Sept 11th –  A Historic Day

9/11 marks an important date in World history. Swami Vivekananda made his historic speech at Chicago on this day, 1893 wherein the World Parliament of Religions was won over by his charm as he presented the Hindu philosophy and how we gave refuge to the persecuted Jews and Parsis. He also warned about the dangers of fanaticism and bigotry.

On 9/11, 2001, on the same day, a sample of religious fanaticism of Abrahamic religions was demonstrated to the world- destruction of the World Trade Centre in America.

For the entire speech , Click Here

Sri Aurobindo’s – Call to the Youth

“There are times in a nation’s history when providence places before it, one work, one aim, to which everything else, however high or noble in itself has to be sacrificed. Such a time has now arrived for our motherland, when nothing is dearer than her service, when everything else is to be directed to that end. If you will study, study for her sake, train yourselves body and mind and soul for her service. You will earn your living that you may live for her sake. You will go abroad to foreign lands, that you may bring back knowledge, with which you may do service to her. Work that she may prosper. Suffer that she may rejoice. All is contained in that one single advice.

It is the young who must be the builders of the new world. They must be men who will dedicate themselves not to the past or the present, but to the future. They will need to consecrate their lives to an exceeding of the lower-self to the realization of God in themselves and in all human beings and to a whole minded and indefatigable labour for the nation and for humanity.

We say to the young who are now arising to do India’s work, the world’s work, God’s work. You cannot cherish these ideas, still less can you fulfill them if you subject your minds to European ideas or look at life from the material standpoint. Materially you are nothing, spiritually you are everything. Dare everything, sacrifice everything. Recover the Vedanta, the Gita, Yoga. Live them; you will be great and strong, mighty, invincible and fearless. Neither life nor death will have any terrors for you. Difficulty and impossible will vanish from your vocabularies. For it is in the spirit that strength is eternal and you must win back the kingdom of yourselves, the inner swaraj, before you can win back your outer empire. There, the mother dwells and she waits for worship that she may give strength. Believe in Her, server Her, lose your will in hers.Your egoism in the greater ego of the country, your separate selfishness in the service of Humanity. Recover the source of all strengths in yourselves and all will be added to you, social soundness, intellectual pre-eminence, political freedom, the mastery of human thought, the hegemony of the world.”

Historic Speech on the Kashmir Issue by

Dr.Syama Prasad Mukherjee

Some-how, we should witlndraw ourselves, so far as consideration of the Kashmir case is concerned, from the U. N. O.We can tell them respectfully that we have had enough of the U. N. O. and let us now consider and try to settle tine matter through our own eftorts. I am not suggesting that India should withdraw from the U. N. O. The only matter regarding which the dispute still continues is about the one-third territory of Kashmir which is in the occupation of the enemy. The Prime Minister said today that portion is there. It is a matter for national humiliation. We say that Kashmir is a part of india. It is so. so, a part of India is today in the occupation of the enemy and we are peace-lovers, no doubt. But peace- lovers to what extent ? – that we will even allows portion of our territory to be occupied by the enemy ? Of course the prime Minister said : thus far and no further. If the raiders enter into any part of Kashmir, he held out a threat of war not in relation to Pakistan and Kashmir, but war on a bigger scale between India and Pakistan.

Is there any possibility of our getting back this territory? We shall not get it through the efforts of the United Nations : we shall not get it through peaceful methods, by negotiations with Pakistan. That means we lose it, unless we use force and the Prime Minister is unwilling to do so. Let us face facts-are we prepared to lose it ? Read More

Kanchi Shankaracharya Swami Jayendra Saraswati

– To a gathering of Harijans – 2003

Here is an English translation of the Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal in 2003. Speech delivered to a gathering of Harijans as reported in the Tamil weekly Kumudam. http://www.kumudam.com/kumudam/28-04-03/pg24.html

“Some politicians (here the reference is to the “Dravidianist” politicians) have been spreading a canard that I have suddenly started meeting the Harijans and started participating in their conferences. The truth is, ever since I came to this mutt 50 years ago; I have been meeting the Harijans daily. There is not even 1 Harijan colony in Tamilnadu, which I haven’t visited. The doors of the (Kanchi) Sankara mutt are always open to everyone. Those who have no knowledge about Sankara mutt can’t understand its greatness or openness. On the other hand, (late Harijan) leaders like Kakkan, Chellapandiyan have been frequent visitors here. V.Balasundaram and K.Visvanathan are also regular visitors. They have never perceived any differential treatment in the mutt. The mutt has always been assisting the Harijans in building temples in their residential areas and in funding them for starting their own businesses.

Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughana were biological siblings, but Guha, Vibheeshana and Anjeneya were not. Guha was a fisherman, Vibheeshana a rakshasa and Anjaneya a monkey. Yet all of them treated each other as siblings.

The Nadar community (A backward caste from Tamilnadu) was very backward earlier, but in the past 50 years, thanks to hard work and religious initiative, they have advanced very well. Today they are respected by all.

Harijans should emulate them. Run your own business. No buyer looks into the caste of the seller. Don’t trust the politicians. Sankara mutt and I will always stand for you.”

Michel Danino on Sri Aurobindo’s View of Indian Culture

We are sometimes asked what on earth we mean by spirituality in art and poetry or in political and social life—a confession of ignorance strange enough in any Indian mouth at this stage of our national history. […] We have here really an echo of the European idea that religion and spirituality on the one side and intellectual activity and practical life on the other are two entirely different things and have each to be pursued on its own entirely separate lines and in obedience to its own entirely separate principles. [… But] true spirituality rejects no new light, no added means or materials of our human self-development. It means simply to keep our centre, our essential way of being, our inborn nature and assimilate to it all we receive, and evolve out of it all we do and create. [… India] can, if she will, give a new and decisive turn to the problems over which all mankind is labouring and stumbling, for the clue to their solutions is there in her ancient knowledge. Whether she will rise or not to the height of her opportunity in the renaissance which is coming upon her, is the question of her destiny. Read More