[Slonopotam845]

Swami Vivekananda's Speeches

The World Parliament of Religions, Chicago

WELCOME ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 11, 1893

Sisters and Brothers of America,
It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.
My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."
The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me." Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

CONCLUDING ADDRESS - Chicago, Sept 27, 1893

The World's Parliament of Religions has become an accomplished fact, and the merciful Father has helped those who labored to bring it into existence, and crowned with success their most unselfish labor.
My thanks to those noble souls whose large hearts and love of truth first dreamed this wonderful dream and then realized it. My thanks to the shower of liberal sentiments that has overflowed this platform. My thanks to this enlightened audience for their uniform kindness to me and for their appreciation of every thought that tends to smooth the friction of religions. A few jarring notes were heard from time to time in this harmony. My special thanks to them, for they have, by their striking contrast, made general harmony the sweeter.
Much has been said of the common ground of religious unity. I am not going just now to venture my own theory. But if any one here hopes that this unity will come by the triumph of any one of the religions and the destruction of the others, to him I say, "Brother, yours is an impossible hope." Do I wish that the Christian would become Hindu? God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would become Christian? God forbid.
The seed is put in the ground, and earth and air and water are placed around it. Does the seed become the earth, or the air, or the water? No. It becomes a plant. It develops after the law of its own growth, assimilates the air, the earth, and the water, converts them into plant substance, and grows into a plant.
Similar is the case with religion. The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.
If the Parliament of Religions has shown anything to the world, it is this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character. In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of the others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written in spite of resistance: "Help and not fight," "Assimilation and not Destruction," "Harmony and Peace and not Dissension."

[NeroASERCH]

Swami Vivekananda was an avatar. He lived for just 39 years (1863-1902). The amount of work he has done to wake up the people of this Country from hibernation is unimaginable. His writings in more than ten volumes are available in print. "Prabhuddha Bharata" the monthly journal started by Swamiji in 1896 is still continuing. I wish the younger generation read his writings to understand our Religious Culture and richness of our heritage. "Advaita Ashrama " website has published complete works of Swamiji in their website for free reading: https://www.advaitaashrama.org/Home

How true words of the Lord in Gita that he would appear in our Country in the form of human Avatars one after another

Yada Yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata
abhyuthmanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham
(Gita, ch: 4, Verse 7)

Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

[Paul Bunyan]

Swami Vivekananda was an avatar. He lived for just 39 years (1863-1902). The amount of work he has done to wake up the people of this Country from hibernation is unimaginable. His writings in more than ten volumes are available in print. "Prabhuddha Bharata" the monthly journal started by Swamiji in 1896 is still continuing. I wish the younger generation read his writings to understand our Religious Culture and richness of our heritage. "Advaita Ashrama " website has published complete works of Swamiji in their website for free dreading: https://www.advaitaashrama.org/Home

How true words of the Lord in Gita that he would appear in our Country in the form of human Avatars one after another

Yada Yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata
abhyuthmanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham
(Gita, ch: 4, Verse 7)

Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

Very nice tribute to a great man.

[Lillie_Steins]

Swamy Vivekananda's this speech is also available in his voice. I will try to locate and post it here

[Fegasderty]

Swamy Vivekananda's this speech is also available in his voice. I will try to locate and post it here

Dear Sri "Sudeshwar",

I have read that there was only one recording of Swami Vivekananda's speech that was personally recorded by Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar of Mysore in a Phonograph Cylinder, which also got burnt along with the earlier Wooden Palace which stood in the place of Amba Vilas Palace.

However I find one Sri "Jnanaswaraupan" has uploaded in YouTube the Bengali Song: "Mon Chalo Nija Niketane..." claim to be recorded by Swamiji :

Swami Vivekananda Sings.wmv - YouTube

According to the information provided by him there were Three recordings of Swamiji made in India and two more in America.

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

[Peptobismol]

It would be nice to hear his speech, kindly post it if u get it.

[Raj_Copi_Jin]

Here is his speech from youtube

Swami Vivekananda's Chicago Address.wmv - YouTube

There are many more I want to post - Let me hold that for the time being

Dear Sri Moorthy,

The up-loader of this speech in YouTube "Vtmysore" has given the following comment along with the visual in YouTube:

"This is no way the ''original voice'' of Swami Vivekananda; the instrument capable of capturing descent live audio performance was not discovered until 20th century whereas Swami Vivekananda delivered his speech in the year 1893. This is a dramatised version; what you can hear is the voice of Mr Subir Ghosh. It is believed that Swami Vivekananda's accent was much better and very close to Oxford (dictionary) phonetics. Subir Ghosh did his best in a typical flat accent."

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

[TorryJens]

No.7 Mr Brahmanyan. My God, are you sure.that voice is of Mr Subir Ghosh. this is the speech I was referring. Oh God.

[Fegasderty]

the speech of swamiji is also available at this link....

Swami Vivekananda 1893 Chicago Speech Part I - YouTube