Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It was indeed a whirlwind trip to New York over the Memorial Day Weekend. I believe I saw the place where Swami Vivekananda stayed in 1899 on 38th Street.
The place looked familiar as I had once seen a view of it on Google Earth. Swamiji was strongly on my mind during my trip, but who to talk to about him? I had to save my thoughts and talk to you, my friends, here in Holy Mother's Courtyard.

This is the story as I remembered about Swamiji in New York in 1899. According to vivekananda.net, this story is told by Sister Devamata and concerns Swamiji's disciple, Mrs. SE Waldo. The story appeared in Prabuddha Bharata, April 1932.

"When Swami Vivekananda came to New York , he encountered a strong racial prejudice, which created many hardships for him both in his public and in his private life. Among other things it was extremely difficult for him to secure a proper lodging. Landladies invariably assured him that they had no feeling themselves, but they were afraid they would lose their boarders or lodgers if they took an Asiatic into the house. This forced the Swami to accept inferior living quarters. Neither environment nor association was what he should have had. One day, after he had been overnight in one of these dingy lodgings, he said to Miss Waldo: "The food here seems so unclean, would it be possible for you to cook for me?" She went at once to the landlady and obtained permission to use the kitchen. Then from her own store she gathered together cooking utensils and groceries. These she carried with her on the following morning.

She lived at the far end of Brooklyn . The only means of transportation was a jogging horse-car, and it required two hours to reach the Swami's lodging at 38th Street in New York . Undaunted, every morning found her on her way at eight o'clock or earlier; and at nine or ten at night she was on her way home again. When there came a free day, the Journey was reversed. It was Swamiji who took the jogging horse-car, travelled the two hours and cooked the meals. He found genuine rest and relaxation in the freedom and quiet of Miss Waldo's simple home. The kitchen was on the top floor of the house, in front of it the dining-room full of sunshine and potted plants. As the Swami invented new dishes or tried experiments with Western provisions, he ran back and forth from one room to the other tike a child at play.

"In all this close association with Swamiji," Miss Waldo said to me later, "it seems strange that the idea of renunciation never once occurred to me. Nor did I ever think seriously of following him to India . I seemed to belong in America . Yet there-was nothing I would not have done for him. When he first came to New York , he insisted on wearing his orange robe everywhere. It required no little courage to walk up Broadway beside that flaming coat. As the Swami strode along in lordly indifference, with me just behind, half out of breath trying to keep up with him, every eye was turned upon us, and on every lip was the question: "What are they?' Later I persuaded him to adopt more subdued clothing for the street."

Location: North Carolina

Hi sister Rosemary,

Thanks for sharing those reminiscences of Swamiji in New York.

It comes to mind that Swamiji would have had no trouble finding accommodation in Harlem. Black people have been present in Harlem continually since the 1630s, and as the neighborhood modernized in the late 19th century, they could be found especially in the area around 125th Street and "Negro tenements" on West 130th Street. By 1900, tens of thousands lived in Harlem. I don't think the Blacks in Harlem would have minded Swamiji's orange robes and darkish hued skin colour....they probably would have been highly flattered that he chose to live amongst them...

Dear Tom,

You made me look and do my research this morning. Now I know for sure that I was in the area where Swamiji lived. (The trip was so whirlwind and we were on buses and subway so it was hard to get bearings). 38th Street, according to Wikipedia, is known as the 'Garment District. I remember seeing the sign saying "Garment District" on a building and it looked just like the place that I found on Google Earth which pinpointed the place where Swamiji lived in NYC in 1899.

I wondered myself why Swamiji would have looked so out of place in his ochre robes. I saw several Buddhist monks in ochre robes sitting in Macdonald's on 32nd Street. Also, there were many Asians and dark skinned Italians in China Town and Little Italy respectfully. I saw plenty of Indian Restaurants around. How much different would Swamiji have stood out than an Hassidic Jew? New York was very cosmpopolitan at the time.

It occurs to me that Swamiji's rich and delicate devotees might not have liked to visit him down in Harlem. This is just a guess, I really have no idea about the subject except as to what I have heard per the district reputation. I really don't know but I think the rich people would have stayed away from that area (perhaps for no more than safety issues) at that time in history.

There seem to be many of Swami's devotees who were in the wealthy white women class. They do seem to have been very receptive to him and were a great support to him in the US. (ie Mrs. Waldo, Sara Bull, Josephine Macleod, etc)
Just my thoughts.

