HOW LONG MUST GOD SUFFER IN THE GUISE OF MAN?

We cannot remain apathetic to the plight of our fellow beings nor depend upon the rich who have reduced them to poverty. We must collectively do something to serve them in their distress and reduce their misery which is largely physical and within our collective means to dispel. Come, help me in this crusade to bring about a better tomorrow for our countrymen. I exhort you all to read 'The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda' to be inspired permanently with the ideals of renunciation and service so that you are all equipped mentally to dedicate your lives for the cause of the redemption of the motherland from the shackles of poverty and ignorance.

We are over a billion of a disorganised mass of people. Just contemplate what we will be able to achieve if a fraction of it sacrifices its petty self-interest for the larger interest of the nation. We will then be a mighty power on earth for social good but for it to have some sort of a permanence in effect and for it to strike a resonant chord in the consciousness of the masses, it must have a spiritual basis, for India down the ages has been the land of spirituality and cannot now give it up save to bring about her own annihilation. Thus, all social work without a spiritual basis is bound to fail here and only such work for the common weal as has a sound spiritual basis will leave its impression on the masses and help raise them from poverty and destitution. The workers for this movement must, therefore, be pure and meditative and not mere activists with a penchant for media attention and political mileage. The Ramakrishna Mission is doing yeoman's work in this regard and we may seek counsel from the monks of the Order for direction in our work.

Time is our greatest friend if used well and we may counter the problems that beset our nation today but if we abuse the time at hand and keep to our habitual idle piety and resort regularly to attempting to please the invisible God by prayers and petitions while the visible God suffers everywhere for want of the necessaries of life, then we will have not performed our spiritual duty well enough. It is entirely up to us how we will conduct our lives and how we will give shape to our national programme for the general uplift of our people. If we heed the advice of Swami Vivekananda, we will build our own lives on the firm foundation of purity and study and then proceed to engage in life-building programmes for the well-being of the masses. The Lord is our guide and He will give us the necessary means to transform the despicable physical condition of the poorest of the poor in India and we will gleefully sacrifice our everything for this great mission which is the mission of our Master, Sri Ramakrishna. To that earnest hope I exhort you again to join me in this massive movement for the spiritual transformation of India and, thence, the world. Jai Ramakrishna!