The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 3/Lectures from Colombo to Almora/Address at the Rameswaram Temple on Real Worship
ADDRESS AT THE RAMESWARAM TEMPLE ON REAL WORSHIP
A visit was subsequently paid to the Rameswaram Temple, where the Swami was
asked to address a few words to the people who had assembled there. This he
did in the following terms:
It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony, in the pure and
sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and mind, his coming
into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless. The prayers of those that
are pure in mind and body will be answered by Shiva, and those that are
impure and yet try to teach religion to others will fail in the end.
External worship is only a symbol of internal worship; but internal worship
and purity are the real things. Without them, external worship would be of
no avail. Therefore you must all try to remember this.
People have become so degraded in this Kali Yuga that they think they can do
anything, and then they can go to a holy place, and their sins will be
forgiven. If a man goes with an impure mind into a temple, he adds to the
sins that he had already, and goes home a worse man than when he left it.
Tirtha (place of pilgrimage) is a place which is full of holy things and
holy men. But if holy people live in a certain place, and if there is no
temple there, even that is a Tirtha. If unholy people live in a place where
there may be a hundred temples, the Tirtha has vanished from that place. And
it is most difficult to live in a Tirtha; for if sin is committed in any
ordinary place it can easily be removed, but sin committed in a Tirtha
cannot be removed. This is the gist of all worship — to be pure and to do
good to others. He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the
diseased, really worships Shiva; and if he sees Shiva only in the image, his
worship is but preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing
Shiva in him, without thinking of his caste, or creed, or race, or anything,
with him Shiva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in
temples.
A rich man had a garden and two gardeners. One of these gardeners was very
lazy and did not work; but when the owner came to the garden, the lazy man
would get up and fold his arms and say, "How beautiful is the face of my
master", and dance before him. The other gardener would not talk much, but
would work hard, and produce all sorts of fruits and vegetables which he
would carry on his head to his master who lived a long way off. Of these two
gardeners, which would be the more beloved of his master? Shiva is that
master, and this world is His garden, and there are two sorts of gardeners
here; the one who is lazy, hypocritical, and does nothing, only talking
about Shiva's beautiful eyes and nose and other features; and the other, who
is taking care of Shiva's children, all those that are poor and weak, all
animals, and all His creation. Which of these would be the more beloved of
Shiva? Certainly he that serves His children. He who wants to serve the
father must serve the children first. He who wants to serve Shiva must serve
His children — must serve all creatures in this world first. It is said in
the Shâstra that those who serve the servants of God are His greatest
servants. So you will bear this in mind.
Let me tell you again that you must be pure and help any one who comes to
you, as much as lies in your power. And this is good Karma. By the power of
this, the heart becomes pure (Chitta-shuddhi), and then Shiva who is
residing in every one will become manifest. He is always in the heart of
every one. If there is dirt and dust on a mirror, we cannot see our image.
So ignorance and wickedness are the dirt and dust that are on the mirror of
our hearts. Selfishness is the chief sin, thinking of ourselves first. He
who thinks, "I will eat first, I will have more money than others, and I
will possess everything", he who thinks, "I will get to heaven before others
I will get Mukti before others" is the selfish man. The unselfish man says,
"I will be last, I do not care to go to heaven, I will even go to hell if by
doing so I can help my brothers." This unselfishness is the test of
religion. He who has more of this unselfishness is more spiritual and nearer
to Shiva. Whether he is learned or ignorant, he is nearer to Shiva than
anybody else, whether he knows it or not. And if a man is selfish, even
though he has visited all the temples, seen all the places of pilgrimage,
and painted himself like a leopard, he is still further off from Shiva.