H E VE DAN TA SOCI E TY of S an F rancis co i s an institution bas ed on u nlvers al broad and principle s . It aims at expoun ding the philo sophy of life s in a imple , rational and practical way . It h as a vital and helpful mes sage for per n s in s so all walk of life .

Y ou are cordially welcome to the lect u s S P rak ashan an d re by wami a of India , d S 11 A elivered every unday at . M . and

8 P . M .

Tues day and Thurs day cla ss lecture s and individual lesso ns are for the mem s An s - is ber . y incere truth seeker eligible to membership .

F or further information pleas e inquire or write to the Secretary . U N IVERSALITY ’ OF V E D A N T A

‘ By S( AMI PRAKASHAN AN DA

D r at the C n r o f R l u Phil h h ld und r elive ed o g ess e igio s osop ies , e e

e of P P I E S in 1 1 the auspic s . . . . at an Francisco 9 5

Published by VE D AN T A S OCI E TY OF S AN FRAN CI S CO

2963 ( ebster Street C r h 1 2 2 opy ig t, 9 ,

by

V dan a S cie of S F e t o ty . . THE UN I V(E RSALI TY OF VE D AN TA

Our Motherland , India , and our religion , have not infr equently been gro ssly mi srepre sented . People in We stern countri es s eldom go to the right source s for information . There are , for i s C s ss s n tance , the orthodox hri tian mi ionarie ,

us s r who , carried away by their enth ia m to b ing

- light to the s o called benighted heathen , would not he sitate to ex a ggerate or miss tate the condi tions of India and misinterpret the various phas es of Hinduism .

s Then , again , there are the foreign traveller

s i m r s s who k over the count y , top in hotel and

- c ome in contact with their Anglo Indian friends .

s e e s a n d They only the qualor th e famine , or the gorgeo us temple s and other superficial

s s n ot s s thing , and thu fail , in a few ca e , to touch

s And the inner pring of Indian religi ous life .

“ thes e people write b ook s on Indian religi on and the s ocio - moral principles of the p eople ( What can you expect but a caricature of one of the sublime st reli gions in the world ? If th e tour i st s p assing through th e difierent countries of E A h urope and merica , judge t e we stern people s and their religion sweepingly by ob s erving the s s ss s lum , the graft and reckle acrifice of high moral principle s in s ocio -political life,they nu h

Q ‘ l fVfiRS ALI ’I ’E? ‘OF ‘ VEbA N TA

s s s doubtedly do inju tice , like tho e hallow and s uperficial ob s ervers and writers of Indian life and religion . But when we turn our eyes to tho s e gr e at s n s t s ava t , who have , wi h unprejudiced mind ,

- I n stu died the religi o philo s ophical systems of.

f ss dia , we receive an altogether di ferent me age

h as and interpretation . Well it been s aid by “ Profe ss or Mav Muller ( If I were to look over th e whole world to find out the country mos t richly endowed with all the wealth p ower and — , , bea uty that N ature can bestow in s ome parts — a very paradi s e on e arth I should point to

s k India . If I were a ked under what s y the human mind h as mo st fully developed s ome of it s c s s h as s hoice t gift , mo t deeply pondered on

a s s l h as n th e gre te t problem of ife , and fou d s olutions of s ome of them which well des erve the attention even of those who have s tudied K —I An Plato and ant should point to India . d if I were to ask mys elf from wh at literature we

E u h al here in rope , we who ave been nurtured mo st exclus ively on th e thoughts of Greek and

Ro s o f S emeti c s man , and one race the Jewi h , may draw that corrective which is mo st wanted in order to mak e our inner life mo re perfect ,

m l s more truly hu an a ife not for thi life only , , — but a t ran sfigu r e d and eternal life again I ” ( Vi ct or s h sho uld point to India. l Cou in, tt e UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DA N TA 5

s greates t among F rench historians of philo ophy,

e 1 828 - 29 while lecturing at Pari s in the y ar , spoke in the following terms to an audience of “ two thous and people( When we read with attention the poetical and philo s ophical monu

s E s h s i ment of the a t , above all , t o e of Ind a ,

n s e a E whi ch are begi ning to pr d in urope , we

s s s o di cover there many a truth , and truth profound and which make s uch a contrast with the meanne ss of the result s at whi ch the E uro(

s h as s st o pean geniu ometimes pped , that we are cons trained t o b end the knee before the

s E as a n d s e e s philo ophy of the t , to in thi cradle of the hum an race the native land of the high-est ” s R R e N philo ophy . everend . H ber ewton , an

n s , s his a d emi ent We tern divine , aid in one of “ dre ss e s ( What we may reas onably expect i s not the coming of a new religion from the E ast

s C s to upercede hri tianity, but the coming of in( uence s from the E ast to renew and re store

