Sister Nivedita
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Daughter of Mother India
Puran Chand Sharma , Sister Nivedita "Daily Excelsior" 28/10/2017
The name Nivedita means ‘the dedicated one’. Who was she? What the ‘all’ she gave to India, and why? It will seem wonderful to us when we hear that she was not an Indian, she was not even born in India. But the great offering, giving her life for Mother India, is like a song of love. Love is blind for it sees not the fault of the beloved, and Nivedita never found fault with India.
Sister Nivedita’s original name was Margaret Elizabeth Noble. She was born on October 28, 1867. She came from a pious family called Noble who were of Scottish descent but had been settled in Ireland. His father Samuel Noble was well known as a preacher and a friend of the poor. To him religion meant service, and the best years of his were spent in serving poor people. Her mother Mary Isabel too was a very kind hearted lady. She inherited fathers strong sense of independence of the thought and honesty. When she was small, her father shifted the family to England. She had many qualities to be a leader. She had inborn strength, idealism, fearless honesty, purity and complete unselfishness. This remained with her all along her life as a valuable tradition.
Swami Vivekananda became a renowned person in America after he delibered lecturers in the world Parliament of Religious. He visited England also to preach vedanta. He gave many lecturers and held small classes for those who were deeply interested in the Hindu religions. One day Margaret went to hear him speak in a small gathering of fashionable young ladies. To her Swami ji appeared a hero.
One day during the question – answer class, the Swamiji suddenly rose and thundred: “What the world wants today is twenty men and women who can dare to stand in the street yonder, and say that they possess nothing but God. Who will go ” ?
“The earth’s bravest and best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of many, for the welfare of all. Another day he was talking about the women of his country. They never went to school. He wanted them to be educated. He turned to Margaret and said : “I have plans for the women of my own country in which you, I think, could be of great help to me ”
These words had a strange effect on her. She felt that it was a call, the call for which she had been waiting all these years. She had to accept that call. Her mind was made up. She would join his army. She would go to India and serve the people of India. This was a very important decision. Swamiji made her a promise :”I will stand by you unto death whether you give up Vedanta or remain in it”. “The tasks of the elephant come out but never go back”. So are the words of a man never retraced. It canged her life. London lost a worker, but it gave to India one of the greatest friend the country has ever had.
On an extremely cold and foggy winter morning Margaret left England. She arrived in Calcutta on Jan 28, 1898. The Swamiji was at the dock to receive her. She was very happy to see him because in this vast, unknown land he was the only person she knew.
An import an event in her life took place on March 25. On that day her life was consecrated to the service of God. Her Master, gave her the beautiful name’Nivedita’ meaning one who is dedicated or offered to God. She thus became the ‘Chosen’ of God when she was thirty years old. Yet even before her birth, God had claimed her. Her own mother had promised God that if her child was safely born she would be dedicated to the service of the Lord. This day her mother’s vow was fulfilled. Margaret- now Nivedita felt doubly blessed.
Her first lesson started by learning about India. The Swami Ji had told her about the history of India, its greatest kings, warriors, saints and builders. During this time she studied the ‘Gita’ and learned to meditation, that is to fix her mind on holy and sacred objects in the desire to be pure and godly. Meditation brought her peace of mind.
Plague broke out in Calcutta soon after. One day, finding no one to clean the lane, she herself took the broom and started cleaning it. Seeing her action, many young men started helping her. Like Swami Ji Nivedita also believed that awakning of the women was a must for the country to rise again from its present situation. She wanted them to have better education. She became the Champion for India. She opened a school for girls to teach them to read and write, to sew and paint. She always reminded them that they were the daughters of Bharatavarsha. She held before them the ideals that Sita and Savitri, Uma and Gandhari stood for. She held high the ideals of Ahalyabai and Lakshami Bai who served their mother land till their last breath.
Nivedita look an active part in the freedom struggle of India. At the time when the singing of Banda Matarm in public was not allowed by the British Government, she introduce it in her school’s daily prayers. During the Swadeshi movement, she started using crude Swadeshi things herself. She introduce spinning in the school. She believed that India would have to win political freedom before the country could advance in other ways.
At the death of her Master Swami Vivekananda, she wrote in a prayerful mood to a friend. “He is not dead, he is with us always. I cannot even grieve. I only want to work’. Her love for India was the heritage she had received from her Master.
She often intoned her favourite Rudra-Prayer from the Upanishad.
From the unreal lead us to the Real, From the darkness lead us to light from death lead us to immortality. On October 13, 1911 Nivedita breathed her last looking at bright sunshine over the Himalayan peaks. How completely she laid down her life at the feet of God! How apt was her name, “Nivedita”, meaning the dedicated one ! Her name itself describes her fully.
(The author is the translator of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna titled as Sri Ramakrishna Ke Eqwal-e-Zarrin. The book is available at Ramakrishan Mission, Udhaywala. (Jammu)
Philosophy
Vision of A Spiritual India
Pranav Khullar, Sister Nivedita’s Vision Of A Spiritual India, January 31, 2018: The Times of India
Who can forget the evocative retelling of the story of Shibi Rana in Cradle Tales of Hinduism or the compelling narrative of the spread of Buddhism in Footfalls of Indian History? The two companion pieces were written by a woman whose love for India and dedication to the cause of India’s resurgence have become legendary. Indeed, her guru called her Nivedita, ‘the dedicated one’. Transformed by the clarion call of Swami Vivekananda, Margaret Noble left home and hearth in Ireland to plunge into the task set out by her preceptor, to immerse herself completely in the Indian renaissance.
