Anudhyan An International Journal of Social Sciences (AIJSS)

Swami Vivekananda’s Philosophy of Universal Religion

Gargi Medda

ABSTRACT
One of the Swami Vivekananda’s greatest contributions to mankind is ‘Universal
religion’ – a new religious ideology. It is not a new religion with a new scripture, but
it is a new approach to religion, a new spiritual temper. It not only enjoins tolerance,
it urges acceptance of other religions as true there by making religions a principle of
human unity. Universal religion is a discovery of universality in all religions excluding
the particularities of creed, dogma, beliefs, rituals and convention of them (religions).
A believer in universal religion has an enlightened understanding of and respect for
all the religions without losing the sense of belonging to his own religion with its belief
and practices. In his Chicago Addresses in 1893 Swami Vivekananda gave importance
on the validity and universality of all religions. He mentioned that every religion is
able to create purity, sacredness and kindness in human mind. So, he accepted the
validity of all religions. He appealed to all that everyman must keep up his oneness
in the sphere of religion and accept all that is good in other religions. To him, a religion
which is capable of giving satisfaction and comfort to every religious sect can be
granted as universal religion.
KEY WORDS: Universal Religion, religious ideology, Hinduism, Vedanta.

Introduction
Swami Vivekananda’s contribution in the domain of religion was immeasurable. He
rejuvenated Hinduism and Vedanta as his religion. He found that, in Hinduism, which was,
to him the Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of religion, the approach to the highest truth was
psychological. According to him, the different philosophies of Dualism, Qualified Monism
and Monism represent the same truth from different angles according to the temperament
and capacity of their aspirants. There is no contradiction among them. Each religion expresses
Gargi Medda, Associate Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, Raja N.L. Khan Women’s College, Gope Palace,
Midnapore, Paschim Medinipur, India. Mobile: 9475213863; Email: gargimedda13@gmail.com

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the highest truth in its own way. Here we do not get the truth from error but from truth to
truth. We reach higher truth from lower truth. So, there is no need for fanatical quarrel over
religion. The harmony of all religions was the central theme of his teachings.
According to Swamiji, real religion is the realization of the Divine within by every soul.
This divinity is latent within each one of us and the religious practices only bring it to our
conscious level. When one has realized one’s Divinity as a direct experience one has no
fear of anything not even death itself. He must realise this divinity in his thought and selfless
actions. Religion is not the matter of imagination; we must apply religion to our practical
world and life.1
The great master, Sri Ramakrishna taught men to transcend the barriers of his own little
self and to live for enlivening the life of others, knowing that all are but that one in many
forms. The religious orientation and realization of Sri Ramakrishna found its finest expression
in the life of Swami Vivekananda.
Like his master, Vivekananda also cherished the world-view based on Advaita Vedanta
view of unity-in difference. As a Karma-Yogi, he did not stand for any abstract religion but
for the religion of work with detachment or work for impersonal ends as the highest expression
of the religious life.
Swami Vivekananda learnt from the life and saying of Sri Ramakrishna that true religion
is universal religion. He got support of his master’s teachings from the 11th verse of the 7th
chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita “ye yatha mann prapadyante tamstathaira bhajamyaham/mama
vartma-nuvartante manushyah partha sarvashah” (who ever comes to me, through whatever
form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me).2
In all his addresses and writings, Vivekananda aimed at the establishment of universal
religion for the betterment of the universe as a whole. But Vivekananda made his surviving
statements on the idea of universal religion in his first address at Chicago Parliament of
Religion on 11th September, 1893 of the many statements we may remember only two for
the present purpose:
(a) “I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and
universal acceptance”.
(b) “We believe not only in universal tolerance but we accept all religions to be true”.3

