Chicago address in atmosphere of intolerance and hate, Swamiji's message should be Magna Carta for the way forward: Sonia

New Delhi, Sep 11: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, paying homage today to Swami Vivekananda in the 125th year of his historic address at Chicago Parliament, said in nowadays atmosphere of intolerance and hate, Swamiji's message should be the Magna Carta for the way forward. Recalling that Swamiji had spoken about both tolerance and universal acceptance, Ms Gandhi said, "Today, more than ever; we are engulfed with the same challenges of prejudices which Swamiji spoke about.' Swami Vivekananda's Chicago address is a proud moment in India's history and it heralded the arrival of one of India's greatest spiritual leaders on the world stage. "It is a deep honour for all Indians to remember the enlightened words and offer homage to this great noble son of India, who by his words and his work inspired millions of people in our country as well as in the entire world,' she said. Ms Gandhi added that Swami Vivekananda had come to Chicago in 1893 to attend the World Parliament of Religions as a representative of Hinduism and India, where he eloquently quoted from the 'Bhagvad Gita': "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to Me. Sectarianism, bigotry, and it's horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair.” His this universal message is time-invariant. It was as relevant today as it had been over 124 years ago. The Congress president said his clarion call: "Arise! Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached!” was at once a call to spiritual as well as political liberation. While promoting the idea of the oneness of all religions, Swamiji had promoted with equal zeal the idea of the equality of all human beings. 'In today's atmosphere of intolerance and hate, Swamiji's message should be the Magna Carta for the way forward. I fervently hope that Swami Vivekananda's inspiring thoughts will continue to guide us, especially our youth for all times to come," she added. UNI