After the Parliament of World Religions, in October 1893, Swami Vivekananda started giving lectures in and around Chicago. At this time he signed a three year contract with the Slayton Lyceum Lecture Bureau, and leaving Chicago on November 12,1893, he began his 'arduous lecture tour' in midwest, southern and eastern states. He lectured in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Maryland and Pennsylvania. During this lecture tour, the Lecture Bureau embarrassed and cheated him shamelessly. On February 20,1894, Swamiji wrote a letter to Mrs. Hale: 'I am thoroughly disgusted with this Slayton business and am trying hard to break loose. I have lost at least $5,000 by joining this man. . .' Through the help of Mr. Palmer,'. . . [1] got the fraudulent contract annulled. . .' The Lecture Bureau compelled Swamiji to pay a heavy price for the cancellation. It is most probable that he was free by the 20th of March when he was in Detroit. This freedom is an important event in his post Parliament life in America. From Detroit Swamiji came to New York around the first of April at the invitation of Mrs. Arthur Smith, Dr. and Mrs. Egbert Guernsey and Miss Helen Miller Gould, who were interested in Vedanta philosophy.

Swamiji wrote a letter to Mrs. Hale on April 2, 1894 while staying at the Guernsey's residence at 528 Fifth Avenue, between 43rd and 44th Streets. After giving a few 'parlour lectures' he delivered his first public lecture on "India and Hinduism" at the Waldorf Hotel on April 24th. He gave his second lecture on May 2 at the residence of Miss Mary Phillips, 19 West 38th street. Miss Mary Phillips subsequently became one of his best friends and helped his work in every possible way. Her address was Swamiji's temporary headquarters for his work in New York. Of the many people who attended his first two lectures, the following persons were noteworthy, as they supported his work later on when the Vedanta Society was started: Miss Mary Phillips, Miss Emma Thursby--the celebrated singer, Mrs. Arthur Smith and Mr. Leon Landsberg, who later became Swamiji's right hand man and one of Swamiji's first monastic disciples in the West, and Dr. and Mrs. Guernsey. Dr. Guernsey was one of the New York's chief physicians. Leon Landsberg was on the staff of the New York Tribune.

While in New York, Swamiji spoke many times before clubs and in private homes, although information is unavailable about these talks. From the reminiscences of Mrs. Constance Towne--Miss Gibbons at that time, we get a picture of 'a dinner party of creeds' at the home of Dr. Guernsey. She writes: 'A more broad-minded and tolerant man surely could not have been found anywhere in India to carry out the mission of founding Vedanta Centers in America.' [2]

The Greenacre Conference of 1894: A Significant Event

Sara Farmer, whom Swamiji met in New York, invited him to attend the Greenacre Conference in Maine. Swamiji probably went there on July 27th. Here he met some of his friends from New York, and here he also met Mrs. Ole Bull for the first time. [3] Swamiji's meeting with her was a providential happening, culminating in a life-long mother-son relationship. Swamiji wrote her a letter on September 19, addressing her as 'Dear Mother Sara. [4] She proved herself to be a real mother, giving her wholehearted support as well as financial aid to the cause of Vedanta.

In this gathering of several hundred men and women---free-thinking intellectuals---Swamiji used to give talk 'on an average [of] seven or eight hours a day' for about two weeks. Here he enjoyed the full freedom of a Hindu monk. Sitting under a tree labeled 'Swami's Pine', surrounded by the devotees also seated on the grass, he would teach every morning.

Here 'he taught for the first time in America the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta to a group of eager listeners.' [5] Here Swamiji again met Dr. Lewis G. Janes, President of the Brooklyn Ethical Association and an old acquaintance from New York. [6] They grew very close to each other. At this time Dr. Janes invited Swamiji to deliver a lecture on the Hindu Religion at the Brooklyn Ethical Association. This lecture was to make a very deep impact on the public.

At the Greenacre Conference, a few such as Mrs. Bull and Dr. Janes were inspired by the high quality of Swamiji's philosophy. They became his true friends throughout their lives and cooperated with Swamiji, and after his demise, they wholeheartedly supported his followers in spreading the message of Vedanta in America.