C i s . Our s hr tianity lamp burn low , but we need not cast them away ; we shoul d simply

s o f E s open them to the acred oil the a t , which the High Prie s t of the Temple i s even now

s — ( n e w pouring in upon the wick when , lo a

( s l s e e ame in which we ha l and rej oice . The q ualitie s which the We s tern world lacks the

r E as te n holds in exce ss . We might then look for the ordering by Providence of an infusion 6 UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DA N TA of the e ss ence of the E ast ; the balm of Gilead E for the wounds of ngland , the cordial of In Am dia for the tire of erica . Students of religi on s ometimes b e come con fused over the different n a mes applied to the d ‘ ’ reli gi on of the Hin us . The word Hindu

r r the a e s o iginated f om name of riv r, Indu ,

N s i c in the orthwe tern part of Ind a , whi h in

‘ S anskrit is called Sindhu . The Persian inva ‘ ’ ‘ ’ o c S so ders ften pronoun ed as H , the people living beyond the river were des ign ated by

a s s and was them Hindu , their religion called ‘ ’ n N ow s . ss s Hi dui m , people of all cla e in dif ferent s —s a s C s s s faith uch hri tian , Jew , Par

( f s e s s . e , Mohammedan , etc , are living in di ferent ‘ ’ s so t he s n be part of India , term Hindui m ca not rightly applied to the religion of the var ious

‘ ’ s ss s o e . m s cla e of p e pl Th e ter , Brahmani m given by the foreign mi ss ionaries and s cholars to the religion of the Hindus ha s als o lost it s

s . was im ignificance Undoubtedly, there a t e when the Br-ahma us were the cus todia ns of the

‘ s s n ow- a- reli gion of the Hindu , but days the Brahmans repres ent the prie stly class who have

s to b t he r e s cea ed e t ue l ader of religi on . The proper name for the religion of the Hindus ‘ R ’ ‘ ’ would be Vedic eligion or Vedanta .

o n s In rder to u der tand a religion , we s hould

it s s i know founder as well a ts s criptures . The UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DA N TA

“ s i s u question can be rightly a ked, who the fo n ” der of Hinduis m ? In reply we are proud to s ay that Hindu i sm is not bui lt around the p er

n li as C s i i s s o a ty of a founder, hri tian ty foun

i f s as ded on the d vine personality o Chri t , or Mohammedani sm is bas ed on the pers onality of

s a is Mohammed . Hindui m , on the other h nd , based on the impersonal and eternal verities of n life a d creation . Just as the law of gravitation exi ste d before it s s is all di covery, and would ex t if humanity

s o i s s s forgot it . it with the law and principle h l t e s e . a that govern univer Th e mor , ethical

a and spiritual rel tions between s oul and soul , and between individual spirits and the universal

S b s pirit , were there efore their di covery and m i would re ain even if we forgot them . The d s coverers of the s e principl es are called Ri shi s or s s a r eer of truth . They e honored and wor s a s God - s hipped men and perfected s oul . It would be intere sting to know th at s ome of the

s of very greate t them were women . Tho u gh Hindui s m is bas ed on the eternal and

s s s imper onal truth underlying creation , till it accept s pers onal founders and recognizes the nece ssity of pers onal ideals Here lies the true

s - univer ality of Veda nta . Tho s e God men who di s cover and als o repres ent in their life the im p ers onal divine princ iple s ar e accepted by Hin 8 UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DAN TA

s all s du ism. Hindui m accepts that exi ted in the pas t and will accept tho s e who will come in th e future . s s As Christians have th e Bible ; Buddhi t , the

