Page 38 - SocialHarmony

42 Social Harmony

Swami Vivekanand had a unique approach towards the
repressed and the suffering. He never accepted the system of
obliging others, but propagated the path of unity. The strength
of his attitude towards the so-called lower class people is evident
in his words:

“I will not be offended if they call me a Shudra (person from
lower caste). In a way, it would be a repentance for the tyranny
of my ancestors on the poor. I will be happy to belong to the
lower caste. I am the disciple of a man who, in spite of being
one of the highest Brahmins, was willing to clean the toilets of a
Shudra. The Shudra was aghast at the idea of a Brahmin saint
cleaning his house, so he refused. But my Guru crept into his
house at midnight, cleaned the toilets and wiped them with his
long locks of hair. I bow down to such a great man. We Hindus
should inculcate this spirit among the common people too. If
we have a reformer who serves the lower castes, I will sit at his
feet and learn from him. Concrete action is more valuable than
mere principles. Today, the efforts for the progress of backward
castes have been reduced to a game for political benefits. On
other hand, the idea of caste distinctions has become a weapon
for political exploitation.”

With a view towards overall development of society, Swami
Vivekanand raised shackles against caste distinction around 100
years ago. He told the Brahmins: “If you argue that traditionally
Brahmins are more inclined towards higher education than
those from lower castes, then you should stop spending on
education for Brahmins and use the money for educating people
from lower castes instead. You should help the poor as they
genuinely need help. If a Brahmin is clever by birth, he will
able to study without help. You need to provide education,
teachers and other necessities to those who are not clever by
birth. This is what justice and logical reasoning tell us. Our poor
and backward people need to discover themselves. We need to
explain to them greatness lies within the soul of each man,
woman and child; without any riders of strength or weakness
derived from caste distinctions. Hence, we need to wake up
and shrug off our weakness. In reality, nobody is weak. The
soul of every person is infinitely powerful and omnipotent.”