Vivekananda: A Harbinger of
Harmony
[Presidential Address at Belur Math on 28 January 2014.
Vivekananda's 150th Birth Anniversary
International Seminar]
Swami Chetanananda
May the Lord of the universe, the remover of evil, whom the devotees of
Shiva worship as Shiva, the Vedantists as Brahman, the Buddhists as Buddha
[and we may add, the Christians as the Father in heaven, the Jews as Jehovah,
the Muslims as Allah], the followers of Nyaya (logic) as the Divine Agent, the
Jains as Arhat, the followers of Mimamsa (ritualists) as Karma -‐‑-‐‑ grant us
peace, bliss and harmony.
On behalf of the Ramakrishna Order, I heartily welcome the
distinguished representatives of different religions who have come to Belur
Math today to represent their respective faiths, on this auspicious occasion of
Swami Vivekananda'ʹs 150th Birth Anniversary. Perhaps you have noticed that
each speaker is scheduled to speak for 20 minutes. Some years ago an
Episcopalian minister in America gave me this piece of advice: ‘Swami, no
soul can be saved after 20 minutes.’ What he meant was that whatever you
have to say, say it within 20 minutes.
The main focus of this international seminar is the Harmony of Religions.
Swami Vivekananda was truly a harbinger of this harmony. His life was short
-‐‑-‐‑ 39 years, 5 months, and 24 days -‐‑-‐‑ but his message is long lasting. He
himself prophesied that his message would continue for 1,500 years.
The Origin of Vivekananda'ʹs Concept of Harmony
Vivekananda’s concept of harmony is rooted in four sources: the
scriptures, his guru, his motherland, and his own realization.
1. The Scriptures
Vivekananda found the seeds of the harmony of religions in various
Hindu scriptures, such as:
‘Truth is one, sages call It by various names.’ (Rig Veda)
‘Whosoever comes to me, through whatsoever form, I reach him. All men
are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me.’ (Gita)
‘As the different streams, having their sources in different places, all
mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which people
take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or
straight, all lead to Thee.’ (Sivamahimnah Stotram)
‘Each human body is a temple of God, and each soul is nothing but
God.’ (Upanishad)
It is to be noted that thousands of years ago, when these messages of
harmony were given, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam did not exist.
2. His Guru
Sri Ramakrishna, Vivekananda’s guru, was the prophet of harmony in
this age. Every one of his actions and all his teachings demonstrated the
principle of harmony. For example, Ramakrishna harmonized the life of a
true sannyasin with the life of a true householder. He was unique in the
religious history of the world as he realized God through Hindu practices,
then practised Christianity and Islam and experienced the goal of those faiths
also. In so doing, he demonstrated the harmony of religions. Finally, he
declared the message of harmony for this present age when he said: yata mat
tata path -‐‑-‐‑ as many faiths, so many paths.
Vivekananda stated in his lecture ‘My Master’: ‘I learnt from my Master
that the religions of the world are not contradictory or antagonistic. They are
but various phases of one eternal religion. That one eternal religion is applied
to different planes of existence, is applied to the opinions of various minds
and various races. There never was my religion or yours, my national religion
or your national religion; there never existed many religions; there is only
one. One Infinite Religion existed all through eternity and will ever exist, and
this Religion is expressing itself in various countries, in various ways.
Therefore we must respect all religions and we must try to accept them all as
far as we can.... For years I lived with that man, but never did I hear those lips
ufer one word of condemnation for any sect. He had the same sympathy for
all sects; he had found the harmony between them.’
3. His Motherland
During his itinerant days, Vivekananda travelled all over India, and he
made some observations about people of the Hindu faith. He saw that
although Hindus are diverse -‐‑-‐‑ their languages, social customs, religious
practices, dress, food habits, and skin colour are all different -‐‑-‐‑ they are all
Hindus. He also discovered the common bases of Hinduism: (a) all Hindus
believe in the authority of the Vedas; (b) the concept of God may differ among
the Hindus, but all believe in God; (c) all believe creation moves in a wavelike
motion through eternity; (d) all believe in the immortal nature of the Atman,
which is pure and perfect, beyond the body and the mind; and (e) all believe
in the doctrine of karma and reincarnation.
