The Pilgrims' March/Babu Bagvan Das
BABU BAGVAN DAS.
MESSAGE TO HIS COUNTRYMEN.
Suffering for the sake of an ideal is good for the soul. The opportunity for such suffering has been sent to me also by Providence and I am thankful. The achieving of true Swaraj, true Self-Government, the Government of the Higher Self over the lower in the individual as well as the communal life is a high ideal. I have tried to express my idea of its nature and form in various writings. I hope the Congress authorities may accept it and publish it to the people in order to guide and steady the people's enthusiasm by clear vision of the goal. I hope that friends in Benares and elsewhere will help to keep alive the Kashi Vidya Pitha, my last effort with the most generous help of my dear gold-hearted friend Shivaprasad Gupta and others to establish a new centre of reformed education the foundation of reformed individual and communal life. I hope that the leaders of the various creeds will teach their followings to distinguish between the heart essentials which are common to all and the external rites and ceremonies which are special to each and accidental and thereby bring about the mutual understanding and peace between the races and the nations. I express my deep gratitude to my brothers the English gentlemen who constitute the Government of India for making themselves the instruments of Providence to test the capacity of the Indian people for self-sacrifice which is the only foundation of true self-Government the self-sacrifice of suffering for truth and right without retaliation which is specially becoming to the soul of India and will help to re-establish the universal religion of peace on earth and good will among men. I hope that all to whom I may have caused any hurt will forgive me. I send greetings to all Theosophist friends personally known and unknown in all countries.
Benares.