In conclusion, it maybe said that Swamiji did not entirely approve of the Conference. But his association with it was a foreshadowing of what was to come---the beginning of a new method of work.

The Cambridge Conference

Between 12 August 1894, the day of Swamiji's departure from Greenacre, and his arrival in New York at the end of the first week of November, he visited many places. He stayed with Mrs. Bull at her residence in Cambridge from October 2 to October 10. She was a well known figure in Cambridge and her residence was a famous meeting place for intellectual society and for leaders of great causes. Here she introduced Swamiji and his Vedanta philosophy to the celebrities. There were no regular classes---only one or two informal talks. It is quite likely that Swamiji became a close friend of Professor William James on that visit. It was perhaps at this time that Swamiji 'demonstrated. . . the mystery of divine communion for the noted philosopher by plunging, in his presence, into Samadhi.' [7] In passing, it may be noted that Swamiji also stayed at her house in December of 1894 for about three weeks (Dec. 5-27), when he conducted many classes; and again in March of 1896 for about a week, when he probably conducted only two classes.

Throughout this period of public addresses, Swamiji expressed his deep-seated feeling of disgust on many occasions. He literally cried like his Master to have a few earnest seekers. He wanted to teach 'a select---a very select few' rather than lecture before a multitude: 'My idea of doing good is this: to evolve out a few giants, and not to strew pearls before swine, and so lose time, health, and energy.' [8] On October 27 he wrote to Alasinga Perumal, 'I think I have worked enough, now I want to rest and to teach a little to those that have come to me from my Gurudeva. . .[9]

After visiting Baltimore and Washington, Swamiji returned to New York unexpectedly, on November 7 or 8. In that fateful November of 1894, Swamiji organized the nucleus of a Vedanta Society. On November 30, Swamiji wrote to Alasinga, 'I have started (an organization) already in New York and the Vice President will soon write to you.' [10] This indeed was of historic significance. 'Toward the end of 1894 he was also becoming keenly aware of America's need for the religion of India.' [11] The purpose was to create a Center from which the philosophy of Vedanta would be disseminated to the world, apart from collecting funds for the future educational projects of India. Swamiji had worked very hard as a cyclonic monk (sometimes giving twelve to fourteen or more lectures per week) to deliver his message. Now, for the same purpose, he wanted to have a permanent Center for imparting intensive spiritual training to a few genuine seekers who would support the Vedanta Movement.

He remained in New York for the whole of November. Then he again visited Cambridge and stayed with Mrs. Bull from December 5 to December 27 of 1894, holding two classes daily and giving three formal talks. 'He plunged evidently at once, into the absorbed, uninterrupted delivery of two classes daily, again teaching Vedanta with the same unbroken intensity as at Greenacre.' [12] Having spent Christmas day at Mrs. Bull's home, Swamiji came to Brooklyn on December 28 to attend an evening reception arranged in his honor by Mr. Charles M. Higgins at his home. Mr. Higgins, an associate of the Brooklyn Ethical Cultural Society, judiciously brought out a ten page pamphlet about Swamiji, which was circulated 'among those interested in the study of Oriental religions.' Incidentally, this pamphlet was very helpful later on to Dr. Janes, when he gave his reply to the charges made by the Ramabai Circle; it enabled him to substantiate his points with facts about Swamiji. On December 30 at the Pouch Mansion, under the auspices of the Ethical Association, Swamiji delivered his lecture, which was presided over by Dr. Janes. 'The rooms were crowded to suffocation,' with about 800 of the Brooklyn's elite attending.