Once, in Madras, Vivekananda said that the three main schools of
Vedanta -‐‑-‐‑ dualism, qualified nondualism, and nondualism -‐‑-‐‑ are not
contradictory but complementary. In the end, all souls merge into that One
without a second. When someone remarked that nobody had ever said that
before, Vivekananda replied, ‘I was born for this, and it was left for me to do.’
4. Vivekananda’s Realization
One day at Dakshineswar Vivekananda mocked the Vedantic experience
of oneness. He said to Ramakrishna: ‘How can this be? This jug is God, this
cup is God, and we too are God! Nothing can be more preposterous!’ At that
moment Sri Ramakrishna touched him.
Vivekananda later said: ‘The magic touch of the Master that day brought
a wonderful change over my mind. I was stupefied to find that there was
really nothing in the universe but God!’ Later, in Cossipore, he afained
nirvikalpa samadhi, the culmination of the Vedantic experience. During his
itinerant days in the Himalayas, he realized that the microcosm (the internal
world) and the macrocosm (the external world) are built on the same plan.
The experiences of both these worlds should be in perfect harmony with
Truth.
The Importance of the Parliament of Religions
The Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in 1893, was an epoch-‐‑
making, historical event in the religious history of the world. The American
people brought religious leaders from all the various religions together on the
same platform. This had never happened before. Although Swami
Vivekananda represented Hinduism and Vedanta, he created through his
talks a beautiful harmony among all the religions. This Parliament was held
as part of the Columbian Exposition, in which the American people wanted to
demonstrate the achievements of science and technology. It was held in
commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of
America.
The magnitude of that Parliament of Religions is noteworthy: It continued
for seventeen days, with three sessions each, and each session averaged more
than two and a half hours. There were 115 speakers from all over the world.
Swamiji was so popular that he spoke six times at the Parliament. The
Congress of Religions took place in a hall that combined Columbus Hall and
Washington Hall, and which had a combined capacity of 7,000 people.
In spite of opposition from the leaders of various Christian
denominations, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the advisory
commifee adopted ten objectives for the Parliament of Religions. Some of
these were: 1. To bring together in conference, for the first time in history, the
leading representatives of the great Historic Religions of the world. 2. To
show to people, in the most impressive way, what and how many important
truths the various Religions hold and teach in common. 3. To inquire what
light each Religion has afforded, or may afford, to the other Religions of the
world. 4. To discover, from competent people, what light Religion has to
throw on the great problems of the present age. 5. To bring the nations of the
earth into a more friendly fellowship, in the hope of securing permanent
international peace.
During the Parliament most of the other representatives were trying to
glorify his or her own faith. However, Swamiji'ʹs concluding remark of his first
speech created a wonderful atmosphere of harmony. He said: ‘I fervently
hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention 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.’
I sincerely believe that these objectives are as pertinent today as they were
120 years ago. When we open our newspapers in the morning, we see that
there is so much unrest and violence all over the world -‐‑-‐‑ often in the name of
religion. I offer my humble appreciation to the organizers of this present
parliament that has given us a chance to imbibe the spirit of mutual love and
understanding, peace and harmony, which are badly needed in this present
strife-‐‑stricken world.
Nowadays, in the main cities all over the United States and Canada and
other parts of the world, you will find inter-‐‑religious councils or interfaith
partnerships. This concept began after the advent of Ramakrishna and after
the Parliament of Religions in 1893. Swamiji said that within seven years of Sri
Ramakrishna'ʹs passing in 1886, his universal message encircled the globe.
One of our friends who has done much to build a bridge between the
religious and philosophical thoughts of the East and the West is Huston
Smith, who was a former president of our St. Louis Vedanta Society. We are
sorry he cannot be with us today. Huston Smith once told me: ‘Swami, while I
was writing the chapter on Hinduism in what was to become my book, The
World'ʹs Religions, I read and meditated on ten pages of The Gospel of Sri
Ramakrishna each day, and I credit those meditations for the acclaim that has
greeted that chapter.’
