future as observed and visualised by Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda, the awakener of Indian nationalism saw the Ancient India and the present India in its proper prospective and the great visionary, has a great vision for future India and its role in the future world.

Two events in the life of Swamiji inspired him to dedicate his life for service of humanity in general and his countrymen in particular.

Once Swamiji was taking a walk along with his Guru, Ramkrishna, a topic of helping others cropped in. Swamiji started talking about ‘Paropakar’. When he used the word ‘Paropakar’, the great Guru corrected him immediately. The great Guru remarked “Say Para-Seva” not Paropakar. Who are we to do “Upakar” to others. We can do only “Seva” of others. This remark of his Guru had great impact on the highly sensitive disciple.

In another incident, the Guru asked Swamiji as to what he desires the most. Swamiji replied that he desires to be always in constant samadhi, to enjoy its bliss. The great Guru reprimanded his disciple. – “How selfish you are Narendra. How can you wish for your own `Moksha’? You will have to work and serve others, for their welfare even at the cost of your own 'Moksha’. You have to sacrifice your whole life for the service of others: This advice struck the heart of Swamiji like a lightning and there and then, he decided to dedicate his whole life for the service of his countrymen, for the service of the humanity.

With the object of serving his country, he made a deep study of Indian history, its religion, its philosophy, its spirituality and was fully satisfied at its richness and its all pervading appeal. He remarked:

"If there is any land on this earth that can lay claim to be a blessed `Punya Bhoomi’, to the land to which the souls on this earth must come to account for Karma, the land to which every soul, that is, winding its way Godward, must come to attain its last home, 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."

He again observed:

"What a land. Whoever stands on this sacred land, whether alien or a child of the soil, feels himself surrounded – unless his soul is degraded to the level of brute animals – by the living thoughts of the earth`s best and purest sons, who have been working to raise the animal to the Divine through centuries whose beginning history fails to trace. The very air is full of the pulsations of spirituality. This is the land where alone religion was practical and real, and here alone man and woman plunged boldly in to realise the goal, just as in other lands, they madly plunged in to realise the pleasures of life, by robbing their weaker brethren.”

"Here and here alone the human heart expanded till it included not only the human, but birds, beasts, and plants, from the highest Gods to grains of sand, and the highest and the lowest all find a place in the heart of man, grown great infinite. And here alone, the human soul studied the universe as one unbroken unity whose every pulse was his own pulse.”

However he was practical enough to notice, that what was prevailing then in India was just opposite of what was visualised by the great sages of ancient India. In a country, where it was preached that every person is Divine, and all are equal and really one soul, there prevailed total inequality and the society as a whole was divided in all possible ways, like caste, creed, touchable, untouchables, poor and rich, oppressed and depressed, as such there was total denial of equality and equity that too alleged to be based on religion, Swamiji found it to be paradoxical, how a religion which taught total equality could be used to create a total inequality and denial of justice and fair play. He remarked :

"Vast and deep rivers swelling and impetuous, charming pleasure gardens by the river banks, putting to shame the celestial Nandana-Kanana; amidst these pleasure gardens rise towering to the sky beautiful marble palaces, decorated with the most exquisite workmanship of fine art: on the sides, in front and behind, clusters of huts, with crumbling mud-walls and dilapidated roofs, the bamboos of which, forming their skeletons, as it were, are exposed to view; moving about here and there emaciated figures of young and old in tattered rags, whose faces bear deep-cut lines of the despair and poverty of hundreds of years; cows, bullocks, buffaloes everywhere – at, the same melancholy look in their eyes, the same feeble physique; on the way-side refuse and dirt: This is our present day India !"

"And the picture that presented itself to the foreigner: “....full of ugly diabolical superstitions which come naturally to those who are weak and hopeless of the future; without any standard of morality as their backbone; three hundred millions of souls such as these swarming on the body of India like so many worms on a rotten, stinking carcass.... devastation by violent plague and cholera, malaria eating into the vitals of the nation, starvation and its tragic dance; the huge cremation ground, strewn with the dead bones of lost hope."

