The Swami who stood for harmony of religions:Rabbi Ezekiel Issac Malekar:TOI:Swami Vivekananda

By Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar

Swami Vivekananda always stood for harmony of religions. He spoke about acceptance of all religions as true and appealed to religious and spiritual leaders to shun all forms of religious fanaticism, persecution, and violence – this he said in a speech at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago 125 years ago, and it is urgently needed even today.

Swami ji believed that Hinduism is a way of life and in no way related to any political ideology. He also said that we need to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas nor the Bible nor the Quran, yet this has to be done by harmonising the Vedas, the Bible and the Quran. Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but varied expressions of religion that is Oneness, so that each may choose the path that suits him best. In his concluding speech in Chicago, he said that the Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist nor a Hindu or Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others in his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.The doctrine of road map of Swami Vivekananda was laid down by his spiritual master, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, who espoused the doctrine of ‘Jato Mat, Tato Path’, recognising the potential of all religions to act as means of attaining spiritual enlightenment, and ‘Ekm sad vipraha bahuda vadanti’, there is only one truth and learned person call it by many names.Swami Vivekananda also narrated the story of ‘Kupa Manduka’ – frog in the well, to explain the closed minds of religious bigots. His central message was that holiness, purity and charity are not exclusive mansions of any particular religion and that every religion has produced men and women of the most exalted character. To those who dream of the exclusive survival of their own religion and destruction of the others, he said: “I pity them from the bottom of my heart and point out to them 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.’”Swami Vivekananda turned the universalist philosophy of Vedanta into a driver of social change. True religion taught people to recognise the divinity of man and woman and to be of service to the poor – Daridra Narayan Seva. He raised money for the construction of Belur Math to feed the famine hit in Mushirabad in 1897 and again in 1898, to serve plague victims in Calcutta. Belur Math temple incorporates the architectural style associated with the places of worship of each religion. There are monks in the Ramakrishna order who are Muslim, Christians, Jews and Hindus, and they live together in the service of humanity.Swami ji believed that there never was “my religion or yours, my national religion or your national religion”, there is only one infinite religion that has existed all through eternity and will ever exist. When purity and spirituality disappear, leaving the soul dry, quarrels begin and not before. Therefore, he said, “Follow one and respect“Follow one and respect all.” The essence of religion is God-consciousness. To Swami Vivekananda, our watchword should be acceptance and not exclusion.(The writer is head, Judah Hyam Synagogue, New Delhi)

Today is Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary.