Bro. Swami Vivekananda
(R.W.Bro.R.Ratnaswami)
Many brethren have
requested that a write up about Swami Vivekananda, as a Freemason
should appear in our web site. Hence, this article.
Swami Vivekananda was born
in an upper middle class family in Kolkata in 1863.He was named Narendra Nath
Dutta. His father Biswanath Dutta was a practicing attorney in Calcutta High
Court. After graduation Narendra joined
the Office of Bro.Nemye Chandra
Bose, an attorney of Calcutta High court. He planned to complete his studies and
become an attorney. He had further plans to proceed to England for higher
studies.
Freemasonry was introduced
in India in 1730 and
that too in Kolkata. The first Lodge
established in India is Lodge No.72.Unfortunately that Lodge was erased in 1756.
M.W.Grand Master Grand Lodge of England granted
the warrant for Lodge Anchor and Hope on 1-10-1773 and
the Lodge itself was consecrated on 19-10-1773.The Lodge has been
regularly meeting since then and it is the oldest Lodge still functioning. At
the time of the formation of the Grand Lodge of India, that Lodge opted to
function under the Grand Lodge of India, which was consecrated in 1961. Lodge
Anchor and Hope was the oldest Lodge in India under the Grand Lodge of India
then and hence, it was
numbered as Lodge No.1 of the Foundation Lodges of the Grand Lodge of India.
Freemasonry in Kokata was well received and was
thought as a prestigious
institution, because of its tendency to make its members Honourable and to make
good persons still better as it continues to do even now.
Narendranath Dutta in his
quest for spiritual knowledge was attracted to the tenets of freemasonry and on
his seeking the
privileges and
mysteries of freemasonry,
his proposal was well received.. Bro.W.C.Banerjee a distinguished
advocate guided and helped
him in the initial stages of his career.Narendranath Dutta was initiated on 19
th February 1884. He was passed to the degree of
F.C on 15-4-1884 and was raised to
the sublime degree of M.M on
20 th May 1884.
It would not be out of
place at this stage to refer to the development
of Masonic
practice in India. The first
Indian to be initiated was Omdat-ul-Omrah, the last
of the ruling
Nawab of Carnatic .In Bengal, Hindus were not initiated on account of
by Law 55. Bro.P.C.Dutt was proposed, but his proposal was turned down
invoking By Law 55. The matter dragged on for nearly 9 years and finally the
M.W.Grand Master held that By law
55 prohibiting the initiation of persons of Asian origin was bad and annulled
the same .Thereafter, Bro. P.C.Dutt was initiated in 1872 in the Lodge Anchor
and Hope. Narendranath Dutta. had
no such problems.
Subsequent to his
initiation, he assimilated the teachings of freemasonry. His pursuit of
spiritual progress did not leave him much time for progress in freemasonry. He
did not acquire the highest
honour the Lodge could have conferred on any of its members namely the
mastership. He however was deeply imbibed in the teachings of freemasonry
particularly the
basic tenet of freemasonry namely Universal Brotherhood. He always used
to project himself as Bro. Vivekananda and treated others as brothers. His
adherence to Universal Brotherhood was reflected, when he commenced his famous
address in Chicago in the Parliament of Religions, addressing the audience as
“ Brothers and Sisters of America”. A
Convention of all the Lodges was held in Chicago
at the same time and Bro. Swami Vivekananda could not attend the
same due to his participation in the Parliament
of Religions. Nevertheless
Swamiji met W.Bro.Connor and
the latter in his letter dated January 22, 1894
to W.Bro.Gilbert W.Bernard
introducing Swamiji had written as follows.
“
I take very great pleasure in introducing to you personally and as a
freemason, our East India Brother Swami
Vivekananda,
whom I examined in the English Work, in which he was made a Master Mason
in Anchor and Hope , 236 E.C.”
.
Swamiji had thus acted
according to the Masonic teaching of “willingness at all times to undergo
examination, when properly called on”. He underwent the examination and proved
himself to be a Freemason 10 years after his initiation in spite of his
spiritual pursuits.
Prior to his leaving for
the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Swamiji went to Kanyakumari, the
southern most tip of India and formerly known as Cape Comerin. There is a huge
piece of rock jutting out in the sea, being the confluence of the three seas.
Swamiji dived into the sea and swam to the rock and spent a few days in
meditation and prayers
and obtained Divine blessings. A fitting memorial has been erected on
that rock with a meditation hall. It has been named Swami Vivekananda Rock
Memorial and the same can be reached by the ferry service.
With a view to commemorate
the holy visit to Kanyakumari and to honour the memory of such a distinguished
brother, a Lodge named after
him was consecrated on 12 th
February 1985. It is Lodge Vivekananda (No.254) and it meets on 2 nd
Saturdays in Kanyakumari.
Bro.Swami Vivekananda
practiced the teachings of Freemasonry in his life. His writings reveal
his exemplifying the principles of freemasonry. He was a noble son of the
country, very respectable in life, was very useful to mankind and he was the
brightest ornament of the Fraternity in India.
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