A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

"You"""""HINDUISM AS A RELIGION. 43-wjio is the only soul of which all souls are but manifestations. Thus through multiplicity and duality the ultimateunity was reached, and religion can gothis is the goal of all Science.no farther. AndMANIFESTATION,NOT CREATION.And all science is bound to come to this conclusion inthe long run. Manifestation, and not creation, is theword of science to-day, and the Hindu is only glad thatwhat he has cherished in his bosom for ages isgoing to betaught in more forcible language and with further rightby the latest conclusions of science.Descend we now from the aspirations of philosophyto the religion of the ignorant. At the very outset, I maytell you that there is no Polytheism in India. In everytemple, if one stands by and listens, one will find the worshippers apply all the attributes of God including omnipresence to the images. This is not Polytheism. Therose called Jrby any other name would smell as sweet.Names are not explanations.*I remember when a boy a Christian man was preaching to a crowd in India. Among other sweet things hewas asking the people, he asked if he gave a blow to theiridol with his stick, what it could do. One of his hearerssharplyanswered, If I abuse your God what can he do ?will be punished," said the preacher, "whenyoudie."the villager.So my idol will punish you when you die,"saidThe tree is known by its fruits, and when I have seenamongst them, that are called idolaters, men the like ofwhose morality and spirituality and love I have never seenanywhere, I stop and ask myself, Can sin beget holiness ?""