Once while talking to Prof. Sundararama Iyer at Trivandrum, Swamiji said, Practical patriotism means not a mere sentiment or even emotion of love of the motherland but a passion to serve our fellow countrymen.
"Practical patriotism means not a mere sentiment or even emotion of love of the motherland but a passion to serve our fellow-countrymen. I have gone all over India on foot and have seen with my own eyes the ignorance, misery and squalor of our people. My whole soul is afire and I am burning with a fierce desire to change such evil conditions. Let no one talk of Karma. If it was their Karma to suffer, it is our Karma to relieve the suffering. If you want to find God, serve man. To reach Narayana you must serve the Daridra Narayanas--the starving millions of India." (Life of Swami Vivekananda, vol. I, p. 338.)
The thought that recurred in his speeches and writings was that the service cannot be with ulterior motive. Service cannot be a trade: 'you give up your religion to receive our service.'
"Practical patriotism means not a mere sentiment or even emotion of love of the motherland but a passion to serve our fellow-countrymen. I have gone all over India on foot and have seen with my own eyes the ignorance, misery and squalor of our people. My whole soul is afire and I am burning with a fierce desire to change such evil conditions. Let no one talk of Karma. If it was their Karma to suffer, it is our Karma to relieve the suffering. If you want to find God, serve man. To reach Narayana you must serve the Daridra Narayanas--the starving millions of India." (Life of Swami Vivekananda, vol. I, p. 338.)
The thought that recurred in his speeches and writings was that the service cannot be with ulterior motive. Service cannot be a trade: 'you give up your religion to receive our service.'
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