印度的工作计划
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中文
印度工作计划
我怀着充满爱、感激与信任的心执笔写信给你。首先容我告诉你，你是我一生中所遇见的为数不多的、在信念上彻底坚定的人之一。你以奇妙的方式融合了情感与知识，并兼具将理念化为现实的实践能力。最重要的是，你为人真诚，因此我将自己的一些想法倾诉于你。
在印度的工作已有良好的开端，不仅需要维持，更需要以最大的活力推进。时不我待。在对事情作了广泛而深入的审视之后，我的心思现在集中于以下计划。首先，最好能在金奈开办一所神学院，然后逐步扩展其范围，对青年进行《吠陀》以及各类疏解与哲学体系的系统教育，同时涵盖世界其他宗教的知识。与此同时，应以英文和方言各创办一份刊物，作为该学院的喉舌。
这是必须迈出的第一步，而宏大的事业正是从微小的举措中生长出来的。金奈眼下正在兼重古今两个面向，走在一条中庸之道上。
我完全赞同印度受过教育的阶层的看法，认为对社会进行彻底的整顿是必要的。然而该如何做到？改革者们的破坏性计划已然失败。我的计划是这样的。我们过去并非做得不好，当然不是。我们的社会并非不好，而是好的，只是我希望它变得更好。不是从谬误走向真理，不是从坏变好，而是从真理走向更高的真理，从好走向更好、最好。我告诉我的同胞，你们迄今已经做得很好——现在是做得更好的时候了。
现在，让我们来看看种姓制度的问题——在梵文中称为"迦提"，即物种。这是创造的第一个理念。多样性（维奇特拉达），亦即迦提，意味着创造。"我是一，我变为多"（各处吠陀皆有此意）。统一先于创造，多样性是创造。如今若此多样性停止，创造将归于毁灭。因此，只要任何物种充满活力而积极，就必然会产生变体。当它停止产生变体或被阻止产生变体时，它便走向消亡。迦提最初的理念，便是个体自由地表达其自性、其原质（Prakriti）、其迦提、其种姓；这一状态持续了数千年。就连最晚近的典籍中也未禁止共食，古老典籍中也未禁止通婚。那么，印度衰落的原因是什么？——便是放弃了这一种姓的理念。正如《薄伽梵歌》所说，随着种姓的消亡，世界将归于毁灭。如今看来，随着这些多样性的停止，世界将真的毁灭吗？当今的种姓制度已非真正的迦提，而是其进步的障碍。它实际上已阻碍了迦提的自由运作，即种姓或变体的自由运作。任何凝固了的习俗、特权或世袭阶级，以任何形式，都实际上阻止了种姓（迦提）充分发挥其作用；任何民族一旦停止产生这种巨大的多样性，它便必然走向消亡。因此，我要告诉你们，我的同胞：印度衰落了，因为你们阻止并废除了种姓。每一个僵化的贵族制度或特权阶级都是对种姓的打击，是对种姓的否定。让迦提充分发挥其作用；打破种姓道路上的每一道障碍，我们便将振兴。现在看看欧洲。当它成功地为种姓提供了自由发展的空间，并拆除了阻碍个体各自发展其种姓的大多数障碍时，欧洲便振兴了。在美国，种姓（真正的迦提）拥有最佳的发展空间，因此那里的人民是伟大的。每一个印度教徒都知道，星相学家试图在每个男孩或女孩一出生便确定其种姓。那才是真正的种姓——个性，而智慧学（星相学）正承认了这一点。我们唯有再次给予它充分的发展空间，方能振兴。这种多样性并不意味着不平等，也不意味着任何特殊的特权。
这便是我的方法——向印度教徒表明，他们不必放弃任何东西，只需在圣贤们所指引的道路上继续前行，抖落数百年奴役所积淀的惰性。当然，在伊斯兰教徒的压迫统治期间，我们不得不停止前进，因为那时的问题不是进步而是生死存亡。如今，那种压迫已经消除，我们必须向前迈进，不是沿着叛教者和传教士所指引的破坏之路，而是沿着我们自己的道路、我们自己的方向。一切都显得不成形状，因为建筑尚未完成。我们在数百年的压迫中不得不停止建造。现在完成这座建筑，一切便将各得其所，呈现出美好的面貌。这便是我全部的计划。我对此坚信不疑。每个民族的生命都有一条主要的洪流；在印度，那便是宗教。使它强大，两岸的流水必将随之而行。这是我思路的一个方面。假以时日，我希望将其全部阐发出来，但目前我发现在这个国家也有我的使命。此外，我期望在这个国家获得帮助，而且只能从这里获得。然而迄今为止，除了传播我的思想，我什么也做不了。现在我希望在印度也能进行类似的尝试。
我不知道何时才能去印度。我顺从主的引领。我在祂的手中。
"在这世界中寻觅财富，主啊，你是我所遇的最伟大的珍宝。我将自身献予你。"
"在寻觅可爱之人中，你是我所遇的唯一挚爱。我将自身献予你。"（《亚柔吠陀本集》）
愿主永远赐福于你！
注释
English
A PLAN OF WORK FOR INDIA
It is with a heart full of love, gratitude, and trust that I take up my pen to write to you. Let me tell you first, that you are one of the few men that I have met in my life who are thorough in their convictions. You have a whole-souled possession of a wonderful combination of feeling and knowledge, and withal a practical ability to bring ideas into realised forms. Above all, you are sincere, and as such I confide to you some of my ideas.