Location: New Bern

Tom, I forgot to mention that after Swamiji returned to India from the West, he purified himself before entering into Holy Mother's presence. One wonders just what he saw here, or felt polluted by? It could be so many things, food included. It is very hard to imagine Swamiji having to be offered "soul food" in Harlem for as I know being a Southerner, every bite that is cooked is laced with pork fat. I cannot see Swamiji in Harlem, but this does not mean that I am right about it. It's just the way I picture it.

Here is the Brooklyn Bridge as I saw it over the weekend. Since the bridge was open for business by 1883 then Swamiji and Mrs. Waldo would have used this bridge for traveling back and forth between residences. I wonder why he didn't just move to Brooklyn??? I will keep my eyes and ears open during my readings to see if I can discern a reason.

Yours, Rosemary

Location: New Bern

Hi Rosemary,

I also wondered why he didn't just stay in Brooklyn, rather than travel between residences.

Swamiji would have been obliged to undergo ritual purification, that every Hindu underwent, after traveling across the Kala Pani. Even if he didn't believe in the efficacy of that, he would have tried to appease the conservative elements, who believed that a Hindu loses caste, by traveling across the ocean.
Quote:
The Kala Pani (literally, black water) represents the taboo of the sea in Indian culture, for which sailing the high waves and leaving the mainland meant confronting "houglis" or monsters. Wikipedia

Yes, imagine Swaimiji enjoying a feast of Hog Maws and Chitterlings with Collard Greens......Yummy!:)

Actually Tom you have been a catalyst to make me look deeper into Swami Vivekananda's time in the West. Just now, I have been thinking of ordering Sister Marie Louise Burkes' book, "Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries".

Accidentally while looking for this book, and again how to obtain a copy of "Letters of Sister Nivedita" by Mr. Basu, I came across some information that had been troubling me concerning Lizelle Reymonds book, "The Dedicated: Biography of Sister Nivedita".

Reymund makes some assertions in the book concerning the daughter of Sara Bull and I have been trying to find the resource and references that bear the assertions up as facts. Tonight, I found that Sri Aurobindo refuted many of the facts of that book as "romance and fiction". So, I'm guessing that I can throw the whole baby of that book out with the bathwater. I wish that I had not read that biography of Nivedita before any other.

I feel very confused about Aurobindo and his references to Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji and how the Spirit of Swami Vivekananda gave Aurobindo guidance during his time in prison. It seems interesting but strange.

According to Aurobindo, it was Yogin Ma that told Saradananda that he (Aurobindo) was to be arrested that night and then word passed down through Nivedita to give him warning.

Thanks for the information about the Kali Pani, and thanks for letting me talk this out here.

Glad to know you were teasing.

Your Sister,
Rosemary

Location: New Bern

Dear, Dear Rosemary..

Of course, I was only teasing you.

Just an example of my twisted sense of humour.

Highly cultured Swamiji, with his upper class British education, would have been as out of place in Harlem, as Mohamed Ali would be in Buckingham Palace.

I have only been once to New York City. I remember sitting in the Port of Authority Bus Terminus, with my cousin who lived in New Jersey, in the summer of 1961.

We used to sit there and watch the policeman nudge the winos, who were sleeping on the benches, with his nightstick, saying, "Ok, fella, time to get up and move on now".

I must have been 16 years old at the time. That's about all I remember about the place...

Cheers...:)

(Excerpt from Sri Sarada Society Notes: Spring 2012 Volume 18, Issue 1, p 3)

Integral Vedanta Looks Ahead

Vastness of Swamiji

"His was an all inclusive vision--every aspect of life was an illustration of a spiritual ideal waiting to be recognized, divinity manifesting. During one of his walks in New York City, Vivekananda's gaze rose to the top of a skyscraper. Possibly, it was the 260-foot New York Tribune building, one of the earliest skyscrapers. He immediately, helf-audibly, commented on the greateness of the Divine Mother. It was the energy of the Divine Mother that appeared in this form before him. Furthermore, its construction spoke of human power and vision coupled with dauntless spirit. He marveled, realising these qualities could be harnessed and utilized by man for spiritual growth."

The New York Skyline as seen from the Empire State Building, May 26, 2012

Location: New Bern