Page 145 - Moral Stories Vol 6

Once there was an outbreak1 of plague in Kolkata. Swami Vivekananda returned to Kolkata and plunged2 into work. People were very frightened3 of the spreading plague and many were running away. Swamiji decided to start relief work at once. One of the
brother monks asked him, “From where will we get the money?”
Swamiji replied, “Why? We will sell the land for the new math if necessary. We are sanyasins, we should be ready to live under the trees and beg for our food.” Fortunately it was not necessary to sell the land. Many people gave the money and Swamiji was able to begin the relief work. A big plot of land was rented and a camp was set up there. People who had plague were nursed4 in this camp. Many workers came to help Swamiji and his disciples. They also cleaned the lanes and the houses and taught the people what to do.
At that time, no one volunteered for service, as they were afraid of getting infected. Swamiji, not bothering about himself, cleaned the streets of Kolkata of the dead rats and helped in controlling the epidemic. This work helped the people very much and they began to lose their fear. They loved Swamiji even
more than before.
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