FULL TEXT OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S CHICAGO ADDRESS
Today (September 11, 2018) is the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's speech at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. The full text of the address is as follows:
Sisters and Brothers of America,
It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world. I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.
My thanks also to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honour of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration but we accept all religions as true.
I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.
I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, and which is every day repeated by millions of human beings:
As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which people take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.
The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita:
Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach them; all are struggling through paths which in the end lead to Me.
Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.
The speech of Vivekananda went on to bridge the gap between India and America as Swamiji went on to promote Hinduism as the 'mother of religions' and one that has taught the world-- tolerance.
WEST BENGAL TO INCLUDE SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S SPEECH IN CLASS 9 TO 12 SYLLABUS
In March 2018, in a meeting presided by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee amid the presence of state education minister Partha Chatterjee and other senior officials, the West Bengal government decided to include Swamiji's famous speech in Parliament of World Religion in Class 9 to 12 syllabus from next year.
Swami Vivekananda Statue in Mumbai (Getty Images)
The proposal of including Vivekananda's speech was given by the representatives of the Ramakrishna Mission at the first meeting held by the committee constituted to look after the celebration of 125 years of Swamiji's iconic address.
A QUICK LOOK AT SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S LIFE
Born as Narendranath Datta on January 12, 1862, in a Bengali family, Swami Vivekananda was blessed with all-round talent. Instead of choosing the life as an attorney like his father (who passed away in 1884), he took the spiritual route.
From a young age, Narendranath sought divine influence from many sectors. He met Debendranath Tagore (father of Rabindranath Tagore and founder of the Brahmo Samaj) in 1880. When he asked Tagore if he had seen God, Tagore replied:
"My boy, you have the Yogi's eyes."
No one could help Narendranath with his question about God until he met Ramakrishna Paramahansa in 1881. When he asked the same question to Ramakrishna, the latter replied:
"Yes, I see Him as I see you, only in an infinitely intense sense."
This was a far more satisfactory answer to Narendranath. He learned more about Hinduism, read Vedic literature and followed every progressive idea that spread around the world.
His knowledge of the world amplified as he could relate spirituality with humanity. He was initiated as a Hindu monk.
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