The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 4/Writings: Prose/To my Brave Boys
TO MY BRAVE BOYS[1]
Push on with the organization. Nothing else is necessary but these — love,
sincerity, and patience. What is life but growth, i.e. expansion, i.e. love?
Therefore all love is life, it is the only law of life; all selfishness is
death, and this is true here or hereafter. It is life to do good, it is
death not to do good to others. Ninety per cent of human brutes you see are
dead, are ghosts — for none lives, my boys, but he who loves. Feel, my
children, feel; feel for the poor, the ignorant, the downtrodden; feel till
the heart stops and the brain reels and you think you will go mad — then
pour the soul out at the feet of the Lord, and then will come power, help,
and indomitable energy. Struggle, struggle, was my motto for the last ten
years. Struggle, still say I. When it was all dark, I used to say, struggle;
when light is breaking in, I still say, struggle. Be not afraid, my
children. Look not up in that attitude of fear towards that infinite starry
vault as if it would crush you. Wait! In a few hours more, the whole of it
will be under your feet. Wait, money does not pay, nor name; fame does not
pay, nor learning. It is love that pays; it is character that cleaves its
way through adamantine walls of difficulties.
Now the question before us is this. There cannot be any growth without
liberty. Our ancestors freed religious thought, and we have a wonderful
religion. But they put a heavy chain on the feet of society, and our society
is, in a word, horrid, diabolical. In the West, society always had freedom,
and look at them. On the other hand, look at their religion.
Liberty is the first condition of growth. Just as man must have liberty to
think and speak, so he must have liberty in food, dress, and marriage, and
in every other thing, so long as he does not injure others.
We talk foolishly against material civilisation. The grapes are sour. Even
taking all that foolishness for granted, in all India there are, say, a
hundred thousand really spiritual men and women. Now, for the
spiritualisation of these, must three hundred millions be sunk in savagery
and starvation? Why should any starve? How was it possible for the Hindus to
have been conquered by the Mohammedans? It was due to the Hindus' ignorance
of material civilization. Even the Mohammedans taught them to wear
tailor-made clothes. Would the Hindus had learnt from the Mohammedans how to
eat in a cleanly way without mixing their food with the dust of the streets!
Material civilization, nay, even luxury, is necessary to create work for the
poor. Bread! Bread! I do not believe in a God, who cannot give me bread
here, giving me eternal bliss in heaven! Pooh! India is to be raised, the
poor are to be fed, education is to be spread, and the evil of priestcraft
is to be removed. No priestcraft, no social tyranny! More bread, more
opportunity for everybody! Our young fools organise meetings to get more
power from the English. They only laugh. None deserves liberty who is not
ready to give liberty. Suppose the English give over to you all the power.
Why, the powers that be then, will hold the people down, and let them not
have it. Slaves want power to make slaves.
Now, this is to be brought about slowly, and by only insisting on our
religion and giving liberty to society. Root up priestcraft from the old
religion, and you get the best religion in the world. Do you understand me?
Can you make a European society with India's religion? I believe it is
possible, and must be.
The grand plan is to start a colony in Central India, where you can follow
your own ideas independently, and then a little leaven will leaven all. In
the meanwhile form a Central Association and go on branching off all over
India. Start only on religious grounds now, and do not preach any violent
social reform at present; only do not countenance foolish superstitions. Try
to revive society on the old grounds of universal salvation and equality as
laid down by the old Masters, such as Shankarâchârya, Râmânuja, and
Chaitanya.
Have fire and spread all over. Work, work. Be the servant while leading. Be
unselfish, and never listen to one friend in private accusing another.
Have infinite patience, and success is yours.
Now take care of this: Do not try to "boss" others, as the Yankees say.
Because I always direct my letters to you, you need not try to show your
consequence over my other friends. I know you never can be such a fool, but
still I think it my duty to warn you. This is what kills all organizations.
Work, work, for, to work only for the good of others is life.
I want that there should be no hypocrisy, no Jesuitism, no roguery. I have
depended always on the Lord, always on Truth broad as the light of day. Let
me not die with stains on my conscience for having played Jesuitism to get
up name or fame, or even to do good. There should not be a breath of
immorality, nor a stain of policy which is bad.
No shilly-shally, no esoteric blackguardism, no secret humbug, nothing
should be done in a corner. No special favouritism of the Master, no Master
at that, even. Onward, my brave boys — money or no money — men or no men!
Have you love? Have you God? Onward and forward to the breach, you are
irresistible.
How absurd! The Theosophical magazines saying that they, the Theosophists,
prepared the way to my success! Indeed! Pure nonsense! Theosophists prepared
the way!
Take care! Beware of everything that is untrue; stick to truth and we shall
succeed, maybe slowly, but surely. Work on as if I never existed. Work as if
on each of you depended the whole work. Fifty centuries are looking on you,
the future of India depends on you. Work on. I do not know when I shall be
able to come. This is a great field for work. They can at best praise in
India, but they will not give a cent for anything; and where shall they get
it, beggars themselves? Then, they have lost the faculty of doing public
good for the last two thousand years or more. They are just learning the
ideas of nation, public, etc. So I need not blame them.
Blessings to you all!
- Notes
- ↑ Written to Alasinga Perumal from New York on 19th November, 1894.