Swami Vivekananda's famous "Chicago Speech" at the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions introduced Hinduism to the world. In his brief but impactful speech, Vivekananda advocated for religious tolerance and universal acceptance of all faiths. He emphasized that Hinduism believes in not only tolerance of all religions, but considers all religions as different paths to the same God or truth. Vivekananda's speech brought him international attention and was influential in spreading awareness of Hindu philosophy's principles of yoga, Vedanta, and religious pluralism to Western audiences.

1. Mahatma Gandhi Arts, Science & Late N. P. Commerce College,
Armori, Dist. Gadchiroli
Class :- B. Sc. – I ( Sem. – II )
Subject :- Compulsory English
Topic :- The Chicago Speech
-Swami Vivekananda
- Prepared By -
Asst. Prof. Anil P. Raut

2. About the Author:-
Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was a Hindu monk who represented India at the World's
Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. It was the largest and the most impressive
event among the various congresses held during the World Columbian Exposition, a world
trade, fair. The Parliament of Religions is recognised as the first formal assembly of
representatives from eastern and western spiritual traditions.
Born in an affluent and educated Bengali family, Vivekananda had acquired a vast knowledge
of various subjects, especially western logic, philosophy and history, by the time he graduated
from Calcutta University. This opened his mind to various intellectual and philosophical
influences and perspectives. Later, he travelled across India and his close interaction with the
Indian masses helped him understand the need to eradicate poverty, illiteracy, and the
oppression of women and the poor in Indian society. He resolved to devote his life to serve
people. To this end, he formed the Ramakrishna Mission a few years later. Around this time,
he attended the Parliament of Religions in Chicago.

3. About the Speech :-
As the Indian delegate to this unprecedented inter-faith congress, Swami
Vivekanand’s welcome address introduced the world to Hinduism. This brief
but pithy speech propagates the idea of tolerance and universal harmony within
the context of religious pluralism. His speech at this platform brought him
international attention. After this, he embarked on a series of public and private
lectures spreading the doctrine of Hindu philosophy in the UK, the USA and
Europe. Initiating the western world to the rational and humanistic tenets of
Yoga and Vedanta, he travelled internationally for almost four years spreading
inter-faith awareness.

4. Summary of the Speech -“The Chicago Speech”
-Swami Vivekananda
Whenever there is talk of Vivekananda, the speech given in the year 1893 in the Parliament of Religions of
Chicago, USA, is definitely discussed. This is the speech that presented India with a strong image in front of the
whole world.
Response to Welcome, 11 September 1893
1. American brothers and sisters, the warmth with which you have welcomed me warms my
heart. I thank you on behalf of the oldest saint tradition in the world and the mother of all
religions. I express my gratitude to you on behalf of lakhs and crores of Hindus of all castes
and sects.
2. I would also like to thank some of the speakers who spoke on this forum who showed that
the idea of ​​tolerance in the world has spread from the countries of the East.
3. I am proud to belong to a religion that has taught the world the lessons of tolerance and
universal acceptance. We do not only believe in universal tolerance, but we accept all
religions as truth.

5. 4. I am proud that I belong to a country which has given refuge to the persecuted people of all
religions and all countries. I am proud that we have kept in our hearts those sacred
memories of Israel in which their shrines were destroyed by Roman invaders and then they
took refuge in South India.
5. I am proud that I belong to a religion which has given refuge to the people of Parsi religion
and continues to help them even now.
6. On this occasion, I want to recite the shloka which I have memorized since childhood and
which crores of people repeat every day. "Just as rivers originating from different places,
passing through different paths, finally meet in the sea, so man chooses different paths of his
own will. These paths may seem different to see, but they all lead to God.
7. The present conference, which is one of the holiest assemblies till date, is itself a testimony to
this exhortation in the Gita: “Whoever comes to me, no matter what, I reach him. People
take different paths, face difficulties, but they reach me in the end.”

6. 8. Communalism, bigotry and the religious obstinacy of its dreadful descendants have
gripped this beautiful earth for a long time. They have filled this earth with violence and
how many times this earth has turned red with blood. Do not know how many civilizations
were destroyed and how many countries were wiped out.
9. Human society would have been much better off than it is now, if it were not for these
dreaded monsters. But his time is now over. I hope that the bugle of this conference will be
the destroyer of all fanaticism, dogma and misery. Be it with a sword or with a pen.

7. Why we disagree (15 September 1893):-
In this speech Vivekananda tried to explain the reason of disagreement between each other
and different sects and religions. He told a story of a frog,which is populary known as “কুয ়োর
ব়্োাং” (kuor bang). And in the story, he told, a frog used to live in a well. It was born there and
brought up there and it used to think his well was the biggest water land of the world. One
day, a frog from a sea came to that well. When the frog from the sea told the frog of the well
that sea is much bigger than that well, the frog of the well did not believe it and drove the
frog of the sea away from his well. Vivekananda concluded– “That has been the difficulty all
the while. I am a Hindu. I am sitting in my own little well and thinking that the whole world
is my little well. The Christian sits in his little well and thinks the whole world is his well.
The Muslim sits in his little well and thinks that is the whole world.”

8. Address at the Final Session (27 September 1893):-
This was Vivekananda’s final address at the Parliament of World’s religion. In his last speech
he said that the Parliament had become an accomplished fact. He thanked the “noble souls”
for organising the Parliament which he felt “proved to the world that holiness, purity and
charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every system
has produced men and women of the most exalted character”. He finished his speech with
appeal “Help and not Fight,” “Assimilation and not Destruction,” “Harmony and Peace and
not Dissension.”.

9. Thank
You