The work has begun well in India, and it should not only be kept up, but pushed on with the greatest vigour. Now or never is the time. After taking a far and wide view of things, my mind has now been concentrated on the following plan. First, it would be well to open a Theological College in Madras, and then gradually extend its scope, to give a thorough education to young men in the Vedas and the different Bhâshyas and philosophies, including a knowledge of the other religions of the world. At the same time a paper in English and the vernacular should be started as an organ of the College.
This is the first step to be taken, and huge things grow out of small undertakings. Madras just now is following the golden mean by appreciating both the ancient and modern phases of life.
I fully agree with the educated classes in India that a thorough overhauling of society is necessary. But how to do it? The destructive plans of reformers have failed. My plan is this. We have not done badly in the past, certainly not. Our society is not bad but good, only I want it to be better still. Not from error to truth, nor from bad to good, but from truth to higher truth, from good to better, best. I tell my countrymen that so far they have done well — now is the time to do better.
Now, take the case of caste — in Sanskrit, Jâti, i.e. species. Now, this is the first idea of creation. Variation (Vichitratâ), that is to say Jati, means creation. "I am One, I become many" (various Vedas). Unity is before creation, diversity is creation. Now if this diversity stops, creation will be destroyed. So long as any species is vigorous and active, it must throw out varieties. When it ceases or is stopped from breeding varieties, it dies. Now the original idea of Jati was this freedom of the individual to express his nature, his Prakriti, his Jati, his caste; and so it remained for thousands of years. Not even in the latest books is inter-dining prohibited; nor in any of the older books is inter-marriage forbidden. Then what was the cause of India's downfall? — the giving up of this idea of caste. As Gitâ says, with the extinction of caste the world will be destroyed. Now does it seem true that with the stoppage of these variations the world will be destroyed? The present caste is not the real Jati, but a hindrance to its progress. It really has prevented the free action of Jati, i.e. caste or variation. Any crystallized custom or privilege or hereditary class in any shape really prevents caste (Jati) from having its full sway; and whenever any nation ceases to produce this immense variety, it must die. Therefore what I have to tell you, my countrymen, is this, that India fell because you prevented and abolished caste. Every frozen aristocracy or privileged class is a blow to caste and is not-caste. Let Jati have its sway; break down every barrier in the way of caste, and we shall rise. Now look at Europe. When it succeeded in giving free scope to caste and took away most of the barriers that stood in the way of individuals, each developing his caste — Europe rose. In America, there is the best scope for caste (real Jati) to develop, and so the people are great. Every Hindu knows that astrologers try to fix the caste of every boy or girl as soon as he or she is born. That is the real caste — the individuality, and Jyotisha (astrology) recognises that. And we can only rise by giving it full sway again. This variety does not mean inequality, nor any special privilege.
This is my method — to show the Hindus that they have to give up nothing, but only to move on in the line laid down by the sages and shake off their inertia, the result of centuries of servitude. Of course, we had to stop advancing during the Mohammedan tyranny, for then it was not a question of progress but of life and death. Now that that pressure has gone, we must move forward, not on the lines of destruction directed by renegades and missionaries, but along our own line, our own road. Everything is hideous because the building is unfinished. We had to stop building during centuries of oppression. Now finish the building and everything will look beautiful in its own place. This is all my plan. I am thoroughly convinced of this. Each nation has a main current in life; in India it is religion. Make it strong and the waters on either side must move along with it. This is one phase of my line of thought. In time, I hope to bring them all out, but at present I find I have a mission in this country also. Moreover, I expect help in this country and from here alone. But up to date I could not do anything except spreading my ideas. Now I want that a similar attempt be made in India.
I do not know when I shall go over to India. I obey the leading of the Lord. I am in His hands.
"In this world in search of wealth, Thou art, O Lord, the greatest jewel I have found. I sacrifice myself unto Thee."
"In search of some one to love, Thou art the One Beloved I have found. I sacrifice myself unto Thee." (Yajurveda Samhitâ).
May the Lord bless you for ever and ever!
Notes
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。