Swami Ranganathananda

Ramakrishna Math Hyderabad

Our Eknath Ranade was of the type of heroic patriots and workers of whom Swami Vivekananda would be proud; in fact Swamiji wanted India to produce thousands of them to enable her to take the fullest advantage of the possibilities of the modern period of her long and glorious history to raise every man, woman, and child, of our nation, irrespective of caste, creed, or sex, to the highest level of human dignity, freedom and equality. He considered this to be the supreme significance of the modern period of our history.

Our Eknathji has not only lived and worked and died in that spirit but has also left an ever-increasing band of young workers to continue the great work he initiated. And that work will continue silently and steadily as shown by Swami Vivekananda. “It is not the work of a day and the path is full of the most deadly thorns. But Parthasarathi is ready to be our Sarathi, we know that, and in His name and with eternal faith in Him, set fire to the mountains of misery that has been heaped upon India for ages- and it shall be burnt down. Come, then, look it in the face. Brethren, it is a grand task, and we are so low. But we are the sons of Light and children of God. Glory unto the Lord, we will succeed. Hundreds will fall in the struggle, hundreds will be ready to take it up…. Glory unto the Lord — March on, the Lord is our general. Do not look back to see who falls — forward –- onward! Thus and thus we shall go on brethren. One falls, and another takes up the work.”

May this spirit of this inspiring letter of Swamiji to his dear Alasinga of Madras inspire all of you, is my prayer.