Page:The Pilgrims' March.djvu/124

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.

BABU BAGVAN DAS.

MESSAGE TO HIS COUNTRYMEN.

Suffering for the sake of an ideal is good for the soul. The opportunity for such suffering has been sent to me also by Providence and I am thankful. The achieving of true Swaraj, true Self-Government, the Government of the Higher Self over the lower in the individual as well as the communal life is a high ideal. I have tried to express my idea of its nature and form in various writings. I hope the Congress authorities may accept it and publish it to the people in order to guide and steady the people's enthusiasm by clear vision of the goal. I hope that friends in Benares and elsewhere will help to keep alive the Kashi Vidya Pitha, my last effort with the most generous help of my dear gold-hearted friend Shivaprasad Gupta and others to establish a new centre of reformed education the foundation of reformed individual and communal life. I hope that the leaders of the various creeds will teach their followings to distinguish between the heart essentials which are common to all and the external rites and ceremonies which are special to each and accidental