At the feet of the Mother Kanyakumari – and the revelation of his mission-ma

At the feet of the Mother Kanyakumari – and the revelation of his mission

His visit to Kanyakumari was an important landmark in the life of Vivekananda. After falling prostrate before the image of the Divine Mother in the temple, he swam across to a sea- girt rock, which is separated from the mainland. Sitting on this last landmark of India, he fell into profound meditation about the past, present and future of his motherland, the cause of her downfall and the means for her resurrection. He writes about this event as follows:

“At Cape Comorin, sitting at Mother Kumari’s temple on the last bit of Indian rock, I hit upon a plan. We are so many sanyasins wandering about and teaching the people metaphysics- it is all madness. Did not our Master say,” An empty stomach is no good for religion?” That these poor people are leading the life of brutes is simply due to ignorance. Suppose some dedicated sanyasins bent on doing good to others, go from village to village disseminating education and seeking in various ways to better the conditions of all, down to the chandala, through oral teaching and by means of maps, cameras,globes and such other accessories – can’t they bring forth good in time? We, as a nation, have lost our individuality and that is the cause of all the mischief and misery in India. We have to give back to the nation its lost individuality and uplift the masses.”

Thus it was at Kanyakumari that Swami Vivekananda consecrated himself to the service of India, particularly to the service of her starving, oppressed, outcast millions; it was here that he was transformed into a patriot-monk in whose religion the uplift of the Indian masses formed as integral part as meditation or the practice of yoga or the study of the Veda. In other words, it was at Kanyakumari that he realised what his Master had fore-seen – that he(Vivekananda) has a great mission to fulfill in his life. It was here that the idea sprouted in his mind that he should visit America, raise funds there to build schools, hospitals and other utilitarian Institutes in India, thus starting an active programme for ameliorating the conditions of the people. This idea gained momentum when the Raja of Ramnad suggested that he should attend the newly announced Chicago Parliament of Religions.

When he was in Madras, many enthusiastic young men became his followers and raised money, persuading him to take up the visit to America. But he still was not certain whether Mother Sarada Devi would bless him in this errand of his; but at this juncture, he had a symbolic dream in which the Master appeared, started walking over the sea and beckoning to him to follow. Simultaneously, Mother Sarada Devi also got a dream wherein the Master appeared and asked her to bless Vivekananda and send him abroad on the mission.

The Rajah of Khetri then invited him and made all arrangements for his voyage.