said Swami Vivekananda. Elaborating this point he said:

"That is your own nature. Assert it, manifest it . . . Nature is like that screen which is hiding the reality beyond. Every good thought you think or act upon is simply tearing the veil, as it were, and the purity, infinity, the God behind manifests itself more and more."

As a spark of blazing fire---if fanned properly---has all the capacity of generating a huge conflagration, so the tiny human being by manifesting the divinity within, may become fully divine. The real well--being of man depends entirely upon the recognition of this vital point in human life. This faith in our innate divine nature is the essential prerequisite of any healthy scheme of life. Said Swamiji:

"This infinite power of the spirit, brought to bear upon matter, evolves material development; made to act upon thought, evolves intellectuality, and made to act upon itself makes man a God . . . Be and make. Let this be our motto. Say not man is a sinner. Tell him that he is God."

His great mission was:

"to rouse in all people the awareness of the ever--present focus of human dignity, namely the Atman, the Divine Spark, and to help them manifest that Glory in every movement of their life."

He was the Prophet of the "Gospel of Man--making." He saw the divine Self in every person and looked upon the human form as the temple of God. This transcendental experience of the spiritual unity of life made him really universal. It is absolutely different in character from the so-called universalism based on humanism, as these idealists never recognized the spiritual dimension of life.

In his integral vision of truth there was no cleavage between science and religion, the East and the West, secular and spiritual, work and worship. Therefore, he exhorted all categories of people to develop their natural potentialities without ever forgetting the true goal of life---manifesting the divinity within. He laid equal emphasis on all aspects of life, bringing harmony in the culture of head, heart and hand. In him we find a happy synthesis of secular aspirations and spiritual development. He was looked upon as a great champion of nationalism, awakening the national consciousness, restoring the real glory of India and giving a spiritual foundation to the national movement; we thus feel justified in addressing him as, Patriot Saint. The impact of his message is stated by C. Rajagopalachari thus:

"Vivekananda saved Hinduism and saved India. But for him, we would have lost our religion and would not have gained our freedom. We therefore owe everything to Swami Vivekananda."

This great ambassador of a spiritual mission was never a parochial nationalist; spiritual regeneration of the entire mankind was the real goal of his message. Truly speaking, he was a global citizen accepting everyone and rejecting none. His life and message provide necessary momentum to bring forth the spiritual vision of a cosmic civilization.

The aims and aspirations of life are to experience the spiritual excellences of the divine through self-culture. This demands growth, maturity and a higher evolution---certainly not the stagnation produced by impulsively seeking only material satisfaction. Swamiji gave stern warnings about the evil consequences of rampant materialism seeking power without spiritual maturity. Unregenerate men, confining themselves to the study of nature, oblivious of the role of the spirit that enlivens and animates it, get only a partial view of truth and consequently lose sight of the whole. A new portal of life never opens before them. The excess of knowledge and power without holiness, says Swamiji, makes human beings devils. Marie Louise Burke writes:

The West, horrified by the destructive powers of the nuclear forces is really corroborating the teachings of Vivekananda in that 'a man with excess of knowledge and power without holiness is a devil'.

He was essentially and primarily a great spiritual teacher of mankind. He was an eternally perfect sage commissioned by Shri Ramakrishna to teach and serve humanity. The stupendous spiritual power stemming from his illumined life made immediate impact on his vast audience. Romain Rolland wrote in his biography in 1928:

I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of this book at thirty years' distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shock, what transport, must have been produced when, in burning words, they issued from the lips of the hero!

He was a monk par excellence. Sister Nivedita said:

Vivekananda will ever remain the archetype of the sannyasin . . . Burning renunciation was chief of all the inspirations that spoke to us through him. 'Let me die like a true sannyasin as my Master did', he exclaimed once passionately, 'heedless of money, of woman, and fame! And of these the most insidious is the love of fame'.

He remained ever a pure child of God, absolutely untouched by the glamour of materialism, always radiating an uplifting, transforming, and ennobling influence on others. He was the true interpreter of Hinduism and projected its bright image to India and abroad. His signal contribution in discovering the real import of VedanM the glory of our ancient culture, and the greatness of Sri Ramakrishna are of momentous importance to the entire humanity. In his guru, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda found the key of life . . . Nivedita further writes, the shastras, the guru and the Motherland, are the three notes that mingle themselves to form the music of the works of Vivekananda. Sri Ramakrishna was the synthetic genius of philosophy and religion in modem times. There is but one substance, one life, one reality in, as and through the world. The Unitary Consciousness of pure Advaita exemplified in the life and teachings of Shri Ramakrishna, was expounded by Swamiji in language which is simple, persuasive, practical, and profound. The fundamental spiritual truth of Indian culture is elucidated in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda in the most helpful manner to the rational, scientific mind. Swamiji's works contain the bread of life for the starving souls. This Great Gospel of the future, containing the life-giving universal wisdom of India, will be accepted by an enlightened mankind as a great gift to posterity.