A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

1the534 THE RELIGION WE ARE BORN IN.face with the Vedas, the Infinite mine of knowledge, whichbeen there from time without beginning.*.Who a^e these Rishis? Vatsayana"Hesays, whohas attained thr^igh proper means the direct realisationof Dharma, he alonv can be a Rishi, even if he is ;a Mlechchaby birth." Thus it ^ s that in ancient times, Vasiiishthaborn of an illegitimate union, Vyasa ronof a fisherman, Narada the son of a maid-servant withuncertain parentage, and many others of like nature, attained to Rishihood. Truly speaking, it comes to this then,,that no distinction should be made with one who has*realised the Truth. If the persons just named all becameRishis, then, ye Kulin Brahmans of the present day,how much greater Rishis you can become ! Strive a^rthat IJishihood, stop not tillyou have attained the goal,and the whole w r orld will of itself bow at yourfeet ! Be aRishi, that is the secret of power.This Veda is our only authority, and everyonehas the right to it. Can you show any authorityfrom this Vedi of ours, that everyone has not theright to it ? The Puranas, no doubt, say that a certaincaste has the right to suck and such a recension of theVedas, or a certain caste has no right to study themor that this portion of the Vedas is for the Satya Yuga,and that portion is for the Kali Yuga. But, mark you, theVeda does not say so ;it is only your Puranas that do so.But can the servant dictate to the master ? The Smritis,Puranas, Tantras all these are acceptable only so far asi;,hey agree with the Vedas and wherever; they are contradictory, they are to be rejected as unreliable. But nowa-dayswe have put the Puranas on even a higher pedestalthan the Vedas ! The study of the Vedas has almost disappeared from Bengal. How I wish that day will soon