Swami Vivekananda for World President



|| Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

We have entered the season of rejuvenation and growth. Already signs of life have emerged unscathered from the clasps of the barren slumber. An impetus for activity has caught on and there seems to be no chance of abating the spirit as a flurry of colour twinned with a metamorphosis in fashion taking centre stage.



Swami Vivekananda



Concurrently with natures resurgence we are spectators to a phenomenal resurgence or activism that has captivated the globe at various points. What started in Egypt has sparked a wave and series of mass mobilising against regimes that have failed to meet the demands of the people. These unchecked volcanoes of discontent, frustration and social injustice can no longer hold its contents of fury.

South Africa is also not immune to this volcanoe as hundreds of disenfranchised youth threw their weight behind their youth leader for his vociferous call for policy change in land redistribution and mine management in our country. This will continue to be a regular occurrence until the capital elites stop self enriching and send their thoughts towards the masses in poverty.

Swami Vivekananda said,” my whole ambition in life is to set in motion machinery which will bring noble ideas to the door of every day. Work hard, be steady and have faith in the Lord, elevation of the masses without injuring their religion. Remember that the nation lives in the cottage and nobody ever did anything for them. Can you raise them (the masses) can you give them back their lost individuality without losing their innate spiritual nature?  Can you become an occidental of occidentals in your spirit of equality, freedom, work and energy and at the same time a Hindu to the very backbone in religious and cultural instincts? This is to be done and we will do it, we are all born to do it. Have faith in yourselves, great conviction is the mother of all great deeds.

Swamji was a strong advocate and champion of the poor masses and lobbied to improve their condition. The teachings of Swamiji placed emphasis on man making education to augment the social values and moral fabric of society as expounded by the ethical ideology of Vedanta.

Swamiji a monk of the Ramakrishna Mission and Math was way ahead of his time in terms of the trajectory that India must take in order to raise from the ashes of exploitation and colonialism which left her destitute. Being a monk Swamiji has thought us that detachment does not mean aversion. Sri Ramakrishna also pointed out that there is nothing wrong with making money so long as it is utilised for the goal of god realisation.

In this material age money is an essential component to satisfy the basic needs of the body, without which the higher goals of spiritual advancement become attenuated.



Swamiji



Swamiji’s travels to the West and Asia made a tremendous impact on his vision to raise India, his focus was to take up industrialization to move the economy. He said,” if I can get some unmarried graduates, I may try and make arrangements to send them to Japan to get some technical education there. So when they come back they can turn their knowledge to the best account for India. The secret to Japans success is that they have taken the knowhow from Europe but remain Japanese, whilst in our country the mania of Westernism has gripped us like the plague. Due to this westernisation agriculture which is an important economic driver had taken a back seat.  Government policies and leaders have failed to stimulate these sectors of the economy by easing access to capital finance and subsiding agriculture yet support and nurture selfish capitalists.

The question that claims our attention then, we live in a world with so much knowledge, resources and science why can’t we rid the world of poverty and starvation? The answer is simple, greed which leads to corruption results in non delivery of services and assistance to the citizens. This is not new and has been happening from more than 3000 years. Evidence of which can be found in our scriptures. This has prompted great minds of the times to give guidance on this malaise.  When one reads the Arthashastra of Vishnu Gupta or Kauthilya , one can see the guidelines in running an ideal state that will ensure good governance for the welfare of the masses of people.

The way forward for leaders and policy makers is to latch onto Swamijis ideas on poverty eradication. We should and must take his vedantic approach, “Look upon every man and woman as God alone. You cannot help anyone; you can only serve the children of God. If the Lord grants that you can help anyone one of his children, blessed are you. Do not think much of yourself. Blessed you are that the privilege was given to you when others have it not. Do it only has worship. I should see God in the poor, and it is for my salvation that I go and worship them.

What a profound philosophy Swamiji has given us, which when practiced with sincere devotion will instil within each one of us an expansive heart which will see the divinity in everyone irrespective of their circumstances and at once without hesitation make us serve them as the very father who created this universe. Where in there will we find the room for arrogance, greed and selfishness?

Let us as Swamiji said, accumulate “power “in silence and become dynamos of spirituality.

Viva Swamiji Viva !!!!!