The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 2/Reports in American Newspapers/Swami Vivekananda on India
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON INDIA
(Bay City Daily Tribune, March 21, 1894)
Bay City had a distinguished visitor yesterday in the person of Swami Vive
Kananda, the much talked of Hindoo monk. He arrived at noon from Detroit
where he has been the guest of Senator Palmer and proceeded immediately to
the Fraser house. There he was seen by a reporter for The Tribune.
Kananda spoke entertainingly of his country and his impressions of this
country. He came to America via the Pacific and will return via the
Atlantic. "This is a great land," he said, "but I wouldn't like to live
here. Americans think too much of money. They give it preference over
everything else. Your people have much to learn. When your nation is as old
as ours you will be wiser. I like Chicago very much and Detroit is a nice
place."
Asked how long he intended remaining in America, he replied: "I do not know.
I am trying to see most of your country. I go east next and will spend some
time at Boston and New York. I have visited Boston but not to stay. When I
have seen America I shall go to Europe. I am very anxious to visit Europe. I
have never been there."
Concerning himself the easterner said he was 30 years old. He was born at
Calcutta and educated at a college in that city. His profession calls him to
all parts of the country, and he is at all times the guest of the nation.
India has a population of 285,000,000," he said. "Of these about 65,000,000
are Mohammedans and most of the others Hindoos. There are only about 600,000
Christians in the country, and of these at least 250,000 are Catholics. Our
people do not, as a rule, embrace Christianity; they are satisfied with
their own religion. Some go into Christianity for mercenary motives. They
are free to do as they wish. We say let everybody have his own faith. We are
a cunning nation. We do not believe in bloodshed. There are wicked men in
our country and they are in the majority, same as in your country. It is
unreasonable to expect people to be angels."
Vive Kananda will lecture in Saginaw to-night.
Lecture Last Night
The lower floor of the opera house was comfortably filled when the lecture
began last evening. Promptly at 8:15 o'clock Swami Vive Kananda made his
appearance on the stage, dressed in his beautiful oriental costume. He was
introduced in a few words by Dr. C. T. Newkirk.
The first part of the discourse consisted of an explanation of the different
religions of India and of the theory of transmigration of souls. In
connection with the latter, the speaker said it was on the same basis as the
theory of conservation was to the scientist. This latter theory, he said,
was first produced by a philosopher of his country. They did not believe in
a creation. A creation implied making something out of nothing. That was
impossible. There was no beginning of creation, just as there was no
beginning of time. God and creation are as two lines — without end, without
beginning, without [?] parallel. Their theory of creation is, "It is, was,
and is to be." They think all punishment is but re-action. If we put our
hand in the fire it is burned. That is the re-action of the action. The
future condition of life is determined by the present condition. They do not
believe God punishes. "You, in this land," said the speaker, "praise the man
who does not get angry and denounce the man who does become angry. And yet
thousands of people throughout this country are every day accusing God of
being angry. Everybody denounces Nero, who sat and played on his instrument
while Rome was burning, and yet thousands of your people are accusing God of
doing the same thing today."
The Hindoos have no theory of redemption in their religion. Christ is only
to show the way. Every man and woman is a divine being, but covered as
though by a screen, which their religion is trying to remove. The removal of
that Christians call salvation, they, freedom. God is the creator,
preserver, and destroyer of the universe.
The speaker then sought to vindicate the religions of his country. He said
it had been proven that the entire system of the Roman Catholic Church had
been taken from the books of Buddhism. The people of the west should learn
one thing from India — toleration.
Among other subjects which he held up and overhauled were: The Christian
missionaries, the zeal of the Presbyterian church and its non-toleration,
the dollar-worshipping in this country, and the priests. The latter he said
were in the business for the dollars there were in it, and wanted to know
how long they would stay in the church if they had to depend on getting
their pay from God. After speaking briefly on the Caste system in India, our
civilization in the south, our general knowledge of the mind, and various
other topics the speaker concluded his remarks.