From Miss Ellen Waldo's remarks [13] it appears that after the astounding success of his lecture, there was insistent demand for regular classes in Brooklyn, and Swamiji graciously gave his consent. In this way, the series of Brooklyn lectures continued till April 1895. 'Between December 30,1894 and April 8, 1895, he delivered only six public lectures in Brooklyn.' [14] It may be mentioned that in his first lecture in Brooklyn, Swamiji first made his now famous statement: 'I have a message to the West as Buddha had a message to the East.' [15] This first lecture made a profound impression on the audience. How that talk made a deep impact on two reporters is given below:

As my companion and I wended our way homeward, the vast vault of the blue sky was studded with stars, and the blessed fragrance of Christmas still lingered in the streets of the great city. We thought of the old and beautiful legend of the Eastern Magi who followed the star which led them, with their homage of frankincense and myrrh, to the babe lying in the manger at Bethlehem. And he wondered if this Oriental wanderer was not one of the same high caste, who 1900 years later had come to our Western Continent to throw light upon the inner meaning of that pure gospel, which that noble soul had preached and illustrated. [16]

Swamiji's Remarks About New York

On different occasions Swamiji made certain remarks about New York. 'Here alone in New York I find more men interested in religion than in other cities. . .' 'New York is a grand and good place.' 'The New York people have a tenacity of purpose unknown in any other city.' 'New York, the head, hand, and purse of the country.' New York was chosen for its cosmopolitan character, its energetic people, and its liberalism.

Swamiji visited Chicago just after his lecture at Brooklyn and came back to New York on the 18th of January 1895 (date uncertain). He took the initiative in organizing the Vedanta Society with the active cooperation of Leon Landsberg, who became Swamiji's right-hand man for a time. He shouldered the burden of the practical details and gave much relief to Swamiji. He also soon became a brahmacharin disciple of Swamiji. Landsberg rented two rooms at 54 West 33rd Street, which was not a good locality. Swamiji, along with Landsberg, moved into the new location on Sunday, January 27, 1895 and there established his headquarters, having previously stayed with the Guernsey's. Here, on January 28th, he started his classes on Vedanta and Yoga, 'beginning the second phase of his Western work, into which he was to pour his heart, mind and soul.' Thus, Swamiji's new phase of work began in a 'mean lodging.'

Swamiji had been inwardly feeling a great urge to train a band of selected persons by arousing their inner spiritual hunger and helping them to experience spiritual enlightenment through the practice of yoga. He was also possessed with the idea of enjoying once again the freedom of a Hindu monk. Both these urges got fulfilled in New York. He lived in a high state of spiritual consciousness. 'He literally radiated spirituality. . . An atmosphere of benediction, of peace, of power and of inexpressible luminosity was felt by one and all who came to his classes.' [17]

One sees him in his New York retreat . . .in the morning or the evening quiet, or at dead of night, meditating. Often times, he was lost in meditation, his unconsciousness of the external betraying his complete absorption within. Even while holding a class he would plunge into profound contemplation. When the Swami emerged from such states. . . he would feel inpatient with himself, for he desired that the Teacher should be uppermost in him, rather than the yogi. In order to avoid repetitions of such occurrences, he instructed one or two how to bring him back by uttering a word or a name, should he be carried by the force of meditation into samadhi. [18]

In this connection we should mention the mood of Swamiji in which Raja-Yoga was later composed. Sara Ellen Waldo has written:

It was inspiring to see the Swami as he dictated to me the contents of the work. In delivering his commentaries on the Sutras, he would leave me waiting while he entered deep states of meditation or self-contemplation, to emerge therefrom with some luminous interpretations. I had always to keep the pen dipped in ink. He might be absorbed for long periods of time and then suddenly his silence would be broken by some expression of some long deliberate teaching. [19]

He used to hold classes 'every morning from 11 till one o'clock and often till later.' Here he taught the four Yogas and the Gita. He gave classes in his room, 'free as air. 'Long before June,' Miss Waldo recorded, 'they had outgrown their small beginnings and had removed downstairs to occupy an entire parlor floor and extension.' [20] But in spite of the crowded classes, the collections and donations were too meager to meet the expenses. She wrote:

The rent was paid by voluntary subscriptions and when these were found insufficient, the Swami hired a hall and gave secular lectures on India and devoted the proceeds to the maintenance of the classes. He said that Hindu teachers of religion felt it to be their duty to support their classes and the students too, if they were unable to care for themselves, and the teachers would willingly make any sacrifice they possibly could to assist a needy disciple. [21]

In spite of Swamiji's arduous labors in his Vedanta classes as well as in private homes and public places, the economic situation did not improve. In a letter to Mrs. Bull in May 1895, Swamiji wrote, 'The classes are going on; but I am sorry to say, though the attendance is larger, it does not even pay enough to cover the rent. I will try this week and then give up.' [22] It may be interesting to note that a basket was hung near the door of the classroom to receive money for the work.[23] Swamiji could not change his residence to a better locality mainly due to economic reasons, and he had to work hard in his room, which was definitely very uncomfortable.

