Sister Nivedita: The Dedicated - Who gave her all to India – 27

यतो धर्म: ततो जय:

Nivedita as ardent devotee of Mother India awakened national consciousness - 6

Once she was invited to the office of the Amrita Bazar Patrika on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanya. She reached there walking all the way from her school on bare feet. While climbing the staircase she kept asking everybody with eagerness and simple childlike devotion. 'Where's the puja? Where's the puja?' Everybody then, perhaps, came to realize the true significance of the puja.

Buddha attained his illumination after he had sat in meditation in Bodh Gaya, after taking payasam served by Sujata. Uruvilla the place where Sujata lived, is situated near Bodh Gaya. One day Nivedita, with the entire party consisting of Jadunath Sarkar, Jagadishchandra Bose, Amala Bose etc. visited the village. The village no longer had any sign of Sujata's house, but Nivedita was overwhelmed with joy. She raised a piece of clay from the ground and touched it on her bosom, respectfully saying. 'The entire village is holy.'

Nivedita wept throughout the night before the day on which they were to leave Body Gaya. She was remembering the glorious days of the Buddhist age, and simultaneously she was remembering the ignoble position of modern India. When again would come that great awakening that had once made India the pride of the world and the center of Asia? When would that strength and enthusiasm arouse the Indians? All these thoughts tormented her throughout the night. This is how each and every part of India should become live for us, it should move us and propel us to work more for our country and its people.

About Swamiji Nivedita said that she had observed ever since she reached India till the last day of her Guru's life, that he always suffered from an excruciating pain. That pain was for his motherland-India. This intense love of Swamiji for India, with all his pride, suffering and hope, was transmitted to his 'spiritual daughter' also. To her, India became synonymous with Ramakrishna-Vivekananda. Her entire being became India, and she had no separate existence other than India. She considered India's pride and shame to be her personal pride and shame. Her Guru wanted her to become…' to India's son, the mistress, servant and friend in one.' She became all and much more. No other foreign lady could realize the hopes and aspirations of the Indian people so truly, or recognize the eternal, unblemished image of India's soul so in-depth as she did.

In fact, Nivedita's sacrifice for the cause of India was so total, intense and sincere that we feel guilty to call her a foreign lady. Never did she utter 'India's need'. 'India's women', she always said 'Our need' and 'Our women'. Any reference to India would overwhelm her with emotion. She called India Edesh (this land), and called England Odesh (that land). Therefore, Nivedita truly belongs to India. Indeed that was how the Holy Mother Sarada Devi used to feel. She said: 'Nivedita belongs to this land: she was born there in that country (West) only to propagate his (Sri Ramakrishna's) ideas and messages.'

To be Continued

http://www.sisternivedita.org

 
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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
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