十五 兄弟
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中文
XV
底特律，
1894年3月29日。
亲爱的兄长，
您的来信刚刚送达。我正匆忙之中，还请您原谅，我冒昧就几点加以辨正。
首先，无论您对我们宗教持何看法，我对世界上任何宗教或宗教创始人均无一言批评。所有宗教于我而言皆是神圣的。其次，所谓我曾称传教士们不学习我国方言之语，实属歪曲。我至今仍坚持我的说法：他们中极少有人、甚至根本无人认真研习梵文；同样，我从未对任何宗教团体发表过批评之语——唯有一点，我坚持认为印度永远不会皈依基督教。此外，我否认下层民众的处境因基督教而得到任何改善，并进一步指出，南印度的基督徒大多数不仅是天主教徒，而且自称为"种姓基督徒"，即他们仍严格恪守本身的种姓制度。我深信，若印度教社会放弃其封闭排外的政策，他们之中有九成会携带印度教的一切缺陷而回归印度教。
最后，我从内心深处感谢您称我为您的同胞。这是首次有欧洲人——尽管是生于印度的欧洲人——胆敢以此称谓称呼一位遭人鄙视的土著——无论他是否为传教士。请问，您在印度会敢于如此称呼我吗？请您告知那些生于印度的传教士们也同样如此，那些并非生于印度的人，也应将土著视为同等的人类。至于其余之事，若我承认自己的宗教或社会甘受漂泊异乡的观光客或故事作家的游记品评，您自己也会说我是蠢人的。
我的兄长——请见谅——您虽生于印度，对我们的社会和宗教又了解几分？这是绝对不可能的——这个社会如此封闭；更有甚者，每个人都是以其关于种族与宗教的先入之见来评判事物，不是吗？愿主赐福于您，感谢您称我为同胞。东西方之间，或许终将生发出兄弟之爱与手足情谊。
您的兄弟，
辨喜
English
XV
DETROIT,
29th March, 1894.
DEAR BROTHER,[6]*
Your letter just reached me here. I am in a hurry, so excuse a few points which I would take the liberty of correcting you in.
In the first place, I have not one word to say against any religion or founder of religion in the world — whatever you may think of our religion. All religions are sacred to me. Secondly, it is a misstatement that I said that missionaries do not learn our vernaculars. I still stick to my statement that few, if any, of them pay any attention to Sanskrit; nor is it true that I said anything against any religious body — except that I do insist on my statement that India can never be converted to Christianity, and further I deny that the conditions of the lower classes are made any better by Christianity, and add that the majority of southern Indian Christians are not only Catholics, but what they call themselves, caste Christians, that is, they stick close to their castes, and I am thoroughly persuaded that if the Hindu society gives up its exclusive policy, ninety per cent of them would rush back to Hinduism with all its defects.
Lastly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for calling me your fellow-countryman. This is the first time any European foreigner, born in India though he be, has dared to call a detested native by that name — missionary or no missionary. Would you dare call me the same in India? Ask your missionaries, born in India, to do the same — and those not born, to treat them as fellow human beings. As to the rest, you yourself would call me a fool if I admit that my religion or society submits to be judged by strolling globe-trotters or story-writers' narratives.
My brother — excuse me — what do you know of my society or religion, though born in India? It is absolutely impossible — the society is so closed; and over and above, everyone judges from his preconceived standard of race and religion, does he not? Lord bless you for calling me a fellow-countryman. There may still come a brotherly love and fellowship between the East and West.
Yours fraternally,
VIVEKANANDA.
文本来自Wikisource公共领域。原版由阿德瓦伊塔修道院出版。