From ‘Epistles – Fourth Series’-chapter -V of Volume 8 of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.
To Mr. E. T. Sturdy
NEW YORK,
17th March, 1896.
BLESSED AND BELOVED,
I received your last just now and it frightened me immensely.
The lectures were delivered under the auspices of certain friends who paid for the stenography and all other expenses on condition they alone will have the right to publish them. As such, they have already published the Sunday lectures as well as three books on “Karma-Yoga”, “Raja-Yoga”, and “Jnana-Yoga”. The Raja-Yoga especially has been much altered and re-arranged along with the translation of “Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali”. The Raja-Yoga is in the hands of Longmans. The friends here are furious at the idea of these books being published in England; and as they have been made over to them by me legally, I am at a loss what to do. The publication of the pamphlets was not so serious, but the books have been so much re-arranged and changed that the American edition will not recognise the English one. Now pray don’t publish these books, as they will place me in a very false position and create endless quarrel and destroy my American work.
By last mail from India I learn that a Sannyasin has started from India. I had a beautiful letter from Miss Müller, also one from Miss MacLeod; the Leggett family has become very attached to me.
I do not know anything about Mr. Chatterji. I hear from other sources that his trouble is money, which the Theosophists cannot supply him with. Moreover the help he will be able to give me is very rudimentary and useless in the face of the fact of a much stronger man coming from India. So far with him. We need not be in a hurry.
I pray you again to think about this publishing business and write some letters to Mrs. Ole Bull and through her ask the opinion of the American friends of the Vedanta, remembering “ours is the Gospel of oneness of all beings”, and all national feelings are but wicked superstitions. Moreover I am sure that the person who is always ready to give way to other’s opinions finds at last that his opinion has triumphed. Yielding always conquers at last. With love to all our friends,
Yours with love and blessings,
VIVEKANANDA.
PS. I am coming sure in March as early as possible.