Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Saprem Namaskar!
Vivekananda Kendra celebrates 11 September in all its branches as Universal Brotherhood Day. This is the Utsava that we should celebrate as a public function by involving as many persons as possible.
This was the Day on which Swami Vivekananda gave the world-famous speech in 1893 at Chicago in the World Parliament of Religions. The Parliament of Religions was organized as the part of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the European discovery of America by Columbus. The purpose of the Parliament was to proclaim the Christianity as the ‘Only True Religion.’ The exclusive approach of the Abrhamic Religions considers their religion as the only true religion. Once this exclusive approach is adopted then others’ religions are not tolerated. This intolerance impels the followers of exclusive religions to set out on large-scale conversion even by fraud and force. Conversion is the violence at psychological level which slowly then manifests at the other levels too. We know how the WTC was raised to grounds by the terrorists on the very 11 September in 2001. That was the effect of the exclusive theology.
Swami Vivekananda was aware that it is the exclusive approach of these Semitic religions like Christianity and Islam, which was responsible for so much of bloodshed and human massacre in the human history. The exclusive approach is the biggest obstacle in the universal realization of brotherhood of man. We all know that when Swami Vivekananda addressed the audience as ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’ it had an electrifying effect on them. Because it was not merely a form of address but behind those words was the great spiritual strength of India, which has always proclaimed and practiced the universal brotherhood in her long history of more than 5000 years. Taking pride in this fact Swami Vivekananda said, "I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth." Hindus could have this universal approach because they never claim that, 'the God I worship is the 'Only True God' but they say it is 'also' the form of God who has manifested as many. Thus, our approach is an inclusive approach, an 'also' approach. The exclusive approach says 'this only' whereas our inclusive approach says 'this also'. It is because of this inclusive approach – 'also' approach that the Hindus never went destroying religious faiths of others. To usher in Universal Brotherhood it is essential that all religions accept this inclusive –'also' approach.
‘Also’ approach is based on the vision of Oneness. Only when interrelatedness is recognised, the existence is seen as the manifestation of the One. Then, not just tolerance but the acceptance of the others’ religious faith comes to the followers of such religion.
Swami Vivekananda not only addressed the audience as ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’ but also for the first time he gave the message to that audience which was used to the exclusive claims to religious truth, “Much has been said of the common ground of religious unity…. But if anyone here hopes that this unity will come by the triumph of any one of the religions and the destruction of others, to him I say, “Brother, yours is an impossible hope” ….If the Parliament of Religions has shown anything to the world it is this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity, and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character. In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written, in spite of resistance, “Help and not fight”, “Assimilation and not Destruction” “Harmony and Peace and not dissension.”
Thus, it was for the first time to western audience the message of universal Brotherhood and its proper understanding was given by Swami Vivekananda. Mananeeya Eknathji, therefore, wanted this day to be celebrated as Universal Brotherhood Day. Homogenizing the humanity or bringing uniformity in the human society will not usher in Universal Brotherhood but it will only bring further dissensions and destruction. Integrating the various faiths and accepting, as ‘others faith also is good for them’ will bring in Universal Brotherhood; because homogenizing brings destruction of both the identity and also the traditional values in the society where as the integration keeps the identity of the communities intact but binds them in the bonds of Brotherhood. Therefore, on this day the message is also to go for those who are very exclusive in their religious ideologies and are undertaking the conversions by destroying the faiths and culture of various tribal and other communities.
Hindus by their philosophy and practice of inclusive approach are destined to give this message of Universal Brotherhood to the humanity. But in order to do that first Hindus will have to understand this unifying and integrating nature of their Dharma. In the Parliament of Religions, Swami Vivekananda also gave us the unifying principles of Hinduism. As put very beautifully by Sister Nivedita, “Of the Swami’s address before the Parliament of Religions, it may be said that when he began to speak it was of “the religious ideas of the Hindus”, but when he ended Hinduism had been created.…These, then were the two mind-floods, two immense rivers of thought, as it were, Eastern and modern, of which the yellow-clad wanderer on the platform of the Parliament of Religions formed for a moment the point of confluence. The formulation of the common bases of Hinduism was the inevitable result of the shock of their contact, in a personality, so impersonal. For it was no experience of his own that rose to the lips of the swami Vivekananda there. He did not even take advantage of the occasion to tell the story of his master. Instead of either of these, it was the religious consciousness of India that spoke through him, the message of his whole people as determined by their whole past.” Thus on the Universal Brotherhood Day we have to study, absorb and highlight the message that Swami Vivekananda gave in the Parliament of Religions. Not just the lecture given on the first day of the parliament, which is very well-known, but the main lecture that he gave in the Parliament of Religions - “The Paper on Hinduism”. This needs to be studied. It is the study and application of this lecture, which will make us capable of giving the message of Universal Brotherhood Day to the world.
150th birth anniversary is nearing and for that we have to go for an all-out preparation, the details of which will be discussed in the forthcoming Adhikari Baithak and Varshik Baithak. Meanwhile we can use the occasion of Universal Brotherhood Day to motivate, identify the bright youth. Thus, we can have for the college youth the recitation competition of the selected passages of Swami Vivekananda. We could try to get sponsors for the attractive prizes. That would be the incentive for the youth to learn by heart the moving and inspiring teachings of Swami Vivekananda. We should select mainly from the “Lectures from Colombo to Almora” as the message given by Swami Vivekananda to India is mainly contained in these lectures. In the book ‘Rousing call to Hindu Nation’ we can get many such passages. The youth who do well should be gradually integrated in our work and trained in effectively communicating the message of Swami Vivekananda so that by the time 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda comes; they would be Kendra’s young speakers to go to various educational institutions.
To sum up: The focus of the Universal Brotherhood Day celebrations should be on:
1. To celebrate Universal Brotherhood Day as given above so that we identify and train over the period, the right type of youth for the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
2. And in addition to that the stress can also be given on the fact that
a) Universal Brotherhood is possible in an atmosphere of inclusive approach
b) Inclusive approach comes out of vision of Oneness which is the basis of Hindu Dharma, the spiritual traditions of Bharat.
c) Conversion brings dissensions, violence and not brotherhood.
d) Not ‘the only way’ but ‘also a way’-approach need to be adopted by exclusive religions in the interest of the humanity.
With warm regards and prayers,
Yours sincerely,
(B. Nivedita)
Vice-President