Another friend who has also done wonderful work in this regard is
Father Francis Clooney of Harvard University. He is here today and is our
keynote speaker in this parliament. These two people -‐‑-‐‑ Huston Smith and
Father Clooney -‐‑-‐‑ have done tremendous work in the United States, trying to
bring Eastern thought to the West, and Western thought to the East.
On 30 December 1894 Swamiji said: ‘I have a message to the West, as
Buddha had a message to the East.’ What was that message? That message
was Vedanta. Many years later, a Jewish intellectual who had heard
Vivekananda speak at the Parliament told Swami Nikhilananda, ‘After
hearing Swami Vivekananda, I realized that my religion was also true.’ In the
1960s, Eastern religions came in waves to America, but Swamiji was the first
Hindu monk to carry the message of the East to the West. Professor C.T.
Jackson wrote: ‘Looking back a century later, Vivekananda clearly deserves
credit as the founder of American Hinduism and the pioneer teacher who
paved the way for all Eastern teachers who have followed since the 1960s.’
Swamiji was a universal person and his message was universal, but he
also presented his message for the East, which we find in his lectures from
Colombo to Almora. In those talks he tried to awaken the self-‐‑esteem, self-‐‑
confidence, and the national consciousness of India. In the West, he gave his
beautiful message through his four yogas -‐‑-‐‑ karma, bhakti, jnana, and raja. He
reminded Westerners that they are not sinners. On 19 September 1893,
Swamiji read a paper on Hinduism, in which he said: ‘Ye divinities on earth -‐‑-‐‑
sinners? It is a sin to call a man so; it is a standing libel on human nature.’
Vivekananda in the West
Shortly after Ramakrishna passed away, when his monastic disciples
were living almost in poverty at the Baranagore monastery, Swamiji one day
told his brother disciples, ‘You will see that our names will be recorded in
history.’ Now it is a fact and his words came true.
In 1964 Carl Thomas Jackson received his Ph.D. from the University of
California at Los Angeles; his thesis was titled The Swami in America: A History
of the Ramakrishna Movement in the United States, 1893-‐‑1960. In 1988 Eleanor
Stark got her Master’s degree in American History and wrote a book on
Swamiji, The Gift Unopened: A New American Revolution.
In 1976, during the United States Bicentennial Celebration, the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., had an exhibit called ‘Abroad in
America’. There were pavilions dedicated to 26 foreigners who came to the
United States and made a substantial contribution to American heritage.
Swami Vivekananda was the only one from India. I saw that exhibition. It was
undoubtedly a great recognition of Swamiji'ʹs contribution to the West.
Swami Vivekananda redefined religion for the Western people. He said
that religion is realization. Religion is being and becoming. Religion is the
manifestation of divinity already in human beings. The old religions said that
one was an atheist who did not believe in God. The new religion says one is
an atheist who does not believe in oneself. In this way, Swamiji brought about
a revolution in the field of religion.
The United States is a new nation. The American people are lovers of new
ideas; they want to know something new. They found something new in
Swamiji. The United States is a grand field for Vedanta. Why? Because two
things are in the blood of the American people: love of freedom and love of
democracy. The presiding deity of the United States is the Statue of Liberty,
which you will find in the New York harbour. Vedanta says freedom is the
song of the soul. Throughout almost all of the Vedantic literature, you will
find at the end, jivanmukti -‐‑-‐‑ freedom while living. Regarding democracy, the
Vedantic concept of God is a democratic concept of God. One of our
Upanishads says: Deho devalaya proktah sa jiva kevala shiva -‐‑-‐‑ Each human body
is the temple of God and each being is truly God. Each soul is potentially
divine.
