'I believe that India is one, indissoluble, indivisible. National Unity is built on the common home, the common interest, and the common love.
I believe that the strength, which spoke in the Vedas and Upanishads, in the making of religions and empires, in the learning of scholars and the meditation of the saints, is born once more amongst us, and its name today is Nationality.
I believe that the present of India is deep-rooted in her past, and that before her shines a glorious future. O Nationality, come thou to me as joy or sorrow, as honor or as shame! Make me thine own!'
-Sister Nivedita
यतो धर्म: ततो जय:
'I am permanently embittered and disillusioned about British'
Before her training Nivedita had looked to India from outside. She considered the British rule in India as having brought the measure of stability necessary for the improvement of material conditions of India. However, later more she saw India from inside she realized what wrong the British rule had done to Indian Civilization. In a letter of 6 June to Mrs. Hammond, she wrote painfully, 'If you see the behavior of British with Indians here, you too would be ashamed of as I am.' The pride for British in her heart was replaced with wrath against British.
During the pilgrimage, Nivedita could not understand initially as to why Swamiji ate with the monks and did not join her and other foreign disciples in train journeys. But once at a station she saw a liveried servant debar Swami Vivekananda from entering the restaurant into which she and her friends were going. Another time an employee had burst into the compartment where the travelers had gathered during the day and the monks were ordered to be out of the compartment. The Swami and monk withdrew in silence. Nivedita was shocked and pained. At Almora, she came to know from one of the monks that the police had set spies to watch the activities of Swamiji. It was shock after shock for Nivedita.
Knowing fully well the glorious history of Kashmir, Swamiji wanted to start a Sanskrit College in Kashmir. Swamiji used to say that even now one could feel the vibrations of Vedic chants in this land. The Maharaja of Kashmir also was happy about the proposal and wanted to give an estate on which the college would be established. But, authorization for the transfer of deeds was refused by British. Swamiji's great dream collapsed. He said simply, "The Divine Mother has other plans".
But Nivedita was shocked she asked, "How is it, that an Indian Maharajah cannot give a brother of his faith an estate that is his own property? How is it that a Hindu cannot work freely at home for the good of his own country?" She wrote to her friends at London asking for the introduction to all the British working in India. Neither Nivedita's repeated interviews with the British Resident nor the American disciples' representations to their consul for permission for Sanskrit College had been of any avail. Nivedita had thought she would make British and Indians love each other with the British supporting all that was good in India. But, gradually she realized that the British worked in India differently, against the interest of the nation. She wrote, 'I am permanently embittered and disillusioned about the British.' She developed bitterness for the British and at the same time a great respect and love for India.
She got convinced that the first step for the great future of India was political freedom, freedom from British rule. She started working for it. Along with the school activities, she started involving herself in this work also.
During the pilgrimage, Nivedita could not understand initially as to why Swamiji ate with the monks and did not join her and other foreign disciples in train journeys. But once at a station she saw a liveried servant debar Swami Vivekananda from entering the restaurant into which she and her friends were going. Another time an employee had burst into the compartment where the travelers had gathered during the day and the monks were ordered to be out of the compartment. The Swami and monk withdrew in silence. Nivedita was shocked and pained. At Almora, she came to know from one of the monks that the police had set spies to watch the activities of Swamiji. It was shock after shock for Nivedita.
Knowing fully well the glorious history of Kashmir, Swamiji wanted to start a Sanskrit College in Kashmir. Swamiji used to say that even now one could feel the vibrations of Vedic chants in this land. The Maharaja of Kashmir also was happy about the proposal and wanted to give an estate on which the college would be established. But, authorization for the transfer of deeds was refused by British. Swamiji's great dream collapsed. He said simply, "The Divine Mother has other plans".
But Nivedita was shocked she asked, "How is it, that an Indian Maharajah cannot give a brother of his faith an estate that is his own property? How is it that a Hindu cannot work freely at home for the good of his own country?" She wrote to her friends at London asking for the introduction to all the British working in India. Neither Nivedita's repeated interviews with the British Resident nor the American disciples' representations to their consul for permission for Sanskrit College had been of any avail. Nivedita had thought she would make British and Indians love each other with the British supporting all that was good in India. But, gradually she realized that the British worked in India differently, against the interest of the nation. She wrote, 'I am permanently embittered and disillusioned about the British.' She developed bitterness for the British and at the same time a great respect and love for India.
She got convinced that the first step for the great future of India was political freedom, freedom from British rule. She started working for it. Along with the school activities, she started involving herself in this work also.
--
हमें कर्म की प्रतिष्ठा बढ़ानी होंगी। कर्म देवो भव: यह आज हमारा जीवन-सूत्र बनना चाहिए। - भगिनी निवेदिता {पथ और पाथेय : पृ. क्र.१९ }
Sister Nivedita 150th Birth Anniversary : http://www.sisternivedita.org
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Daily Katha" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to daily-katha+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to daily-katha@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/daily-katha.
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/daily-katha/5b58cd2f-4a79-1b02-3177-34e9f4ff82a0%40vkendra.org.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment