Swami Vivekananda Quotes: October 2014

31 October 2014

2014 Fundraising Campaign

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Swami Vivekananda's Quotes On Awakening

Awakening means "an act or moment of becoming suddenly aware of something" or "coming into existence or awareness". Spiritual awakening is the process by which we (start to/) recognize our real self.

In this article you'll find Swami Vivekananda's quotes and comments on awakening.

On Awakening

Swami Vivekananda told—

According to the law of nature, wherever there is an awakening of a new and stronger life, there it tries to conquer and take the place of the old and the decaying. Nature favours the dying out of the unfit and the survival of the fittest. The final result of such conflict between the priestly and the other classes has been mentioned already.^[Source]
All manifest life seems to require a period of sleep, of calm, in which to gain added strength, renewed vigour, for the next manifestation, or awakening to activity. Thus is the march of all progress, of all manifest life — in waves, successive waves, [of] activity and repose. Waves succeed each other in an endless chain of progression.^[Source]
All the different kinds of love which we see in the world, and with which we are more or less playing merely, have God as the one goal; but unfortunately, man does not know the infinite ocean into which this mighty river of love is constantly flowing, and so, foolishly, he often tries to direct it to little dolls of human beings. The tremendous love for the child that is in human nature is not for the little doll of a child; if you bestow it blindly and exclusively on the child, you will suffer in consequence. But through such suffering will come the awakening by which you are sure to find out that the love which is in you, if it is given to any human being, will sooner or later bring pain and sorrow as the result. Our love must, therefore, be given to the Highest One who never dies and never changes, to Him in the ocean of whose love there is neither ebb nor flow.^[Source]
Engrossed in the struggle for existence, they (the lower classes) had not the opportunity for the awakening of knowledge. They have worked so long uniformly like machines guided by human intelligence, and the clever educated section have taken the substantial part of the fruits of their labour. In every country this has been the case. But times have changed. The lower classes are gradually awakening to this fact and making a united front against this, determined to exact their legitimate dues. The masses of Europe and America have been the first to awaken and have already begun the fight. Signs of this awakening have shown themselves in India, too, as is evident from the number of strikes among the lower classes nowadays. The upper classes will no longer be able to repress the lower, try they ever so much. The well - being of the higher classes now lies in helping the lower to get their legitimate rights.^[Source]
In these days of intellectual awakening and steadily asserting public opinion, the holy places of the Hindus, their condition, and method of work have not escaped tile keen eye of criticism; and this city, being the holy of holies to all Hindus, has not failed to attract its full share of censure.^[Source]
The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself -- this is called life.^[Source]
The banyan tree does not mean awakening, nor does the hill, nor the saint, nor the European couple. The lotus is a symbol of regeneration.^[Source]
The ground under the Bilva tree is very holy. Meditating here quickly brings about an awakening of the religious instinct. Shri Ramakrishna used to say so.^[Source]
The uplift of the women, the awakening of the masses must come first, and then only can any real good come about for the country, for India.^[Source]
Today the West is awakening to its wants; and the "true self of man and spirit" is the watchword of the advanced school of Western theologians. The student of Sanskrit philosophy knows where the wind is blowing from, but it matters not whence the power comes so longs as it brings new life.^[Source]
True religion comes not front the teaching of men or the reading of books; it is the awakening of the spirit within us, consequent upon pure and heroic action.^[Source]
What we want now is an immense awakening of Râjasika energy, for the whole country is wrapped in the shroud of Tamas. The people of this land must be fed and clothed—must be awakened —must be made more fully active. Otherwise they will become inert, as inert as trees and stones. So, I say, eat large quantities of fish and meat, my boy!^[Source]
You see, no one can teach anybody. The teacher spoils everything by thinking that he is teaching. Thus Vedanta says that within man is all knowledge—even in a boy it is so—and it requires only an awakening, and that much is the work of a teacher.^[Source]

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30 October 2014

Swami Vivekananda's Quotes On Atom

An "atom" is the smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist. In this article we'll make a collection of Swami Vivekananda's quotes and comments related to "atom". In this article, most of the quotes will be related to philosophy, and not physics.

