The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 4/Translation: Prose/The Education that India needs
In reply to your questions about the methods of work, the most important
thing I have to say is that the work should be started on a scale which
would be commensurate with the results desired. I have heard much of your
liberal mind, patriotism, and steady perseverance from my friend Miss
Müller; and the proof of your erudition is evident. I look upon it as a
great good fortune that you are desirous to know what little this
insignificant life has been able to attempt; I shall state it to you here,
as far as I can. But first I shall lay before you my mature convictions for
your deliberation.
We have been slaves for ever, i.e. it has never been given to the masses of
India to express the inner light which is their inheritance. The Occident
has been rapidly advancing towards freedom for the last few centuries. In
India, it was the king who used to prescribe everything from Kulinism down
to what one should eat and what one should not. In Western countries, the
people do everything themselves.
The king now has nothing to say in any social matter; on the other hand, the
Indian people have not yet even the least faith in themselves, what to say
of self-reliance. The faith in one's own Self, which is the basis of
Vedânta, has not yet been even slightly carried into practice. It is for
this reason that the Western method — i.e. first of all, discussion about
the wished-for end, then the carrying it out by the combination of all the
forces — is of no avail even now in this country: it is for this reason that
we appear so greatly conservative under foreign rule. If this be true, then
it is a vain attempt to do any great work by means of public discussion.
"There is no chance of a headache where there is no head" — where is the
public? Besides, we are so devoid of strength that our whole energy is
exhausted if we undertake to discuss anything, none is left for work. It is
for this reason, I suppose, we observe in Bengal almost always — "Much cry
but little wool." Secondly, as I have written before, I do not expect
anything from the rich people of India. It is best to work among the youth
in whom lies our hope — patiently, steadily, and without noise.
Now about work. From the day when education and culture etc. began to spread
gradually from patricians to plebeians, grew the distinction between the
modern civilisation as of Western countries, and the ancient civilisation as
of India, Egypt, Rome, etc. I see it before my eyes, a nation is advanced in
proportion as education and intelligence spread among the masses. The chief
cause of India's ruin has been the monopolising of the whole education and
intelligence of the land, by dint of pride and royal authority, among a
handful of men. If we are to rise again, we shall have to do it in the same
way, i.e. by spreading education among the masses. A great fuss has been
made for half a century about social reform. Travelling through various
places of India these last ten years, I observed the country full of social
reform associations. But I did not find one association for them by sucking
whose blood the people known as "gentlemen" have become and continue to be
gentlemen! How many sepoys were brought by the Mussulmans? How many
Englishmen are there? Where, except in India, can be had millions of men who
will cut the throats of their own fathers and brothers for six rupees? Sixty
millions of Mussulmans in seven hundred years of Mohammedan rule, and two
millions of Christians in one hundred years of Christian rule — what makes
it so? Why has originality entirely forsaken the country? Why are our
deft-fingered artisans daily becoming extinct, unable to compete with the
Europeans? By what power again has the German labourer succeeded in shaking
the many-century-grounded firm footing of the English labourer?
Education, education, education alone! Travelling through many cities of
Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor
people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people, and I
used to shed tears. What made the difference? Education was the answer I
got. Through education comes faith in one's own Self, and through faith in
one's own Self the inherent Brahman is waking up in them, while the Brahman
in us is gradually becoming dormant. In New York I used to observe the Irish
colonists come — downtrodden, haggard-looking, destitute of all possessions
at home, penniless, and wooden-headed — with their only belongings, a stick
and a bundle of rags hanging at the end of it, fright in their steps, alarm
in their eyes. A different spectacle in six months — the man walks upright,
his attire is changed! In his eyes and steps there is no more sign of
fright. What is the cause? Our Vedanta says that that Irishman was kept
surrounded by contempt in his own country — the whole of nature was telling
him with one voice, "Pat, you have no more hope, you are born a slave and
will remain so." Having been thus told from his birth, Pat believed in it
and hypnotised himself that he was very low, and the Brahman in him shrank
away. While no sooner had he landed in America than he heard the shout going
up on all sides, "Pat, you are a man as we are. It is man who has done all,
a man like you and me can do everything: have courage!" Pat raised his head
and saw that it was so, the Brahman within woke up. Nature herself spoke, as
it were, "Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached" (Katha
Upanishad, I. ii. 4.)
Likewise the education that our boys receive is very negative. The schoolboy
learns nothing, but has everything of his own broken down — want of
Shraddhâ is the result. The Shraddha which is the keynote of the Veda and
the Vedanta — the Shraddha which emboldened Nachiketâ to face Yama and
question him, through which Shraddha this world moves the annihilation of
that Shraddha!