For lack of an extra room, cooking was done in the bedrooms with the help of a stove donated by a friend. Perhaps, sometimes Swamiji would cook meals in a community kitchen. After a class Swamiji and Landsberg often used to go to take a light supper at a cheap restaurant. Not withstanding these difficulties, Swamiji was immensely happy. He wrote to Mrs. Bull on February 14:

I am very happy now. Between Mr. Landsberg and me, we cook some rice and lentils or barley and quietly eat it, and write something or read or receive visits from poor people who want to learn something, and thus I feel I am more a Sannyasin, now than I ever was in America.[24]

Swamiji's health was shattered due to the extraordinary load of work, so he took ten day's vacation at Ridgely Manor (Stone Ridge in Catskills, near Kingston, NY). In spite of many good qualities, Landsberg was not happy at the current residence in New York, and, on April 19, during Swamiji's absence, he moved to a house at 228 West 39th Street. Swamiji came back to New York on April 23rd. He now had to do almost everything by himself to maintain his 'household.' On 22 June 1895, Swamiji wrote to Mary Hale, 'Landsberg has gone away. . .I am living mostly on nuts, fruits and milk. . .' His health was fast deteriorating. 'He began to feel himself wearing out. . . his nerves were racked, his brain tired, his whole body overtaxed. . .he longed for a brief period of rest and recuperation.[25] Swamiji left New York on June 4, for Camp Percy (upstate New Hampshire) for the much coveted rest.

Some additional glimpses of Swamiji's life in the early days of New York are given below. Miss Waldo, a very well-read young woman, was one of the earliest workers of the New York Society. In 1906 she wrote an article in Prabuddha Bharata:

At this time the Swami was living very simple in New York; and his earliest classes were held in the small room he occupied, and in the beginning were attended by only three or four persons. They grew with astonishing rapidity, and, as the little room filled to overflowing, became very picturesque. The Swami himself always sat on the floor, and most of his audience likewise. The marble topped dresser, the arms of the sofa, and even the corner washstand helped to furnish seats for the constantly increasing numbers. The door was left open, and the overflow filled the hall and sat on the stairs. And those first classes! How intensely interesting they were! Who that was privileged to attend them can ever forget them? The Swami so dignified yet so simple, so gravely earnest, so eloquent, and the close ranks of students, forgetting all inconveniences, hanging breathless on his every word! It was a fit beginning for a movement that has since grown to such grand proportions. In this unpretentious way did Swami Vivekananda inaugurate the work of teaching Vedanta philosophy in New York. [26]

From Miss Josephine MacLeod's reminiscences, we get another picture:

On the twenty-ninth of January 1895, I went with my sister to 54 West 33rd Street, New York, and heard Swami Vivekananda in his sitting room where were assembled fifteen or twenty ladies and two or three gentlemen. The room was crowded. All the arm chairs were taken; so I sat on the floor in the front row. Swami stood in the corner. He said something, the particular words of which I do not remember, but instantly to me that was truth, and the second sentence he spoke was truth, and the third sentence was truth. And I listened to him for seven years and whatever he uttered was to me truth. From that moment life had a different import. It was as if he made you realize that you were in eternity. It never altered. It never grew. It was like the sun that you will never forget once you have seen. . . His power lay, perhaps, in the courage he gave others. He did not ever seem to be conscious of himself at all. [27]

Miss Laura Glenn (later Sister Devamata) was familiar with the basic ideas and ideals of Hinduism. She had read the Gita, 'The Light of Asia' by Edwin Arnold, and Max Muller's English version of the Upanishads. Here is her impression:

