letters by swami vivekananda from london
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Letters by Swami Vivekananda From London - 1896 - Frank Parlato JrTRANSCRIPT
12/23/2014 Letters by Swami Vivekananda from London 1896 Frank Parlato Jr.
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Letters written from London(April to July)
To the Hale sisters
HIGH VIEW, READING, 20th April, 1896.DEAR SISTERS, Greetings to you from the other shore. The voyage has beenpleasant and no sickness this time. I gave myself treatment toavoid it. I made quite a little run through Ireland and some of theOld English towns and now am once more in Reading amidstBrahma and Maya and Jiva, the individual and the universalsoul, etc. The other monk is here; he is one of the nicest of menI see, and is quite a learned monk too. We are busy editingbooks now. Nothing of importance happened on the way. It wasdull, monotonous, and prosaic as my life. I love America morewhen I am out of it. And, after all, those years there have beensome of the best I have yet seen. Are you trying to get some subscribers for the Brahmavadin?Give my best love and kindest remembrance to Mrs. Adamsand Mrs. Conger. Write me as soon as is convenient all about
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yourselves, and what you are doing, what breaks the monotonyof eating, drinking, and cycling. I am in a hurry just now, shallwrite a bigger letter later; so goodbye and may you be alwayshappy.
Your ever affectionate brother,
VIVEKANANDA.
PS. I will write to Mother Church as soon as I get time. Give mylove to Sam and sister Locke.
V.
To Sister Christine
High View, CavershamReading, London.26th April '96Dear Christina,How are things going on with you? I am all safe and sound herein England. Going to begin work from May fourth. How is Mrs.Funkey [Funke]?Give them all my Love. Write me all about yourself and Mrs.Funkey when you have time. Address me at 63 St., George'sRoad, S.W. London.Where is Krip. [Swami Kripananda]? What is he doing now?Has he been able to get up any classes yet? Has his tempergone down?Give them all my loveand [to] Miss Hamilton and to all myfriends and to the Rabbi [Grossman of Detroit].Yours ever with love and blessings,Vivekananda
To Members of the Alambazar Math
High View, Caversham,Reading,27th April, 1896original in BengaliDear members of the Alambazar Math,. . . Let me write something for you all. It is not for gainingpersonal authority that I do this, but for your good and forfulfilling the purpose for which the Lord came. He gave me thecharge of you all, and you shall contribute to the great well?being of the world though most of you are not yet aware of it thisis the special reason of my writing to you. It will be a great pity ifany feeling of jealousy or egotism gain ground amongst you. Isit possible for those to establish cordial relations on earth whocannot cordially live with one another for any length of time? Nodoubt it is an evil to be bound by laws, but it is necessary at theimmature stage to be guided by rules; in other words, as the
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Master used to say that the sapling must be hedged round, andso on. Secondly, it is quite natural for idle minds to indulge ingossip, and faction?mongering, and so forth. Hence I jot downthe following hints. If you follow them, you will undoubtedlyprosper, but if you don't do so, then there is a danger of all ourlabours coming to naught.First let me write about the management of the Math:1. For the purposes of the Math please hire a commodioushouse or garden, where everyone may have a small room tohimself. There must be a spacious hall where the books may bekept, and a smaller room for meeting the visitors. If possible,there should be another big hall in the house where study of thescriptures and religious discourses will be held every day for thepublic.2. Anyone wishing to visit anybody in the Math should see himonly and depart, without troubling others.3. By turns someone should be present in the hall for a fewhours every day for the public, so that they may get satisfactoryreplies to what they come to ask.4. Everyone must keep to his room and except on specialbusiness must not go to others' rooms. Anyone who wishes maygo to the Library and read, but it should be strictly forbidden tosmoke there or talk with others. The reading should be silent.5. It shall be wholly forbidden to huddle together in a room andchat the whole day away, with any number of outsiders comingand joining in the hubbub.6. Only those that are seekers after religion may come andpeacefully wait in the Visitors' Hall and when they have seen theparticular persons they want, they should depart. Or, if theyhave any general question to ask, they should refer to theperson in charge of that function for the day and leave.7. Tale?bearing, caballing, or reporting scandals about othersshould be altogether eschewed.8. A small room should serve as the office. The Secretaryshould live in that room, which should contain paper, ink, andother materials for letter?writing. He should keep an account ofthe income and expenditure. All correspondence should cometo him, and he should deliver all letters unopened to theiraddressees. Books and pamphlets should be sent to theLibrary.9. There will be a small room for smoking, which should not beindulged in outside this room.10. He who wants to indulge in invectives or show temper mustdo so outside the boundaries of the Math. This should not bedeviated from even by an inch.