T mm a s K so a ripitaka ; Moha ed n , the oran ; h ve

s Hindus the Vedas . In order to get an in i ght

s m s into the Hindu religious philos ophie , one u t s tudy thre e P rasthanas ( pathways to knowl

h U ani sh ads ch the . t e edg e ) p , whi are cre am of h e s has e s t d as t e V da ; Gita , which b en tran la e

‘ ’ Si r E A V as a Song Cel estial by dwin rnold , y

S a A s s B a dar a an a utr s or Vedanta phori m , by y

V as a e ha s a a D eusse n y . W ll s it been id by P ul ; “ On the tree of Indian Wi s dom there is no

e ( U—ani sha r fair r ower than the p ds , no finer f uit ” a e a er than the Ved nta Philos ophy . Th e gr t G man s S s in a re philo opher , chop enhauer, aid p p “ ‘ ciati on of the Upani shads I n the ( hole world th ere i s no s tudy s o beneficial and s o elevating h n as that of t e Upa ishads . It ha s been the s m m olace of y life , it will b e the solace of y “ s Ma( r s T death . Profe sor Mulle s ay ( here was n nl or on l s hilo so one religio o y, e re igiou p

a phy, that of th e Ved nta , which placed the highes t h app ine ss of the s oul in the dis cov ery and recovery of it s true n ature as from

t o n i od I — o e G . eternity — eternity w th t th e Vedanta h as room for almost every religion ; ” m a h m all nay, it e br ces t e . UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DA N TA 9

N ot a few s cholars have an erroneous notion ” s I n that Ve dant a Philos ophy i s only moni tic .

a n es s a i reality, Ved ta includ duali m, qu l fied non

. S ank ara ch ar a s an d s . duali m , moni m y wrote commentari es on Vedanta Aphori s ms and estab R lishe d the moni stic s ch ool of thought . aman u (a wrote commentaries on the s ame aphori sms and expounded the qualified non- dualis tic sy s

Madh vach ar a s w s tem . y al o rote commentari e on thes e aphori sms and e stablished the dualis

e s tic s chool of thought . Ther are other book

‘ ( ’ ‘ ’ a S mri which are called Puran s and mriti s . S tis are ethical codes and Puranas try to in cul cate the sublime teachings of the Upanishads through his tori cal records o f the life dee ds of

s ( the ages and s aviours and myt hological stories . While the Upanishads form the basis of all thes e

u s s s has vario cripture , the Gita become the Bible i s . s s s s ( s s of the Hindu Be ide the e , there are y t em of philosophy which time will n ot permit

i a me to expla n in detail . Profes sor Max Mul ’ “ ” le r s Si( S chools of Vedan ta Philos ophy will give the reader s ome idea ab out th es e wonderful s s ms y te . But the Hindus do not rej ect or con

ffe demu the other bibles of di rent religions . “ Th os e who re alize the Truth become one with

. s It Their word are the Vedas or s cripture s .

E ss S s kr xpre ed in an it or any other language , ” s s they will di pell the doubt of our hearts . 1 0 UN IVE RS AL ITY OF VE DA N TA

s N ischaldas Thu declared , the celebrated author

o i char- of the bo k , called V Sagar ( Ocean of Dis crimination )

R s s eli gion , according to the Hindu , do e not

s s s m s con i t in believing in doctrine or dog a , neither in book learning no r in int ellectual u n d r n din e R i s e st a . g, but in living the lif eligion i realization . The o bj ect of religi on s to le ad

‘ y ou to a plane of development where Vedas ’ i in f as e . s s su become no Ved , . , cripture become

Y o ficient and fall short . u have to come face

S Y ou s to face with the upreme . mu t attain the

o a i o direct realization . B ok s have v lue n s far as they s timulat e in u s the desire to realiz e . F rom the highe st idea of abs oluti sm to the

s e m s e h h as lowe t id a of sy bolic wor hip , ac found

s G o s m. d i a place in Hindui one , infinite and

h a As s s s ts . ab olute Being , but different a pec p irants at different sta ges o f growt h have dif f rent s s e conception of the s ame indivi ible Being . ‘ ’ a s i N ir u na The highes t pect s called g Brahman, A h t (unqualified bs olute Spirit ) . T e Infini e cannot be properly express ed through a tt ri ‘ n d s . s a bute By attribute , we qualify limit the

