Vivekananda's ideological yatra (Gopika Nangia & Aashish Gupta)

http://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6040%3Avivekanandas-ideological-yatra&catid=119%3Afeature&Itemid=132

Vivekananda’s Ideological Yatra
Gopika Nangia & Aashish Gupta

It is not a mere coincidence that Narendra Modi had labelled his tour across the state of Gujarat "Vivekananda Yatra". In a context where Vivekananda has been posited as a "leader of the youth", it is pertinent to remember the principles the man stood by – casteism, racism, slavery, patriarchy and xenophobia. He is considered by many as the first Hindutva ideologue. It is no wonder then that the right wing finds Vivekananda so useful in its agenda of "Cultural Nationalism". At first, we thought we would paraphrase his words to show this, but then we realised that we could not put it better than the man himself did. We have barely scratched the surface of his obnoxious views, and we recommend that you read him, for every paragraph in his writings is a gem of distasteful views.

Vivekananda on Race and Slavery: Vivekananda mourned the abolition of slavery and reminisced about the days when slaves were property.
"The history of the world teaches us that wherever there have been fanatical reforms, the only result has been that they have defeated their ends. No greater upheaval for the establishment of right and liberty can be imagined than the war for the abolition of slavery in America. You all know about it. And what have been its results? The slaves are a hundred times worse off today than they were before the abolition.
Before the abolition, these poor Negroes were the property of somebody, and, as properties, they had to be looked after, so that they might not deteriorate. Today they are the property of nobody."1

Vivekananda is strikingly similar to Hitler here in his description of the supremacy of the Aryan Race, much before him. The Master Race theory of Aryan supremacy endears the Brahmins and the other fascists to each other. "The Hindus believe – that is a peculiar belief, I think; and I do not know, I have nothing to say to the contrary, I have not found anything to the contrary-they believe there was only one civilised race: the Aryan. Until he gives his blood, no other race can be civilised. No teaching will do. The Aryan gives his blood to a race, and then it becomes civilised. Teaching alone will not do. He would be an example in your country: would you give your blood to the Negro race? Then he would get higher culture."2

Vivekananda's Casteism: Vivekananda claims, among other things, that "Caste is a very good thing. Caste is the plan we want to follow."3 Further on,
"To the non-Brahmin castes I say, wait, be not in a hurry. Do not seize every opportunity of fighting the Brahmin, because, as I have shown, you are suffering from your own fault. Who told you to neglect spirituality and Sanskrit learning? What have you been doing all this time? Why have you been indifferent? Why do you now fret and fume because somebody else had more brains, more energy, more pluck and go, than you? Instead of wasting your energies in vain discussions and quarrels in the newspapers, instead of fighting and quarrelling in your own homes — which is sinful — use all your energies in acquiring the culture which the Brahmin has, and the thing is done. Why do you not become Sanskrit scholars? Why do you not spend millions to bring Sanskrit education to all the castes of India? That is the question. The moment you do these things, you are equal to the Brahmin. That is the secret of power in India."4

Yes, Vivekananda is against anyone fighting casteism, because fighting casteism is fighting against Brahmins, who are, of course, according to him, Gods on earth.
"This Brahmin, the man of God, he who has known Brahman, the ideal man, the perfect man, must remain; he must not go."5

Dalits and Shudras, in Vivekananda's opinion, do no work. The fields plough themselves, by magic.
"In India, even the lowest caste never does any hard work. They generally have an easy lot compared to the same class in other nations; and as to ploughing, they never do it."6

Why is India not a superpower? Of course, because we "abolished caste": "Then what was the cause of India's downfall? — The giving up of this idea of caste. As Gitâ says, with the extinction of caste the world will be destroyed. Now does it seem true that with the stoppage of these variations the world will be destroyed...Therefore what I have to tell you, my countrymen, is this: that India fell because you prevented and abolished caste... Let Jati have its sway; break down every barrier in the way of caste, and we shall rise."7