THE GOVERNING BODY
1. Every year a President should be elected by a majority ofvotes. The next year, another, and so on.
2. For this year make Brahmananda the President and likewisemake another the Secretary, and elect a third man forsuperintending the worship etc., as well as the arrangement offood.3. The Secretary shall have another function, viz to keep watchover the general health. Regarding this I have three instructionsto give:(i) In every room for each man there shall be a Nair charpoy,mattress, etc. Everyone must keep his room clean.
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(ii) All arrangements must be made to provide clear and purewater for drinking and cooking purposes, for it is a deadly sin tocook sacramental food in impure or unclean water.(iii) Give everyone two ochre cloaks of the type that you havemade for Saradananda, and see that clothing is kept clean.4. Anyone wishing to be a Sannyasin should be admitted as aBrahmacharin first. He should live one year at the Math and oneyear outside, after which he may be initiated into Sannyasa.5. Make over charge of the worship to one of theseBrahmacharins, and change them now and then.
DEPARTMENTS
There shall be the following departments in the Math:I. Study . II. Propaganda . III. Religious Practice .I.Study The object of this department is to provide books andteachers for those who want to study. Every morning andevening the teachers should be ready for them.II. Propaganda Within the Math, and abroad. The preachers inthe Math should teach the inquirers by reading out scriptures tothem and by means of question?classes. The preachers abroadwill preach from village to village and try to start Maths like theabove in different places.III. Religious Practice This department will try to provide thosewho want to practise with the requisites for this. But it should notbe allowed that because one has taken to religious practice hewill prevent others from study or preaching. Any one infringingthis rule shall be immediately asked to clear out, and this isimperative.The preachers at home should give lessons on devotion,knowledge, Yoga, and work by turns; for this, the days andhours should be fixed, and the routine hung up at the door ofthe class?room. That is to say, a seeker after devotion may notpresent himself on the day fixed for knowledge and feelwounded thereby; and so on.
None of you are fit for the Vamachara form of practice.Therefore this should on no account be practised at the Math.Anyone demurring to this must step out of this Order. This formof practice must never even be mentioned in the Math. Ruinshall seize the wicked man, both here and hereafter, who wouldintroduce vile Vamachara into His fold!
SOME GENERAL REMARKS
1. If any woman comes to have a talk with a Sannyasin, sheshould do it in the Visitors' Hall. No woman shall be allowed toenter any other room except the Worship?room.2. No Sannyasin shall be allowed to reside in the Women'sMath. Anyone refusing to obey this rule shall be expelled fromthe Math. "Better an empty fold than a wicked herd."3. Men of evil character shall be rigorously kept out. On nopretence shall their shadow even cross the threshold of myroom. If anyone amongst you become wicked, turn him out atonce, whoever he be. We want no black sheep. The Lord willbring lots of good people.4. Any woman can come to the class?room (or preaching hall)during class time or preaching hour, but must leave the placedirectly when that period is over.5. Never show temper, or harbour jealousy, or backbite another
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in secret. It would be the height of cruelty and hard?heartedness to take note of others' shortcoming instead ofrectifying one's own.6. There should be fixed hours of meals. Everyone must have aseat and a low dining table. He will sit on the former and put hisplate on the latter, as is the custom in Rajputana.
THE OFFICE?BEARERS
All the office?bearers you should elect by ballot, as was themandate of Lord Buddha. That is to say, one should proposethat such and such should be the President this year; and allshould write on bits of paper 'yes' or 'no' and put them in apitcher. If the 'yes' have a majority, he should be electedPresident, and so on. Though you should elect office?bearers inthis way, yet I suggest that this year Brahmananda should bePresident, Nirmalananda, Secretary and Treasurer, SadanandaLibrarian, and Ramakrishnananda, Abhedananda, Turiyananda,and Trigunatitananda should take charge of the teaching andpreaching work by turns, and so on.It is no doubt a good idea that Trigunatita has of starting amagazine. But I shall consent to it if only you can work jointly.
