The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 3/Reports in American Newspapers/India: Her Religion and Customs
INDIA: HER RELIGION AND CUSTOMS
(Salem Evening News, August 29, 1893)
In spite of the warm weather of yesterday afternoon, a goodly number of
members of the Thought and Work club, with guests, gathered in Wesley chapel
to meet Swami Vive Kanonda,[1] a Hindoo monk, now travelling in this
country, and to listen to an informal address from that gentleman,
principally upon the religion of the Hindoos as taught by their Vedar
[2] or sacred books. He also spoke of caste, as simply a social
division and in no way dependent upon their religion.
The poverty of the majority of the masses was strongly dwelt upon. India
with an area much smaller than the United States, contains twenty three
hundred millions [sic] of people, and of these, three hundred millions [sic]
earn wages, averaging less than fifty cents per month. In some instances the
people in whole districts of the country subsist for months and even years,
wholly upon flowers [3], produced by a certain tree which when boiled
are edible.
In other districts the men eat rice only, the women and children must
satisfy their hunger with the water in which the rice is cooked. A failure
of the rice crop means famine. Half the people live upon one meal a day, the
other half know not whence the next meal will come. According to Swami Vive
Kyonda, the need of the people of India is not more religion, or a better
one, but as he expresses it, "practicality", and it is with the hope of
interesting the American people in this great need of the suffering,
starving millions that he has come to this country.
He spoke at some length of the condition of his people and their religion.
In course of his speech he was frequently and closely questioned by Dr. F.
A. Gardner and Rev. S. F. Nobbs of the Central Baptist Church. He said the
missionaries had fine theories there and started in with good ideas, but had
done nothing for the industrial condition of the people. He said Americans,
instead of sending out missionaries to train them in religion, would better
send some one out to give them industrial education.
Asked whether it was not a fact that Christians assisted the people of India
in times of distress, and whether they did not assist in a practical way by
training schools, the speaker replied that they did it sometimes, but really
it was not to their credit for the law did not allow them to attempt to
influence people at such times.
He explained the bad condition of woman in India on the ground that Hindoo
men had such respect for woman that it was thought best not to allow her
out. The Hindoo women were held in such high esteem that they were kept in
seclusion. He explained the old custom of women being burned on the death of
their husbands, on the ground that they loved them so that they could not
live without the husband. They were one in marriage and must be one in
death.
He was asked about the worship of idols and the throwing themselves in front
of the juggernaut car, and said one must not blame the Hindoo people for the
car business, for it was the act of fanatics and mostly of lepers.
The speaker explained his mission in his country to be to organize monks for
industrial purposes, that they might give the people the benefit of this
industrial education and thus elevate them and improve their condition.
This afternoon Vive Kanonda will speak on the children of India to any
children or young people who may be pleased to listen to him at 166 North
street, Mrs. Woods kindly offering her garden for that purpose. In person he
is a fine looking man, dark but comely, dressed in a long robe of a
yellowish red colour confined at the waist with a cord, and wearing on his
head a yellow turban. Being a monk he has no caste, and may eat and drink
with anyone.
* * *
(Daily Gazette, August 29, 1893)
Rajah[4] Swami Vivi Rananda of India was the guest of the Thought and Work
Club of Salem yesterday afternoon in the Wesley church.
A large number of ladies and gentlemen were present and shook hands,
American fashion, with the distinguished monk. He wore an orange colored
gown, with red sash, yellow turban, with the end hanging down on one side,
which he used for a handkerchief, and congress shoes.
He spoke at some length of the condition of his people and their religion.
In course of his speech he was frequently and closely questioned by Dr. F.
A. Gardner and Rev. S. F. Nobbs of the Central Baptist church. He said the
missionaries had fine theories there and started in with good ideas, but had
done nothing for the industrial condition of the people. He said Americans,
instead of sending out missionaries to train them in religion, would better
send someone out to give them industrial education.