On Atom

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Swami Vivekananda told—

Each atom is trying to fly off from its centre. In the internal world, each thought is trying to go beyond control. Again each particle in the external world is checked by another force, the centripetal, and drawn towards the centre. Similarly in the thought - world the controlling power is checking all these outgoing desires.^[Source]
Every atom is trying to go and join itself to the next atom. Atoms after atoms combine, making huge balls, the earths, the suns, the moons, the stars, the planets. They in their turn, are trying to rush towards each other, and at last, we know that the whole universe, mental and material, will be fused into one.^[Source]
Every atom is working and resisting every thought in the mind. Everything we see and know is but the resultant of these two forces.^[Source]
Every little bit, every atom inside the universe, is in a constant state of change and motion, but the universe as a whole is unchangeable, because motion or change is a relative thing; we can only think of something in motion in comparison with something which is not moving.^[Source]
Every one is struggling for freedom—from the atom to the star. The ignorant man is satisfied if he can get freedom within a certain limit—if he can get rid of the bondage of hunger or of being thirsty. But that sage feels that there is a stronger bondage which has to be thrown off. He would not consider the freedom of the Red Indian as freedom at all.^[Source]
Everything that we perceive around us is struggling towards freedom, from the atom to the man, from the insentient, lifeless particle of matter to the highest existence on earth, the human soul. The whole universe is in fact the result of this struggle for freedom.^[Source]
If it be true that nature is uniform throughout, if it be true, and so far no human experience has contradicted it, that the same method under which a small grain of sand is created, works in creating the gigantic suns and stars and all this universe, if it be true that the whole of this universe is built on exactly the same plan as the atom, if it be true that the same law prevails throughout the universe, then, as it has been said in the Vedas, "Knowing one lump of clay we know the nature of all the clay that is in the universe." Take up a little plant and study its life, and we know the universe as it is. If we know one grain of sand, we understand the secret of the whole universe.^[Source]
Not one atom can rest until it finds its freedom.^[Source]
One atom in this universe cannot move without dragging the whole world along with it. There cannot be any progress without the whole world following in the wake, and it is becoming every day dearer that the solution of any problem can never be attained on racial, or national, or narrow grounds.^[Source]
Out of this idea of separation between atom and atom comes all misery.^[Source]
The atom cannot disobey the law. Whether it is the mental or the physical atom, it must obey the law. "What is the use of [external restraint]?"^[Source]
This world, this universe which our senses feel, or our mind thinks, is but one atom, so to say, of the Infinite, projected on to the plane of consciousness; and within that narrow limit, defined by the network of consciousness, works our reason, and not beyond. Therefore, there must be some other instrument to take us beyond, and that instrument is called inspiration.^[Source]
Though an atom is invisible, unthinkable, yet in it are the whole power and potency of the universe.^[Source]
Who can break the law? If I break this glass, it will fall down. If anyone succeeds in throwing one atom out of place, every other atom will go out of balance. . . . The law can never be broken. Each atom is kept in its place. Each is weighed and measured and fulfils its [purpose] and place. Through His command the winds blow, the sun shines. Through His rule the worlds are kept in place. Through His orders death is sporting upon the earth. Just think of two or three Gods having a wrestling match in this world! It cannot be.^[Source]
You cannot take away one atom of matter or one foot-pound of force. You cannot add to the universe one atom of matter or one foot-pound of force. As such, evolution does not come out of zero; then, where does it come from? From previous involution.^[Source]

This page was last updated on: 30 October 2014, 12:40 pm IST (UTC+5:30 hours)
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On Attraction

In this article you'll find Swami Vivekananda's quotes on "attraction".

On attraction

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Swami Vivekananda told—

All the forces that we see in nature, such as gravitation, attraction, and repulsion, or as thought, feeling, and nervous motion — all these various forces resolve into that Prana, and the vibration of the Prana ceases. In that state it remains until the beginning of the next cycle. Prana then begins to vibrate, and that vibration acts upon the Akasha, and all these forms are thrown out in regular succession.^[Source]
Free thyself from the mighty attraction—
The maddening wine of love, the charm of sex.
Break the harp! Forward, with the ocean's cry!. . .^[Source]
If you can get rid of your attachment to a single thing, you are on the way to liberation.^[Source]
It is the highest manifestation of the power of Vairagya when it takes away even our attraction towards the qualities.^[Source]
Ordinary love is mere animal attraction. Otherwise why is the distinction between the sexes? If one kneels before an image, it is dreadful idolatry; but if one kneels before husband or wife, it is quite permissible!^[Source]
Our minds are forced to become fixed upon different things by an attraction in them which we cannot resist. To control the mind, to place it just where we want it, requires special training. It cannot be done in any other way. In the study of religion the control of the mind is absolutely necessary. We have to turn the mind back upon itself in this study.^[Source]
"Purusha is the; great attraction of the universe; though untouched by and unconnected with the universe, yet it attracts the whole; universe."^[Source]
The law of attraction which holds good for the heavenly bodies also holds good for the smallest particles.^[Source]
What is the attraction? Lookers-on only see the ugly man or the ugly woman, but not so the lover; to the lover the beloved is the most beautiful being that ever existed. How is it? The woman who loves the ugly man takes, as it were, the ideal of beauty which is in her own mind, and projects it on this ugly man; and what she worships and loves is not the ugly man, but her own ideal. That man is, as it were, only the suggestion, and upon that suggestion she throws her own ideal, and covers it; and it becomes her object of worship. Now, this applies in every case where we love. Many of us have very ordinary looking brothers or sisters; yet the very idea of their being brothers or sisters makes them beautiful to us.^[Source]
Where you find the attraction for lust and wealth considerably diminished, to whatever creed he may belong, know that his inner spirit is awakening.^[Source]
With the attraction for lust and lucre working the other way, how many long for the realisation of God?^[Source]

Is "attraction" followed by "seperation" or "disunion"?

These are interesting observations of Swmiji—

The natural state of this universe is attraction; and that is surely followed by an ultimate disunion.^[Source]
Whenever two particles come together, they are held by a certain attraction; and there will come a time when those particles will separate. This is the eternal law. So, wherever there is a body — either grosser or finer, either in heaven or on earth — death will overcome it.^[Source]

28 October 2014

On Attachment

In this website, we are attempting to prepare articles on Swami Vivekananda's quotes on every possible topic.

Here in this article we'll attempt to make a collection of Swami Vivekanandab's quotes on attachment.

On Attachment

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Swami Vivekananda told—

All misery and pain come from attachment.^[Source]
As soon as extreme attachment comes, a man loses himself, he is no more master of himself, he is a slave.^[Source]
As soon as we identify ourselves with the work we do, we feel miserable; but if we do not identify ourselves with it, we do not feel that misery.^[Source]
Attachment comes only where we expect a return.^[Source]
Everything that you do under compulsion goes to build up attachment.^[Source]
From attachment comes longing, and longing breeds anger. From anger comes delusion, and from delusion, confused memory. From confused memory comes the ruin of discrimination; and from the ruin of discrimination, a man perishes.^[Source]
If you can get rid of your attachment to a single thing, you are on the way to liberation.^[Source]
Our misery comes, not from work, but by our getting attached to something. Take for instance, money: money is a great thing to have, earn it, says Krishna; struggle hard to get money, but don't get attached to it. So with children, with wife, husband, relatives, fame, everything; you have no need to shun them, only don't get attached. There is only one attachment and that belongs to the Lord, and to none other.^[Source]

24 October 2014

Do Not Desire Anything

Painting, woman standing, black dress, book in hand

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

"The Second Truth" of the "Four Noble Truths" of Buddhism describes the origin of dukkha (misery, suffering). The theory states that the following things are the reasons of our sufferings and misery—

Craving for sense-pleasures (kama-tanha): this is craving for sense objects which provide pleasant feeling, or craving for sensory pleasures.
Craving to be (bhava-tanha): this is craving to be something, to unite with an experience. This includes craving to be solid and ongoing, to be a being that has a past and a future, and craving to prevail and dominate over others.
Craving not to be (vibhava-tanha): this is craving to not experience the world, and to be nothing; a wish to be separated from painful feelings.

[Source: Wikipedia]

Now the word "craving" means "a powerful desire for something", so Gautama Buddha told that "desire" is a reason of our sufferings.

Indian monk and philosopher Swami Vivekananda also suggested "not to desire anything" or to "try to be desireless" In this article we'll attempt to make a collection of Swami Vivekananda's suggestions and explanations on "not desiring anything".

"Do not desire anything. . ."

Swami Vivekananda told—

Do not desire anything. What makes us miserable? The cause of all miseries from which we suffer is desire. You desire something, and the desire is not fulfilled; the result is distress. If there is no desire, there is no suffering. But here, too, there is the danger of my being misunderstood. So it is necessary to explain what I mean by giving up desire and becoming free from all misery. The walls have no desire and they never suffer. True, but they never evolve. This chair has no desires, it never suffers; but it is always a chair. There is a glory in happiness, there is a glory in suffering. If I may dare to say so, there is a utility in evil too. The great lesson in misery we all know. There are hundreds of things we have done in our lives which we wish we had never done, but which, at the same time, have been great teachers. As for me, I am glad I have done something good and many things bad; glad I have done something right, and glad I have committed many errors, because every one of them has been a great lesson. I, as I am now, am the resultant of all I have done, all I have thought. Every action and thought have had their effect, and these effects are the sum total of my progress. ^[Source]
Do not desire, for what you desire you get, and with it comes terrible bondage. It is nothing but bringing "noses on us," as in the case of the man who had three boons to ask. We never get freedom until we are self-contained. "Self is the Saviour of self, none else.^[Source]
Desire nothing; think of God and look for no return. It is the desireless who bring results. The begging monks carry religion to every man's door; but they think that they do nothing, they claim nothing, their work is unconsciously done. If they should eat of the tree of knowledge, they would become egoists, and all the good they do would fly away. As soon as we say "I", we are humbugged all the time; and we call it "knowable", but it is only going round and round like a bullock tied to a tree. The Lord has hidden Himself best, and His work is best; so he who hides himself best, accomplishes most. Conquer yourself, and the whole universe is yours.^[Source]

"Desire brings misery. . ."