About doctrines and so forth I have to say only this, that ifanyone accepts Paramahamsa Deva as Avatara etc., it is allright; if he doesn't do so, it is just the same. The truth about it isthat in point of character, Paramahamsa Deva beats allprevious records; and as regards teaching, he was more liberal,more original, and more progressive than all his predecessors.In other words, the older Teachers were rather one?sided, whilethe teaching of this new Incarnation or Teacher is that the bestpoint of Yoga, devotion, knowledge, and work must becombined now so as to form a new society. . . . The older oneswere no doubt good, but this is the new religion of this age thesynthesis of Yoga, knowledge, devotion, and work thepropagation of knowledge and devotion to all, down to the verylowest, without distinction of age or sex. The previousIncarnations were all right, but they have been synthesised inthe person of Ramakrishna. For the ordinary man and thebeginner, steady devotion (Nishtha) to an ideal is of paramountimportance. That is to say, teach them that all greatPersonalities should be duly honoured, but homage should bepaid now to Ramakrishna. There can be no vigour withoutsteady devotion. Without it one cannot preach with the intensityof a Mahavira (Hanuman). Besides, the previous ones havebecome rather old. Now we have a new India, with its new God,new religion, and new Vedas. When, O Lord, shall our land befree from this eternal dwelling upon the past? Well, a littlebigotry also is a necessity. But we must harbour no antagonisticfeelings towards others.If you consider it wise to be guided by my ideas and if you followthese rules, then I shall supply on all necessary funds. . . .Moreover, please show this letter to Gour?Ma, Yogin?Ma, andothers, and through them establish a Women's Math. Let Gour?Ma be the President there for one year, and so on. But none ofyou shall be allowed to visit the place. They will manage theirown affairs. They will not have to work at your dictation. I shallsupply all necessary expenses for that work also.
May the Lord guide you in the right direction! Two persons went
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to see the Lord Jagannatha. One of them beheld the Deity whilethe other saw some trash that was haunting his mind! Myfriends, many have no doubt served the Master, but wheneveranyone would be disposed to consider himself an extraordinarypersonage, he should think that although he was associatedwith Shri Ramakrishna, he has seen only the trash that wasuppermost in his mind! Were it not so, he would manifest theresults. The Master himself used to quote, "They would sing anddance in the name of the Lord but come to grief in the end." Theroot of that degeneration is egotism to think that one is just asgreat as any other, indeed! "He used to love me too!" one wouldplead. Alas, Nick Bottom, would you then be thus translated?Would such a man envy or quarrel with another and degradehimself? Bear in mind that through His grace lots of men will beturned out with the nobility of gods ay, wherever His mercywould drop! . . . Obedience is the first duty. Well, just do withalacrity what I ask you to. Let me see how you carry out thesefew small things. Then gradually great things will come to pass.Yours,Vivekananda. PS. Please read the contents of this letter to all, and let meknow whether you consider the suggestions worth carrying out.Please tell Brahmananda that he who is the servant of all istheir true master. He never becomes a leader in whose lovethere is a consideration of high or low. He whose love knows noend, and never stops to consider high or low, has the wholeworld lying at his feet.
V.
To Mr. E.T. Sturdy
WAVENEY MANSIONS, FAIRHAZEL GARDENS, LONDON N.W. April, 1896 Thursday Afternoon.DEAR STURDY,
I forgot to tell you in the morning that Prof. Max Müller alsooffered in his letter to me to do everything he could if I went tolecture at Oxford.
Yours affectionately,
VIVEKANANDA.
PS. Have you written for the ArtharvaVeda Samhita edited byShankara Pandurang?
V
To Mrs. Ole Bull
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63 St George's RoadLondon. S.W.May 8, 1896Dear Mrs. BullYour last letter to Sturdy at hand. They, I am sorry to say, leaveus nowhere. I could not make anything out of them.What are we to do? Is the book going to be published or not?Prof. [William] James's introduction 110 is of no use in England.So why wait so long for that; and what use are those longexplanations about him?Our hands are tied down. Why do you not write something plainand decisive? Life is short and time is flying. I am so sorry youare losing sight of that. Your letters are full of explanations [and]directions, but not one word about what is to be done!!! Somuch red tape about printing a little book!! Empires aremanaged with less manipulation than that, I am sure!! So kindlywrite at your earliest something precise about the book andwhether it is going to be printed or not, and pray make thewriting a little legible.Poor Sturdy is out of his wits as to what to do; he has gonethrough the Mss. long ago.Joking apart, I am very sorry you are not coming over this year.We are in Lady Isabel's house. 111 Miss [Henrietta] Muller hastaken some rooms in it too. Goodwin is here with us. We havenot yet made any big stir here. The classes have begun; theyare not yet what we expected. We [have] had only two yet.We will work on steadily the next 4 or 5 months. Sturdy is aspatient and persevering and hopeful as ever.It is cool enough here yet to have a fire in the grate.Give my love to Mrs. Adams, Miss Thursby and all other friends.My love to Mr. Fox and blessings.Yours with love and blessings,Vivekananda
To Professor John Henry Wright
63 St. George's RoadLondon, S.W.
16th May, 1896.