E l en a d e Unlimited . v words are not quate to

ss s th e expre the glory , grandeur and ublimity of “ s s the Infinite . Whence word hrink back with

” ( s s mind unable to reach It . Thu ang the

Sage s of the Upani shads . UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DA N TA 1 1

So there is a lower as pect of Go d which is

‘ ‘ ’ m God called S aguna Brah an , ( Qualified, or with attributes ) . But when we try to think of Go d who is the e ss ence of ble ss ed ab stract

s we a os ss t o do so qualitie , find it lm t impo ible

( ithout a ss ociating God with s ome pe rs onality . Qualiti es or attribute s are s o indi ss olubly con n e ct e d a es s l , th t without corr p onding per ona ity we fail to comprehend the corre sponding attri

es . s ss s but Hence , aro e the nece ity of a per onal

e s God i s incom God . Then th e id a of a per onal prehensibl e to the maj ority of people without

o m G od- s as e s s s ome concret e f r or man , uch J u ,

K s A ai u s s ‘ Buddha , ri hna , etc . g n , thro gh a ocia

s s s s s es i s tion of idea , ome ymb ol , tatu and mage enable th e as pirant to grasp the higher ideal m s - shi ore quickly and s ati factorily . Image wor p ,

s s h as not f or ymbolic wor hip , in requently been

and condemned as idolatry . But when forms symbols ar e taken as aids t o gras p the higher t s s m ruth and principle , they are not only har

ss ss e le , but beneficial and nece ary . If w go on decorating and nourishing our b ody without

e s l r membering th e embodied ou , we b ecome

s ( h i s i idolater . y s the cro s holy ? Why s the cres cent s acred ? ( hy do we go to churches fo r wors hip ? Why do we kneel before altars ?

s G od s no r We cannot enclo e within four wall , l can we limit Him to an altar . Thes e are al 1 2 UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DA N TA symb ols and attempts of the undeve loped mind

s to gra p the higher and higher truth s . The Hindus as sert that it makes no difference where H n es . s can from help com i du go to a church ,

o s o r a a n s s a m que , temple and accep t y ymbol , as long as it would lead them on to higher and high er realization . We never travel from error

u . to tr th , but from lower truth to higher truth Th e high est aim o f religi on i s to go to the I nfin

s s . ite , through different t ep

All s s religion b egin with duali m , but end in

i s s God i s an mon m . In the duali ti c state , extra

os ( as s c mic Being . e cribe human relation

H o unto Him . indus not nly underst and the

o G od s fatherh od of , but al o the motherhood .

e i e In fath erhood th re s a tinge of f ar, but mo

h rh o d i a nd a t e o s a s weeter clo s er rel tion . The

s t . T true divine love mu t be . withou fear he fatherly conception of G od can be traced back

‘ o us Pitar F to the Vedi c c nception , Do , or ather ’ G s ( eu s in Heaven and reek wor hip of Jupiter, Pi r n ta . But the Hindu mind did o t s top there . They di s cove red that thes e relations of indivi S dual s ouls t o the Divine pirit may be grand , but they a r e undoubtedly human and mak e the

c Divi ne Spirit anthropomorphi . The higher aspect of God was gradually r e

od i di s vealed to them . G s no longer tant and

- - i o sm s . s extra c ic , but intra co mic He the all UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DA N TA 1 3

immanent Spirit energizing everything . We ‘ are all part arid parcel of that one s tupendous

’ whole ( e are in constant touch with That , f S but we are ignorant o the fact . till we grow

is s and evolve , until it di covered that the rela

s on tion of to father, th at of the beloved to the

o a t o s ource of l ve , even th t of th e part the N whole will not s atisfy the s oul . othing s hort of onene ss or mergin g will bring that perfect

s s s i fin contentment . The piritual onene s the al

i o f us w e s s real zation religi o life , h n , with Je u , “ ” s a F we would y , I and my ather are one ; “ ‘ s s a K is n when we hall y with r h a , I am that unborn and all - pervading Supreme Being ; an d “ s s S o with the Vedic age we would declare ,

ham , (I am That) . “ E is a i ach s oul p otentially divine . The go l s

s s to manife t thi divine within , by controlling

er r . e nature , ext nal and inte nal D o thi s eith r

o r sh s by work , wor ip , or p ychic control , or

s o n e e s — philo ophy, by , or more , or all of th e and

i s h f b e free . This the w ole o religion . Doc

s as s s trine , or do gm , or ritual , or book , or

s ms s s temple , or for , are but e condary detail . S wami Vivekananda .

