plunging heart and soul into various philanthropic and missionary activities.
From Almora he went on a whirlwind tour of the Punjab and Kashmir, sowing
everywhere the seeds of rejuvenated Hinduism. In Bareilly he encouraged the students
to organize themselves to carry on the work of practical Vedanta. In Ambala he was
happy to see his beloved disciples Mr. and Mrs. Sevier. After spending a few days in
Amritsar, Dharamsala, and Murree, he went to Kashmir.
In Jammu the Swami had a long interview with the Maharaja and discussed with him
the possibility of founding in Kashmir a monastery for giving young people training in
non-dualism. In the course of the conversation he sadly remarked how the present-day
Hindus had deviated from the ideals of their forefathers, and how people were clinging
to various superstitions in the name of religion. He said that in olden days people were
not outcasted even when they committed such real sins as adultery, and the like;
whereas nowadays one became untouchable simply by violating the rules about food.
On the same topic he said a few months later, at Khetri: 'The people are neither Hindus
nor Vedantins — they are merely "don't touchists"; the kitchen is their temple and
cooking-pots are their objects of worship. This state of things must go. The sooner it is
given up, the better for our religion. Let the Upanishads shine in their glory, and at the
same time let not quarrels exist among different sects.'
In Lahore the Swami gave a number of lectures, among which was his famous speech
on the Vedanta philosophy, lasting over two hours. He urged the students of Lahore to
cultivate faith in man as a preparation for faith in God. He asked them to form an
organization, purely non-sectarian in character, to teach hygiene to the poor, spread
education among them, and nurse the sick. One of his missions in the Punjab was to
establish harmony among people belonging to different sects, such as the Arya
Samajists and the orthodox Hindus. It was in Lahore that the Swami met Mr. Tirtha
Ram Goswami, then a professor of mathematics, who eventually gained wide
recognition as Swami Ram Tirtha. The professor became an ardent admirer of Swami
Vivekananda.
Next the Swami travelled to Dehra-Dun, where, for the first ten days, he lived a rather
quiet life. But soon he organized a daily class on the Hindu scriptures for his disciples
and companions, which he continued to conduct during the whole trip. At the earnest
invitation of his beloved disciple the Raja of Khetri, he visited his capital, stopping on
the way at Delhi and Alwar, which were familiar to him from his days of wandering
prior to his going to America. Everywhere he met old friends and disciples and treated
them with marked affection. The Raja of Khetri lavished great honours upon him and
also gave him a handsome donation for the Belur Math, which was being built at that
time.
Before returning to Calcutta, he visited Kishengarh, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Indore, and
Khandwa and thus finished his lecture tour in North India. During this tour he
explained to his fellow countrymen the salient features of Hinduism and told them that
they would have a glorious future if they followed the heritage of their past. He