A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

AN APPEAL TO INDIANS.^l T has been said before, that Iiyiia is slowly awakeningH through her friction with the outside nations ;and, as the result of this littleawakening is the appearance, to a certain extent, of free and independent thoughtin modern India. On one side is modern Westernw^*vScience, ^dazzling the eyes with the brilliancy of myriadsuns, and driving in the chariot of hard and fast factscollected by the application of tangible powersdirect inth^jr incision ;on the other, are the hopeful and strengthening traditions of her ancieift forefathers, in the dayswhen she was at the zenith of her glory, traditions, thathave been brought out of the pages of her history by thesages of her own land and outside, that run for numberlessyears and centuries, through her everyvein with thequickening of life drawn from universal love, traditions,that reveal unsurpassed valour, superhuman genius, andsupreme spirituality, which are the envy of the gods,these inspire her with future hopes, On one side, rankmaterialism, plenitude of fortune, accumulation of giganticpower and intense sense-pursuits have through foreignliterature caused a tremendous stir ;on the other, throughthe* confounding din of all these discordant sounds, shehears, in low, yet accents unmistakable, the heart-refldingcries of her ancient gods, cutting her to the quick. 3?herelie before her various strange luxuries introduced from theWest, celestial drinks, costly well-served food, splendid*Extraet from an English translation of a Bengalee contributionto the Udbhodanctt37