The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 7/Epistles - Third Series/XL Shuddhananda
XL
ALMORA,
11th July, 1897,
My dear Shuddhananda,
I was very glad to receive your last report. I have very little criticism to make except that you ought to write a bit more legibly.
I am quite satisfied with the work done so far, but it must be pushed forward. I have not learnt as yet of the suggestion I made before as to getting a set of chemical and physical apparatus and starting classes in elementary and experimental Chemistry and Physics, especially in Physiology.
What about the other suggestion of buying sets of all the scientific books
that have been translated into Bengali?
It now seems to me that there must at least be three Mahantas (heads)
elected at a time — one to direct the business part, one the experimental,
the other the intellectual part.
The difficulty is to get the director of education. Brahmananda and Turiyananda may well fill the other two. Of visitors I am sorry to learn that you are only getting Babus from Calcutta. They are no good. What we want are brave young men who will work, not tomfools.
Ask Brahmananda to write to both Abhedananda and Saradananda to send weekly
reports to the Math without fail, also to send Bengali articles and notes
for the would-be paper. Is G. C. Ghosh getting up things for the paper? Work
on with a will and be ready.
Akhandananda is working wonderfully at Mahula, but the system is not good.
It seems they are frittering away their energies in one little village and
that only doling out rice. I do not hear that any preaching has been done
along with this helping. All the wealth of the world cannot help one little
Indian village if the people are not taught to help themselves. Our work
should be mainly educational, both moral and intellectual. I have not learnt
anything abut it — only so many beggars are helped! Ask Brahmananda to open
centres in different districts so as to cover the largest space with our
small means.
And then, so far it seems to have been ineffectual, for they have not
succeeded in rousing the people of the place to start societies to educate
the people, so that they may learn to be self-reliant, frugal, and not given
to marrying, and thus save themselves from future famine. Charity opens the
heart, but work on through that wedge.
The easiest way is to take a hut — make it a temple of Guru Maharaj! Let the
poor come here to be helped, also to worship. Let there be Kathâ (Puranic
recitals) morning and evening there — through that you may teach all you
want to teach the people. By degrees the people will be interested. They
will keep up the temple themselves; maybe the hut temple will evolve into a
great institution in a few years. Let those that go to relief-work first
select a central spot in each district and start such a hut-temple, from
which all our little work is to proceed.
Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it be after his heart. But
the intelligent man is he who can convert every work into one that suits his
taste. No work is petty. Everything in this world is like a banyan-seed,
which, though appearing tiny as a mustard-seed, has yet the gigantic banyan
tree latent within it. He indeed is intelligent who notices this and
succeeds in making all work truly great. (This paragraph only is translated
from Bengali.)
Moreover, they have to see that cheats do not get the food of the deserving. India is full of lazy rogues, and curious, they never die of hunger, they always get something. Ask Brahmananda to write this to everyone in relief-work — they must not be allowed to spend money to no good. We want the greatest possible good work permanent from the least outlay.
Now you see you must try to think out original ideas — else, as soon as I
die, the whole thing will tumble to pieces. For example, you hold a meeting
to consider, "How we can reap the best permanent results out of the small
means at our disposal." Let all have notice a few days before and let each
suggest something and discuss all the suggestions, criticising them; and
then send me a report.
Lastly, you must remember I expect more from my children than from my
brethren. I want each one of my children to be a hundred times greater than
I could ever be. Everyone of you must be a giant — must, that is my word.
Obedience, readiness, and love for the cause — if you have these three,
nothing can hold you back.
With love and blessings,
VIVEKANANDA.