RESPONSE TO WELCOME - SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

RESPONSE TO WELCOME  - SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

INTRODUCTION

     Swami Vivekananda was born in 1863, in Calcutta. His real name is Narendra Datta. From his childhood, he had an inclination towards spirituality and God realization. His Guru, Ramakrishna taught him Vedantas. He visited nooks and corners in India and he wrote many books about Hinduism. He also conducted many classes to share the greatness of India and Hinduism.

     In 1893, Swami went to America as an Indian delegate to participate in World’s Parliament of Religions held at Chicago. In the Parliament of Religions he delivered his six famous speeches entitled, 1) Response to Welcome  2) Why We Disagree 3) Paper on Hinduism  4) Religion not the Crying Need of India  5) Buddhism the Fulfilment of Hinduism and 6) Address at the Final Session. In all his speeches he stressed the Oneness of God.

Swami’s Response To Welcome

     In his ‘Response To Welcome’ Swami greeted the gathering as ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’. To these words he got a standing ovation from the crowd of seven thousand, which lasted for two minutes. He greeted the nations in the name of the most ancient order of the monks in the world. He presented Hinduism as the mother of religions. Moreover, it has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. He stressed that Hindu religion had accepted all religions as true. He said that he was very proud to be an Indian, because the country had sheltered the refugees of all religions, particularly the Isralites  and the remains of the Zorastrian nation. He quoted a few lines from a hymn which he had been repeating since his boyhood. The hymn said,

“ As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the Sea, so, O Lord the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee”

     Swami also quoted the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita, “Whosoever comes to me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me”

Swami’s Caution

     Swami painfully condemned that Sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible descendant fanaticism had long occupied this beautiful earth. These things had filled the earth with violence and drenched it often with human blood. It also destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. If these social evils had not been present, human society would be far more advanced. In the end of his speech he gave caution that the ‘death-knell’ of all fanaticism had been tolled either “with the sword or with the pen”

Conclusion

    Swami’s speech was the demonstration of the religious philosophy of Hinduism. Though it was a short speech, its spirit of universality and broadmindedness completely enthralled the whole assembly. The lectures of Vivekandan shook America and the whole world. After the Parliament, Vivekananda immediately became a hero in America.