Swami Vivekananda observed and suggested—
Main article: Swami Vivekananda's quotes on desire

As desire increases, so increases the power of pleasure, so the power of pain.^[Source]
Be not bound by good deeds or by desire for name and fame. Those who know this secret pass beyond this round of birth and death and become immortal.^[Source]
Desire is infinite. Its fulfilment is very limited.. There is no end to our desires; but when we go to fulfil them, the difficulty comes. It has been so with the most primitive minds, when their desires were [few]. Even [these] could not be accomplished. Now, with our arts and sciences improved and multiplied, our desires cannot be fulfilled [either]. On the other hand, we are struggling to perfect means for the fulfilment of desires, and the desires are increasing. ...^[Source]
Desire makes slaves of us, it is an insatiable tyrant and gives its victims no rest.^[Source]
Desire, want, is the father of all misery. Desires are bound by the laws of success and failure. Desires must bring misery.^[Source]
It is our desire that binds us. If we take the results of actions, whether good or evil, we will have to bear them.^[Source]
Man's thirst, says the Hindu, man's thirst, says the Buddhist, is a burning, unquenchable thirst for more and more.^[Source]
While we hope for anything, desire still rules us.^[Source]

This page was last updated on: 24 October 2014, 4:14 am IST (UTC+5:30 hours)
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23 October 2014

7 Things You Should Never Say

We know about popular sayings/proverbs like "Never say die" or "Never say goodbye".

This is another special article of this project and our this article's topic is "7 things you should never say" — according to Swami Vivekananda.

① Never say . . . "I cannot"

Swamiji suggested—^[Source]

Never say, "No", never say, "I cannot", for you are infinite. Even time and space are as nothing compared with your nature. You can do anything and everything, you are almighty.

② Never say. . . "Man is weak"

Swamiji told—^[Source]

Never say man is weak. Wisdom - yoga is no better than the others. Love is the ideal and requires no object. Love is God. So even through devotion we reach the subjective God. I am He! How can one work, unless one loves city, country, animals, the universe? Reason leads to the finding of unity in variety. Let the atheist and the agnostic work for the social good. So God comes.

③ Never say. . . "I am a miserable sinner"

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Swamiji's bold words—^[Source]

Never say, "O Lord, I am a miserable sinner." Who will help you? You are the help of the universe. What in this universe can help you? Where is the man, or the god, or the demon to help you? What can prevail over you? You are the God of the universe; where can you seek for help? Never help came from anywhere but from yourself. In your ignorance, every prayer that you made and that was answered, you thought was answered by some Being, but you answered the prayer yourself unknowingly. The help came from yourself, and you fondly imagined that some one was sending help to you. There is no help for you outside of yourself; you are the creator of the universe.

④ Never say. . . "Mine"

Swamiji advised—^[Source]

Never say "mine". Whenever we say a thing is "mine", misery will immediately come. Do not even say "my child" in your mind. Possess the child, but do not say "mine". If you do, then will come the misery. Do not say “my house," do not say "my body". The whole difficulty is there. The body is neither yours, nor mine, nor anybody's. These bodies are coming and going by the laws of nature, but we are free, standing as witness. This body is no more free than a picture or a wall. Why should we be attached so much to a body? If somebody paints a picture, he does it and passes on. Do not project that tentacle of selfishness, "I must possess it". As soon as that is projected, misery will begin.

⑤ Never say. . . "An idolater worships a piece of stone"

Vivekananda asked—^[Source]

Is there any God? Is there anyone to be loved, any such one capable of being loved? Loving the stone would not be much good. We only love that which understands love, that which draws our love. So with worship. Never say [that] there is a man in this world of ours who worshipped a piece of stone [as stone]. He always worshipped [the omnipresent being in the stone].

⑥ Never say. . . "Enough"

It was Swamiji's suggestion—^[Source]

Persevere on, my brave lads. We have only just begun. Never despond! Never say enough! . . . As soon as a man comes over to the West and sees different nations, his eyes open.

