-SWAMI VIMURTANANDA
Throughout history, great philosophers, revolutionaries, and visionaries have voiced the innermost yearnings of the people of their times and their compatriots have venerated them for their contributions. But the power and immediacy of their words is somewhat blunted by Time. Indeed, there are very few voices which are relevant for all time and traverse undiminished across Time in their original glory. Some such memorable deathless talks were delivered some time ago and I can tell you about them.
Let me introduce myself. I am Vaak Shakti, also known as Medha Shakti. I am that unassailable source of creative energy which emanates from a pure mind. My power is the same as the Divine Mother’s.
When the child Sambandar cried for his mother’s breast-milk, the Divine Mother fed him with the milk of wisdom, along with my power over the ‘word’ and the boy was transformed into Thiru Jnana Sambandar, one of the most prominent Nayanars — 63 Shaivaite saints — whose prolific devotional lyrics form the first three volumes of Tamil Shaiva Thirumurai. There are many others who were blessed thus by the grace of the ever-compassionate, all-knowing Divine Mother.
This happened hundreds of years ago, but I remember it as if it happened yesterday. Nammalwar, the great Vaishnava saint, while in a state of divine inebriation was reciting extempore the Pasurams or slokas which have the power to liberate the devotees. Each of these slokas — which are part of the Divya Prabandham, the Vaishnavite text containing the compositions of the 12 Alwars — emanated through my power for the upliftment of the devotees.
From the Akshara or non-destructible alphabets of any language, to the Akshara or the indestructible Brahman, I, the Vaak Shakti alone prevail in the universe.
I manifest as literature, painting, or any other visual work of art, through anyone who is ready to accept me. Through them I shower my blessings upon the world in the form of ennobling thoughts and enriching acts.
When Sri Rama in the Treta Yuga proclaimed, ‘It is my vow to protect all those who seek refuge in me’, my power fully manifested through him.
When in the Dwapara Yuga, Sri Krishna enunciated the Gita, then too I was present inseparably with him.
Again, in the present Kali Yuga, when Sri Ramakrishna blessed all his devotees, as the wish-fulfilling tree, ‘Tomader Chaitanya hok’ (in Bengali), or ‘May you all be illumined’, I was expressing myself through his words.
Sometimes, through some artists I express myself in a grand manner and then suddenly disappear without a trace. Sometimes I empower writers and poets to contribute exemplary works, looking upon which they later wonder if they were indeed its author. The reason for this is that they were capable of receiving and expressing my grace and blessings only for a short time during the course of their sadhana. There are some others who immerse themselves in the maze of rhetorical wordplay and sound-play and embroiled in that exercise lose their path like a mere straw tossed about in the fury of an ocean wave.
Even though my powers were expressed through many great men and women at various times, I waited for many years to express myself through a great personage who well-deserved my full attention, love, and appreciation. At last I found such a hero. It is an astonishing story of how I blazed forth through him to remove the darkness of this universe.
It was a time when the material treasures of Bharata Varsha were being plundered and its spiritual treasures were under siege by the western culture. People of the land were losing faith in their heritage and in themselves. The so-called erudite people were shallow echoes of foreign voices and there was none through whom I could manifest my powers and energy. I patiently waited for long.
It was then that this hero arrived. He was a rishi of yore and he had the mind-set of a modern international leader of men. He was Swami Vivekananda.
I will speak of the day he burst upon this world like a thunderbolt, awakening mankind from its crass materialism into the divine realms of the Spirit.
But before that I have to tell you something of the background. When Vivekananda reached the city of Chicago in America to participate in the World’s Parliament of Religions, he had to confront three problems: The Parliament of Religions was still one month away and he had no friends or money to support himself that long. Admission to the Parliament was possible only with a proper introduction and he did not have any such reference. And finally, the last date for registering for the Parliament was long over.
But, his inner voice always asserted that the Parliament meet was happening only for him. He believed wholeheartedly that the world was waiting to receive his universal message of harmony and faith. I was overjoyed to be with this self-confident lion of a man.
It was 11 September 1893 the inauguration of the World’s Parliament of Religions. On the platform there were wise men from across the world. As most of them had a sectarian mind-set, they failed to express my power of Vaak for the good of the whole humanity.