S o i there s a chance for all . The difference between a saint a nd an ordinary s oul lie s not in

kind , but in degree . The divine light of the

s s s oul cannot be de troyed , only covered , a the

sun is l s A covered by the c oud . c cordingly, 1 4 UN IVE RS ALITY or VE DAN TA

Hi ndui sm never teaches any ab surd doctrine

n S a c like eter al damnation . ooner or l ter , ea h l i s ou will reach the Un versal Source . There are different paths le ading to the s ame Hum b goal . an nature may e approximately

ss s ( an al ti cla ified under four head emotional , y

s as cal , meditative and active . Ju t the kind and benevolent mother prepares difie rent di she s ac cording to the various taste s and constitutions

difierent s o h as s m of children , even Hindui laid down di fferent path s of G od-realization accord ing to the vari ou s s piritual tendencie s and tem pera ments of pers ons placed in different s tages ‘ ’ o s Y s . of ev lution . The e paths are called oga s as Y uch Bhakti , oga , path of devotion ; Jnana

Y e R a Y o o f o ga , path of knowl dge ; j a ga , path K Y e o a . conc ntrati n ; and arma oga , path of ction

We talk s o glibly ab out univers al religion .

R o s s as eligi on , in rder to be univer al , mu t be broad as the heaven s above and deep as the

s it s ocean beneath , and in catholicity, would embrace and include all faith s and try to help

s i s all nature . There s another way of e tabli sh

s ing univer al religion b y se eing harmony in all . If we thoroughly unders too d the principle s of ‘ ’ i e a unity in var ty, and pplied it in the reli gious A e of ns . s fi ld , there would b e harmony religio long a s there will be diversified natures and

s f s s e temperament , di ferent religi on and cts are

“ 1 6 UN IVE RS AL ITY or VE DAN TA u ncharitable s pirit by recognizing the unity of purpo s e and aim to be one and the s ame . Th e i dea of univers al harmony first aro s e in “ V wa E th e edic age , when it s declared ; kam ” s at vip ra vahu dha v adant i (That which

s s i s s s ri s exi t one , the age call It by va ou

r s names ) . Co ning down through the corridor B C of time to the fourteenth century , we come

S ri K s s upon ri hna , a mighty pirit , wh o de “ clar d r s i e ; In whateve way men wor hip Me , n m i the s a e way do I fulfill their de sire s . It s

0 s on K My path , of unti , men tread in all ” t - l l s G . s . way ( ita , chap er IV ) In the Ve da

se se e a we e the germ and here we the pl nt , but it was res erved for the n in et enth century to produce a wonder ful s oul in S ri R amakrish na who was the perfect embodiment of uni

s ver al harmony . Here the plant had grown

s to be a gigantic tree , under the hade of which men and women of different paths and reli

s s gion found re t . May He who is Ahura Mazda of the ( oro ast ri an s ; Jehovah of the Jews ; F ather in

Heaven of the Chri stian s ; Al lah o f the Moham med ans and Brahman and the Divine Mother ; — of the Hindus an d Go d of all nations an d reli

s us u gion , give the true nders tanding and the s trength to carr y the univers al h armony into our daily live s . . The Gosp el of Sri Ramakrishna

( P 1 0 ot s s . Cl h , o tage cent

s 8 s . Paper , Po tage cent

Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna. l s 1 0 ts C oth , Po tage cen .

The Life of Swami Vi vekananda (4 Vols .)

E C s 1 8 s . ach loth , Po tage cent

Complete works of Swami Vivekananda o (5 V ls. ) 1 5 E s e s . . C ach Vol , loth , Po tag cent

nn r C n c n s b ami P rakashananda I e o s ious es , y Sw

25 s s a 2 s . Paper, cent ; Po t ge cent

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