⑦ Never say. . . "Any man is hopeless"

Swami Vivekananda advised—^[Source]

Never say any man is hopeless, because he only represents a character, a bundle of habits, which can be checked by new and better ones. Character is repeated habits, and repeated habits alone can reform character.

This page was last updated on: 23 October 2014, 8:50 am IST (UTC+5:30 hours)
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Swami Vivekananda And The Monkey Chasing Incident

Incident¶

Once, probably in 1888¹ Swami Vivekananda² was staying in Varanasi. One day, he was returning after visiting a temple and a troop of monkeys started chasing him. To save himself Swamiji started running. The monkeys also chased him aggressively.
Suddenly a stranger came in front of Swamiji, he witnessed the scene and called out—

Stop. Don't run. Face the brutes.

Vivekananda heard it, turned back and stared at them boldly. The monkeys got confused, they stopped harassing him and went away.

Remembrance

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Swami Vivekananda himself mentioned about this incidence in one of his lecture. Here is what he recalled—^[Source]

Once when I was in Varanasi, I was passing through a place where there was a large tank of water on one side and a high wall on the other. It was in the grounds where there were many monkeys. The monkeys of Varanasi are huge brutes and are sometimes surly. They now took it into their heads not to allow me to pass through their street, so they howled and shrieked and clutched at my feet as I passed. As they pressed closer, I began to run, but the faster I ran, the faster came the monkeys and they began to bite at me. It seemed impossible to escape, but just then I met a stranger who called out to me, "Face the brutes." I turned and faced the monkeys, and they fell back and finally fled. That is a lesson for all life — face the terrible, face it boldly. Like the monkeys, the hardships of life fall back when we cease to flee before them. If we are ever to gain freedom, it must be by conquering nature, never by running away. Cowards never win victories. We have to fight fear and troubles and ignorance if we expect them to flee before us.

Footnotes

It was most probably first half of 1888, although Swami Vivekananda visited Bodh Gaya and Varanasi in January-February 1902 to recover health.
In 1888 he was known as Narendranath Datta, see this article to learn when and how he was named Swami Vivekananda

References

Dr.sanjeev Kumar. Stop Not Till the Goal is Reached. Pustak Mahal. pp. 13–. ISBN 978-81-223-1170-9.

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22 October 2014

Who Is An Atheist?

. . . Let's go and ask search engine giant Google this question, and it'll promptly reply: an atheist is "a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods".

The Greek word αθεοι (atheoi), as it appears in the Epistle to the Ephesians

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

. . . Merriam Webster online dictionary also suggests similar definition— "a person who believes that God does not exist" or "one who believes that there is no deity".

So does the Oxford dictionary: "A person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods"

But Swami Vivekananda gave a new definition of "atheism" and "atheist". In this article, we'll discuss Swami Vivekananda's definition(s) of "an atheist".

Who is an atheist?

Swami Vivekananda defined—^[Source]

He is an atheist who does not believe in himself. The old religions said that he was an atheist who did not believe in God. The new religion says that he is the atheist who does not believe in himself.

Essay in a nutshell

One who does not believe in himself or herself, is an atheist.

Here is a similar comment—^[Source]

The people say, "Do you believe in God? Do you believe in a future life? Do you believe in this doctrine or that dogma?" But here the base is wanting: this belief in oneself. Ay, the man who cannot believe in himself, how can they expect him to believe in anything else? I am not sure of my own existence. One moment I think that I am existing and nothing can destroy me; the next moment I am quaking in fear of death.

He clearly told—^[Source]

You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.

Conclusion

. . . that's how, we find that Swami Vivekananda's definition of an atheist is more practical and concrete. Generally it is said, one who does not believe in an "unseen or unknown" God or gods is an atheist. But, Swami Vivekananda asked to believe in oneself first.

You may read a related article—

Swami Vivekananda's quotes on faith

This page was last updated on: 22 October 2014, 1:16 am IST (UTC+5:30 hours)
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21 October 2014

We Are All Atheists

Do we really believe in God? Many of feel "we do", and many of us don't. But the people who think or claim that they believe in God, do they really believe in God?

We may divide "us and the people around us" into the following categories—

Here, I am not talking about Atheism or Agnosticism and all (Ignosticism etc.). I am talking about theists. I am talking about those people who consider or introduce themselves as theists. Do they really believe in God? — and that s topic of our this essay.

[Note: The aim of this essay is "assessment" and not "criticism".]

Swami Vivekananda once told that we are all atheists, not too many people actually believe in God. In this essay we'll concentrate on his these comments and analyses.

