Ramakrishna Mission spreading message of peace - Indian Envoy

Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao said the Ramakrishna Mission, true to the memory of Swami Vivekananda has spread the message of peace, tolerance and brotherly feeling among all humanity, to every corner of the world.

Addressing 75th anniversary of the Ramakrishna Mission held at the Ramakrishna Hall on October 22, Rao said that more than a century ago, the Ramakrishna Mission was founded by Swami Vivekananda, one of modern India's greatest minds.

She said:"The late, revered Swami Ranganathandaji, whom I had the good fortune of meeting, when I was a young twenty two year old beginning my career in the Indian Foreign Service said of Swami Vivekananda that he wanted very Indian to return once more to the great heritage of Bhagawan Buddha and the immortal Adi Sankara.

The Ramakrishna Mission, true to the memory of Swami Vivekananda, has spread the message of peace, tolerance and brotherly feeling among all humanity, to every corner of the world. It stands for selfless service, irrespective of caste or creed or language. John Ruskin, the well-known English writer once said, "an idea is more powerful than an army". This saying is more than proved by the work of the Ramakrishna Mission. The strength of the Mission lies in the ideas it represents - and the impact of these ideas on the minds of the people who come into contact with it.

The Ramakrishna Mission is well known and well established in Sri Lanka. It has stood for pease, ethnic harmony and tolerance in many difficult times. I was myself a witness to this in Colombo more than twenty two years ago in 1983. The mission was a haven for many persons in need. It is also an institution that expresses Sri Lanka's close and very special relationship with India, with Indian culture and tradition, he said.

"When I visited the Ramakrishna Mission building here, a few weeks ago, I was struck by the calm and tranquillity that surrounded me, even though you are surrounded by the busy streets and thoroughfares of Colombo. The environment created here is full of peace and purity.

Indian my country, is proud of the great spiritual legacy of its great sons like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda impressed audiences across the World with his eloquence and spiritual knowledge, so much so that he was called the "cyclonic Hindu"! His patriotic attachment to, India was always present in his thoughts and words. His love of his motherland was strong and deep.

It is the power of the teaching of the great saints like these that provide us with light and inspiration in our lives. We need to rise above our narrow definitions of language or religion and embrace the universal message of love, tolerance and compassion that is enshrined in the teachings of these immortal men. And, to this I would add that the blessings of the Holy Mother, Sri Saradadevi, Provides us with strength and courage to face difficulties and to rise above petty differences.

Mahatma Gandhiji said in a tribute to Sri Ramakrishna: "The story of Sri Ramakrishna's life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face. Sri Ramakrishna was a living image of Godliness. His sayings are not those of a mere learned man but they are pages taken from the book of life."

It is fitting that the Gandhi Peace Prize was awarded to the Ramakrishna Mission in 1999 in recognition of the Gandhian spirit of selfless and active social action that the Mission exemplifies. In addition, the award recognized the Mission's contribution to communal harmony, relief and rehabilitation of natural disaster victims, education and healthcare, and women's empowerment.

It was Arnold Toynbee who said in 1969, "At this supremely dangerous moment in human history, the only salvation for mankind is an Indian way.

The Emperor Ashoka's and the Mahatma Gandhi's principle of non-violence and Sri Ramakrishna's testimony to the harmony of religions: here we have the attitude and the spirit that can make it possible for the human race to grow together into a single family."