BIOGRAPHY OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

of other people. America discovered Vivekananda and made a gift of him to Indiaand the world.The reports of the Parliament of Religions were published in the Indianmagazines and newspapers. The Swami's vindication of the Hindu faith filledwith pride the hearts of his countrymen from Colombo to Almora, from Calcuttato Bombay. The brother monks at the Baranagore monastery were not, at first,clear about the identity of Vivekananda. A letter from the Swami, six monthsafter the Parliament, removed all doubts, however, and how proud they felt atthe achievement of their beloved Naren!But how did Vivekananda himself react to this triumph, which had been thefulfilment of his long cherished desire? He knew that his solitary life as a monkin constant communion with God was at an end; he could no longer live inobscurity with his dreams and visions. Instead of dwelling in peace and serenity,he was thrown into the vortex of a public career with its ceaseless turmoil anddemands. When he returned to his hotel the night after the first meeting of theParliament, he wept like a child.After he had delivered his message in the Parliament, the Swami suffered nolonger from material wants. The doors of the wealthy were thrown open. Theirlavish hospitality made him sick at heart when he remembered the crushingpoverty of his own people. His anguish became so intense one night that herolled on the floor, groaning: 'O Mother, what do I care for name and fame whenmy motherland remains sunk in utmost poverty? To what a sad pass have wepoor Indians come when millions of us die for want of a handful of rice, and herethey spend millions of rupees upon their personal comfort! Who will raise themasses of India? Who will give them bread? Show me, O Mother, how I can helpthem.' While addressing one session of the Parliament, the Swami had said thatwhat India needed was not religion, but bread. Now he began to study Americanlife in its various aspects, especially the secret of the country's high standard ofliving and he communicated to his disciples in India his views on the promotionof her material welfare.Swami Vivekananda was invited by a lecture bureau to tour the United States,and he accepted the offer. He wanted money in order to free himself fromobligation to his wealthy friends and also to help his various philanthropic andreligious projects in India. Further, he thought that through a lecture bureau hecould effectively broadcast his ideas all over the American continent and thusremove from people's minds erroneous notions regarding Hindu religion andsociety. Soon he was engaged in a whirlwind tour covering the larger cities of theEast and the Middle West. People called him the 'cyclonic Hindu'. He visited,among other places, Iowa City, Des Moines, Memphis, Indianapolis,Minneapolis, Detroit, Buffalo, Hartford, Boston, Cambridge, New York,