Christianity. It is simply because they do not get your sympathy. You are continually
telling them: "Don't touch me." "Don't touch this or that!" Is here any fellow-feeling or
sense of dharma left in the country? There is only "Don't-touchism" now! Kick out all
such degrading usages! How I wish to abolish the barriers of "Don't-touchism" and go
out and bring together one and all, crying: "Come, all ye that are poor and destitute,
fallen and downtrodden! We are one in the name of Ramakrishna!" Unless they are
elevated, the Great Mother India will never awake! What are we good for if we cannot
provide facilities for their food and clothing? Alas, they are ignorant of the ways of the
world and hence fail to eke out a living though labouring hard day and night for it.
Gather all your forces together to remove the veil from their eyes. What I see clear as
daylight is that the same Brahman, the same Sakti, is in them as in me! Only there is a
difference in the degree of manifestation — that is all. Have you ever seen a country in
the whole history of the world rise unless there was a uniform circulation of the
national blood all over the body? Know for certain that not much can be done with that
body one limb of which is paralysed, even though the other limbs are healthy.'
One of the lay disciples pointed out the difficulty of establishing unity and harmony
among the diverse sects in India. Vivekananda replied with irritation:
'Don't come here any more if you think any task too difficult. Through the grace of the
Lord, everything becomes easy of achievement. Your duty is to serve the poor and the
distressed without distinction of caste and creed. What business have you to consider
the fruits of your action? Your duty is to go on working, and everything will set itself
right in time, and work by itself. My method of work is to construct, and not to destroy
that which is already existing....You are all intelligent boys and profess to be my
disciples — tell me what you have done. Couldn't you give away one life for the sake
of others? Let the reading of Vedanta and the practice of meditation and the like be left
for the next life! Let this body go in the service of others — and then I shall know you
have not come to me in vain!'
A little later he said:
'After so much tapasya, austerity, I have known that the highest truth is this: "He is
present in all beings. These are all the manifested forms of Him. There is no other God
to seek for! He alone is worshipping God, who serves all beings."'
In this exhortation is found Vivekananda's message in all its vividness. These words
are addressed to India and the Western world alike. The west, too, has its pariahs. He
who exploits another man, near or distant, offends God and will pay for it sooner or
later. All men are sons of the same God, all bear within them the same God. He who
wishes to serve must serve man — and in the first instance, man in the humblest,