When the Plague first made its appearance in Calcutta in May 1898, Swamiji, along with other sannyasis including Swami Sadananda and Bhagini Nivedita wanted to start relief operations
The plague epidemic that seized Calcutta created mass hysteria. Relief involved nursing the afflicted in segregation camps and improving public sanitation.When Calcutta was again in the grip of a plague epidemic the following year,
The first thing Swamiji did was draft a plague manifesto in Bengali and Hindi. Due to the hard work of Sadananda and Nivedita, the manifesto reached the
Here is the full text of The Plague Manifesto.
"THE PLAGUE MANIFESTO"
Om Salutations to Bhagavan Shri Ramakrishna
Brothers of Calcutta!
3. We humbly pray to you — please don't panic due to unfounded fear. Depend upon God and calmly try to find the best means to solve
4. What is there to fear? The terror that has entered people's hearts due to the occurrence of the plague has no real ground. Through God's will, nothing of the terrible form that plague takes, as seen
5. Come, let us give up this false fear and, having faith in the infinite compassion of God, gird our loins and enter the field of action.
6. (a) Always keep the house and its premises, the rooms, clothes, bed, drain, etc., clean.
(b) Do not eat stale, spoiled food; take fresh and nutritious food instead.
(c) Always keep the mind cheerful. Everyone will die once. Cowards suffer the pangs of death again and again, solely due to the fear in their own minds.(d) Fear never leaves those who earn their livelihoods by unethical means
(e) During the period of epidemic, abstain from anger and from lust — even if you are householders.
(f) Do not pay any heed to rumours.
(h) There will be no lack of effort in treating the afflicted patients in our hospital under our special care and supervision, paying full respect to religion, caste and
(Sources: Complete-Works / Volume 9 / Writings: Prose and Poems. Prabudha Bharata Vol 111; May 1, 2006)