七 友人们
本译文由人工智能辅助工具生成，可能存在不准确之处。如需查阅权威文本，请参考英文原文。
AI-translated. May contain errors. For accurate text, refer to the original English.
中文
七
乔治·W·黑尔先生寓所转交，
芝加哥迪尔伯恩大道541号，
1894年1月24日。
亲爱的朋友们：
你们的来信均已收到。如此之多关于我的消息竟已传至你们处，令我深感惊讶。你们所提及的《内陆》报之批评，不可视作美国人民的态度。该报在此地几乎无人知晓，属于所谓的"蓝鼻子长老会报纸"，极为偏执固执。尽管如此，并非所有"蓝鼻子"皆举止粗鄙失礼。美国人民及众多神职人员对我均极为殷勤款待。该报不过是想借攻击一位正被社交界奉为座上宾之人来博取些许声名。这种伎俩在此地人所共知，人们也不以为意。当然，我们的印度传教士或许会借此大做文章。若他们如此行事，便告知他们："听着，犹太人，审判已降临于你！"他们那座老旧的建筑根基已然动摇，必将倒塌，任凭他们歇斯底里地哀号也无济于事。我怜悯他们——若东方宗教在此地的涌入削减了他们在印度过着优裕生活的生计。然而他们中没有一位主要神职人员与我为敌。既然我已身在池中，便须畅快地沐浴一番。
我寄给你们一份报纸剪报，内含我在他们面前宣读的那篇关于我们宗教的简短概述。我的大多数演讲皆为即兴之作。我希望在离开此国之前，将其整理成书。我无需来自印度的任何帮助，此地已有充足的资助。将你们手头的资金用于印刷出版这篇简短的演讲；将其译为各地方语言，广为散发；这将使我们始终留在国人的视野之中。与此同时，切勿忘记我们筹建中央学院的计划，以及由此出发向印度各方辐射的宏图。努力工作……
关于美国的女性，我无法言尽对她们慷慨之情的感激。愿主赐福于她们。在这个国家，女性是一切运动的生命与灵魂，代表着整个民族的文化教养，因为男性忙于事务，无暇自我提升。
我已收到基迪的来信。至于种姓制度是存是废，与我并无干系。我的理念是：将人类在印度内外所发展出的崇高思想，带到最卑微、最贫困之人的门前，让他们自己去思考判断。种姓制度当存当废，女性当否获得完全自由，皆非我所关切之事。"思想与行动的自由，是生命、成长与福祉的唯一条件。"凡此自由所不存在之处，无论是个人、种族、还是民族，皆必走向衰亡。
无论种姓与否，无论信仰与否，任何阻碍个人自由思想与行动之力量的人、阶级、种姓、民族或机构——只要这种力量尚未伤害他人——皆是魔性的，必将走向消亡。
我此生全部的抱负，在于推动一套机制运转，将崇高的思想带至每一个人的门前，然后让男男女女自决其命运。让他们了解我们的先祖以及其他民族在人生最重大问题上的思索。让他们特别看到其他民族当今的所作所为，然后做出抉择。我们是将化学物质汇聚于一处，结晶将由自然依其法则自行完成。努力工作，保持坚定，对主怀有信念。投身工作，我迟早会来。将此座右铭铭记于心——"提升民众，而不伤害其宗教信仰"。
铭记，民族的生机在于茅舍之中。然而可悲的是，从来没有人真正为他们做过任何事。我们的现代改革者忙于推动寡妇再嫁之事。当然，我对一切改革皆怀有同情，然而一个民族的命运，并不取决于其寡妇所能获得的丈夫之数目，而取决于广大民众的状况。你们能振兴他们吗？你们能在不使他们失去其天赋灵性本质的前提下，归还给他们那已失落的个体尊严吗？你们能在精神气魄上成为西方人中最彻底的西方人——在平等、自由、勤勉与活力方面——同时在宗教文化与内在气质上又是彻头彻尾的印度教徒吗？这一切必须实现，我们必将实现。你们生来便是为此而来。对自己怀有信念，伟大的信念是伟大事业之母。永远向前！对贫苦者、受压迫者抱有同情，乃至献出生命——这是我们的座右铭。勇往直前，英勇的年轻人们！
你们的亲爱的，
辨喜（Vivekananda）。
附言：请勿发表此信；然而宣扬通过中央学院提升民众、以及由此培训的传教士将教育与宗教带至穷人门前之理念，则无妨。设法引起每个人的关注。
我随函寄上数份报纸剪报——皆来自最权威、最高端的报刊。托马斯博士所撰写的那篇尤为珍贵，因其出自美国最重要的神职人员之一——若非最重要者的话——之手。《内陆》杂志以其一贯的狂热偏执与对声名的渴求，势必会承认我是公众所喜爱之人。我也从该杂志剪下了几行。
注释
English
VII
C/O George W. Hale Esq.,
541 Dearborn Avenue, Chicago,
24th January, 1894.
