A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

"Thou"418 VEDANTA IN INDIAN LIFE.I do not mean to preach Adwaitism or Dwaitfem or anyism in the world. The only ism, that we require no\? isthis wonderful idea of the soul its eternal might, itseternal strength, its eternal purity and its eternal perfection.If I had a child I would from its very birth begin totell itart the Pure one." You have read in oneof the Puranas that beautiful story of Queen M^&ialsa, howas soon as she has a child she puts her child *with her ownhands on the hammock, and how as the hammock swings toand fro, she beginsto singThou art thePure one, ti&Stainless, Sinless, the Mighty one, the Great one." Aye,there is much in that. Feel that you are great and youbecome great. What did I get as my experience allover the world is the question. They may talk about sinners ;and if allEnglishmen believed that they were sinnersindeed, Englishmen would be no better that the Negroes inCentral Africa. God bless them that they do not believe it.On the other hand, the Englishman believes he is born thelord of the world. He believes he is great and can do anything in the world. If he wants he can go to the sun or themoon and that makes him great. If he had believed hispriests that he is a poor little sinner going to be barbecuedthrough all eternity, he would not be the same Englishmanthat he is to-day. So I find in every nation that in spite ofpriests and superstition the divine within lives and assertsitself. We have lost faith. Would you believe me, we haveless faith than the Englishmen and women, thousandtimes less faith ! These are plain words, but I say them,cannot helpit. Don t you see how Englishmen andwomen, when they catch our ideas become mad as it were,and although they are the ruling class, come to India topreach our own religion against the jeers and ridicule of