Swami Vivekananda - London Photo series

Reverend H. R. Haweis—one of the leaders of the Anglican Church in the late 1800s— made a penetrating comment about Swamiji which gives us insight into his first season in London: This remarkable person appeared in England in the autumn of 1895, and although he led a very retired life, [he] attracted numbers of people to his lodgings, and created everywhere a very deep impression. He seemed completely indifferent to money, and lived only for thought. He took quite simply anything that was given to him, and when nothing came he went without, yet he never seemed to lack anything.37 ❊ ❊ ❊ [Letter to Swami Brahmananda, October 4, 1895] I give you a bit of my mind; don’t be angry, pray. I am your slave so long as you are his—step a hair’s breadth outside that, and you and I are on a par. . . . What on earth do we want? He has given us refuge, what more do we want? Bhakti is verily its own reward—what else is needed? My brother, he who made men of us by feeding and clothing and imparting wisdom and knowledge, who opened the eyes of our self, whom day and night we found the living God— must we be traitors to him!!! And you forget the mercy of such a Lord! The lives of Buddha and Krishna and Jesus are matters of ancient history, and doubts are entertained about their historicity, and you in spite of seeing the greatness of Sri Ramakrishna’s life in flesh and blood sometimes lose your head! Fie on you! I have nothing to say. His likeness is being worshipped in and out of your country, by godless and heartless men, and you are stranded at times on disbelief! In a breath he will create for himself hundreds of thousands of such as you are. Blessed is your birth, blessed your lineage, and blessed your country that you were allowed to take the dust of his feet. (CW [1978] 6:346-47)