Dear Adhyapakji*, Last mail brought the very very sad news of the blow that hasfallen on you.This is the world my brother this illusion of Maya the Lord aloneis true. The forms are evanescent; but the spirit, being in theLord and of the Lord, is immortal and omnipresent. All that weever had are round us this minute, for the spirit can neithercome nor go, it only changes its plane of manifestation.You are strong and pure and so is Mrs. Wright, and I am surethat the Divine in you has arisen and thrown away the lie anddelusion that there can be death for anyone."He who sees in this world of manifoldness that one support ofeverything, in the midst of a world of unconsciousness that oneeternal consciousness, in this evanescent world that one eternal
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and unchangeable, unto him belongs eternal peace."May the peace of the Lord descend upon you and yours inabundance is the prayer of
Your ever loving friend,Vivekananda.
*The letter was written on the death of his daughter, aged 16
To Mrs. Ole Bull
63 St. George's Road, London,30th May, 1896.Dear Mrs. Bull,. . . Day before yesterday I had a fine visit with Prof. Max Muller.He is a saintly man and looks like a young man in spite of hisseventy years, and his face is without a wrinkle. I wish I had halfhis love for India and Vedanta. At the same time he is a friend ofYoga too and believes in it. Only he has no patience withhumbugs.Above all, his reverence for Ramakrishna Paramahamsa isextreme, and he has written an article on him for the NineteenthCentury . He asked me, "What are you doing to make himknown to the world?" Ramakrishna has charmed him for years.Is it not good news? . . . Things are going on here slowly but steadily. I am to begin fromnext Sunday my public lectures.Yours ever in grateful affection,Vivekananda.
To Miss. Mary Hale
63 ST. GEORGE'S ROAD, LONDON, S.W., 30th May, 1896.DEAR MARY, Your letter reached just now. Of course, you were not jealousbut all of a sudden were inspired with sympathy for poor India.Well, you need not be frightened. Wrote a letter to MotherChurch weeks ago, but have not been able to get a line fromher yet. I am afraid the whole party have taken orders andentered a Catholic convent — four old maids are enough todrive any mother to a convent. I had a beautiful visit with Prof.Max Müller. He is a saint — a Vedantist through and through.What think you? He has been a devoted admirer of my oldMaster for years. He has written an article on my Master in TheNineteenth Century, which will soon come out. We had long talkon Indian things. I wish I had half his love for India. We aregoing to start another little magazine here. What about TheBrahmavadin? Are you pushing it? If four pushful old maidscannot push a journal, I am blowed. You will hear from me nowand then. I am not a pin to be lost under a bushel. I am having
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classes here just now. I begin Sunday lectures from next week.The classes are very big and are in the house. We have rentedit for the season. Last night I made a dish. It was such adelicious mixture of saffron, lavender, mace, nutmeg, cubebs,cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cream, limejuice, onions, raisins,almonds, pepper, and rice, that I myself could not eat it. Therewas no asafoetida, though that would have made it smoother toswallow. Yesterday I went to a marriage à la mode. Miss Müller, a richlady, a friend who has adopted a Hindu boy and to help mywork has taken rooms in this house, took us to see it. One ofher nieces was married to somebody's nephew I suppose. Whattiring nonsense! I am glad you do not marry. Goodbye, love toall. No more time as I am going to lunch with Miss MacLeod.
Yours ever affectionately,
VIVEKANANDA
63 ST. GEORGE'S ROAD, LONDON, May, 1896.DEAR SISTER, In London once more. The climate now in England is nice andcool. We have fire in the grate. We have a whole house toourselves, you know, this time. It is small but convenient, and inLondon they do not cost so much as in America. Don't you knowwhat I was thinking — about your mother! I just wrote her aletter and duly posted it to her, care of Monroe & Co., 7 RueScribe, Paris. Some old friends are here, and Miss MacLeodcame over from the Continent. She is good as gold, and as kindas ever. We have a nice little family, in the house, with anothermonk from India. Poor man! — a typical Hindu with nothing ofthat pluck and go which I have, he is always dreamy and gentleand sweet! That won't do. I will try to put a little activity into him.I have had two classes already — they will go on for four or fivemonths and after that to India I go. But it is to Amerique — therewhere the heart is. I love the Yankee land. I like to see newthings. I do not care a fig to loaf about old ruins and mope a lifeout about old histories and keep sighing about the ancients. Ihave too much vigour in my blood for that. In America is theplace, the people, the opportunity for everything. I have becomehorribly radical. I am just going to India to see what I can do inthat awful mass of conservative jellyfish, and start a new thing,entirely new — simple, strong, new and fresh as the first bornbaby. The eternal, the infinite, the omnipresent, the omniscientis a principle, not a person. You, I, and everyone are butembodiments of that principle, and the more of this infiniteprinciple is embodied in a person, the greater is he, and all inthe end will be the perfect embodiment of that and thus all willbe one as they are now essentially. This is all there is ofreligion, and the practice is through this feeling of oneness thatis love. All old fogy forms are mere old superstitions. Now, whystruggle to keep them alive? Why give thirsty people ditchwaterto drink whilst the river of life and truth flows by? This is onlyhuman selfishness, nothing else. Life is short — time is flying —that place and people where one's ideas work best should be
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the country and the people for everyone. Ay, for a dozen boldhearts, large, noble, and sincere! I am very well indeed and enjoying life immensely.