Dear Friends,
Your letters have reached me. I am surprised that so much about me has reached you. The criticism you mention of the Interior is not to be taken as the attitude of the American people. That paper is almost unknown here, and belongs to what they call a "blue-nose Presbyterian paper", very bigoted. Still all the "blue-noses" are not ungentlemanly. The American people, and many of the clergy, are very hospitable to me. That paper wanted a little notoriety by attacking a man who was being lionised by society. That trick is well known here, and they do not think anything of it. Of course, our Indian missionaries may try to make capital out of it. If they do, tell them, "Mark, Jew, a judgment has come upon you!" Their old building is tottering to its foundation and must come down in spite of their hysterical shrieks. I pity them — if their means of living fine lives in India is cut down by the influx of oriental religions here. But not one of their leading clergy is ever against me. Well, when I am in the pond, I must bathe thoroughly.
I send you a newspaper cutting of the short sketch of our religion which I read before them. Most of my speeches are extempore. I hope to put them in book form before I leave the country. I do not require any help from India, I have plenty here. Employ the money you have in printing and publishing this short speech; and translating it into the vernaculars, throw it broadcast; that will keep us before the national mind. In the meantime do not forget our plan of a central college, and the starting from it to all directions in India. Work hard. . . .
About the women of America, I cannot express my gratitude for their kindness. Lord bless them. In this country, women are the life of every movement, and represent all the culture of the nation, for men are too busy to educate themselves.
I have received Kidi's letters. With the question whether caste shall go or come I have nothing to do. My idea is to bring to the door of the meanest, the poorest, the noble ideas that the human race has developed both in and out of India, and let them think for themselves. Whether there should be caste or not, whether women should be perfectly free or not, does not concern me. "Liberty of thought and action is the only condition of life, of growth and well-being." Where it does not exist, the man, the race, the nation must go down.
Caste or no caste, creed or no creed, any man, or class, or caste, or nation, or institution which bars the power of free thought and action of an individual — even so long as that power does not injure others — is devilish and must go down.
My whole ambition in life is to set in motion a machinery which will bring noble ideas to the door of everybody, and then let men and women settle their own fate. Let them know what our forefathers as well as other nations have thought on the most momentous questions of life. Let them see specially what others are doing now, and then decide. We are to put the chemicals together, the crystallization will be done by nature according to her laws. Work hard, be steady, and have faith in the Lord. Set to work, I am coming sooner or later. Keep the motto before you — "Elevation of the masses without injuring their religion".
Remember that the nation lives in the cottage. But, alas! nobody ever did anything for them. Our modern reformers are very busy about widow remarriage. Of course, I am a sympathiser in every reform, but the fate of a nation does not depend upon the number of husbands their widows get, but upon the condition of the masses. Can you raise them? Can you give them back their lost individuality without making them lose their innate spiritual nature? Can you become an occidental of occidentals in your spirit of equality, freedom, work, and energy, and at the same time a Hindu to the very backbone in religious culture and instincts? This is to be done and we will do it. You are all born to do it. Have faith in yourselves, great convictions are the mothers of great deeds. Onward for ever! Sympathy for the poor, the downtrodden, even unto death — this is our motto. Onward, brave lads!
Yours affectionately,
Vivekananda.
PS. Do not publish this letter; but there is no harm in preaching the idea of elevating the masses by means of a central college, and bringing education as well as religion to the door of the poor by means of missionaries trained in this college. Try to interest everybody.
I send you a few newspaper cuttings — only from the very best and highest. The one by Dr. Thomas is very valuable as written by one of the, if not the leading clergymen of America. The Interior with all its fanaticism and thirst for notoriety was bound to say that I was the public favourite. I cut a few lines from that magazine also.
Notes
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。