Swami Vivekananda : The Cyclonic Monk of India.

Listen! What Swami Vivekananda Says - 

Letter No.127 :- 6^th July, 1896, 63 St. George’s Road, London, S.W., Dear Frankincense (Mr. Francis Leggett), I simply admire joe in her tact and quiet way. She is a feminine statesman or woman. She can wield a Kingdom. I have seldom seen such strong yet good common sense in a human being.

This British Empire with all its drawbacks is the greatest machine that ever existed for the dissemination of ideas. I mean to put my ideas in the centre of this machine, and they will spread all over the world. Of course, all great work is slow, and the difficulties are too many, especially as we Hindus are the conquered race. Yet, that is the very reason why it is, bound to work, for spiritual ideals have always come from the downtrodden.

You will be pleased to know that I am also learning my lessons every day in patience and, Love all, in sympathy. I think I am beginning to seethe Divine, even inside the high and mighty Anglo-Indians. I think I am slowly approaching to that state when I should be able to love the very “Devil” himself, if there were any.

Universal Love = Compassion.

At twenty years of age I was the most unsympathetic, uncompromising fanatic; I would not walk on the footpath on the theatre side of the streets in Calcutta. At thirty-three, I can live in the same house with prostitutes and never would think of saying a word of reproach to them. Is it degenerate? Or is it that I am broadening out into the Universal Love which is the Lord Himself? Again, I have heard that if one does not see the evil round him, he cannot do good work – he lapses into assort of fatalism. I do not see that. On the other hand, my power of work is immensely increasing and becoming immensely effective. Some days I get into a sort of ecstasy. I feel that I must bless every one, everything, love and embrace everything, and I do see that evil is a delusion. I am in one of these moods now, dear Francis, and am actually shedding tears of joy at the thought of you and Mrs. Leggett’s love and kindness to me. I bless the day I was born. I have had so much of kindness and love here, and that Love Infinite that brought me into being has guarded every one of my actions, good or bad, (don’t be frightened) for what am I, what was I ever, but a tool in His hand? – for whose service I have given up everything, my beloved ones, my joys, my life. He is my playful darling. I am His playfellow. There is neither rhyme nor reason in the universe! What reason binds Him? He the playful one is playing these tears and laughter over all parts of the play! Great fun, great fun, as Joe, says.

It is a funny world, and the funniest chap you ever saw is He – the Beloved Infinite! Fun, is it not? Brotherhood or playmatehood – a school of roaming children let out to play in this playground of the world! Isn’t it? Whom to praise, whom to blame, it is all His play. They want explanations, but how can you explain Him? He is brainless, nor has He any reason. He is fooling us with little brains and reason, but this time He won’t find me napping.

I have learnt a thing or two : Beyond, beyond reason and learning and talking is the feeling, the “Love”, the “Beloved”. Ay, sake, fill up the cup and we will be mad.

- Swami Vivekananda