1894 1900 1910 1925 1930 1930 1933 1938 1939 1938 1953 2000 2006 2016 1968 Table of Contents Page EDITORIAL 3 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS 4 SWAMI VARADANANDA THE ROYAL ROAD: THE IMPACT OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA IN PRESENT DAY AMERICA 9 SWAMI PRASANNATMANANDA ARISE, AWAKE AND STOP NOT 13 THE BIRTH OF VEDANTA IN AMERICA 14 SWAMI ISHATMANANDA INTRODUCTION TO THE COVER PAGE 16 ADVERTISEMENTS 17 Editor: Swami Ishatmananda Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago 14630 Lemont Road, Homer Glen. 60491 email: [email protected] chicagovedanta.org ©Copyright: Swami-in-Charge Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago NO 19. 2018 Chicago Calling 2 E d i t o r i a l SHABDA BRAHMA did 7000 people spring to their feet and break into prolonged applause !! On the morning of Sept 11, 1893, the World’s The only answer to this question can be that Parliament of Religions opened in the great Hall the great Yogi, Swami Vivekananda, through of Columbus at the Art Institute on Michigan those Five English Words of address, applied Avenue in Chicago, U.S.A. During the first day’s Shabda-Brahma. afternoon session, after four other delegates had In Hinduism Shabda-Brahma or "Brahma as read their prepared speeches, Swami sound" is very important. It is pronounced A-U- Vivekananda, a Hindu Monk representing India, M or OM. Shabda-Brahma is also known as stood up, and his big bright eyes, crimson robe, Pranava. It is the universally accepted symbol of and yellow turban drew the attention of the Hinduism. audience. Silently they waited to listen to him. The Vedas, the main Scripture of the Hindus, The moment the deep and charming voice of give the Pranava or Shabda-Brahma great Swami Vivekananda addressed the gathering— importance. The Katha Upanishad declares that representing the best of American culture— as OM is Supreme Consciousness, Para-Brahma “Sisters and Brothers of America”, the entire itself. (OM Iti Brahma). The Mundaka Upanishad audience of 7000 people broke into prolonged teaches us to use OM to realize the supreme applause and greeted him with unprecedented Brahma. According to the Yoga-Sutras of enthusiasm. Patanjali, OM is the symbol of God. This incident has been recorded by both Dr. Brahma is One and Without a Second (ekam Barrows and Mr. Houghton. They wrote, “When eva advitiyam). The realization of Brahma Mr. Vivekananda addressed the audience as removes all duality, and the realized soul feels ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’, there arose an great joy and bliss. Swami Vivekananda, with his applause for several minutes”. spiritual power, gave a touch of Brahma to those Another reference to this incident comes from 7000 people. Mrs. S. K. Blodgett, who later became Swamiji’s Swami Vivekananda has given a very simple hostess in Los Angeles, “I was at the Parliament but interesting and instructive explanation of the of Religions in Chicago in 1893”. She three letters comprising OM, thereby bringing remembered. “When the young man got up and out the uniqueness of this great symbol; “The said, ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’, seven first letter A is the root sound, the key, thousand people rose to their feet as a tribute to pronounced without touching any part of the something they knew not what.” tongue or the palate; M represents the last sound This statement of Mrs. Blodgett, in the series, being produced by closed lips; and “…something they knew not what” is truly the U rolls from the very root to the end of the important and very interesting. sounding-board of the mouth. Thus, OM The first five words of Swami Vivekananda’s represents the whole phenomenon of sound- Sept. 11th address, which had an electrifying producing. As such it must be the natural effect on the huge audience, were only normal symbol, the matrix of all the various sounds. It English words. The English speaking audience denotes the whole range and possibility of all the very well knew their meaning. Even then why words that can be made." NO 19. 2018 Chicago Calling 3 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND THE PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS SWAMI VARADANANDA Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago This article is based on the lecture delivered at 125th Year Celebration of Chicago Addresses in the Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center, New York This year is the 125th anniversary of the September 11, 1893, exactly 108 years before the Parliament of Religions and Swami Vivekananda’s destruction of the World Trade Centers. Usually, historic speech. The Parliament was one of the Americans think of September 11 in terms of 9/11. most important events in the history of religion. However, it is much more appropriate to Scholars have called it a