LyrArc Insights

Vivekananda on Vedanta, Buddha, and looking out to the modern world- its relevance 125 years later

Vision of Shiva

In writing about how Vivekananda is shaping India's future in the 21st century through his ideas and vision for India, his influence on Mohandas Gandhi in the struggle for independence and Narendra Modi in the task of building New Bharat, one can only convey this in Vivekananda's own irresistable words or through N of V-Rk (Nivedita).

Vivekananda's vision of Shiva and the Rig Veda is from Wanderings with Vivekananda, Chapter 5- On the Way to Baramulla, in N of V-Rk, Nivedita's own words-

The very air of the Himalayas was charged for him with the image of that "eternal meditation" that no thought of pleasure could break . And he understood, he said, for the first time that summer, the meaning of the nature story that made the Ganges fall on the head of the great God, and wander in and out amongst His matted locks before she found an outlet on the plains below. He had searched long he said, for the words that the rivers and waterfalls uttered, amongst the mountains before he had realized that it was the eternal cry "Bom! Bom! Hara! Hara!" "Yes" he said of Shiva one day, "He is the great God- calm, beautiful and silent! And I am his great worshipper."

And again Nivedita takes us through this experience, as she relates for us Vivekananda's own experience of the ancient time, the Rig Veda and Shankaracharya. As they make their way by rail through that part of the Indus valley region to Baramulla in the Himalayas June 14 to 20, 1898, Nivedita writes-

It was at twilight crossing one of these stony tracts, that he told us of that great vision that came to him years ago, while he was still new to the ways of the life of a monk, giving back to him, as he always afterward believed, the ancient mode of Sanskrit chanting. "It was evening," he said, "in that age when the Aryans had only reached the Indus. I saw an old man seated on the bank of the great river, and he was chanting from the Rig Veda. Then I awoke and went on chanting. These were the tones we used long ago." "Shankaracharya," he was saying, "had caught the rhythm of the Vedas, the national cadence, " and he went on suddenly with dreamy voice and far away look. "I always imagine he had some vision such as mine, when he was young, and recovered the ancient music that way. Anyway his whole life's work is nothing but that, the throbbing of the beauty of the Vedas and the Upanishads."

Several months later he remarked that before one who had a mission he never talked of any of the gods save Uma and Shiva. For Shiva and the mother made the great workers. This is also what inspires the current prime minister in his yojanas and projects, in "AtmanNirbhar Bharat," in "Make India," in "Jal Jeevan," in "Digital India," to bring the people of India into the mainstream of society.

 

National Efficiency and the task of New Bharat

In choosing the methods Mohandas Gandhi chose renunciation and service to nation. Building today's new infrastructure, 21st century "Make India," is part of that vision of national efficiency, national renewal under what goes under "Atman Nirbhar Bharat." Methods that Gandhi, later current prime minister Modi, have learned from Vivekananda are based on renunciation and service, "satyagraha" based on atma viswas, and "sab ka vikas, sab ke saath" also built on atma viswas, on self-confidence.

In September 1898, Vivekananda was interviewed by editor of the magazine Prabuddha Bharat. He is asked if what he really wanted to see was "national efficiency." 

Editor- Then what you really desire is national efficiency?

Vivekananda: "Certainly. Can you adduce any reason why India should be in the ebb-tide of the nations? Is she inferior in intellect? Is she inferior in dexterity? Can you look at her art, at her mathematics, at her philosophy, and answer 'yes'? All that is needed is that she should de-hypnotize herself and wake up from her age-long sleep to take her true rank in the hierarchy of nations." He went on to say there was no reason the inner life of India and the activity of the West should be divergent. "The time has now come for them to unite... Let our life be as deep as the ocean, but also as wide as the sky."

Editor- You have defined the attitude and function of your movement with regard to your own people. Could you in the same way characterize your methods of action as a whole?

Vivekananda: Our method is very easily described. It simply consists in reasserting the national life. Buddha preached renunciation. India heard, and yet in six centuries she reached her greatest height. The secret lies there. The national ideals of India are RENUNCIATION and SERVICE. Intensify her in those channels and the rest will take care of itself. The banner of the spiritual cannot be raised too high in this country, In it alone is salvation.

 

Vivekananda on the Buddha assimilated in Vedantic life

Vivekananda sees the Buddha assimilated in Vedantic life as the path for Bharat, because it brings that openness to the people in the local languages and in its broad appeal to the people. It combines the heart of Shakyamuni with the brain of the Brahmin. It is not Vedanta separate from the Buddha. It is Buddha steeped in the Vedanta for Asia, for India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka- stating the case for revival by bringing access to all. Shakyamuni offers the fulfilment of the Vedanta. The following parts of the interview clarify this idea well.

Editor- And what do you consider the to be the function of your movement as regards India?  

Vivekananda- To find the common bases of religion and awaken the national consciousness to them. At present there are three parties in India- the orthodox, the reforming sects of the Mohammedan period, and reforming sects of the present time. From North to South people are agreed on only one point - not killing cows.

Editor- Not a common love for the Vedas, for the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita?

Vivekananda- Certainly not. That is just what we want to reawaken, India has not yet assimilated the work of the Buddha. She is hypnotized by his voice, not made alive to it.