Interreligious Relations
How can we remove fighting, misunderstanding, mistrust, and ill feeling
from organized religions? Religion is not at fault. Politicians and fanatics use
religion for ulterior motives. We find the same wonderful golden rule in all
religions, but very few observe that rule. Buddhism says: ‘Hurt not others in
ways that you yourself would find hurtful.’ Christianity says: ‘Do for others
what you want them to do for you.’ Islam says: ‘No one of you is a believer
until he desires for his brothers that which he desires for himself.’ Hinduism
says: ‘Whatever you consider injurious to yourself, never do to others. This is
the essence of dharma.’
The problem is that we talk about religion and talk about God, but we do
not practise religion. The Vishnu Purana says: ‘Those who talk about God, but
do not do their duties and practise religion, they are enemies of God. This is
because God has to incarnate to demonstrate religion to these hypocrites.’
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan quoted the biting words of Swift in his book
The Hindu View of Life: ‘We have enough religion to hate one another; but we
have not enough religion to love one another.’ Our common enemies are not
religions: our enemies are atheism, agnosticism, materialism, scepticism,
secularism, hedonism, and finally, apathy. Apathy and indifference towards
religion are rampant today. People care more for money, enjoyment, and their
bodies than they do for religion or God. This is a peculiarity of this modern
age that those of us working in the field of organized religions see.
A good relationship among the various religions is vital, because if we do
not learn to live together, we shall die together fighting among ourselves.
Swami Nikhilananda said: ‘Religions as human institutions cannot be
absolutely perfect, but God is perfect. Religion is not God, but shows the way
to God. As clocks should be corrected from time to time by the sun, so also
religions. The corrections are made by the mystic saints who directly
commune with God, and not by the theologians, who are only the interpreters
of the scriptures.’
Vivekananda visualized the religion of the future, where science and
religion will meet and shake hands, poetry and philosophy will become
friends, reason and faith will embrace each other, and the heart and the
intellect will forget their conflicts forever.
The Religion of the Twenty-‐‑First Century
The main focus of religion in the nineteenth century was reason, and in
the twentieth century it was humanism. If religion cannot do any good to
human beings, what good is that religion? If anybody asks me: What type of
religion will play a vital role in the twenty-‐‑first century? My answer will be
‘mysticism’. Mystics commune with God through love and contemplation.
They are in every religious tradition and they are a class by themselves.
In October 1992 there was a conference on Great Contemporary Mystics
held in Avila, Spain. I was invited to speak on Sri Ramakrishna. I quoted that
famous saying of Ramakrishna: ‘All jackals in the world howl in the same
way.’ In other words, the mystics of different religions may speak different
languages but their experience of Oneness is always the same. A medieval
Indian mystic wrote: ‘There may be different kinds of oil in different lamps,
the wicks also may be of different kinds, but when they burn, we have the
same flame and illumination.’
Nowadays some people say, ‘We have read enough, we have heard many
sermons, but now we want experience.’ This is the popular sentiment in the
West. We live in an age when creeds are shaken, dogmas are questioned, and
traditions are dissolving. Don Cupif, a famous English scholar, wrote in his
book The Sea of Faith: ‘In this 21st century, religion will not be held by the
doctrines and dogmas.’ People are seeking direct experience. When one
experiences God, one sees unity in diversity -‐‑-‐‑ God in every being and
everything. One of the Upanishads says: ‘When one experiences the Atman,
one cannot hate anyone.’ Once Rabia, a Sufi mystic, was asked, ‘Do you love
God?’ ‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘Do you hate Satan?’ ‘No.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because God did
not keep any room for hatred in my heart.’
For this present age, Swami Vivekananda taught a religion that is
constructive and not destructive, scientific and not fanatical, practical and not
theoretical, rational and not superstitious, universal and not parochial. We see
this in Swami Vivekananda'ʹs concluding remarks at the Parliament of
Religions: ‘Help and not fight,’ ‘Assimilation and not destruction,’ ‘Harmony
and peace and not dissension.’
How can we help each other? During natural catastrophes we always
come together, forgefing our caste or creed or religion. India has made a
wonderful contribution to this world: It has given shelter to all religions. India
is called Bharata: Bha means light, rata means immersed, the country that is
immersed in the light or consciousness of God. Moreover, it is the birthplace
of four of the religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and
Sikhism.