watershed event. Before commemorate that date with Swami the Parliament, religions were one thing. After the Vivekananda’s clarion call for harmony among Parliament, they were something different. Before religions, rather than one of the worst examples of the Parliament, the religions were walled off and interfaith conflict. separate from each other. After the Parliament, There was a reason why Swami Vivekananda’s they began to talk to each other and seek a speech made such an impact. I remember that one common ground for harmony. The whole interfaith of the first things Swami Bhashyananda said to me movement started at the Parliament. when I came to Chicago was, “Some people say As you all know, the most memorable event of that Swami Vivekananda was a great social the Parliament was Swami Vivekananda’s speech. reformer, but he wasn’t a social reformer; he was a There were hundreds of speeches given during the sage.” Parliament, but his is probably the only one that is There was a devotee, named Mrs. Montgomery, remembered today. Every schoolchild in India who had attended some of Swami Vivekananda’s learns about Swami Vivekananda’s appearance at lectures. She lived right here in New York. Once, the Parliament. Just before Pranab Mukherjee Swami Bhashyananda visited her apartment, and became the President of India, he installed a he said that every spare inch had a picture of plaque, commemorating Swamiji’s speech, at the Swami Vivekananda. A tape recording was made Art Institute of Chicago. The city of Chicago of her reminiscences of those talks. She said that named the section of Michigan Ave., which goes when Swami Vivekananda spoke, she could see by the Art Institute, “Swami Vivekananda Way.” this vast ocean of light behind him and that it just The Art Institute, itself, installed the words of streamed through him while he spoke. his speech in LED lights on the risers of the main When Swami Vivekananda said, “Sisters and stairway. Normally, the Art Institute only hosts Brothers of America,” it wasn’t the words that did temporary exhibits for three months, but this anything; it was this tremendous inflow of exhibit was so popular that they kept it for over spiritual power that came with the words. Swami two years. It was the longest they had ever hosted Vivekananda once said, “I am a voice without a a temporary exhibit, and they only took it down form.” He was just the front, the outlet for spiritual because the led lights started to burn out. power. Just this year the Governor of Illinois named In Victorian times houses had downspouts September 11, “Swami Vivekananda Day”. The shaped like gargoyles to remove water from the opening day of the Parliament of Religions was roofs. NO 19. 2018 Chicago Calling 4 Sri Ramakrishna said that when you see all the going to come into the world in the not too distant water coming out of the mouth of the gargoyle, future. you think that the water is coming from the But, first comes resistance. It is significant that gargoyle. But the water has actually come from the the opening day of the Parliament of Religions was roof and is just flowing through the mouth of the September 11, 1893 — exactly 108 years before gargoyle. When we see a man who exhibits great 9/11. Swami Saradananda has said that every new spiritual power, we think that the power is coming movement goes through three stages—resistance, from the man, but it is actually coming from God acceptance, and laziness. When the Christians and just flowing through the man. were being fed to the lions, you had very sincere When you look at Swamiji’s life, it seems that Christians. Later on, when it became acceptable, wherever he focused his attention, the world that intense fervor and commitment tended to changed and went in a new direction. He was wane. friends with Nikola Tesla, the inventor of Right now we are seeing the spread of the alternating current. Alternating current is the interfaith movement, but we are also seeing the electricity that we use in our homes today. It is said reactions to it. There are many, many interfaith that he asked Nikolas Tesla whether science could groups throughout the world. One of the most see the underlying unity of the universe. Nikolas important is the Parliament of Religions, itself. Tesla said, “No.” At that time, science only had the Beginning with the centenary celebration in 1993, Newtonian physics, which saw the world as the the Parliament of Religions has been carrying on interaction of separate objects, which bumped into the tradition of the first parliament by holding each other. But, just ten years later, in 1905, regular parliaments every four years or so. They Einstein published the Theory of General have held parliaments in Chicago; Cape Town, Relativity, which started science looking at the South Africa; Barcelona, Spain; Melbourne, universe in a different way.