Yours ever with love,
VIVEKANANDA
To Swami Ramakrishnananda
(Original in Bengali)
C/O E. T. STURDY, ESQ. HIGH VIEW, CAVERSHAM, READING, May (?) 1896.DEAR SHASHI,
. . . This City of London is a sea of human heads — ten orfifteen Calcuttas put together. One is apt to be lost in the mazesunless he arranges for somebody to meet him on arrival. . . .However, let Kali start at once. If he be late in starting likeSharat, better let no one come. It won't do to loiter andprocrastinate like that. It is a task that requires the height ofRajas (activity). . . . Our whole country is steeped in Tamas, andnothing but that. We want Rajas first, and Sattva will comeafterwards — a thing far, far removed.
Yours affectionately,
VIVEKANANDA
To Mrs. Bull
63 St. George's Road, London S.W.5th June, 1896.Dear Mrs. Bull,The RajaYoga book is going on splendidly. Saradananda goesto the States soon.I do not like any one whom I love to become a lawyer, althoughmy father was one. My Master was against it, and I believe thatthat family is sure to come to grief where there are severallawyers. Our country is full of them; the universities turn themout by the hundreds. What my nation wants is pluck andscientific genius. So I want Mohin to be an electrician. Even ifhe fails in life, still I will have the satisfaction that he strove tobecome great and really useful to his country. . . . In Americaalone there is something in the air which brings out whatever isbest in every one. . . . I want him to be daring, bold, and tostruggle to cut a new path for himself and his nation. Anelectrical engineer can make a living in India.Yours with love,Vivekananda.PS. Goodwin is writing to you this mail with reference to amagazine in America. I think something of the sort is necessary
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to keep the work together, and shall of course do all that I can tohelp it on in the line he suggests. . . . I think it very probable that he will come over withSaradananda.
To Sister Nivedita
63 ST. GEORGE'S ROAD, LONDON, 7th June, 1896.DEAR MISS NOBLE,My ideal indeed can be put into a few words and that is: topreach unto mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifestin every movement of life. This world is in chain of superstition. I pity the oppressed,whether man or woman, and I pity more the oppressors. One idea that I see clear as daylight is that misery is caused byignorance and nothing else. Who will give the world light?Sacrifice in the past has been the Law, it will be, alas, for agesto come. The earth's bravest and best will have to sacrificethemselves for the good of many, for the welfare of all. Buddhasby the hundred are necessary with eternal love and pity. Religions of the world have become lifeless mockeries. Whatthe world wants is character. The world is in need of thosewhose life is one burning love, selfless. That love will makeevery word tell like thunderbolt. It is no superstition with you, I am sure, you have the making inyou of a worldmover, and others will also come. Bold wordsand bolder deeds are what we want. Awake, awake, great ones!The world is burning with misery. Can you sleep? Let us calland call till the sleeping gods awake, till the god within answersto the call. What more is in life? What greater work? The detailscome to me as I go. I never make plans. Plans grow and workthemselves. I only say, awake, awake! May all blessings attend you for ever!
Yours affectionately,
VIVEKANANDA.