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Though he was proud to belong to Hindu religion, he accepted all religions as true. This
is his universalism of religions. So we see his address on Hinduism on 19th September 1893
at the same place he presented his idea of Universal religion. The one watch word for
universal religion is acceptance. Acceptance is not just tolerance. Tolerance is negative in
its import. It implies that something is being allowed in spite of its being wrong. Swamiji
recommends positive acceptance.
Swamiji said, there have been many religions. They have been quarrelling among
themselves, each religion claiming that it is superior. In spite of the conflicts the major religions
have managed to survive.
The conflicts instead of weakening them have added vitality to them. The new thoughts
arise only through that conflict. In a stagnant water there are no whirlpools. These are seen
in a living running stream. In the same manner conflicts awaken new thoughts.4
‘Universal Religion’ as suggested by Swami Vivekananda, is not a new addition to the
existing list of known religions like Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hebraism,
Hinduism, Islam, Laninism, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism. It is neither a separate
religion nor an alternative caption suggested for any particular religion. Normally one may
expect that as a Hindu and religious preacher he has glorified his own religion by claiming it
to be a universal religion. But it is clear that while talking about universal religion Swamiji’s
intention has not been concentrated in glorifying his own religion, rather the emphasis seems
to have been concentrated the universality aspect of any religion so that bad effects of the
religiosities can be avoided.
As we have learnt that universal religion is not a new religion, it is important to make it
more specific, what is meant by universal religion. Here it can be pointed out that something
can be treated to be universal when it keeps its gate open to every individual one might
born from parents of a particular religion but he must have the choice to adopt any one.
The choice of the individual is of prime importance. It is the mark of universality. Further a
religion if capable of giving satisfaction and comfort to every religious sect can be treated
to be universal. The religion should appear reasonable to the people of other religious sects
in order to be universal. When we shall throw away the narrow out-looks, non-humanitarian
considerations from the religions, they all will become universal by nature. So, every religion
is potentially a universal religion.

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According to Swamiji, diversity or plurality is a fact of life. Truth maybe expressed in a

hundred, thousand ways and each of these ways is true. The same thing can be viewed
from a hundred different stand points and yet be the same thing. If one man belonging to
one religion does not think of himself superior to other men belonging to other religions,
then the diversity of religion will not lead to any conflict. Religion never contradicts with
one another. They are really supplementary. All religions are directed towards the same good
through different paths. So harmony should be the basic feature of religions. Suppose a
man is undertaking a journey towards the sun and as he advances he takes a photograph
of the sun at every stage. When he comes back, he has many photographs of the sun which
he places before us. We see that not two are alike but we cannot deny all these photographs
of the same sun. Because these photographs are real photographs of the same sun.5
Swamiji said, truth may be expressed in a hundred ways and that each of these ways is
true. Suppose we all go with vessels in our hands to fetch water from a lake. One has a
cup, another jar, another a bucket, and so forth, and we all fill our vessels. The water in
each case naturally takes the form of the vessel carried by each one of us. The goal of all
religions is also the same in essence. The goal of all religions and all mankind is re-union
with God or with the divinity which is every man’s true nature.6
Harmony is the keynote of Swamiji’s religious teachings. He explores that amidst the
chaos there is a note of concord and he who is prepared to listen it will catch the tone. By
harmony Swamiji meant unity and not uniformity. Harmony cannot be obtained by a
combination of different views about God. We cannot make all conform to the same ideas.
If we all thought alike we would be like Egyptian mummies in a museum looking vacantly at
one another’s faces. When religions are dead, there will be no more sects; it will be the
perfect peace and harmony of the grave. But in reality, sects and variation of thought is the
sign of life and it must be there. So, one of the natural characteristics of the universal religion
is based on universal toleration. The universal sympathy humanizes one sect of religious
activity with the other in spite of their internal and external conflicts. It adds vitality to them
and enables them to expand and to live.
By Universal Religion he did not mean any one Universal philosophy or any one universal
mythology or any one universal ritual held alike by all. Because he knew that this world
must go on working wheel within wheel, this intricate mass of machinery, most complex,
most wonderful. We can only make it run smoothly, we can lessen the friction, and we can

