The imperialism of the British apart, about which there is not much to speak as that Empire collapsed as any unnatural attempt should, this land had to confront the problem of the emerging imperialism of the American brand, which specializes in marketing any and every thing as some thing that others should have a taste. The consumerism they have assiduously and carefully planned was gaining roots. Of course that is today the Big Emperor. They are capable of dumping everything that is not wanted over there to the rest of the world with almost unconscionable ease of the mind governed by greed. Add to this the New World of America, nascent still in its exploitation of resources to accumulate wealth has adopted an attitude "We know everything. We are the big brothers of the world. If you disobey we will teach you a lesson:" This imperialism is the worst that the world started facing in the late 19th century. Christian missionaries had their own part to play. To put it in the words of Swami Vivekananda:
"It is not true that I am against any religion. It is equally untrue that I am hostile to the Christian missionaries in India (this is true of every Indian - editor) But I protest against certain of the methods of raising money in America. What is meant by those pictures in the schoolbooks for children where the Hindu mother is painted as throwing her children to the crocodiles in the Ganga? The mother is black, but the baby is painted white to arouse more sympathy and get more money. What is meant by those pictures which paint a man burning his wife at a stake with his own hands, so that she may become a ghost and torment the husband's enemy? What is meant by pictures of the huge cars crushing over human beings? The other day a book was published for children in this country (America), where one of these gentlemen tells a narrative of his visit to Calcutta. He says he saw a car running over fanatics in the streets of Calcutta. I have heard one of these gentlemen preach in Memphis that in every village of India there is a pond full of bones of little babies.
What have the Hindus (Indians - editor) done to these disciples of Christ that every Christian child is taught to call the Hindus 'vile' and 'wretches', and the most horrible devils on earth? Part of the Sunday school education for children here consists in teaching to hate everybody who is not a Christian, and the Hindus especially, so that, from their childhood they may subscribe their pennies to the missions. If not for truth sake, for the sake of morality of their own children, the Christian missionaries ought not to allow such things going on. Is it any wonder that such children grow up to be ruthless and cruel men and women?" (Quoted from the letter sent to South Indians in 1893.)
The most revered Swamiji further says, "Let us wipe off first that mark which nature always puts on the forehead of a slave -- the stain of jealousy. Be jealous of none. Be ready to lend a hand to every worker of good. Send a good thought for every being in the three worlds.
"Let us take our stand on the one central truth in our religion (spirituality - editor) the common heritage of the Hindus, the Buddhists and Jains alike -- the Spirit of man, the Atman of man, the immortal, birthless, all pervading, eternal Soul of man whose glories the Vedas cannot themselves express, before whose majesty the universe with its galaxy upon galaxy of suns and stars and nebulae is as a drop. Every man or woman, nay, from the highest Devas to the worm that crawls under our feet, is such a spirit evoluted or involuted. The difference is not in kind, but in degree.
This infinite power of the spirit, brought to bear upon matter evolves material development, made to act upon thought, evolves intellectuals and made to act upon itself makes of man a God.
First, let us be Gods, and then help others to be Gods. 'Be and make' Let this be our motto. Say not man is a sinner. Tell him that he is a God. Even if there were a devil, it would be our duty to remember God always and not the Devil". "Manifest the Divinity within you, and everything will be harmoniously arranged around it:" He wanted Bharat to gain economic and political freedom and later revive its spiritual glory.
That was the aspiration of the most serious and sensible Sanyasin of this Country. He worked day in and day out for the good of Humanity. However his dreams did not come true to the extent that was required as he thought of. Another personality Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Fatehgarh had already started functioning to bridge this gap between aspiration and achievement and was working silently since 1873 (to be precise 1879). Human civilization, so far moved from Philosophy based on wonder to religion. The need of the present is to transcend religion and move on towards Spirituality. The person to be moulded by him, to accomplish this task, Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj was born at Shahjahanpur and the eyes of all Masters were on him.