India also gave shelter to the Zoroastrians, who sefled in the western
part of India. When the Jewish people were persecuted, some came and
sefled in India. One of the oldest synagogues in the world is found in Cochin.
Then came Christianity: the oldest Christian community in the world was
established in India by the Apostle Thomas about 25 years after the death of
Jesus. Regarding Islam, I believe it was during the tenth century that Muslims
began to sefle in India. Now India has the second largest Muslim population
in the world, next to Indonesia.
How do we assimilate the spirit of other religions? Swami Vivekananda
said during the concluding session of the Parliament: ‘The seed is put in the
ground, and earth and air and water are placed around it. Does the seed
become the earth, or the air, or the water? No. It becomes a plant. It develops
after the law of its own growth, assimilates the air, the earth, and the water,
converts them into plant substance, and grows into a plant. Similar is the case
with religion.... Each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve
his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.’
In this connection, I remember that someone once asked Huston Smith:
‘You are a Methodist minister. Why do you meet with Muslims, Hindus, and
people of other faiths?’ He replied: ‘You know, I take my own food, but other
religions I take as a food supplement, like a vitamin. It does not disturb my
system at all. It energizes me; it gives me more strength.’
How can we create a harmony of religions? As we mentioned earlier, Sri
Ramakrishna demonstrated that harmony in this age. He did not care for
monotone music. He said: ‘I play the flute with seven holes and make
different ragas and raginis. I enjoy food made of different dishes.’ On
December 9, 1898, during the installation ceremony of Sri Ramakrishna'ʹs
relics in Belur Math, Vivekananda prophesied: ‘It will be a centre in which
will be recognized and practised a grand harmony of all creeds and faiths as
exemplified in the life of Sri Ramakrishna, and religion in its universal aspect
alone will be preached; and from this centre of universal toleration will go
forth the shining message of good will, peace, and harmony.’
Belur Math is truly holy ground. Here on this land Sri Ramakrishna himself
walked while visiting the lumber yard of Captain Upadhyaya. Holy Mother
also came here several times, and all sixteen disciples lived here or often
visited this place. It is really a very special place. After inaugurating the Belur
monastery, Vivekananda lived three years and eight months, and he stayed in
his room here one year, six months, and twenty-‐‑six days. His spirit is still
active and inspiring millions.
Symphony of Religions
Although I am not a connoisseur of Western music, I sometimes go to the
symphony. I watch a hundred musicians onstage with their instruments: each
one of them contributes to the music, and thus all create the symphony. If the
violinists, or flutists, or drummers, or any individual group thought that only
it should be onstage, then it would be a different type of performance, which
might be appreciated by a few but not by the majority. It is the duty of the
conductor to arrange the music in such a way that each musician takes part in
the symphony and gives joy to the audience.
To me, God is the great conductor in the symphony of life. He created all
religions; He manifests Himself in all religions; He listens to the prayers of
people of all religions; and He bestows His grace on all His children. We
would not care for a God who was only for the Hindus, or Muslims, or
Christians, or Buddhists, or Jews, or any other individual faith.
In 1984 a Catholic interviewer of a TV station asked me, ‘Swami, are the
Hindu God, Christian God, Jewish God, or Muslim God different?’ I replied:
‘When you see the sun, can you say that it is a Hindu sun, a Christian sun, a
Jewish sun, or a Muslim sun?’ ‘I got the answer,’ he said.
In this memorable convention celebrating Swami Vivekananda'ʹs 150th
anniversary, let us listen to the wonderful music of harmony and try to
practise it in our daily lives. This is the only way we shall be able to get rid of
narrowness, bigotry, superstition, violence, and disharmony. The nearer we
are to God, the closer we shall feel to other religions. In God we all meet.
Krishna said in the Gita, ‘I am the thread that runs through the pearls, as in a
necklace.’ Each religion is one of the pearls.
In conclusion, I bow down to all religions and their representatives on
this platform. These representatives have come from different parts of the
world to contribute their precious voices to this symphony. This symphony
will not be presented in vain. History will record it as a landmark for
posterity.