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grease the wheels as it were. We must recognize the natural necessity of variation. Variety
is the first principle of life. Perfect balance would be our destruction. The unity of sameness
can come only when this universe is destroyed otherwise such a thing is impossible.
From his spiritual point of view Sri Ramakrishna realized that there is no existence of
more than one religion. Only the one infinite religion exists. This religion expresses itself
through different forms in the different countries i.e. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism
in India, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam is western countries, Taoism,
Confucianism of China, and Shintoism of Japan. So, we must respect all religions. We must
try to accept all of them. This establishes the philosophy of universal religion.7
Vivekananda’s universalism is essentially a creative religious tolerance which accepts all
religions. Vivekananda’s ideal of universal religion does not mean a universal church and a
universal scripture. He never thought that Hinduism had achieved the universality. But he
thought that it had the potentiality to mature into such a broad and catholic faith. He looked
upon religion as a growing, dynamic spirit, unfettered by any sectarian injunction. This capacity
to expand gives a religion its universality and makes it friendly to other religions. Religions
must be inclusive, and not to look down with contempt upon one another, because their
particular ideals of God are different. So ‘Religion’ for Vivekananda is synonymous with
‘universalism’ of the spirit.8
Religion is universal. Individual religion is particular. Universal includes particular. In other
words, particular exists in universal. Vivekananda realized truth of universal religion and truth
ultimately lead to man’s spiritual life. He practiced both Christianity and Islam without
renouncing his ancestral faith. Individual religion varies one form of expression to other form
of expression. But universal religion co-ordinates or unites varied sects of religion and declares
that the philosophy of universal religion is based on the philosophy of humanism. It is above
the identity-in and through difference.
Universal religion must open its gates, to every individual. It must admit that nobody is
born with this or that religion, whether he takes to one religion or the other must ultimately
be left to his inner likes and choice. In this sense by individualizing religion we really
universalize it.
The universal religion must honour to every religious sect. A really universal religion must
be able to give satisfaction and comfort to every religious sect. So, universal religion has a

