"Hate sins, not the sinners" - these are the memorable words uttered by one of the greatest  religious leaders ever emerged on the scene of our country. His vision of religion which found apt expression and interpretation by his famous disciple Swami Vivekananda

Yesterday on the eve of his 175th Birth Anniversary a huge, colorful procession of thousands of his followers surged their way from Dakshineswar Kali Temple to Belur Math - the head quarters of Ram Krishna Mission chanting His name and dancing ecstasically. A glance at the character of this procession truly summed up the essential theme that the Great Master stood for! The great congregation had commoners whose existential pain and dilemma  always had a  special place in his heart, had people cutting across all barriers of age, caste, creed and religions. Indeed, a befitting tribute to the sacred memory of the Great Master who anointed Swami Vivekananda as  vehicle to preach the  ageless thoughts and ideas of ancient India for love,compassion and quest for truth. His thoughts did not  revolve around abstruse theoretical religious interpretations. His views were based on reality and the canvas was much wider. Social realities of India formed an important element in his understanding of religion. Unlike other hermits and sages of ancient India he never renounced life to retire to a Himalayan cave to seek his own salvation. Rather he sought the salvation of humanity tied in all kinds of existential knots. No attempts were made him to fashion a new religion. What he preached was quintessentially same what some of other sages and spiritualists down the ages did. He was a moral realist and saw in the objective realities the barriers and obstacles which prevent human beings from  their true destiny.

When young Narendra Nath Dutta whom the world came to know in his most famous name Swami Vivekananda met Sri Rama Krishna  for the first time at Dakshineshwar Temple , he was a rationalist  with scholastic erudition in religion,philosophy and other disciplines. He was almost dismissive about his first meeting with Sri Rama Krishna. And the process of finding the truth about his future spiritual guru lasted for quite sometime before he took the final plunge. While the master saw in him the power and strength to be groomed as his spiritual ambassador to spread the Vedantic message of Hinduism to the world at large. It is remarkable and still a matter for research that one who hailed from a remote village and did not have any formal education could be the centre of a religio-cultural revolution in the 19th Century.  A brief study of the social and cultural scenario that existed at that time, would reveal a very dark and gloomy chapter. Exploitation in the name of religion was the name of the game. Pseudo -religious elements in th form of a decadent brahminical order foisted upon the masses a set of meaningless rites and habits which took away the soul of Hinduism. Society itself stood stratified in all forms of divisivenes - caste, creed and so on. Sri Rama Krishna's emergence on the scene has to be kept in this context. When human spirit, dignity was being denigrated in every possible way to strengthen the alien rule in this country with a majority of Indians labouring under the curses of ignorance,poverty,illiteracy and so on.

It has to kept in mind that the political Europe was a boiling cauldron with strife and discord  on all possible lines. Established religions too were practicing disharmony divided under different  sects and Sri Rama Krishna's views were simple and so true and direct. He summed up the entire problem is a few words: "Jato mat,tatp path." Translated into English these are: there are as many paths as  views." But the goal of all religions is one and the same - the attainment of God! Where is God? He lives within us and his clarion call was to awaken that God in ourselves! The gathering at his small room at Dakshineshwar Temple drew all kind of people who would listen to his words wrapped in rustic simplicity, yet so powerful to move even mountains! It is for the researchers to assess his role in shaping up the spiritual outlook and personality of Swami Vivekananda but Swamiji himself was forthright enough to attribute all his work to his master by openly admitting that he was merely carrying out his divine will. And a study of Swamiji work and attainments would reveal  the thoughts of his master on the problems of his country and those of the world. He wanted Swamiji to awaken Indians to revisit the eternal values of Veda and Vedanta. If Swamiji spoke so eloquently on the misery of Indian women and gross injustice to the lower caste people - the inspiration was no other than his master. Once Narendra Nath in one of his angst-ridden moments sought his own liberation to be chided by his master reminding him that a far greater cause of liberating thousands and thousands of suffering humanity lay ahead of him. Such was his love and concern for the common people.

He gave a revolutionary interpretation to the concept of 'service' of a selfless and divine kind which to him, is a means to attain divinity. We must free ourselves from  arrogance and ego associated with charitable work or charity. Swamiji's famous lines that those who extend love to fellow human being are the only ones who serve God have an echo of his master's thought. If Rama Krishna Mission whose network spread in every parts of the world and  are engaged in providing solace and succour to the suffering millions of humanity it owes all to his concept in this regard. When he was diagnosed with cancer in the throat  in the last phase of his earthly journey, he would continue with  his religious discourses with his followers touching on all subjects that promoted their well-being. When anyone, seeing him in unbearable and excruciating pain, would try to stop him, he would completely disregard it saying that if  that relieves the pain and agony of even one person he was prepared to suffer it thousand times! Once he said that he was prepared to be born  many times even as a dog to  balm the wounds of humanity. This is Sri Rama Krishna Paramhansa to us - a symbol of eternal truth, sacrifice and love. Let us all follow his teachings and bow our heads at his feet!