Swami Vivekananda and the British Men’s Missing Coats
Once, during a long train journey through Northern India, Swami Vivekananda shared a compartment with two British men. As night settled in, Swamiji peacefully fell asleep in his seat.
The British men noticed that the Indian monk was wearing fine leather boots. Perhaps unsettled by the image of a dignified Indian in Western footwear, they decided to mock him. Silently, they tossed his boots out of the moving train window and went to sleep, pleased with their mischief.
At around 4 a.m., Swamiji awoke and noticed that his boots were missing. Instantly sensing what had happened, he quietly picked up the overcoats of the two British men and threw them out the same window.
When the British men woke up and searched for their coats in vain, they asked Swamiji,
“Swami, have you seen our coats?”
He replied with a calm smile,
“Ah yes, your coats must have gone out to find my boots and bring them back.”
The men sat down in silence, their arrogance deflated by the monk’s sharp wit and quiet dignity.