Not only this. Vivekananda is a defender of Manu, the "great" law-giver, and blames the lower castes for their sorry lot. Is it surprising that most of the followers of the cult of Vivekananda are high caste Hindus?
"As Manu says, all these privileges and honours are given to the Brahmin, because "with him is the treasury of virtue". He must open that treasury and distribute its valuables to the world. It is true that he was the earliest preacher to the Indian races, he was the first to renounce everything in order to attain to the higher realisation of life before others could reach to the idea. It was not his fault that he marched ahead of the other caste. Why did not the other castes so understand and do as he did? Why did they sit down and be lazy, and let the Brahmins win the race?"8

The Pro-Hindutva Vivekananda: As we already said, Vivekananda was probably the first person to make the modern case for Hindutva. And oh, he was quite eloquent in that. Everything melts away in the face of Hinduism, if we go by Vivekananda, including other religions.
"The unity in religion, therefore, is absolutely necessary as the first condition of the future of India. There must be the recognition of one religion throughout the length and breadth of this land."9 Also, you have no choice but to believe in Vivekananda's one religion. Otherwise, you'd be smashed.
"We have seen that our vigour, our strength, nay, our national life is in our religion. I am not going to discuss now whether it is right or not, whether it is correct or not, whether it is beneficial or not in the long run, to have this vitality in religion, but for good or evil it is there; you cannot get out of it, you have it now and for ever, and you have to stand by it, even if you have not the same faith that I have in our religion. You are bound by it, and if you give it up, you are smashed to pieces."10

Patriarchy: The problem with colonialism, according to the misogynistic Vivekanada, is essentially that it makes us all women.
"There is yet another defect in us. Ladies, excuse me, but through centuries of slavery, we have become like a nation of women. You scarcely can get three women together for five minutes in this country or any other country, but they quarrel. Women make big societies in European countries, and make tremendous declarations of women's power and so on; then they quarrel, and some man comes and rules them all. All over the world they still require some man to rule them. We are like them. Women we are. If a woman comes to lead women, they all begin immediately to criticise her, tear her to pieces, and make her sit down. If a man comes and gives them a little harsh treatment, scolds them now and then, it is all right, they have been used to that sort of mesmerism"11

To his disciples, Vivekananda said, "So long as you shriek at the missionary attempts and jump without being able to do anything, I laugh at you; you are little dollies, that is what you are... I know, my son, I shall have to come and manufacture men out of you. I know that India is only inhabited by women and eunuchs."12 Vivekananda denied the sorry state of widows in India. How could he accept that there was anything wrong with India in front of his international audiences?
"A large part of the property in the country is held by widows. In fact, so enviable is the position of widows that a woman or a man either might almost pray to be made a widow."13

And his long lasting concern was not women's rights, but maintaining their chastity and "purity". "I should very much like our women to have your intellectuality, but not if it must be at the cost of purity"14

In many ways, one has to be thankful to the people who have fought and are fighting caste and patriarchy. Otherwise, people like Vivekananda would lead our country to being that much more oppressive.

~ Notes

1. Swami Vivekananda, in "My Plan of Campaign", Delivered at Victoria Hall, Madras, in "Lectures from Colombo to Almora", Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 3, available athttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volum e_3/Lectures_from_Colombo_to_Almora/My_Plan_of_Campaign

2. Swami Vivekananda, in "Buddhistic India", Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, on February 2, 1900, in Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 4, available athttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volum e_3/Buddhistic_India

3. Swami Vivekananda, "The Abroad and the Problems at Home", The Hindu, Madras, February 1987, in "Interviews", The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 5, available athttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volum e_5/Interviews/The_Abroad_And_The_Problems_At_Home

4. Swami Vivekananda, in "The Future of India", Delivered at Victoria Hall, Madras, in "Lectures from Colombo to Almora", Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 3, available athttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volum e_3/Lectures_from_Colombo_to_Almora/The_Future_of_India

5. (ibid.)