— "The ignorant, the man devoid of Shraddha, the doubting self runs to ruin." Therefore are we so near destruction. The remedy now is the spread of education. First of all, Self-knowledge. I do not mean thereby, matted hair, staff, Kamandalu, and mountain caves which the word suggests. What do I mean then? Cannot the knowledge, by which is attained even freedom from the bondage of worldly existence, bring ordinary material prosperity? Certainly it can. Freedom, dispassion, renunciation all these are the very highest ideals, but
— "Even a little of this Dharma saves one from the great fear (of birth and death)." Dualist, qualified-monist, monist, Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shâkta, even the Buddhist and the Jain and others — whatever sects have arisen in India — are all at one in this respect that infinite power is latent in this Jivatman (individualised soul); from the ant to the perfect man there is the same Âtman in all, the difference being only in manifestation. "As a farmer breaks the obstacles (to the course of water)" (Patanjali's Yoga-Sutra, Kaivalsapâda, 3). That power manifests as soon as it gets the opportunity and the right place and time. From the highest god to the meanest grass, the same power is present in all — whether manifested or not. We shall have to call forth that power by going from door to door.
Secondly, along with this, education has to be imparted. That is easy to
say, but how to reduce it into practice? There are thousands of unselfish,
kind-hearted men in our country who has renounced every thing. In the same
way as they travel about and give religious instructions without any
remuneration, so at least half of them can be trained as teachers or bearers
of such education as we need most. For that, we want first of all a centre
in the capital of each Presidency, from whence to spread slowly throughout
the whole of India. Two centres have recently been started in Madras and
Calcutta; there is hope of more soon. Then, the greater part of the
education to the poor should be given orally, time is not yet ripe for
schools. Gradually in these main centres will be taught agriculture,
industry, etc., and workshops will be established for the furtherance of
arts. To sell the manufactures of those workshops in Europe and America,
associations will be started like those already in existence. It will be
necessary to start centres for women, exactly like those for men. But you
are aware how difficult that is in this country. Again, "The snake which
bites must take out its own poison" — and that this is going to be is my
firm conviction; the money required for these works would have to come from
the West. And for that reason our religion should be preached in Europe and
America. Modern science has undermined the basis of religions like
Christianity. Over and above that, luxury is about to kill the religious
instinct itself. Europe and America are now looking towards India with
expectant ewes: this is the time for philanthropy, this is the time to
occupy the hostile strongholds.
In the West, women rule; all influence and power are theirs. If bold and
talented women like yourself versed in Vedanta, go to England to preach, I
am sure that every year hundreds of men and women will become blessed by
adopting the religion of the land of Bharata. The only woman who went over
from our country was Ramâbâai; her knowledge of English, Western science and
art was limited; still she surprised all. If anyone like you goes, England
will be stirred, what to speak of America! If an Indian woman in Indian
dress preach there the religion which fell from the lips of the Rishis of
India — I see a prophetic vision — there will rise a great wave which will
inundate the whole Western world. Will there be no women in the land of
Maitreyi, Khanâ, Lilâvati, Sâvitri, and Ubhayabhârati, who will venture to
do this? The Lord knows. England we shall conquer, England we shall possess,
through the power of spirituality.
— "There is no other way of salvation." Can salvation ever come by getting up meetings and societies? Our conquerors must be made Devas by the power of our spirituality. I am a humble mendicant, an itinerant monk; I am helpless and alone. What can I do? You have the power of wealth, intellect, and education; will you forgo this opportunity? Conquest of England, Europe, and America — this should be our one supreme Mantra at present, in it lies the well-being of the country. Expansion is the sign of life, and we must spread over the world with our spiritual ideals. Alas! this frame is poor, moreover, the physique of a Bengali; even under this labour a fatal disease has attacked it, but there is the hope:
उत्पत्स्यतेऽस्ति मम कोऽपि समानधर्मा।
कालो ह्ययं निरवधिर्विपुला च पृथ्वी॥
—"A kindred spirit is or will be born out of the limitless time and populous earth to accomplish the work" (Bhavabhuti).
About vegetarian diet I have to say this — first, my Master was a
vegetarian; but if he was given meat offered to the Goddess, he used to hold
it up to his head. The taking of life is undoubtedly sinful; but so long as
vegetable food is not made suitable to the human system through progress in
chemistry, there is no other alternative but meat-eating. So long as man
shall have to live a Râjasika (active) life under circumstances like the
present, there is no other way except through meat-eating. It is true that
the Emperor Asoka saved the lives of millions of animals by the threat of
the sword; but is not the slavery of a thousand years more dreadful than
that? Taking the life of a few goats as against the inability to protect the
honour of one's own wife and daughter, and to save the morsels for one's
children from robbing hands — which of these is more sinful? Rather let
those belonging to the upper ten, who do not earn their livelihood by manual
labour, not take meat; but the forcing of vegetarianism upon those who have
to earn their bread by labouring day and night is one of the causes of the
loss of our national freedom. Japan is an example of what good and
nourishing food can do.
May the All-powerful Vishveshvari inspire your heart!
- Notes
- ↑ Written to Shrimati Saralâ Ghosal, B.A., Editor, Bhârati, from Darjeeling, 24th April, 1897. Translated from Bengali.