Swami Vivekanand in Punjab by Jasbir K Ahuja

[Guest guest]

Namaskar Mitra,

 

Swami Vivekananda gave an inspiring speech at Ambala, today Haryana, then in

Punjab in August 1897. He spoke very highly of the Sikh Gurus esp Guru Govind

Singhji. Besides the article have reproduced four extracts from the Complete

Works of Swami Vivekananda, see below.

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=greatmen&cid=1124&sid=189

 

1. Volume 3, Page 379 of Complete Works chapter The Common Basis of Hinduism.

 

“Mark me, then and then alone you are a Hindu when the very name sends

through you a galvanic shock of strength. Then and then alone you are a Hindu

when every man who bears the name, from any country, speaking our language or

any other language, becomes at once the nearest and the dearest to you. Then

and then alone you are a Hindu when the distress of anyone bearing that name

comes to your heart and makes you fell as if your own son were in distress.

Then and then alone you are a Hindu when you will be ready to bear everything

for them, like the great example I have quoted at the beginning of this

lecture, of your great Guru Govind Singh. Driven out from this country,

fighting against its oppressors, after having shed his own blood for the

defence of the Hindu religion, after having seen his children killed on the

battlefield- ay, this example of the great Guru, left even by those for whose

sake he was shedding his blood and the blood of his own nearest and dearest-he,

the wounded lion, retired from the field calmly to die in the South, but not a

word of curse escaped his lips against those who had ungratefully forsaken him!

Mark me; every one of you will have to be a Govind Singh, if you want to do good

to your country. You may see thousands of defects in your countrymen, but mark

their Hindu blood. They are the first Gods you will have to worship even if

they do everything to hurt you, even if everyone of them send out a curse to

you, you send out to them words of love. If they drive you out, retire to die

in silence like that mighty lion, Govind Singh. Such a man is worthy of the

name of Hindu; such an ideal ought to be before us always. All our hatches let

us bury; send out this grand current of love all around”.

 

2. Volume 6 Page 166 of Complete Works chapter Historical Evolution of India

 

One great prophet, however, arose in the north, Govind Singh, the last Guru of

the Sikhs, with creative genius; and the result of his spiritual work was

followed by the well-known political organization of the Sikhs. We have seen

throughout the history of India, a spiritual upheaval is almost always

succeeded by a political unity extending over more or less area of the

continent, which in its turn helps to strengthen the spiritual aspiration that

brings it to being. But the spiritual aspiration that preceded the rise of the

Mahratta or the Sikh empire was entirely reactionary. We seek in vain to find

in the court of Poona or Lahore even a ray of reflection of that intellectual

glory which surrounded the courts of the Muguls, much less the brilliance of

Malava or Vidyanagara. It was intellectually the darkest period of Indian

history; and both these meteoric empires, representing the upheaval of

mass-fanaticism and hating culture with all their hearts lost all their motive

power as soon as they had succeeded in destroying the rule of the hated

Mohammedans.

 

3. Volume 6 Page 513 of Complete Works chapter Conversations & Dialogues.

[Place: Balaram Babu’s residence, Calcutta. Year: 1898.]

 

Swamiji had been staying during the last two days at Balaram Babu’s

residence at Baghbazar. He was taking a short stroll on the roof of the house,

and the disciple with four or five others was in attendance. While walking to

and fro, Swamiji took up the story of Guru Govind Singh and with his great

eloquence touched upon the various points in his life - how the revival of the

Sikh sect was brought about by his great renunciation, austerities, fortitude,

and life-consecrating labors-how by his initiation he re-Hinduised Mohammedan

converts and took them back into the Sikh community-and how on the banks of the

Narmada he brought his wonderful life to a close. Speaking of the great power

that used to be infused in those days into the initiates of Guru Govind,

Swamiji recited a popular Doha (couplet) of the Sikhs:

 

The meaning is: “When Guru Govind gives the Name, i.e. the initiation, a

single man becomes strong enough to triumph over a lakh and quarter of his

foes.” Each disciple, deriving from his inspiration a real spiritual

devotion had his soul filled with such wonderful heroism! While holding forth

thus on the glories of religion, Swamiji’s eyes dilating with enthusiasm

seemed to be emitting fire, and his hearers, dumb-stricken and looking at his

face, kept watching the wonderful sight.

 

After a while the disciple said: “Sir, it was very remarkable that Guru

Govind could unite both Hindus and Mussulamans within the fold of his religion

and lead them both towards the same end. In Indian history, no other example of

this can be found.”

 

Swamiji: Men can never be united unless there is a bond of common interest. You

can never unite people merely by getting up meetings, societies, and lectures

if their interests be not one and the same. Guru Govind made it understood

everywhere that the men of his age, be they Hindus or Mussulmans, were living

under a regime of profound injustice and oppression. He did not create any

common interest; he only pointed it out to the masses. And so both Hindus and

Mussulmans followed him. He was a great worshipper of Shakti. Yet, in Indian

history, such an example is indeed very rare.

 

with prem, cheers, Share the Wealth

sanjeev