To Swami Ramakrishnananda
(Original in Bengali)
63 ST. GEORGE'S ROAD, LONDON S.W., 24th June, 1896.DEAR SHASHI, Max Müller wants all the sayings of Shri Ramakrishna classified,that is, all on Karma in one place, on Vairagya in another place,so on Bhakti, Jnana, etc., etc. You must undertake to do thisforthwith. ... We must take care to present only the universalaspect of his teachings. . . . Sharat starts for America tomorrow. The work here is coming to
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a head. We have already got funds to start a London Centre.Next month I go to Switzerland to pass a month or two there,then I shall return to London. What will be the good of my goinghome? — This London is the hub of the world. The heart ofIndia is here. How can I leave without laying a sure foundationhere? Nonsense! For the present, I shall have Kali here, tell himto be ready. ... We want great spirit, tremendous energy, and boundlessenthusiasm, no womanishness will do. Try to go on exactly as Iwrote to you in my last. We want organisation. Organisation ispower, and the secret of this is obedience. Yours affectionately,
VIVEKANANDA
To Swami Ramakrishnananda
(Original in Bengali)
HIGH VIEW,CAVERSHAM, READING, 3rd July, 1896.DEAR SHASHI, Send Kali to England as soon as you get this letter. . . . He willhave to bring some books for me. I have only got RigVedaSamhitâ. Ask him to bring the YajurVeda, SâmaVeda,AtharvaSamhita, as many of the Brâhmanas as he can get,beginning with the Shatapatha, some of the Sutras, and Yâska'sNirukta. . . . Let there be no delay as in Sharat's case, but let Kali come atonce. Sharat has gone to America, as he had no work to dohere. That is to say, he was late by six months, and then whenhe came, I was here. . . . Yours affectionately,
VIVEKANANDA
To Mrs. Ole Bull
63 St. George's Road, London, S.W.6th July 1896Dear Mrs. BullI have sent to Mr. Leggett by last mail the power of attorney,and, as you desired, this is to notify you of the fact and absolveyou from the responsibilities of the power of attorney which Igave you in America last year.Yours affectionately,VivekanandaSaradananda and Goodwin have arrived, I am sure, by thistime. I have a nice letter from Dr. Jain [Dr. Lewis G. Janes]. I amgoing to Switzerland for a vacation in a few days. I mean to staythere a month or more. I will return to London in the next fall. I
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do not know when I go back to India.Things are growing nicely here.With love to all,Yours affectionately,Vivekananda
To Mr. Francis Leggett
63 ST. GEORGE'S ROAD, LONDON S.W., 6th July, 1896.DEAR FRANKINCENSE, . . . Things are going on with me very well on this side of theAtlantic. The Sunday lectures were quite successful; so were theclasses. The season has ended and I too am thoroughlyexhausted. I am going to make a tour in Switzerland with MissMüller. The Galsworthys have been very very kind. Joe (MissJosephine MacLeod, also referred to as Joe.) brought themround splendidly. I simply admire Joe in her tact and quiet way.She is a feminine statesman or woman. She can wield akingdom. I have seldom seen such strong yet good commonsense in a human being. I will return next autumn and take upthe work in America. The night before last I was at a party at Mrs. Martin's, aboutwhom you must already know a good deal from Joe. Well, the work is growing silently yet surely in England. Almostevery other man or woman came to me and talked about thework. This British Empire with all its drawbacks is the greatestmachine that ever existed for the dissemination of ideas. I meanto put my ideas in the centre of this machine, and they willspread all over the world. Of course, all great work is slow, andthe difficulties are too many, especially as we Hindus are theconquered race. Yet, that is the very reason why it is bound towork, for spiritual ideals have always come from thedowntrodden. Jews overwhelmed the Roman Empire with theirspiritual ideals. You will be pleased to know that I am alsolearning my lessons every day in patience and, above all, insympathy. I think I am beginning to see the Divine, even insidethe high and mighty AngloIndians. I think I am slowlyapproaching to that state when I should be able to love the very"Devil" himself, if there were any. At twenty years of age I was the most unsympathetic,uncompromising fanatic; I would not walk on the footpath on thetheatre side of the streets in Calcutta. At thirtythree, I can live inthe same house with prostitutes and never would think of sayinga word of reproach to them. Is it degenerate? Or is it that I ambroadening out into the Universal Love which is the LordHimself? Again I have heard that if one does not sea the evilround him he cannot do good work — he lapses into a sort offatalism. I do not see that. On the other hand, my power of workis immensely increasing and becoming immensely effective.Some days I get into a sort of ecstasy. I feel that I must blessevery one, everything, love and embrace everything, and I dosee that evil is a delusion. I am in one of these moods now,dear Francis, and am actually shedding tears of joy at thethought of you and Mrs. Leggett's love and kindness to me. I
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bless the day I was born. I have had so much of kindness andlove here, and that Love Infinite that brought me into being hasguarded every one of my actions, good or bad, (don't befrightened), for what am I, what was I ever, but a tool in Hishands, for whose service I have given up everything, mybeloved ones, my joys, my life? He is my playful darling, I amHis playfellow. There is neither rhyme nor reason in theuniverse! That reason binds Him? He the playful one is playingthese tears and laughters over all parts of the play! Great fun,great fun, as Joe says. It is a funny world, and the funniest chap you ever saw is He —the Beloved Infinite! Fun, is it not? Brotherhood orplaymatehood — a school of romping children let out to play inthis playground of the world! Isn't it? Whom to praise, whom toblame, it is all His play. They want explanations, but how canyou explain Him? He is brainless, nor has He any reason. He isfooling us with little brains and reason, but this time He won'tfind me napping. I have learnt a thing or two: Beyond, beyond reason andlearning and talking is the feeling, the "Love", the "Beloved". Ay,saké, fill up the cup and we will be mad. Yours ever in madness,
VIVEKANANDA
(Swami Vivekananda enclosed the following document with theabove letter written to Francis Leggett.)
