#157 , LAST LETTER TO MRS. BULL
Swami Vivekananda wrote to Mrs. Ole Bull, from Belur Math, on June 14, 1902, just twenty days before his passing away.
BLOGGER'S VIEW
Throughout his life, Swamiji spurned at Hindu youth getting married. Now, Swamiji is lifting the Hinduism and Roman Catholicism. Who are all these chaste men and women which the Hindus and the Catholics produced? By default, we get a meaning that Protestants failed to produce chaste men and women! The Protestants also hold the institution of marriage as sacred and inviolate.
Vide ibid: Swamiji wrote:
BLOGGER'S VIEW
Does the world really need great monks and nuns? Did Japan lose anything by not producing great monks and nuns?
Vide ibid: Swamiji contd.
BLOGGER'S VIEW
What are these lifelong chaste powers? Are they any supernatural/superhuman powers?
Thomas Alva Edison invented electric bulb, phonogram and thousand other things which immensely benefited humanity, without claiming possession of chaste powers. Stevenson invented the locomotive. Wright Brothers invented the aeroplane. Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler invented the motor car without any semblance of possessing chaste powers. Many great inventors had broken marriages.
Vide Ibid, Swamiji wrote:
BLOGGER'S VIEW
1. Why did Swamiji quote "Whosoever worships me...." ? Was Swamiji claiming to be the Receptor of the Worships?
2. There is no previous correspondence with Mrs. Bull, over the sanctity of marriages. Apparently, she has not raised this question of sanctity of marriages.
3. Even after consuming turtles and shad fish, why did Swamiji's flesh remain weak?
(To be moderated after seeing the comments).
"... The Roman Catholics and the Hindus, holding marriage sacred and inviolate, have produced great chaste men and women of immense power. ..."
BLOGGER'S VIEW
Throughout his life, Swamiji spurned at Hindu youth getting married. Now, Swamiji is lifting the Hinduism and Roman Catholicism. Who are all these chaste men and women which the Hindus and the Catholics produced? By default, we get a meaning that Protestants failed to produce chaste men and women! The Protestants also hold the institution of marriage as sacred and inviolate.
Vide ibid: Swamiji wrote:
Modern Buddhism — having fallen among races who had not yet come up to the evolution of marriage — has made a travesty of monasticism. So until there is developed in Japan a great and sacred ideal about marriage (apart from mutual attraction and love), I do not see how there can be great monks and nuns.
BLOGGER'S VIEW
Does the world really need great monks and nuns? Did Japan lose anything by not producing great monks and nuns?
Vide ibid: Swamiji contd.
... As you have come to see that the glory of life is chastity, so my eyes also have been opened to the necessity of this great sanctification for the vast majority, in order that a few lifelong chaste powers may be produced. ...
BLOGGER'S VIEW
What are these lifelong chaste powers? Are they any supernatural/superhuman powers?
Thomas Alva Edison invented electric bulb, phonogram and thousand other things which immensely benefited humanity, without claiming possession of chaste powers. Stevenson invented the locomotive. Wright Brothers invented the aeroplane. Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler invented the motor car without any semblance of possessing chaste powers. Many great inventors had broken marriages.
Vide Ibid, Swamiji wrote:
... I wanted to write many things, but the flesh is weak . . . "Whosoever worships me, for whatsoever desire, I meet him with that." ...
BLOGGER'S VIEW
1. Why did Swamiji quote "Whosoever worships me...." ? Was Swamiji claiming to be the Receptor of the Worships?
2. There is no previous correspondence with Mrs. Bull, over the sanctity of marriages. Apparently, she has not raised this question of sanctity of marriages.
3. Even after consuming turtles and shad fish, why did Swamiji's flesh remain weak?
(To be moderated after seeing the comments).
Comments
"...1. Why did Swamiji quote "Whosoever worships me...." ? Was Swamiji claiming to be the Receptor of the Worships?"
You see, when someone holds out to the world for some time as if he is a superman or godman or avathaar etc., he falls into a mental trap and ultimately forgets that he was only acting for the sake of his livelihood. I have seen one or two cases like this and in those cases, as soon as the dementia stage was detected (because the person made himself a nuisance to his family members) the relatives took them and got them treated. The extent of recovery, I do not know, but the outside people have left them when the news of treatment etc., came out into the open but searched out new icons (godmen) for their purposes!
BTB, there was one such incident in an opposite way many decades ago. One poor, austere brahmin of S. India acted as 'Daksha' in a cinema called "Dakshayaaga" for earning some money to stem his utter poverty. His acting was, reportedly, good. But, thereafter, the poor soul came to a very guilty feeling that he had really abused Lord Siva. He went mad and went untraceable, as, in those days the medical science in India was not so good as now.