IT IS THAT ETERNAL LOVE, UNRUFFLED EQUANIMITY UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Truth will preach itself, it will not die for the want of the helping hands of me! "Making happiness and misery the same, making success and failure the same, fight thou on" (Gita). It is that eternal love, unruffled equanimity under all circumstances, and perfect freedom from jealousy or animosity that will tell. That will tell, nothing else. 

Yours,
VIVEKANANDA
1895

A WORD FOR YOU.

. . . A word for you. Remember always, I may not see you again. Be moral. Be brave. Be a heart-whole man. Strictly moral, brave unto desperation. Don't bother your head with religious theories. Cowards only sin, brave men never, no, not even in mind. Try to love anybody and everybody. Be a man and try to make those immediately under your care, namely Ram, Krishnamayi, and Indu, brave, moral.

- Swami Vivekananda
Allahabad
5th January, 1890.
My Dear Fakir,

THE DIFFERENCE WAS MADE BY PERSONALITY

" Compare the great teachers of religion with the great philosophers. The philosophers scarcely influenced anybody's inner man, and yet they wrote most marevellous books. The religious teachers, on the other hand, moved countries in their lifetime. The difference was made by personality. In the philosopher it is a faint personality that influences; in the great prophets it is tremendous. In the former we touch the intellect, in the latter we touch life. "

- Swami Vivekananda
Prophert and Pathfinder - 224

I CARE ONLY FOR THE SPIRIT

" I am no politician or political agitator. I care only for the spirit. When it is right, everything will be righted by itself "

- Swami Vivekananda

SO STAND UP MEN AND WOMEN, DARE TO BELIEVE IN THE TRUTH, DARE TO PRACTICE THE TRUTH !!!

 

“It was the great King Bhartrihari¹ who said – “Let the sages blame or let them praise; let the goddess of fortune come or let her go wherever she lik...es; let death come to-day, or let it come in hundreds of years; he indeed is the steady man who does not move one inch from the way of truth.”

“So stand up men and women, dare to believe in the truth, dare to practice the truth!”

- Swami Vivekananda

HE SEETH THE SPARROW'S FALL

It is all He! In the tiger and in the lamb, in the saint and sinner all He! In Him I have taken my refuge, body, soul, and Atman. Will He leave me now after carrying me in His arms all my life? Not a drop will be in the ocean, not a twig in the deepest forest, not a crumb in the house of the god of wealth, if the Lord is not merciful. Streams will be in the desert and the beggar will have plenty, if He wills it. He seeth the sparrow's fall. Are these but words, mother, or literal, actual life?

- Swami Vivekananda
 

CHARACTER IS REPEATED HABITS, AND REPEATED HABITS ALONE CAN REFORM CHARACTER

The only remedy for bad habits is counter habits; all the bad habits that have left their impressions are to be controlled by good habits. Go on doing good, thinking holy thoughts continuously; that is the only way to suppress base impressions. 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.

- Swami Vivekananda

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

 

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 someone 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.

- Swami Vivekananda
[ Page 28 - Education for character ]

WHAT ARE MEN ?

What are men ? He is with me, the Beloved. He was with me when I was in America, in England, when I was roaming about unknown from place to place in India. What do I care about what they talk - the babies, they do not know any better. What! I, who have realised the Spirit, and the vanity of all earthly nonsense, to be swerved from my path by babies prattle ? ...............

- Swami Vivekananda

NEITHER BY PROGENY NOR WEALTH

Dispciple : - If it is so, Swamiji, how is it then that the texts on Bhakti say that too much of renunciation kills the feelings that make for tenderness ?

Swamiji : - Throw away, I say, texts which teach things like that! Without renunciation, without burning dispassion for sense-object, without turning away from wealth and lust as from filthy abominations - " Never can one attain salvation even in hundreds of Brahm's cycles." Repeating the names of the Lord, mediation, worship, offering libations in sacred fire, penance - all these are for bringing forth renunciation. One who has not gained renunciation, know his efforts to be like unto those of the man who is pulling at the oars all the while that the boat is at anchor. - " Neither by progeny nor wealth, but by renunciation alone some attained immortality ".

- Swami Vivekananda
[ Page 243 - Talks with Swami Vivekananda ]

HOW EASY IT IS TO INTERPRET SLAVERY AS DUTY

" How easy it is to interpret slavery as duty - the morbid attachment of flesh for flesh as duty! Men go out into the world and struggle and fight for money or for any other thing to which they get attached. Ask them why they do it. They say, " It is a duty." It is the absurd greed for gold and gain, and they try to cover it with a few flowers. "

- Swami Vivekananda

HAVE FIRE AND SPREAD ALL OVER

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. 

- Swami Vivekananda 

THERE MAN STANDS AS SPIRIT

 

There is a conflict in Arjuna's heart between his emotionalism and his duty. The nearer we are to [ beasts and ] birds, the more we are in the hells of emotion. We call it love. It is self - hypnotization. We are under the control of our [ ...emotions ] like animals. A cow can sacrifice its life for its young. Every animal can. What of that ? It is not blind, bird like emotion that leads to perfection....[ To reach ] the eternal consciousness, that is the goal of man! There emotion has no place, nor sentimentalism, nor anything that belongs to the senses - only the light of pure reason. [ There ] man stands as spirit.

- Swami Vivekananda

IS THERE ANYTHING DIFFICULT FOR THE HERO ?

 

Disciple: Sir, it is so difficult to direct this uncontrolled mind towards Brahman.

Swamiji: Is there anything difficult for the hero? Only faint hearts speak so. - Mukti is easy of attainment ...only to the hero - but not to cowards. "

Says the Gita, " By renunciation and by practice is the mind brought under control, O Arjuna. "

- Swami Vivekananda
[ From Book: Bhagavad Gita as viewed by Swami Vivekananda ]See More