63 ST. GEORGE'S ROAD, LONDON, S.W.6th July 1896TO FRANCIS LEGGETT, ESQ.DEAR SIR,
Herewith I constitute you as my attorney and representative inregards to all publication pamphlets etc., written or dictated byme, their copyright, sale, etc., in the U.S. of America.
Yours affectionately,
VIVEKANANDA
To Dr. Lewis I. Janes
63 ST. GEORGE'S ROAD, LONDON, S.W. 6th July, 1896.DEAR FRIEND AND BROTHER, (To Dr. Lewis I. Janes.) Yours of the 25th June has duly reached and gave me greatpleasure. I am so glad to see the noble work progressing. I hadlearnt with the greatest delight from Mrs. Bull of the work that isgoing to be done in Cambridge this winter and no better personcould have been selected to direct it as yourself. May all powerattend you. I will be only too glad to write for the magazine fromtime to time and my first instalment was to be in a few weeks,when I hope to get some leisure. Certainly it goes without
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saying that no one of the types we call religious ought to die —they like races require fresh infusion of blood in the form ofideas. It is wonderful to be able to sympathise with others fromtheir standpoints of view. By this time Goodwin and the other Swami must have reachedAmerica. They I trust will be of help to you in your noble work.Godspeed to all good work and infinite blessings on all workersfor good.
Yours ever in the truth,
VIVEKANANDA.
To Mrs. G. W. Hale
July 7, 1896Dear Mother[On the] 18th of this month I start for Switzerland for a holiday. Iwill come back to London again to work in the Autumn. Thework in England bids fair to be much better and deeper than inthe U.S. And here in London is the heart of India also. Whereare you now? I am passing through Geneva on my way to theHills. I will be there a day or two.If you be somewhere near, I will make it a point to come to seeyou. Did you hear Annie Besant? How did you like her? Whatabout your plans of going to India next winter? What about theinnocents 113 at home? I haven't had any news of them. Mylove to Father Pope, Mother Temple 114 and yourself. Kindlyanswer as I will be only a few days here.Ever yours with love and gratitude,Vivekananda
To the Hale sisters
LONDON, 7th July, 1896.DEAR BABIES, The work here progressed wonderfully. I had one monk herefrom India. I have sent him to the U.S.A. and sent for anotherfrom India. The season is closed; the classes, therefore, and theSunday lectures are to be closed on the 16th next. And on the19th I go for a month or so for quiet and rest in the SwissMountains to return next autumn to London and begin again.The work here has been very satisfactory. By rousing interesthere I really do more for India than in India. Mother wrote to methat if you could rent your flat, she would be glad to take youwith her to see Egypt. I am going with three English friends tothe Swiss Hills. Later on, towards the end of winter, I expect togo to India with some English friends who are going to live in mymonastery there, which, by the by, is in the air yet. It isstruggling to materialise somewhere in the Himalayas. Where are You? Now the summer is in full swing, even London
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is getting very hot. Kindly give my best love to Mrs. Adams, Mrs.Conger, and all the rest of my friends in Chicago.
Your affectionate brother,
VIVEKANANDA
To Mrs. Ole Bull
63 St. George's Road, London S.W.,8th July, 1896.Dear Mrs. Bull,The English people are very generous. In three minutes' timethe other evening, my class raised 150 for the new quarters fornext autumn's work. They would have given 500 on the spot ifwanted, but we want to go slow, and not rush into expense.There will be many hands here to carry on the work, and theyunderstand a bit of renunciation, herethe deep Englishcharacter.Yours with best wishes,Vivekananda.
