Swami Vivekananda's Contributions to India

[vignesh2014]

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In spite of her innumerable linguistic, ethnic, historical and regional diversities, India has had from time immemorial a strong sense of cultural unity. It was, however, Swami Vivekananda who revealed the true foundations of this culture and thus clearly defined and strengthened the sense of unity as a nation.
Swamiji gave Indians proper understanding of their country’s great spiritual heritage and thus gave them pride in their past. Furthermore, he pointed out to Indians the drawbacks of Western culture and the need for India’s contribution to overcome these drawbacks. In this way Swamiji made India a nation with a global mission.
Sense of unity, pride in the past, sense of mission – these were the factors which gave real strength and purpose to India’s nationalist movement. Several eminent leaders of India’s freedom movement have acknowledged their indebtedness to Swamiji. Free India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wrote: “Rooted in the past, full of pride in India’s prestige, Vivekananda was yet modern in his approach to life’s problems, and was a kind of bridge between the past of India and her present … he came as a tonic to the depressed and demoralized Hindu mind and gave it self-reliance and some roots in the past.” Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose wrote: “Swamiji harmonized the East and the West, religion and science, past and present. And that is why he is great. Our countrymen have gained unprecedented self-respect, self-reliance and self-assertion from his teachings.”
Swamiji’s most unique contribution to the creation of new India was to open the minds of Indians to their duty to the downtrodden masses. Long before the ideas of Karl Marx were known in India, Swamiji spoke about the role of the labouring classes in the production of the country’s wealth. Swamiji was the first religious leader in India to speak for the masses, formulate a definite philosophy of service, and organize large-scale social service.

 

[BRAHMACHARI]

"..... Furthermore, he pointed out to Indians the drawbacks of Western culture and the need for India’s contribution to overcome these drawbacks. In this way Swamiji made India a nation with a global mission..."

Why is it we always talk great about Indian culture and talk ill about other cultures? Why do we always look down upon other cultures as if we are the most superior beings on earth and others are all inferior? Every culture has its own merits and demerits. If western culture has drawbacks, indian culture also has. don't indians desperately try for a job in the west? don't indians desperately aspire for a green-card in the USA!!! don't we feel proud when we or our kids land in a good job in US!! don't we feel proud when our kids get through GMAT, GRE, TOEFL with high scores and secure admission in Harvard or MIT!! don't we feel proud sporting western costumes and outfits while yet being in india!! indian gents and women of all ages are roaming around freely wearing shorts, half-pants, jeans, t-shirts as casuals. aping the west especially americans is a matter of pride now!! indians have adopted the western culture as their own. perhaps vivekananda too would have followed suit had he lived in the present.

so let us not criticize other cultures but appreciate and adopt the good in every culture. after all have not foreigners adopted the good in our culture!!

let us change our mindset and mentality. let us change our attitude about foreigners. we will progress.

 

[vignesh2014]

Here it is not that he is not appreciating the good aspects..he is also not talking ill of other cultures...Swamiji is the first man who gave importance to all cultures...He told that we have to work like west in improving our missionaries..Aping the west is not to take pride..even GMAT, GRE, TOEFL all shows , we have to improve our universities to international standards...What is wrong in pinpointing when something is wrong..then only we can grow...We are more of intellectuals, intellectual workers than doers...We believe more in superstitions..That does not mean that west should not adapt all the good points..we wear according to our climatic conditions, we have simple life, we bother about all people in general instead of a section of elite (We don't have crony capitalism)..Even Mr. Obama is adapting some of the finer points of asian culture...Since we don't take pride in our culture...our culture is not spreading in the west as the way western culture is spreading (fastest spreading) here. The mindset is not only to be changed by us but the whole international people who has to take the best out of all things. Therefore no point in blaming as though we have only mean mentality.

 

[vignesh2014]

Each and Every race is unique..therefore all races are complimentary...Just like South Africa instead of sending all foreigners out , if we had sent only foreign rulers we would have progress much economically. If we allowed other races to settle in India just like USA, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia we would have progressed. we have not done that.Therefore, vivekananda also never advocated foreign hatred..if he hated that he would not have address in Chicago meet of world religions as "Brothers and Sisters ".Vedanta encompass whole humanity and it is not for particular community

 

[BRAHMACHARI]

Dear Vignesh Sir,

We need to understand that times are changing. We need to adapt to times. Any element of any culture be it Indian or Western, if outdated, there is no point holding on to it. Even the West is dynamic. In the West, things change rapidly. In India, things change slowly. The whole world is becoming a global village. The world is moving towards one culture applicable to all at all places. Hence let us fall in line with a change towards a common global culture. Our heritage, though great, is past. We cannot live in the past glory. Nothing is hindering us from sharing the best of ours with others. Therefore let us exchange our best for others' best. We also need to bridle/restrain our youth from excess accumulation of any culture which does not benefit them, which has only superficial value. Our youth are in a delusion. We need to educate our youth.

Also, Vivekananda's teachings are limited by scope of time in their applicability. Vivekananda was focussing more on Hindu Religion and its greatness. Our present day youth are least bothered about knowing Hinduism or its greatness. They want to master as much as possible about computers, internet, mobile usage, motorcycles, prseudo-americanism etc. There is nothing wrong in acquiring knowledge that benefits our nation. But the aim and ambition of our youth in their life is to land in USA, obtain a green-card and at best become a citizen of USA. Barring a few, our youth do not want to be indians and they want to be americans. We need to check this erosion. We need to retain talent, check brain drain etc to ensure our culture does not get eclipsed by the west.

 

[vignesh2014]

Dear Mr. Brahmachari

I'm not against modernisation. Modernisation should not be at the cost of our own culture being destroyed. As you rightly said, our culture is only slowly spreading. Whereas western culture's tentacles are holding the world in Sway. Kindly read my
other posts also so that you can come to a conclusion. Here for Krishna's "CHATUR VARNYAM" also i want to give a different interpretation since like Vivekananda , i very well know that India can't become super power with the help of other national people settling here. Just like the way other countries are allowing other country people to settle, we have to also to do that.Here instead of Brahmin,Kshatriya, Vysya and Shudra, it is i feel the four pure races white, red, yellow and black which earlier existed in our continent Jambu dweepa that led to these varna system.I explained it in my post.Kindly go through those and then come to a conclusion. Anyway i respect your views. I'm also against brain drain.
But this can't be stopped by the political climate now prevailing.Keep writing to me.Thanks for your valuable comments.

 

[vignesh2014]

You have not understood "VIVEKANANDA" also not properly. Vivekananda asked our people to "ARISE AWAKE AND STOP NOT TILL THE GOAL IS REACHED" seeing the dynamism of the west.He was the first one to spread our religion in western countries.Kindly read more about vivekananda..then you will know.