We are all atheists

Swami Vivekananda told—^[Source]

There is no real difference between the highest ecclesiastical giant who can talk by the volume, and the lowest, most ignorant materialist. We are all atheists; let us confess it. Mere intellectual assent does not make us religious.

Essay in a nutshell

We may think that we believe in God, but that may not be true. Religion is "being and becoming". We fight and talk about religion, but don't really try to realize it.

He also told—^[Source]

The vast majority of men are atheists. I am glad that, in modern times, another class of atheists has come into existence in the Western world — I mean the materialists. They are sincere atheists. They are better than the religious atheists, who are insincere, who fight and talk about religion, and yet do not want it, never try to realise it, never try to understand it.

And he told—^[Source]

Religion can be realised. Are you ready? Do you want it? You will get the realisation if you do, and then you will be truly religious. Until you have attained realisation there is no difference between you and atheists. The atheists are sincere, but the man who says that he believes in religion and never attempts to realise it is not sincere.

Mercy and Truth are Met Together, Righteousness and Peace Have Kissed Each Other Origination: William Blake

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

On 29 March 1900, Swamiji clearly told in a lecture delivered in San Francisco—^[Source]

You degrade religion to your low level and seek matter in the name of spirit. You are all atheists. You do not believe in anything except the senses. "So - and - so said such - and - such -- there may be something in it. Let us try and have the fun. Possibly some benefit will come; possibly my broken leg will get straight."

He alerted—^[Source]

That is the one principle of Vedanta. Vedanta declares that religion is here and now, because the question of this life and that life, of life and death, this world and that world, is merely one of superstition and prejudice. There is no break in time beyond what we make. What difference is there between ten and twelve o'clock, except what we make by certain changes in nature? Time flows on the same. So what is meant by this life or that life? It is only a question of time, and what is lost in time may be made up by speed in work. So, says Vedanta, religion is to be realised now. And for you to become religious means that you will start without any religion work your way up and realise things, see things for yourself; and when you have done that, then, and then alone, you have religion. Before that you are no better than atheists, or worse, because the atheist is sincere—he stands up and says, "I do not know about these things—while those others do not know but go about the world, saying, "We arc very religious people." What religion they have no one knows, because they have swallowed some grandmother's story, and priests have asked them to believe these things; if they do not, then let them take care. That is how it is going.

A thief and a vast mass of Gold

Portal:God

Swami-ji told this story to explain his point—^[Source]

A great sage used to say, "Suppose there is a thief in a room, and somehow he comes to know that there is a vast mass of gold in the next room, and that there is only a thin partition between the two rooms What would be the condition of that thief? He would be sleepless, he would not be able to eat or do anything. His whole mind would be on getting that gold. Do you mean to say that, if all these people really believed that the Mine of Happiness, of Blessedness, of Glory were here, they would act as they do in the world, without trying to get God?" As soon as a man begins to believe there is a God, he becomes mad with longing to get to Him. Others may go their way, but as soon as a man is sure that there is a much higher life than that which he is leading here, as soon as he feels sure that the senses are not all, that this limited, material body is as nothing compared with the immortal, eternal, undying bliss of the Self, he becomes mad until he finds out this bliss for himself. And this madness, this thirst, this mania, is what is called the "awakening" to religion, and when that has come, a man is beginning to be religious.

"I want religion. . ."

Here is another story told by Swami-ji that fits with this theme—^[Source]

A disciple went to his master and said to him, "Sir, I want religion." The master looked at the young man, and did not speak, but only smiled. The young man came every day, and insisted that he wanted religion. But the old man knew better than the young man. One day, when it was very hot, he asked the young man to go to the river with him and take a plunge. The young man plunged in, and the old man followed him and held the young man down under the water by force. After the young man had struggled for a while, he let him go and asked him what he wanted most while he was under the water. "A breath of air", the disciple answered. "Do you want God in that way? If you do, you will get Him in a moment," said the master. Until you have that thirst, that desire, you cannot get religion, however you may struggle with your intellect, or your books, or your forms. Until that thirst is awakened in you, you are no better than any atheist; only the atheist is sincere, and you are not.

13 October 2014

51 Motivational Quotations Of Swami Vivekananda

An Indian person (Swami Vivekananda), sitting

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

We have walked a long path. and surely we have a long(er) distance to travel.

In this website Swami Vivekananda Quotes, our attempt has been to make collections of Swami Vivekananda's quotations on every possible topic and subject. We can not say that we have been completely successful, but we have been trying our best to create a website where readers can find Swami Vivekananda's quotations on different topics and read/use those without any restriction (eg. we never ask anyone to pay anything to read/download content of this website).

In this website, we have already created few collection of Swami Vivekananda's motivational and inspiring quotations.