A letter to the editor, which appeared in the July 11, 1896 issueof the Light
63, ST. GEORGE'SROAD, S.W.SIR,
Allow me to put a few words in your estimable journal ascomments on an article in your paper dated July 4th. I mustthank you without reserve for the kind and friendly spiritmanifested throughout the article towards me and thephilosophy I preach; but, as there is a fear of misconstruction inone part of it — especially by my Spiritualistic friends — I wantto clear my position. The truth of correspondence between theliving and the dead is, I believe, in every religion, and nowheremore than in the Vedantic sects of India, where the fact ofmutual help between the departed and the living has beenmade the basis of the law of inheritance. I would be very sorry ifI be mistaken as antagonistic to any sect or form of religion, sofar as they are sincere. Nor do I hold that any system can everbe judged by the frauds and failures that would naturally gatherround every method under the present circumstances. But, allthe same, I cannot but believe that every thoughtful personwould agree with me when I affirm that people should bewarned of their dangers, with love and sympathy. The lecturealluded to could but accidentally touch the subject ofSpiritualism; but I take this opportunity of conveying my deepadmiration for the Spiritualist community for the positive goodthey have done already, and are doing still: (1) the preaching ofa universal sympathy; (2) the still greater work of helping thehuman race out of doctrines which inculcate fear and not love.
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Ever ready to cooperate with, and at the service of, all who arestriving to bring the light of the spirit,
I remain yours sincerely,
VIVE KANANDA
To Dr. Nanjunda Rao
ENGLAND,14th July, 1896.DEAR DR. NANJUNDA RAO,The numbers of Prabuddha Bharata have been received anddistributed too to the class. It is very satisfactory. It will have agreat sale, no doubt, in India. In America I may get also anumber of subscribers. I have already arranged for advertising itin America and Goodyear has done it already. But here inEngland the progress will be slower indeed. The great drawbackhere is — they all want to start papers of their own; and it isright that it should be so, seeing that, after all, no foreigner willever write the English language as well as the nativeEnglishman, end the ideas, when put in good English, willspread farther than in Hindu English. Then again it is muchmore difficult to write a story in a foreign language than anessay. I am trying my best to get you subscribers here. But youmust not depend on any foreign help. Nations, like individuals,must help themselves. This is real patriotism. If a nation cannotdo that, its time has not yet come. It must wait. It is from Madrasthat the new light must spread all over India. With this end youmust stork. One point I will remark however. The cover is simplybarbarous. It is awful and hideous. If it is possible, change it.Make it symbolical and simple, without human figures at all. Thebanyan tree does not mean awakening, nor does the hill, northe saint, nor the European couple. The lotus is a symbol ofregeneration. We are awfully behindhand in art especially in that of painting.For instance, make a small scene of spring reawakening in aforest, showing how the leaves and buds are coming again.Slowly go on, there are hundreds of ideas to be put forward.You see the symbol I made for the RajaYoga, printed byLongman Green and Co. You can get it at Bombay. It consistsof my lectures on RajaYoga in New York. I am going to Switzerland next Sunday, and shall return toLondon in the autumn, and take up the work again. . . . I wantrest very badly, you know.
Yours with all blessings etc.,
VIVEKANANDA.
To Rev. Haweis *
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63 St George's Road, London SW17th July (1896)
Dear Friend
Many many thanks for your very instructive book. I have been going through a few pages already and havealready learned a few great and beautiful lessons. One speciallywhere you insist that the life of Lord Jesus is the onlycommentary to his teachings and whenever the teachings asrecorded contradict the life we are sure that the record waswrong. That is wonderful insight and Keen reason. I am sure toread the book several times over and learn many a lesson. May
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the Lord speak through you long for the world needs andnever more than now, inspired souls like yourself.Ever yours in the Lord.Vivekananda
* Not found in the Complete Works. Click here to read more details >>
To Mrs. Ole Bull
63 St. George's Road, London 18th July '96Dear Mrs. Bull,I received your last note dulyand you already know mygratitude and love for you and that I perfectly agree with most ofyour ideas and work.I did not understand, however, one point. You speak of Sturdyand myself being members. Members of what? I, as you wellknow, can not become a member of any society.I am very glad to learn that you have been favourablyimpressed by Saradananda. There is one big mistake you arelabouring under. What do you mean of [my] writing to myworkers more confidentially and not to you? I seldom write toanyoneI have no time to write. I have no workers. Everyone isindependent to work as one likes. I do not bother my headabout these little things at all. I can give ideasthat is all; letpeople work them out any way they like, and Godspeed to all."He who works unattached to persons and giving up the fruits ofwork is a genuine worker"Gita.Yours Ever with love and gratitude,Vivekananda
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