6. Swami Vivekananda, in "Women of India", Delivered at the Shakespeare Club House, in Pasadena, California, on January 18, 1900, in "Lectures and Discourses", Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 8 available athttp://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_8/lectures_and_di scourses/women_of_india.htm

7. Swami Vivekananda, in "A Plan of Work for India", in "Writings: Prose", The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 4 available athttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volum e_4/Writings:_Prose/A_Plan_of_Work_for_India

8. Swami Vivekananda, in "The Future of India", Delivered at Victoria Hall, Madras, in "Lectures from Colombo to Almora", Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 3, available athttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volum e_3/Lectures_from_Colombo_to_Almora/The_Future_of_India

9. Ibid.

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12. Swami Vivekananda, in "Letter to Alasinga", USA, 1st July 1895, in Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 5 available athttp://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_5/epistles_first_ series/043_alasinga.htm

13. Lecture notes of a Lecture by Swami Vivekananda, on "The People of India", in Oakland, in Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 8, available at http://www.vivekananda.net/ByTopic/Vol8/Notes/19_PeopleOfIndia.html

14. Swami Vivekananda, in "Sayings and Utterances", Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 5, available athttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volum e_5/Sayings_and_Utterances

------------------------

Interview with Vivekananda

http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_5/interviews/on_the_bounds_of_hinduism.htm

ON THE BOUNDS OF HINDUISM (Prabuddha Bharata, April, 1899)

Having been directed by the Editor, writes our representative, to interview Swami Vivekananda on the question of converts to Hinduism, I found an opportunity one evening on the roof of a Ganga houseboat. It was after nightfall, and we had stopped at the embankment of the Ramakrishna Math, and there the Swami came down to speak with me. Time and place were alike delightful. Overhead the stars, and around — the rolling Ganga; and on one side stood the dimly lighted building, with its background of palms and lofty shade-trees.

"I want to see you, Swami", I began, "on this matter of receiving back into Hinduism those who have been perverted from it. Is it your opinion that they should be received?"

"Certainly," said the Swami, "they can and ought to be taken."

He sat gravely for a moment, thinking, and then resumed. "Besides," he said, "we shall otherwise decrease in numbers. When the Mohammedans first came, we are said — I think on the authority of Ferishta, the oldest Mohammedan historian — to have been six hundred millions of Hindus. Now we are about two hundred millions. And then every man going out of the Hindu pale is not only a man less, but an enemy the more.

"Again, the vast majority of Hindu perverts to Islam and Christianity are perverts by the sword, or the descendants of these. It would be obviously unfair to subject these to disabilities of any kind. As to the case of born aliens, did you say? Why, born aliens have been converted in the past by crowds, and the process is still going on.

"In my own opinion, this statement not only applies to aboriginal tribes, to outlying nations, and to almost all our conquerors before the Mohammedan conquest, but also in the Purânas. I hold that they have been aliens thus adopted.

"Ceremonies of expiation are no doubt suitable in the case of willing converts, returning to their Mother-Church, as it were; but on those who were alienated by conquest — as in Kashmir and Nepal — or on strangers wishing to join us, no penance should be imposed."

"But of what caste would these people be, Swamiji?" I ventured to ask. "They must have some, or they can never be assimilated into the great body of Hindus. Where shall we look for their rightful place?"

"Returning converts", said the Swami quietly, "will gain their own castes, of course. And new people will make theirs. You will remember," he added, "that this has already been done in the case of Vaishnavism. Converts from different castes and aliens were all able to combine under that flag and form a caste by themselves — and a very respectable one too. From Râmânuja down to Chaitanya of Bengal, all great Vaishnava Teachers have done the same."

"And where should these new people expect to marry?" I asked.

"Amongst themselves, as they do now", said the Swami quietly.

"Then as to names," I enquired, "I suppose aliens and perverts who have adopted non-Hindu names should be named newly. Would you give them caste-names, or what?"

"Certainly," said the Swami, thoughtfully, "there is a great deal in a name!" and on this question he would say no more.

But my next enquiry drew blood. "Would you leave these new-comers, Swamiji, to choose their own form of religious belief out of many-visaged Hinduism, or would you chalk out a religion for them?"

"Can you ask that?" he said. "They will choose for themselves. For unless a man chooses for himself, the very spirit of Hinduism is destroyed. The essence of our Faith consists simply in this freedom of the Ishta."

I thought the utterance a weighty one, for the man before me has spent more years than any one else living I fancy, in studying the common bases of Hinduism in a scientific and sympathetic spirit — and the freedom of the Ishta is obviously a principle big enough to accommodate the world.

But the talk passed to other matters, and then with a cordial good night this great teacher of religion lifted his lantern and went back into the monastery, while I by the pathless paths of the Ganga, in and out amongst her crafts of many sizes, made the best of my way back to my Calcutta home.