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broader perspective. One religion should pay due honour to other religion. That is good.
But, better is to harmonize one religion with other through spiritual interaction. Vivekananda
believed in a plurality of religions. Humanity, sympathy, tolerance and other related terms
are the distinguished religious segments for catering the universal religion.
Universal religion would consist in various ways of approach to the religious objects. It
gives perfect liberty to the individual in this regard. Religion comes out of life. It can never
be divorced from it. The purpose of life is to realize God. That is to say, religion is based
on realization. It cannot be hypothetical in outlook. One cannot prove it in a laboratory.
So, Vivekananda wanted to establish a unity of religion. Good God is the ultimate unity of
the universe. Realization of this unity is God. This may be said to represent the ideal of
Universal Religion.
Universal Religion is a search for power to overcome the evil side of life even more
than its concern for understanding what life as its centre or depth means. Religion has an
element of feeling with its rich overtones. It is all pervading. It is all comprehensive. It pleads
for unity of humanity. It makes a happy harmony between religion and religion. It needs
universal service. It is a human activity. It believes the fundamental of all living faiths. Universal
religion is basis for universal peace and co-existence. It brings up a sense of socio-cultural
relation in the world; and keeps the humanitarian service for living and leading a peaceful
co-existence in the human society of the world.
Swamiji has also a practical plan of realizing harmony of religions. According to him, in
first place he would ask mankind to recognise this maxim that do not destroy humanity and
secondly take man where he stands and from there give him a lift. All religions are directed
towards the same goal along different paths. He uses the metaphor of different radii leading
to the same centre. And at the centre, where all radii meet, all the differences will cease.
Each of us is naturally growing and developing according to his own nature, each will in
time come to know the highest truth. Your duty is to afford opportunities and to remove
obstacles and there your duty ends. Each man’s master is his own soul. Each has to learn
for himself. Each has to make himself. Therefore help, if you can, but do not destroy.9
One common element of the universal religion is God. There is a unity in all things. We
see man and woman are different but they are human beings. Different religious talk of different
aspects of truth still they are one. Truth is God. Every religion is struggling towards the
realization of the ultimate unity or God. This is the ideal of the universal Religion.
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A religion is universal religion when it is universally accepted by all. It is above the caste,
creed, sex and nationality. The universal religion must open its gates to every individual. It
must honour to every religious sect. It gives satisfaction and comfort to every religious sect.
So, universal religion has a broader perspective. One religion should pay due honour to
other religion.
Swamiji, wants to establish a religion that will be equally acceptable to all minds. It must
be equally philosophic, equally emotional, equally mystic and equally conducive to action.
This combination will be the ideal of the nearest approach to a universal religion to become
harmoniously balanced in all these four directions in his ideal of religion. And this religion is
attained by Yoga or union with God. ‘Yoga’ means “Yoke” to join, that is, to join the soul
of man with the supreme soul or God. Swamiji wanted a total development of all the four
Yogas. Hence he advocated a combination of all the four Yogas. To the worker it is union
between the men and the whole of unity. To the mystic, it is union between his lover and
higher self. To the lover, it is union between himself and the God of love. To the philosopher,
it is the union of all existence.
The ultimate goal of each Yoga is the same that is realization of the supreme self. Each
of four Yogas represents the development of one particular mental faculty that is reason,
emotion or will. The spiritual practices prescribed by these Yogas build up character.
Universal religion is a discovery of universality in all religion. Swamiji thinks of the
possibility of bringing together all religions of the world under one umbrella. The dream of
Vivekananda was to propagate a universal religion based on the spiritual synthesis. The aim
of the universal religion of Swami Vivekananda is to glorify the universe with peace and
harmony by overcoming the apparent contradictions and fictitious differences among the
different religious faiths.
The main aim of Universal Religion is just to teach us the knowledge of the divinity of the
soul, the non-duality of God-head, the unity of existence and one greater thing, that is,
universality or harmony of all different religions. “All religions are true”. The important thing is
to reach to roof. One can reach it by stone stairs. One can reach it by wooden stairs. One can
reach it by bamboo steps. One can reach it by a rope. One can also climb up by a bamboo
pole. It depends upon one’s sincerity and earnestness of faith on God. It is God alone who is
called ‘Satchidananda Brahma’ in the Vedas, ‘Satchidananda Krishna’ in the Puranas, and

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‘Satchidananda Shiva’ in the Tantras. It is one and the same Satchidananda. One can realize
it after a long period of earnest quest. Where it comes, it shakes the very foundation of the
personality of the seeker. It is like a huge elephant entering a small hut. The house shakes to
its foundation. Perhaps it falls to pieces. It is the question of state of realization. The state of
Brahman – realization is not Philosophy. It is a matter of spiritual attainment.
Vivekananda is an Advaitavadin. His philosophy of Universal Religion teaches us that to
love God and realized the Ever-living God and feel that “All are one” is the true spiritual mark
of understanding religion. It regulates the human life. If there is no inner life there is no religion
either. Religion is a matter of the inner life. Religion intervenes human conduct. One should
not make any distinction between a Bihari, Bengali and Kualite, Pratestants and Catholics.
He should realize his oneness with other followers of various other religions. All distinctions
differences and dualism will be blotted out. Man cannot live without religion. It is rational and
very deeply intellectual. This is all about what Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy of Universal
Religion. It has great socio-philosophic relevance to built up the world peace in the modern
times. In other words, religion will be prominent enough to guide the scientific world.

References
1. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol.-III, 2009, Page-301.
2. R.K. Dasgupta, Swami Vivekananda on Indian Philosophy and Literature, 2011, Page-
188.
3. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol.-I, 2009, Page-03.
4. C.W. Vol.-II, 2009, Page-363.
5. C.W. Vol.-II, 2009, Page-365.
6. C.W. Vol.-II, 2009, Page-381.
7. Vivekananda : The Great Spiritual Teacher, 2008, Page-185.
8. Romain Rolland, The Life of Vivekananda and the Universal Gospel, 2010, Page-215.

9. C.W. Vol.-II, 2009, Page-385.

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