Now, here we are going to prepare another collection of 51 motivational quotations of Swami Vivekananda. We hope that our our readers will like our efforts.

51 motivational quotations of Swami Vivekananda

All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark. Know that there is no darkness around us. Take the hands away and there is the light which was from the beginning. Darkness never existed, weakness never existed. We who are fools cry that we are weak; we who are fools cry that we are impure.^[^Source^]
Are great things ever done smoothly? Time, patience, and indomitable will must show.^[^Source^]
As soon as I think that I am a little body, I want to preserve it, to protect it, to keep it nice, at the expense of other bodies; then you and I become separate.^[^Source^]
Be brave and be sincere; then follow any path with devotion, and you must reach the Whole. Once lay hold of one link of the chain, and the whole chain must come by degrees.^[^Source^]
Be cheerful. . . . Hold on to your own ideal. . . . Above all, never attempt to guide or rule others, or, as the Yankees say, "boss" others. Be the servant of all.^[Source]
Be free; hope for nothing from anyone. I am sure if you look back upon your lives you will find that you were always vainly trying to get help from others which never came. ^[^Source^]
Be strong, my young friends; that is my advice to you. You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Gita.^[Source]
Blame none for your own faults, stand upon your own feet, and take the whole responsibility upon yourselves. Say, "This misery that I am suffering is of my own doing, and that very thing proves that it will have to be undone by me alone." That which I created, I can demolish; that which is created by some one else I shall never be able to destroy. Therefore, stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny.^[Source]
Bold words and bolder deeds are what we want. Awake, awake, great ones! The world is burning with misery. Can you sleep? Let us call and call till the sleeping gods awake, till the god within answers to the call. What more is in life? What greater work? The details come to me as I go. I never make plans. Plans grow and work themselves. I only say, awake, awake!^[Source]
Blows are what awaken us and help to break the dream. They show us the insufficiency of this world and make us long to escape, to have freedom.^[^Source^]
Calm and silent and steady work, and no newspaper humbug, no name-making, you must always remember.^[Source]
Come out into the broad light of day, come out from the little narrow paths, for how can the infinite soul rest content to live and die in small ruts?^[Source]
Do not be afraid of a small beginning. great things come afterwards. Be courageous. Do not try to lead your brethren, but serve them. The brutal mania for leading has sunk many a great ships in the waters of life. Take care especially of that, i.e. be unselfish even unto death, and work.^[Source]
Each work has to pass through these stages — ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Each man who thinks ahead of his time is sure to be misunderstood. So opposition and persecution are welcome, only I have to be steady and pure and must have immense faith in God, and all these will vanish. . . .^[Source]
Every work has got to pass through hundreds of difficulties before succeeding. Those that persevere will see the light, sooner or later.^[^Source^]
Everything will come in time. Now, go on working. Set yourself to some work for the good of men sunk in ignorance and delusion. You will see that such experiences will come of themselves.^[^Source^]
Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is unrighteousness, fear is wrong life. All the negative thoughts and ideas that are in the world have proceeded from this evil spirit of fear.^[^Source^]
Give up jealousy and conceit. Learn to work unitedly for others. This is the great need of our country.^[^Source^]
Go on bravely. Do not expect success in a day or a year. Always hold on to the highest. Be steady. Avoid jealousy and selfishness. Be obedient and eternally faithful to the cause of truth, humanity, and your country, and you will move the world.^[Source]
God is not to be reached by the weak. Never be weak. You have infinite strength within you. How else will you conquer anything? How else will you come to God?^[^Source^]
Have faith that you are all, my brave lads, born to do great things! Let not the barks of puppies frighten you— no, not even the thunderbolts of heaven— but, stand up and work.^[^Source^]
Have fire and spread all over. Work, work. Be the servant while leading, be unselfish, and never listen to one friend in private accusing another. Have infinite patience, and success is yours.^[^Source^]
Have patience and be faithful unto death. Do not fight among yourselves. Be perfectly pure in money dealings... We will do great things yet... So long as you have faith and honesty and devotion, everything will prosper.^[^Source^]
He is an atheist who does not believe in himself. The old religions said that he was an atheist who did not believe in God. The new religion says that he is an atheist who does not believe in himself.^[Source]
I want each one of my children to be a hundred times greater than I could ever be. Everyone of you must be a giant— must, that is my word. Obedience, readiness, and love for the cause— if you have these three, nothing can hold you back.^[Source]
