Ambassador Manilal Tripathi's remarks on the occasion of Swami Vivekanandaﾕs 143rd Birth Anniversary celebrations organized by Nippon Vedanta Kyokai
on 5th June, 2005


Good afternoon everyone and thank you Swamiji for giving me this opportunity to be part of this congregation which has gathered to pay homage to the memory of Swami Vivekananda on the occasion of his 143rd birth anniversary.

2.    Swamiji has asked me to speak on Vivekanandaﾕs legacy on this occasion. I will, with deep feelings of humility and reverence, attempt to share some thoughts on Vivekanandaﾕs legacy. But, before I do that, kindly permit me to say a few words on Indiaﾕs millennia-old spiritual and cultural traditions.

3.    From the very beginning of our history, the defining feature of our culture has been its inclusive ethos of acceptance, accommodation and synthesis.

4.    The story of our civilization has been one of constant reconciliation and assimilation. Ever since  our civilization commenced its long and unbroken journey over five thousand years ago, the many streams of races and ethnicities,   faiths and philosophies, scholars and settlers, pilgrims and students that have poured into India in wave after wave have been received with open arms by our hospitable land where they have mixed and mingled in a harmonious confluence.

5.    It is this unique ethos of openness and acceptance that accounts for the richness and resilience of our culture.

6.    This spirit of openness has also permeated Indiaﾕs philosophical and spiritual traditions right from the Vedic times as reflected in the dictum of the Rig Veda that the Truth is one though the learned may describe it variously.

7.    This spiritual tradition has always acknowledged that the ultimate Truth may be larger than oneﾕs perception that the Truth is yet to be known in its fullness.  This intellectual attitude has fostered a spirit of equal respect for all religions and faiths.

8.    A long chain of Indian rulers, saints and seers have nurtured this concept of Sarvadharma Samabhav ﾐ acceptance of the equality of all religions -   equal respect for all faiths. 

9.    Emperor Ashoka, a Buddhist, attached particular importance to the promotion of a tolerant religious ethos during his rule in the 4th century B.C. He proclaimed in stone inscriptions throughout his empire that one can show true respect to oneﾕs own faith by showing equal respect to the faiths of others. 

10.    Later, in medieval times, this classical tradition of religious toleration was reaffirmed by the Bhakti movement which tried to bring about the reconciliation of the ONE with the MANY.  Kabir, a Muslim and an outstanding exponent of this movement, proclaimed the following: Oh saintly man, God is in the breath of all breaths.

11.    In the Sixteenth century, Akbar, the great Mughal emperor carried this tradition forward.  He promoted interfaith dialogue and used to personally preside over meetings of scholars representing different faiths to promote understanding and harmony among different religions.

12.    In recent times, this great tradition of religious plurality and harmony found a powerful echo in the teachings of Ramakrishna Pramahamsa and his pre-eminent disciple Swami Vivekananda.

13.    Before I talk about Swami Vivekananda, let me say a few words about the essence of the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, who reaffirmed the equal validity of all faiths in his own unique way.

14.    Sri Ramakrishna described religion as a path that one takes to reach a destination. There could be many paths to reach the same destination. He himself followed different paths shown by Hinduism, Christianity and Islam and strictly observed the discipline of each of these great religions for realizing God. Based on his personal experience, he proclaimed that all roads lead to the same goal.

15.     In many ways, Sri Ramakrishna represented the eternal soul of India and symbolized the distilled wisdom of our ancient civilization which has always recognized the plurality of paths that lead to the one Truth.

16.    The tallest among Ramakrishnaﾕs disciples, Vivekananda was his masterﾕs choice for taking on the responsibility of carrying forward this inclusive spiritual heritage of India.

17.    Vivekananda possessed an illumined intellect, a vast memory and a heart that was full of compassion for fellow human beings. He gave a new meaning to the position and the role of a monk. 

18.    Vivekananda was not a retiring or reticent figure.  He also did not have a superior attitude or a spiritual ego. His deep knowledge of the scriptures and his pragmatic approach in regard to beneficial actions placed him in a league all his own.  His plan of action incorporated selfless service to suffering millions with the realization of God both within this world and beyond it.

19.    It is said that, while talking about the essence of the Vaishnav faith, Ramakrishna had once emphasized the importance of showing compassion for all human beings as the best way of showing devotion to God.

20.    This concept of ﾔShiva Jnane Jiva Sevaﾕ- serving God in each living being ﾐ made a great impact on Vivekanandaﾕs mind and became a guiding principle for his future activities.

21.    When he founded the Ramakrishna Order, Vivekananda chose the following motto for the order: ﾒaatmano mokshaartha jagad dhitaaya chaﾓ  - for the realization  of the Self and for the benefit of the world.

22.    After inheriting Ramakrishnaﾕs legacy at the very young age of 22, Vivekananda extensively traveled all over India in July 1888 and July 1890 in the ancient tradition of the ﾔParivrajakaﾕ ﾐ the wandering monk  - to acquaint himself with the prevailing religious and social culture in different parts of India.

23.    He was greatly troubled to see the masses submerged in deep poverty, ignorance, illiteracy and superstition. He came to the conclusion that material progress, secular education and service to the sick must be added to meditation and spiritual practices for the attainment of the ultimate spiritual goal.

24.    Material progress and spiritual upliftment, he emphasized, are not mutually contradictory. For him the goal of religion was to bridge the gap between the two. He was also convinced that science and religion should join hands to usher in a new phase in human civilization.

25.    Vivekananda was a man of religion but his religion was not sectarian or narrow.  To him, ritual and ceremony, mystery and superstition, caste and discrimination were the very anti-thesis, the very negation of religion. He despised what he called the religion of the cooking ﾐpot; he ridiculed people who said: ﾒDo not touch me, I am holy.ﾓ

26.    Swami Vivekananda upheld the validity of all religions and their right to independent existence. Talking of the universality of religions, he had said, and I quote: ﾔOur watchword should be acceptance and not exclusion. Not only toleration but acceptance. I believe in acceptance. I accept all religions and I worship God in whatever form they worship Him.  I salute all the prophets of the past, all the great ones of the present and all that are to come in the futureﾕ.

27.    We all know about Swami Vivekanandaﾕs participation in the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in September 1893.  His participation in that congregation should perhaps be seen in the larger context of what he had set out to do in the aggregate. 

28.    What he had in mind was an integrated plan of action to effect radical and positive change in a number of interconnected areas concerning the human condition in totality.  A tremendous sense of purpose and of energy surged from within him towards this goal.

29.    In our spiritually troubled and turbulent times, when so much of irreligiosity is perpetuated in the name of religion, when one creedﾕs preferred path to find the same goal is claimed to be the superior path or even the only path, justifying chauvinism and intolerance, the simple words of eternal wisdom, that Sri Ramakrishna uttered and Vivekananda devoted his life time to spread, can guide us back to the path of sanity.

30.    This brings me to the end of my remarks on the legacy of Swami Vivekananda.  But before I conclude, I wish to once again thank Swamiji and all of you for associating me with this event dedicated to observing the 143rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

31.    I thank you for your attention.