“Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of The Religion, which is Oneness, so that each may choose the path that suits him best.” These words, thundered by Swami Vivekananda at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, paralleled the atmosphere of a multi-faith event at Stanford on Saturday celebrating his life. Swami Vivekananda is universally regarded as a patriot saint of modern India.

Saturday’s event featured music, dancing and lectures to promote awareness about Swami Vivekananda’s life. The speakers, including Swami Vedananda from the Vedanta Society of San Francisco, focused mainly on the concepts of detachment and unity within faith. Religions represented include the Baha’i faith, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism.

“By bringing out the similarities and celebrating the differences, we are doing our duty toward bringing people of different faiths together, and thus, being true to our own faith,” says management science and engineering graduate student Somik Raha, who is also the co-president of the Hindu Students Council (HSC), one of the event’s sponsors. “In a world that is increasingly intolerant, we believe that positive action is better than negative criticism, and this is our small effort in this direction.”

Stanford alumnus and active member of the Stanford Baha’i Association James Threatt examined the idea of oneness within his faith and his own spiritual journey.

“Everyone has within them the word of God,” Threatt says. “I became aware that we truly are one family. I realized that I can love every human being because I can recognize this higher trait in him or her.”

Along these lines, Swami Vivekananda strove to promote peace and unity between India and the West, serving as a spiritual ambassador between the societies.

Born Narendranath Datta in Calcutta, India, Swami Vivekananda emerged as a leading scholar on Hinduism at the World Parliament of Religions and his influence spread through both Indian and Western societies. His cultural knowledge, spiritual insight and eloquent language made him appealing both in America and India.

He advocated worship in the form of service to man as the visible manifestation of the “Godhead” to Hindus and recognized the necessity of accepting a multi-faith approach.

Swami Vivekananda studied philosophy at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta. There, he began to question the existence and manifestation of God. In 1881 he met his mentor Sri Ramakrishna and began his transformation from a restless and puzzled youth to a mature man who was ready to renounce everything in order to attain a realization of God. After his mentor died in 1886, he decided to leave the monastery and become a wandering monk.

“He saw the beauty of people [during his wanderings], but he also saw a lot of problems with the caste system and people warping the religion with their own dogma,” says Stanford alumnus Ajay Kshatriya.

On Dec. 24, 1892, Swami Vivekananda reached Kanyakumari — the southernmost tip of India — where he meditated on a rock for three days.

“[During the meditation], he realized that his mission in life was to bring Hindu spiritual life to the West and bring Western science and technology to the East,” Kshatriya explains.

Swami Vedananda describes Saturday’s event with enthusiasm.

“It’s so delightful for me to be in a place where there are so many people from different faiths and to experience the wonderful energy created here,” he says. “The one thing we accept is that we’re all conscious beings. Some of us insist that consciousness be called God. That idea of what we call God can be taken in a very personal way, but the main thing that we are talking about is a universal divine reality. It is the essence of everything.”

The idea of a universal divine reality was central to Swami Vedananda’s lecture. He suggested that this idea can serve as the bridge between people of all faiths and philosophies, and that accepting it can lead to unity.

“The event was a success and drew the crowds we had hoped to gather,” says freshman and co-president of the HSC Priyanka Sharma. “I think that the multi-faith approach was a key aspect of our agenda, and the success of the event gave me a very positive vibe and gave the HSC more confidence in our ability to mobilize concerned individuals.”

The HSC sponsored the event in conjunction with the Muslim Students Awareness Network, the Stanford Baha’i Association, World Peace Buddhists and the Stanford India Association.