A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

"What"WHAT HAVE I LEARNT ? *tin."T Dacca, the Sw&saiji delivered two lectures in English,the first one was on,have I learnt ?" andthe second one was on, The religion we are born vThe following is translated from the report in Bengaliby a disciple, and contains the substance of the firstlecture :First of all, I must express my pleasure atthe opportunity afforded me of coming to Eastern Bengal, to acquirean intimate knowledge of this part of the country, whiciiI hitherto lacked, in spite cf my wanderings through manycivilised countries of the West ;as well as my gratificationat the sight of majestic rivers, wide fertile plains, andpicturesque villages in this, my own country of Bengal,which I had not the good fortune of seeing for myself before. I did not know that there was everywhere in mycountry of Bengal on land and water so much beautyand charm. But this much has been my gain, that afterseeing the various countries of the world I can now muchmore appreciate the beauties of my own land. In thesame way also, in search of religion, I had travelled amongvarious sects, sects which had taken up the ideals offoreign nations as their own, and I had begged at thedoor of others, not knowing then that in the religion ofmy country, in our national religion, there was so muchand <beauty grandeur. It is now many years since I havefound Hinduism to be the most perfectly satisfying religionin the world.Hence, I feel sad at heart when I see exist-* A lecture delivered at Dacca, March, 1901.^