Speaking at some length of the relations of men and women, he said the
husbands of India never lied and never persecuted, and named several other
sins they never committed.
Asked whether it was not a fact that Christians assisted the people of India
in times of distress, and whether they did not assist in a practical way by
training schools, the speaker replied that they did it sometimes, but really
it was not to their credit, for the law did not allow them to attempt to
influence people at such times.
He explained the bad condition of women in India on the ground that Hindoo
men had such respect for woman that it was thought best not to allow her
out. The Hindoo women were held in such high esteem that they were kept in
seclusion. He explained the old custom of women being burned on the death of
their husbands, on the ground that they loved them so that they could not
live without the husband. They were one in marriage and must be one in
death.
He was asked about the worship of idols and the throwing themselves in front
of the juggernaut car, and said one must not blame the Hindoo people for the
car business, for it was the act of fanatics and mostly of lepers.
As for the worship of idols he said he had asked Christians what they
thought of when they prayed, and some said they thought of the church,
others of G-O-D. Now his people thought of the images. For the poor people
idols were necessary. He said that in ancient times, when their religion
first began, women were distinguished for spiritual genius and great
strength of mind. In spite of this, as he seemed to acknowledge, the women
of the present day had degenerated. They thought of nothing but eating and
drinking, gossip and scandal.
The speaker explained his mission in his country to be to organize monks for
industrial purposes, that they might give the people the benefit of this
industrial education and thus to elevate them and improve their condition.
* * *
(Salem Evening News, September 1, 1893)
The learned Monk from India who is spending a few days in this city, will
speak in the East Church Sunday evening at 7-30. Swami (Rev.) Viva Kananda
preached in the Episcopal church at Annisquam last Sunday evening, by
invitation of the pastor and Professor Wright of Harvard, who has shown him
great kindness.
On Monday night he leaves for Saratoga, where he will address the Social
Science association. Later on he will speak before the Congress in Chicago.
Like all men who are educated in the higher Universities of India, Viva
Kananda speaks English easily and correctly. His simple talk to the children
on Tuesday last concerning the games, schools, customs and manners of
children in India was valuable and most interesting. His kind heart was
touched by the statement of a little miss that her teacher had "licked her
so hard that she almost broke her finger". . . . As Viva Kananda, like all
monks, must travel over his land preaching the religion of truth, chastity
and the brotherhood of man, no great good could pass unnoticed, or terrible
wrong escape his eyes. He is extremely generous to all persons of other
faiths, and has only kind words for those who differ from him.
* * *
(Daily Gazette, September 5, 1893)
Rajah Swami Vivi Rananda of India spoke at the East church Sunday evening,
on the religion of India and the poor of his native land. A good audience
assembled but it was not so large as the importance of the subject or the
interesting speaker deserved. The monk was dressed in his native costume and
spoke about forty minutes The great need of India today, which is not the
India of fifty years ago, is, he said, missionaries to educate the people
industrially and socially and not religiously. The Hindoos have all the
religion they want, and the Hindoo religion is the most ancient in the
world. The monk is a very pleasant speaker and held the dose attention of
his audience.
* * *
(Daily Saratoga, September 6, 1893)
. . . The platform was next occupied by Vive Kananda, a Monk of Madras,
Hindoostan, who preached throughout India. He is interested in social
science and is an intelligent and interesting speaker. He spoke on
Mohammedan rule in India.
The program for today embraces some very interesting topics, especially the
paper on "Bimetallism", by Col. Jacob Greene of Hartford. Vive Kananda will
again speak, this time on the Use of Silver in India.
- Notes
- ↑ In those days Swami Vivekananda's name was spelt in various ways by the U.S.A. newspapers, and the reports were inaccurate mostly owing to the novelty of the subjects.
- ↑ Vedas.
- ↑ Mohua.
- ↑ American reporters added all sorts of epithets like "Rajah", "Brahmin", "priest", etc., for which they alone were responsible.