However, his keen intellect found that with all its misrepresentation ‘religion’ was still a binding and all pervading link, throughout India and he realised that, by true interpretations and acting on these interpretations a strong regenerated India could be built. He realised that non action or prevalence of `Tamas’ everywhere was cause of all evils in India. India, as it was then, was like a sleeping giant. It should be woken up and made to live vigorously. Taking the famous quotation from Kathopanishad, he gave a stirring call to Indians to “Awake, Arise and stop not till the goal is reached”. He gave a call to all Indians that they must believe in themselves and work hard to bring back the past glory of India. He confidently observed that:

"The longest night seems to be passing, the sorest trouble seems to be coming to an end at last” – None can resist her any more, never is she going to sleep any more; no outside power can hold her or break her any more."
Swamiji had great faith in the youth of India. He called them to act. He asked them:

"I was born to give you only one message and it is "ARISE ! AWAKE ! come the youth of my country stand by me. Help me. Go out into the world, to the villages. Go across the country and spread this message of courage ARISE ! AWAKE ! Spread this message to the humblest and to the mightiest. Talk to the people, plead with the people, inspire the people. Tell them that there is no end to their strength. Tell them that they are the inheritors of the earth – unleash their creative energies. Let them gird up their loins and plunge into the battle of life. Let them be man enough. Let them know that they are the shapers of their destiny. Let them be self-reliant. Let them have faith. Let them know that it was out of indomitable faith that all great things are born. Forward, O, the youth of my country! He who has no love in his heart is dead. Do not aspire to be a leader, but aspire that you may serve”.

He further advised:

“Let each one of us pray day and night for the downtrodden millions in India who are held fast by poverty, priestcraft and tyranny.... pray day and night for them.... I am no metaphysician, no philosopher, nay no saint . I am poor, I love the poor.... who feels in India for the two hundred millions of men and women sunken for ever in poverty, and ignorance? Where is the way out ? Who will bring the light to them? .... So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor, who having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them!”

He was sure that Indian youth will come to the rescue of the country. He expected hundred and thousand men and women fired with the zeal of holiness, fortified with eternal faith in the Lord, and nerve to Lion‘s courage by their sympathy for the poor and the fallen and the down-trodden, will go over the length and breadth of the land, preaching the gospel of salvation, the gospel of help, the gospel of social raising up – the gospel of equality.
He further advised the youth:

"Your duty at present is to go from village to village, and make the people understand that mere sitting about idly won’t do any more. Make them understand their real condition and say : `O ye brothers all Arise ! Awake ! How much longer would you remain asleep?

Initiate all, even down to the Chandalas, in these fiery Mantras. Also instruct them, in simple words about the necessities of life, and in trade, commerce, , agriculture etc. If you cannot do this, then fie upon your education, and culture and fie upon your studying the Vedas and Vedanta!”

He firmly believed that India would play a great role – a role of leader in future as it was in the ancient times. It will again be a leader by its spiritual strength and he believed that India would live and live long spreading spiritual truths. He remarked :

“Shall India die? Then from the world all spirituality will be extinct, all moral perfection will be extinct, all sweet-souled sympathy for religion will be extinct, all ideality will be extinct and in its place will reign the duality of lust and luxury as the male and female deities, with money as its priest, fraud, force, and competition its ceremonies, and the human soul its sacrifice. Such a thing can never be”.

Swami Vivekananda with his great work and his writings awakened India and thousands and thousands inspired by him worked towards ideals set by him of service of man; worship of God through the worship of the poor. Great leaders like Gandhiji taking inspiration from his writings, lived as per Swamiji’s ideals of Tyaga and Seva as if Swamiji lived his second life to live to his ideals, through Gandhiji. Like Swamiji, Gandhiji inspired the whole nation to work for the nation with sacrifice and service and under his inspiration and leadership based on sacrifice and service, India won its freedom.

The great Indian leaders who were inspired by him, observed as under:

But most unfortunately, after the death of Gandhiji, it appears this nation has again forgotten the ideals which the two great leaders Swamiji and Gandhiji preached and practised, the principles of Renunciation, Sacrifice and Service. Again the days of pre-Swamiji’s days of India have again appeared. This should change. We should see that the great work and sacrifice of these two great sons of Mother India will not go in vain. We should work, work hard, the work dominated by sense of sacrifice and service, to see that the India they dreamt would be a reality, that would be the real homage to these two great leaders.