If a man, day and night, thinks he is miserable, low, and nothing, nothing he becomes. If you say yea, yea, 'I am, I am', so shall you be; and if you say, 'I am not', think that you are not, and day and night meditate upon the fact that you are nothing, ay, nothing you shall be.^[Source]
If you are really my children, you will fear nothing, stop at nothing. You will be like lions. We must rouse India and the whole world. No cowardice. I will take no nay. Do you understand?^[^Source^]
If you can think that infinite power, infinite knowledge and indomitable energy lie within you, and if you can bring out that power, you also can become like me.^[^Source^]
If you think that you are bound, you remain bound; you make your own bondage. If you know that you are free, you are free this moment. This is knowledge, knowledge of freedom.^[Source]
Infinite patience, infinite purity, and infinite perseverance are the secret of success in a good cause.^[Source]
Know that every time you feel weak, you not only hurt yourself but also the Cause. Infinite faith and strength are the only conditions of success.^[Source]
Know you are the Infinite, then fear must die. Say ever, "I and my Father are one."^[^Source^]
Let people say whatever they like, stick to your own convictions, and rest assured, the world will be at your feet. They say, 'Have faith in this fellow or that fellow', but, I say, 'Have faith in yourself first'. that's the way.^[^Source^]
Let us be true. Nine-tenths of our life's energy is spent in trying to make people think us that which we are not. That energy would be more rightly spent in becoming that which we would like to be.^[^Source^]
Man is born to conquer nature and not to follow it. ^[^Source^]
My child, what I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which the thunderbolt is made.^[^Source^]
My sons, all of you be men. This is what I want! If you are even a little successful, I shall feel my life has been meaningful.^[^Source^]
Never mind failures; they are quite natural, they are the beauty of life, these failures. What would life be without them? It would not be worth having if it were not for struggles.^[Source]
Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin ? to say that you are weak, or others are weak.^[^Source^]
No need for looking behind. FORWARD! We want infinite energy, infinite zeal, infinite courage, and infinite patience, then only will great things achieved.^[^Source^]
Nothing is gained except by sacrifice.... The holiest function of our human consciousness, the noblest, do not make it unclean! Do not degrade it to the level of the brutes.... Make yourselves decent men! ... Be chaste and pure! ... There is no other way. Did Christ find any other way? ... If you can conserve and use the energy properly, it leads you to God. Inverted, it is hell itself ....^[^Source^]
Perfect sincerity, holiness, gigantic intellect, and an all-conquering will. Let only a handful of men work with these, and the whole world will be revolutionised.^[Source]
Purity, patience and perseverance overcome all obstacles. All great things must of necessity be slow.^[^Source^]
Silly fools tell you that you are sinners, and you sit down in a corner and weep. It is foolishness, wickedness, downright rascality to say that you are sinners! You are all God. See you not God and call Him man?^[^Source^]
Struggle, struggle, was my motto for the last ten years. Struggle, still say I. When it was all dark, I used to say, struggle; when light is breaking in, I still say, struggle. Be not afraid, my children. Look not up in that attitude of fear towards that infinite starry vault as if it would crush you.^[^Source^]
Take care! Beware of everything that is untrue; stick to truth and we shall succeed, maybe slowly, but surely.^[^Source^]
Take courage and work on. Patience and steady work — this is the only way. Go on; remember — patience and purity and courage and steady work. . . . So long as you are pure, and true to your principles, you will never fail.^[^Source^]
There is no help for you outside of yourself; you are the creator of the universe. Like the silkworm you have built a cocoon around yourself…. Burst your own cocoon and come out as the beautiful butterfly, as the free soul. Then alone you will see Truth.^[^Source^]
Wait, my child, wait and work on. Patience, patience.^[^Source^]
We are forever trying to make our weakness look like strength, our sentiment like love, our cowardice like courage, etc. Say to your soul in regard to vanities, weaknesses, etc., "This does not befit thee. This does not befit thee".^[^Source^]
We are responsible for what we are; and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.^[Source]

This page was last updated on: 13 October 2014, 12:30 am IST (UTC+5:30 hours)
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31 October 2014

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On Awakening

30 October 2014

On Atom

Is "attraction" followed by "seperation" or "disunion"?

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28 October 2014

On Attachment

See also

24 October 2014

23 October 2014

① Never say . . . "I cannot"

② Never say. . . "Man is weak"

③ Never say. . . "I am a miserable sinner"

④ Never say. . . "Mine"

⑤ Never say. . . "An idolater worships a piece of stone"

⑥ Never say. . . "Enough"

⑦ Never say. . . "Any man is hopeless"

Incident¶

Remembrance

Footnotes

References

22 October 2014

Conclusion

21 October 2014

A thief and a vast mass of Gold

"I want religion. . ."

See also

13 October 2014