She was so dedicated that Rabindranath Tagore was to call her Lokmata, ‘mother of the people’, and Aurobindo described her as Agnishikha, ‘flame of fire’.They were only reinforcing what her own teacher Vivekananda thought of her, ‘a real lioness’. Nivedita loved her adopted motherland. Her multifaceted persona inspired and guided the talent of JC Bose, Abanindranath Tagore and Subramania Bharati. She herself led a simple and austere life, in the tradition of her teacher.
The spiritual trigger provided by Vivekananda was expanded by Nivedita to encompass nationalist causes. She would say, “I will look to India; India may look to the west if she wishes ... My task is to awaken the nation.” She inspired Abanindranath Tagore to revive the Indianness of Indian art and dispel with Hellenic influences. She helped Jagdish Bose not only with sponsorships but also by providing editorial assistance for his research papers. Nivedita encouraged Subramania Bharati’s vision and ideals in his fight for women’s rights and against casteism. Bharati would say that in the presence of Sister Nivedita, he could feel a tremendous power, a shakti.
Her work among the poor and the most destitute in Kolkata, mark her as an early forerunner of Mother Teresa. Her work and inspiration during Kolkata’s 1899 plague is legendary. She initiated relief work and help camps by sweeping streets and cleaning drains. Thousands came out on the streets to help her, in recognition of the ideals of service and sacrifice, which Nivedita embodied completely.
It was this tremendous willpower and strength that saw her going house-to-house to enlist girls for her school in Kolkata in the same period, in an effort to break down old prejudices about girls’ education. Her involvement and concern made her practically a member of the families she tended to. Despite want of funds and extreme privation, she kept the girls’ school going and became the ‘Sister of Kolkata’. Her spirit of service saw her wade through muddy water to help people in villages during the 1905 Bengal floods.
Nivedita’s love for everything Indian was eloquently demonstrated in her serving of tea to Lady Minto, who was on a visit to the Dakshineshwar temple. Swami Tathagatananda records that everything was swadeshi – biscuits, tea, sugar, cups and saucers.
Bharati’s poem on Nivedita describes her thus: “... Sun dispelling my soul’s darkness/ helper of the helpless ...” JC Bose got the image of a woman stepping forward, lamp in hand, installed at his centre in Nivedita’s memory. But nowhere is Sister Nivedita’s life more poignantly summed up than in an epitaph to her in Darjeeling: “Here repose the ashes of Sister Nivedita who gave her all to India.”
Service to India
Pranav Khullar, October 28, 2020: The Times of India
Sister Nivedita’s Call For A Spiritual India
The lockdown led me back to some childhood classics like ‘Cradle Tales of Hinduism’, and the story of the Buddha in ‘Footfalls of Indian History’. Abstruse philosophical readings of later times could not erase the charming storytelling ability of these two companion publications, written by one whose love and dedication to the cause of India’s resurgence have become legendary.
Swami Vivekananda called her Nivedita, ‘the dedicated one’. Transformed by the clarion call of Vivekananda, Elizabeth Margaret Noble left home and hearth to plunge into the task set out by her preceptor, to immerse herself completely in Indian spiritual renaissance. Rabindranth Tagore was to call her Lokmata, ‘mother of the people’. Sri Aurobindo described her as Agnishikha, ‘flame of fire’. Vivekananda would say she was “a real lioness”. Nivedita loved her adopted motherland where she led a simple and austere life in the tradition of her teacher.
The spiritual trigger provided by Vivekananda propelled Nivedita to nationalist and cultural causes as well. She would say, “I will look to India; India may look to the West if she wishes ... my task is to awaken the nation.” She inspired Abanindranath Tagore to revive the Indianness of Indian art. She helped Jagdish Bose not only with her generous sponsorship but was willing to be an editorial apprentice for his scientific research. Nivedita encouraged Subramania Bharati’s vision in his fight for women’s rights and against casteism. Bharati would say that in the presence of Sister Nivedita, he felt a tremendous power, a powerful shakti.
Her work among the poorest and the most destitute in Kolkata, makes her an early forerunner of Mother Teresa. During the 1899 plague in Kolkata, her work was inspired by her master’s spiritual vision of ‘Daridra Narayana’, that God is to be found amongst the poor and the infirm, that service takes one to Self. She initiated relief work and organised relief camps by sweeping streets and cleaning drains. Thousands came out on the streets to help her in recognition of the ideals of service and sacrifice, which Nivedita embodied.
It was this tremendous willpower and strength that saw her go door-to-door to enlist girls for her school in Kolkata in the same period, in an effort to break down prejudices about girls’ education. Her involvement and concern ensured her being accepted as member of all the families she touched with her concern and kindness. Despite lack of funds and extreme privation, she kept the girls’ school going and became known as the Sister of Kolkota. Her spirit of service saw her wade through muddy waters to help people in villages during the 1905 Bengal floods.
Nivedita’s love for everything Indian was eloquently demonstrated in her serving of tea to Lady Minto who was on a visit to the Dakshineshwar temple. Swami Tathagatananda records that everything was swadeshi – biscuits, tea, sugar, cups and saucers, even. Jagdish Chandra Bose got the image of a woman stepping forward, lamp in hand, installed at his Centre, in Nivedita’s memory. But nowhere is Sister Nivedita’s life more poignantly summed up, than in her epitaph in Darjeeling that says, “Here repose the ashes of Sister Nivedita who gave her all to India”. (The writer is joint secretary, Government of India. Today is Sister Nivedita’s birth anniversary)
