A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

""""Thou""""tPROUD THAT YOU ARE AN INDIAN."Oh India, forget not that your ideal woman is Sita,Savitri, Damayanti ; forget not that your ideal godis thegreat ascetic of ascetics, Umanath Sankar ; forget not thatyour marriage, your wealth, your life are not for yoursense-enjoyment, are not for your individual personalpleasure ; forget not that from your very birth, you aresacrificed for the Mother. * * * ThouHero, take courage, be proud that you are an Indian, say,in pride, I am an Indian, every Indian is my brother,"say, the ignorant Indian, the poor Indian, the Brahman^*Indian, the Pariah Indian, is my brother be clad in torn;rags and say, in pride, at the top of your voice, TheIndians are my brothers, the Indians are my life, India sgod and goddess are my God, India s societyis the cradleof my childhood, the pleasure garden of my youth, thesacred seclusion of my oldage; say, brother,India ssoil is my highest heacen, India s good is my good," and,pray day andnight,Lord, Thou Mother of theUniverse, Vouchsafe manliness unto me, Thou Mother ..strength, Take away my unmanliness and make me man."Vivekananda.