I reached the hall twenty minutes before the hour. It was already over half full. It was not large, however. . . The hall was on the second story and. . . the flight of stairs at the back) gave the only way of access to it. By the time three o'clock arrived, hall, stairs, window-sills and railings, all were crowded to the utmost capacity. Many even were standing below, hoping to catch a faint echo of the words spoken in the hall above. . . A sudden hush, a quiet step on the stairs and Swami Vivekananda passed in stately erectness up the aisle to the platform. He began to speak; and memory, time, place, people, all melted away. Nothing was left but a voice ringing through the void. It was as if a gate had swung open and I had passed out on a road leading to limitless attainment. The end of it was not visible; but the promise of what it would be shone through the thought and flashed through the personality of the one who gave it. He stood there the prophet of infinitude. . . The silence of an empty hall recalled me to myself. [28]

To make a deep impact on the people, to impart spiritual ideas and thought which were so alien to the American mind nurtured in an 'altogether different culture' was the task of the prophet. He wrote to Swami Ramakrishnananda, 'Wherever the seed of (Sri Ramakrishna's) power will find its way, there it will fructify --be it to-day, or in in hundred years' [29] 'Immense spiritual power, an almost impersonal force' did make an impact. Swamiji 'altered the course of deep-lying thought-currents in America.' [30]' 'I have become one of their own teachers,' Swamiji wrote in October, 1894. 'But he was also Swamiji, intensely human, an adored son, and brother to many families in America, an infinitely compassionate, ever-approachable teacher to hundreds of his Western followers, a beloved and ever-sympathetic friend to countless men and women.' [31]

1. S.N. Dhar, A Comprehensive Biography of Swami Vivekananda (Madras: Vivekananda Prakashan Kendra, 1975), vol. 1, p. 580.
2. Eastern and Western Admirers, Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1961), p. 247
3. M.L. Burke, Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1984), Part II, p. 138.
4. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1989), vol. 6, p. 267.
5. M.L. Burke, Part I, p. 429.
6. M.L. Burke, Part II, p. 138.
7. Ibid.., Part II, p. 187.
8. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, vol. 8, pp. 302-3.
9. Ibid, vol. 5, p. 50.
10. M.L. Burke, vol. 2, p. 226.
11. Ibid.., vol. 2, p. 227.
12. Ibid, vol. 2, p. 227.
13. 'Introductory Narrative' to Inspired Talks (Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1993)
14. M.L. Burke, vol. 2, p. 330.
15. Ibid., vol. 2, p. 261.
16. S.N. Dhar, vol. 1, p. 674.
17. M.L. Burke, vol. 3, p. 39.
18. Ibid., vol. 3, pp. 39-40.
19. S.N. Dhar, vol. 1, p. 713.
20. M.L. Burke, vol. 3, pp. 44-5.
21. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 45.
22. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, vol. 6, p. 308.
23. M.L. Burke, vol. 3, p. 103.
24. Ibid., vol. 3, p. 63.
25. His Eastern and Western Disciples, Life of Swami Vivekananda (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama,), p. 19.
26. Reminiscences, p. 115.
27. M.L. Burke, vol. 3, p. 25.
28. S.N. Dhar, vol. 1, p. 709.
29. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, vol. 6, p. 278.
30. M.L. Burke, vol. 3, p. 7.
31. Ibid., vol. 3, pp. 9-10.

Books by Swami Tathagatananda:

1. The Vedanta Society of New York -- A Brief History, 2000
2. Mahabharat--Katha (Bengali), 1998
3. Ramayan Anudhyan (Bengali), 1996
4. Healthy Values of Living, 1996
5. Meditation on Swami Vivekananda, 1994
6. Meditation on Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, 1993
7. Glimpses of Great Lives, 1989
8. Shubha Chinta (Bengali), 1988
9. Smaran--Manan (Bengali), 1987

You can order these books from The Vedanta Society of New York.

Other books on Vedanta can be purchased from any Vedanta Center.

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