A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

; actual18 MY MASTER.The maiden was a pure and noble soul, and was ableto understand her husband saspirations and >vn.pathizewith them. She quickly told him that >li- had no wi>h todi-ag him down to a life of worldliness ;but that all shedesired was to remain near him, to serve him, and tolearn of him. She became one of his most devoteddisciples, always revering him as a divine being. Thusthrough his wife s consent the last barrier wa.x removedaid he wns free to lead the life he had chosen.The next de-ire that seized upon the soul of this manwas to know the truth about the various religions. Up tothat time he had not known any religion but his own. Hewanted to understand what other religions were like. Sohe sought teachers of other religions. By teachers youmust alwaysrememl>er what we mean in India not abookworm, but a man of realization, one who knowstruth at first-hand and not centuries after. He found aMohammedan Saint and went to live with him ;he underwent the disciplines pre>cril>ed by him, and, to his astonishment, found that when faithfully carried out, thesedevotional methods led him to the same goal he had already attained. He gathered similar experience fromfollowing the true religion of Jesus Christ. He wentto the various sects existing in our country that wereavailable to him, and whatever he took up he went into itwith his whole heart. He did exactly as lie was told, andin every instance he arrived at the same result. Thusexperience he came to know that the goal ofevery religion is the same, that each is trying to teach thesimo thing, the difference being largely in method, andstill more in language. At the core, all sects an<f all relihave the same aim.gionsThen came to him the conviction that to be perfect,