A DATE
It was 11th
September 1893 in Chicago
Parliament of World’s
Religions opened
Seven thousand thirsty
souls had come
To drink the ambrosia
The men on dais were
to pour
The thirty year old
monk’s* throat dried up
For he never lectured
before such audience
He simply kept on
delaying
Suddenly there was no
one left but he
Who had to deliver
the speech
Which he hadn’t kept ready
It was no child’s
play….he had to stand up
And what did he utter?
“Sisters and Brothers
of America” and no more
For a two minute
standing ovation
And a thunderous
applause greeted him
Then in that sonorous
baritone he thanked
All present there and
completed his small speech
He was known as “the
Cyclonic Monk” after that
And turned out as the
greatest figure
His life giving words
were the Amrita**
People drank in gallons
and received bliss
It was another 11th
September
*· Swami Vivekananda, born Narendra Nath Datta,
was an Indian Hindu monk and chief disciple of the 19th-century saint
Ramakrishna.Wikipedia, he passed away in 1902 at the age of 39.
Posted for Kerry’s Friday Challenge ~ Vignette
**Amrita (Sanskrit: अमृत; IAST: amṛta) is a Sanskrit word that literally means "immortality", and is
often referred to in texts as nectar. The word's earliest occurrence is in theRigveda, where it is one of several synonyms of "soma" as the drink which confers immortality upon the gods.
It is related etymologically to the Greek "ambrosia",[1] and it carries the same meaning courtesy : wikipedia
You present an interesting portrait of an enigmatic man.
ReplyDeleteFrom parched throat to Gallons for disciples to drink! You capture the journey in a heat beat. With all our mentors we forget at times that they started, like us, at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI can see the scene clearly.
ReplyDeleteBliss usually starts uncomfortably..lol. This was great vignette, you put a whole lot of character in such a small space. Great writing!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting scene you painted here Sumana ~ I learned something new today, thanks ~
ReplyDeletehow interesting...esp considering the date...one which many will always attribute with something ghastly....smiles he was given the right words....
ReplyDeleteYour last two lines are ideal closers. Thank you for this wonderful reminder of a magical moment in time.
ReplyDeleteThis is so absorbing....thank you for bringing this being to us Sumana!
ReplyDeleteHe truly was one of the greatest men ever. Respect to him always.
ReplyDeleteSo well done and thank you for bringing him back into the light ~
ReplyDeleteA great tribute to Swami Vivekananda, a great man of his time. I can hear his voice saying those words.
ReplyDeleteThis joyful event is in stark contrast to the September 11 that brings such pain..beautiful piece
ReplyDeleteWonderful-- such a great approach to the prompt and man. This is Karin Manicddaily but I am having a hard time posting comments on my phone right now .
ReplyDelete