Vivekananda was sitting on that stage. Though he appeared to be a little nervous, I knew he would be my worthy conduit. I had seen him as a youth – meditating, praying, and chanting the Vedic truths with reverberating power. Moreover, he was the recipient of his guru Sri Ramakrishna’s full powers.
And what a guru he was! Day and night he would pour out burning words of renunciation and soothing divine wisdom. If asked ‘How can you continuously speak such words of wisdom?’, he would reply with a divine smile, ‘As one keeps pushing out the unhusked grains of rice from inside a granary, the Primordial Mother, Para Shakti, keeps telling or showing me all that you need to be told.’ Even when stricken with cancer, he would enthusiastically interact with devotees unmindful of his discomfort.
While I marvel at Swamiji’s passion, I am amazed by Sri Ramakrishna’s compassion!
When Vivekananda finally rose to address the learned international gathering, I infused all my powers into him. I filled his mind with the divine experiences of the rishis and the glorious past of Bharata. I saw him expand within. From being a representative of the Hindu faith, I saw him grow to encompass the whole of mankind. He was praying for the well-being of all.
He mentally bowed down at the feet of Mother Sarasvati, and uttered ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’.
Just five words! But it made 4000 people stand up and clap for full two minutes! Overwhelmed by some divine power, they were applauding the inauguration of a new chapter in world history. This first speech lasted only three-and-half minutes. But Vivekananda’s words were magnetic and had the beauty and power of the Himalayas and the depth of the oceans. His brilliant mind, perfect sense control, total unselfishness, infinite love for mankind, and unshakable faith in God allowed me to dance on his tongue and he stood forth as a universal teacher. Indeed, when a man who has experienced oneness with the whole universe speaks, the world cannot but experience an uplifting surge of joyful fervour.
Much later, while praising Vivekananda for the great success of his addresses at the Parliament of Religions, some said it was the result of his scholarship, some others credited it to his proficiency in English, some said it was due to the grace of his guru Sri Ramakrishna, some saw behind it the power of his tapasya, and some thought that it was due largely due to his good looks!
But those who knew the whole story saw a different reason. Swami Shivananda, one of Vivekananda’s brother-disciples once said:
‘The words and views of Swamiji before he left for Chicago were different from the speeches he made thereafter. Earlier he used to speak about the Path of Knowledge in strong words. But his speech and words were far milder and softer when delivered abroad. When we asked Vivekananda about it, he told us. “Do you think that I made that speech in Chicago? It was Gurudev [Sri Ramakrishna] who expressed himself through my speech.”’
Truly, Vivekananda had become the fittest instrument of his guru. But there was another strong reason which Vivekananda knew and even told others.
He once declared:
‘In my first speech …I addressed that audience as 'Sisters and Brothers of America', and … they all rose to their feet. You may wonder what made them do this, you may wonder if I had some strange power. Let me tell you that I did have a power and this is it — never once in my life did I allow myself to have even one sexual thought. I trained my mind, my thinking, and the powers that man usually uses along that line I put into a higher channel, and it developed a force so strong that nothing could resist it.’
The platform at Chicago initiated the fulfilment of Sri Ramakrishna’s prediction: ‘Naren will one day preach to the world.’ Indeed, he was a rishi who could see the whole universe within himself, and love it with a mother’s heart. And in that heart Bharata Varsha had a special place.
When Vivekananda began to play his role as the Vishwa guru,
- Indians started believing in their own strength and greatness;
- The world began to give Indians due respect;
- Indians were awakened from foreign slavery and fancies;
- Indians stirred their way to freedom, and
- The world began to take notice of Indian culture and spirituality.
The power which made that audience in Chicago stand up in a surge of powerful inspiration, is even today awakening countless minds and hearts. You will hear my voice whenever you read his literature. Come, begin reading his Chicago lectures and manifest your inner divinity through sublime ideas, words of conviction, and powerful selfless deeds that will lead Bharata Varsha, and the whole of humanity, into peace, prosperity, and strength.
Swami Vivekananda proclaimed India’s cultural, intellectual and spiritual greatness at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
Note:
Pujyasri Swami Vimurtananda is the President, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Thanjavur.
Shall read Tamil article as...
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