India had not yet assimilated the idea of openness of the Buddha in the 20th century, after many centuries. It is time to do it in the 21st century, as the most important task. Vivekananda wanted to reawaken the original ideas of the Buddha for openness to all, and in every possible way to reach all of the people. It is time to do it now as a way to renew the Asian spirit through the ideas of the Buddha steeped in the Vedanta, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita. Bringing together India, China in the future, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, other Asia and Sri Lanka today.

In Chapter 3, Morning Talks at Almora, May and June 1898, we hear the voice of Nivedita and Vivekananda in amazing conversations about the Buddha. Nivedita writes-

That was a great hour indeed when he spoke of Buddha, for catching a word that seemed to identify him with its anti-Brahminical spirit, an uncomprehending listener said- "Why Swami I did not know that you were a Buddhist?"

"Madam," he said, rounding on her, his whole face aglow with the inspiration of that name. I am the servant of the servant of the servants of the Buddha. Who was there ever like him- the Lord- who never performed one action for himself- with a heart that embraced the whole world. And he came into my room when I was a boy and I fell at his feet. For I knew that it was the Lord Himself."

This brings us to New Bharat's connection with China, and Japan, two of her largest neighbors. Bodhidharma as a Pallava Indian prince bringing the Buddha to China, and China as the "Pure Land" bringing Buddha in a renewed way to Japan in the time of Dogen in the 12th century. A story of dharma, gurus and Asian lands in the year 1225 stretching from Zhejiang province in China to Kyoto, Japan. The 20th century as the period of Japanese Imperialism and of Chinese Communism, Korean Communism in response to Japanese Imperialism does not change this as more people in both countries, and in Korea and Vietnam, seek the wisdom and spirit of the Buddha in their lives, as does Bharat in the 21st century. The people of Asia seeking their own soul and finding who they really are through the ancient ideas and ideals of their forefathers, after this pandemic and after the wars of the 20th century. Bharat embracing its own role as the land of the Buddha and of the Buddha steeped in Vedanta. 

It is a matter to be noted that when Dogen was born in Kyoto in 1200 Japanese Buddhism was in decline after 600 years, with practices distant from Shakyamuni's original teaching. People attributed famines , wars, calamities and epidemics to the nature of the times. Today a Japanese serial is called Waiting for Kirin, describing the period before the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch and British to Japan, with division, intermittent wars, and great poverty in the countryside. Kirin is a sort of mythical creature that will bring peace and a better life to the war torn divided impoverished land in this NHK drama before the Tokyo Olympics. After two major wars, colonization of Korea, Japanese imperialism, division of Korea, Chinese communist takeover of China in a response to Japanese imperialist invasions, the Korean war, faith in the ancient tradition and in the original teachings of Shakyamuni are badly shaken. By 1227 Dogen returned to Kyoto after spending years in China's Zhejiang province, in his own words, "studying the wind of the ancient sages, and waiting for the occasion of a rising tide for the teachings to prevail everywhere."  Bharat is still the land where it all began, with Bharat embracing its own original role in the renewal of Asia.

 

Mohandas Gandhi, Narendra Modi, and the ideals of Vivekananda

Gandhi says of Vivekananda from his ashram in Wardha-  "I have gone through Swami Vivekananda's works very thoroughly, and after having gone through them the love that I had for my country became a thousand-fold." Gandhi visited Belur Math on the river Ganges on 30 January 1921 and said " I ask young people not to go away empty handed without imbibing some of the spirit of the place and of Vivekananda." From what Gandhi says of Vivekananda one can see that he derived much of his thinking from Vivekananda. This and the methods of action can be said also of prime minister Modi who began his journey from Gujarat to leadership of Bharat with an address to the youth on National Youth Day, January 20, 2012, with a resounding appeal for Atma Shakti to youth through Vivekananda.

Some excerpts from that address in Hindi-

"Adhyatma ki prerna- atmic shakti"

Inspiration for the soul. Soul energy

Of division and stagnation in India in the 20th century-

"Jati vad ka jher phel rahe the. Rajwada kat me dub rahe the. Choti choti chizo me phas gaye the. Ye kuch nahi kar sakte the. Ye meri ankho se dekha."

"Sectarianism's dangers had spread. The princes and large land owning classes were drowning in stagnation. They were caught up in little, little things. They could do nothing. This I saw with my own eyes."

Speaking of Vivekananda-

"Ham bhi is maha purush ka shabdo par viswas rakh ke..."

We too by keeping faith in the words of Vivekananda....

"Ek vis ki pedi nav javan ki pedi. Ane wale ki sal 24 crores naye yuvan Bharat me. China me 2 crores, Europe, USA me 1 crore."

The 21st century is the century for youth. In the years to come Bharat will have a youth population growth of 240 million, China 20 million, the West 10 million."

"Aage thumhara focus hay tho safal ho jaye. Aap yaha se ek mantra leke jaye- Skill, Will, Win. Will hay kaha?" 

With focus on the goal you will succeed. Take this mantra with you- learn Skills, Build the Will to do, Win. Where is the Will to do?  Develop the Will. Where there is a Will there is a Way.

"Ye sab ladai man ki hothi hay. Duniya ki koy thakath aapko rok nahi sakti. Thofan aate hai, jaate hai."

This whole battle is in the mind. No power on earth can stop you from succeeding. Storms will come and storms will go. Let yours be a calm, good humored resolve.