##28 (Vivekananda) Equality Among Masses Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

The Ramakrishna’s teachings
The visits to pilgrim centers,
The Eastern-Western culture,
All shaped Narendra’s basic nature.

One day he sat with pariahs,
Another day with Maharajas,
Or ministers, or orthodox pundits,
Otherwise, with college professors.

He had such an equality of mind
To move with men of every kind,
Low or high in their status,
As a selfless soul of the masses.

Behind joys or sorrows,
Hopes or frustrations,
Of the low or high people,
He saw a kind of struggle.

The cry of the people for aid
Wherever he went, he heard.
His tender heart, it touched.
To help them all, he decided.

At Alwar, In February 1891,
He was a star attraction,
Among Muslims and Hindus,
Who gathered at one place.

As ‘Swamiji’ they called him.
He went on by that new name.
He appreciated the Holy Koran
For its purity in interpretation.

One Maharaja told, “You’re so old,
Also strong and able bodied,
And a scholar too, I’ve heard
Why do you wander like a vagabond? ”

Swamiji said, “For a hunt
Why do you go at the cost
Of all your royal duties
Just to satisfy your whims? ”

Maharaja replied, “I go
Because I like to go.”
Swamiji said, “I like to wander
Among monks, so I wander.”

Next, Maharaja did ridicule
“Why do you worship idol,
Just made of some metal
Or stone, or some clay soil? ”

Swamiji told, “The idol
Is a kind of symbol
That brings to one’s mind
The existence of God.”

He asked the Prime Minister
To spit on the Majaraja’s picture,
That stunned the audience,
And kept them in silence.

He explained, “It’s only a picture,
Yet it’s treated with honor.
Likewise, this idol remains
To honor God’s presence.”

Maharaja apologized then
For his impertinent question,
And appreciated his boldness,
In giving convincing replies.