Swami Vivekananda and the world – 4

Swami Vivekananda and the world – 4

- in Leadership
0
Comments Off on Swami Vivekananda and the world – 4
swami-vivekanand-g

swami-vivekanand-g

“They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.”
By Kanchan Banerjee

America and the world in late 18th century

Let us for a moment go back in history.  What was happening in late 19th century?

Over a century passed since the American Independence. As a beacon light to the world for liberty and human dignity America led the new world. But slavery and lack of freedom of women was still stifling the American society.

 In medieval Europe rule of Church and poverty together forced people to leave the continent and ended up arriving in America for better fortune.

Yet, the British colonialism and control of church in everything was still in force until 1776 and then the Bill of Rights for the separation of church and state in 1791.

Yet, science was deeply undermined by church for one important reason – Science was heading to completely become a secular field to study the material world. It achieved a lot.

Yet, in the religious field there was struggle of orthodoxy and liberalism and conflict of religion with science since the days of Galileo was still in full effect in mid 1800s.

Much of technological and societal progress happened around the world and more specifically in America during this time.

Stevenson built his first locomotive engine in 1814 and Railway was no more a new phenomenon in America.

The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848.

Henry Bessemer invents process that allows mass production of steel in 1856.

India has the First War of Indian Independence in 1857.

Charles Darwin published his Origin of species in 1859.

The American civil war began in 1861.

Narendranath, the future Swami Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863.

Henry Ford was born during the same year. 

Edison was born in 1864.

The Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War took place in 1863.

President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

 Slavery was abolished in the US in 1865.

The Natural laws of heredity were presented by Gregor Mendel.

The Dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel in 1866.

Christopher Scholes invented the first practical and modern typewriter in 1867.

Jon Hyatt first developed celluloid, the first successful plastic in 1868.

Gandhiji was born in 1869.

Lenin was born in 1870.

Birth or Lord Rutherford, father of Nuclear physics.

15th Amendment of the US constitution was ratified, giving Blacks but not women the right to vote. 

Sri Aurobindo was born in 1872.

Graham Bell invents the telephone in 1876

William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, commissioned by Thomas Alva Edison, builds the first motion-picture camera and names it the Kinetograph in 1889.

The first design for an American automobile with a gasoline internal combustion engine was made in 1877 by George Selden.

Albert Einstein was born in 1879.

In November 1894, the Indian physicist, Jagadish Chandra Bose, demonstrated publicly the use of radio waves in Calcutta.

The Wright brothers are yet to have their first flight (1903).

To sum up the world scene – America is recovering from the devastating Civil War. Science and new technology was questioning the very roots of religious beliefs and dogmas. In addition, the new evolution theory of Darwin was challenging conventional American thought and religion. America and the whole Western world needed a philosophy that could harmonize science with humanism and experiences of the inner spirit.

At this important moment of history, the World’s Fair: Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World in 1492. This fair was more a show-case of achievements in science and technology. However, the religious world did not want to fall behind and they organized a World Parliament of Religions.  Representatives of various religions from around the world were invited to speak at the parliament.

Chicago 911

It was September 11, 1893 at the first World Parliament of Religions at the Art institute of Chicago.

Vivekananda, after repeatedly declining request to speak at last finally stood up to speak.  As soon as he uttered his opening greetings: ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’, he put about 5,000 strong audience of academics, intellectuals and religious leaders in awe. He could not speak for several minutes of standing ovation. It has been recorded that ‘a peal of applause that lasted for several minutes’.

After silence was restored, he delivered his historic address. His elegance, eloquence and delivery mesmerized the people. He briefly claimed that he represented the ‘mother of religions’, that is Hinduism, and recounted historical benevolent role of his motherland and noted that India ‘…has sheltered persecuted peoples of all religions and all nations of the earth’; ‘gathered in its bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites who took refuge’ when their holy temple was shattered to pieces and ‘sheltered and still fosters the remnant of grand Zoroastrian nation’.

Rev. John Henry Burrows, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago and a chief organizer of the parliament, wrote:  “Swami Vivekananda’s three speeches undoubtedly drew most attention from the American public.”

The Media reported:  ‘Vivekananda’s address before the parliament was broad as the heavens above us, embracing the best in all religions, as the ultimate universal religion’.  An attendee of the event said as he emerged from the great hall:  “That man a heathen! And we send missionaries to his people! It would be more fitting that they send missionaries to us “.

Swamiji’s historic speech changed the global religious discourse forever.  He put forth practical and true spirituality at the highest place of human endeavors. Until the Parliament in 1893 – science was still undermined by religion. Swami Vivekananda on one hand challenged ‘blind belief’ based religion or a ‘belief system’ and introduced the term ‘science of spirituality’ – which he said must also be as verifiable as any other science.

Will Durant later noted that Swamiji :“..addressed the meeting as a representative of Hinduism and captured every one by his magnificent presence, his gospel of the unity of all religions and his simple ethics of human service as the best worship of God; atheism became noble religion under the inspiration of his eloquence, and orthodox clergymen found themselves honouring a ‘heathen’ who said there was no other God than the souls of living things. “

That means that he redefined the meaning and role of spirituality!

Author Eleanor Stark noted: “Columbus discovered the soil of America, but Vivekananda discovered the soul of America.’

Basically he conquered the West with his great oratory, deep knowledge and wisdom, giving hope to all.

One more thing happened in Chicago. James Ishmael Ford, American Zen Buddhist priest and Unitarian Universalist minister recently has revealed the agenda of that parliament:  “For many of the Christian and Unitarian organizers the barely hidden agenda was to show the superiority of Protestant Christianity. But that show was, by universal acknowledgment, totally and completely stolen by the swami from Calcutta.”

It is now known that Rev John Henry Burrows, chief organizer of the parliament was explicitly committed to the superiority of Christianity as the universal religion, to the Bible as the universal book and to Jesus Christ as the universal savior.

The other most important thing to note that Swamiji was equally popular in the Science section of the fair where he surprised people with his knowledge of science and philosophy. He in a way helped via his talks and interactions with the eminent scientific community to rescue science from religious domination and made them familiar with the ancient Indian wisdom relating to the material world and creation.

Scientist Tesla was his close friend who apparently was challenged by the Swami to show how matter can be created from energy, which he could not and later Einstein’s ideas lead to show how energy can be generated from matter. 

(This is part 4 of ‘Swami Vivekananda and the world’ series which has 9 parts)

Click here to read Part 5

Click here to read Part 3

 

About the author

Kanchan co-founded the NGI platform and portal in 2008. Kanchan is a prominent NRI living in Boston, USA for over 3 decades. His interests include History, Neurology, Yoga, Politics and Future of mankind. His top hobbies are travelling, cooking and writing. Email: Kanchan@newglobalindian.com

You may also like

Do I want to be in PM Modi’s pocket?

Let me tell you the saga of my