By G. L. Krishna
Christmas Eve is a special day for the admirers of Vivekananda and the Mission he built. It was on this day in 1886 that would-be monastics of the Ramakrishna Order firmed up their resolve to organise as a brotherhood.
Baburam's (later known as Swami Premananda) mother had invited her son's friends - Narendra (later, Swami Vivekananda) and others - to Antpur, their native village. One December evening, the friends gathered in a temple there, lit a sacred fire, and immersed themselves in deep meditation. An overwhelming spirit of renunciation filled the air, and the youthful Narendra spoke movingly about the life of Jesus Christ. They all decided that their lives would thenceforth be dedicated to the realisation of two goals: self-realisation and service to the world. Ātmano mokṣārthaṃ jagad-hitāya ca. The young men discovered later that it was the night of Christmas Eve and were pleasantly surprised.
It is evident from the above episode that Vivekananda and his brother-monks held Jesus Christ in high esteem. Even to this day, the centres of Ramakrishna Mission have a tradition of observing Christmas Eve with solemnity and fervour. Vivekananda's fondness for Jesus is exemplified by another fact. Wherever he travelled, he made it a point to carry two books. The Bhagavad Gita was one; the other was The Imitation of Christ!
However, the discerning eye of Vivekananda made a clear distinction between Jesus Christ on the one hand, and on the other, the proselytising projects that missionaries carried out in his name. His devotion to Jesus was matched by his scorn towards such socio-political projects in the guise of religion. He once said, "If you had a positive feeling for your religion, the true Mother of our country, you could never bear to see any Hindu brother converted into a Christian. Nevertheless, you see this occurring everyday, yet you are quite indifferent. Where is your faith! Where is your patriotism! Everyday Christian missionaries abuse Hinduism to your face, and yet how many are there amongst you who will stand up in its defence? Whose blood boils with righteous indignation at the fact?"
The word Viveka in Sanskrit means to discern right from wrong. In the fine distinction that Swamiji made between Jesus Christ, the man, and the proselytising activities that are carried out in his name, lies a silent but powerful justification of his monastic name. In matters of civilisational importance, history shows that such Viveka is rare even among national leaders.
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