29.5.12

VIVEKANANDA WRITES AND INSPIRES YOU

LETTERNO. 24

Dear.................*

....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.

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.

Ever yours with blessings,

VIVEKANANDA.


LETTER NO. 25

Dear.................*

So you have made up your mind to renounce the world. I have sympathy with your desire. There is nothing so high as renunciation of self. But you must not forget that to forgo your own favourite desire for the welfare of those that depend upon you is no small sacrifice. Follow the spotless life and teachings of Shri Ramakrishna and look after the comforts of your family. You do your own duty, and leave the rest to Him.

Love makes no distinction between man and man, between an Aryan and a Mlechchha, between a Brâhmana and a Pariah, nor even between a man and a woman. Love makes the whole universe as one's own home. True progress is slow but sure. Work among those young men who can devote heart and soul to this one duty — the duty of raising the masses of India. Awake them, unite them, and inspire them with this spirit of renunciation; it depends wholly on the young people of India.

Cultivate the virtue of obedience, but you must not sacrifice your own faith. No centralization is possible unless there is obedience to superiors. No great work can be done without this centralization of individual forces. The Calcutta Math is the main centre; the members of all other branches must act in unity and conformity with the rules of that centre.

Give up jealousy and conceit. Learn to work unitedly for others. This is the great need of our country.

Yours with blessings,

VIVEKANANDA.

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SOURCE: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
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21.5.12

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA SINGS

In Swami Vivekananda's voice we can hear a Bengali Song: "Mon Chalo Nija Niketane...". This song he sang for Sri Ramakrishna, his Guru. See below the full version of this song.

"Mon chalo nija niketane
Samsar videshey videsheer veshey
Bhrama keno akaarane

Vishaya panchak aar bhutagan
Sab tor par keva naya aapan
Para premey keno hoye achetan
Bhulidho aapan janey

Satya pathey mon koro aarohan
Premer Aalo jwali chalo anukshan
Sangatey sambal rakho punya dhan
Gopaney ati yataney."


10.5.12

VIVEKANANDA TELLS STORY: INDRA AS A PIG


Swami Vivekananda
There is a story that the king of the gods, Indra, once became a pig, wallowing in mire; he had a she-pig and a lot of baby pigs, and was very happy. Then some gods saw his plight, and came to him, and told him, "You are the king of the gods, you have all the gods under your command. Why are you here?" But Indra said, "Never mind; I am all right here; I do not care for heaven, while I have this sow and these little pigs." The poor gods were at their wits' end. After a time they decided to slay all the pigs one after another. When all were dead, Indra began to weep and mourn. Then the gods ripped his pig-body open and he came out of it, and began to laugh, when he realised what a hideous dream he had had — he, the king of the gods, to have become a pig, and to think that that pig-life was the only life! Not only so, but to have wanted the whole universe to come into the pig-life!

The Purusha, when it identifies itself with nature, forgets that it is pure and infinite. The Purusha does not love, it is love itself. It does not exist, it is existence itself. The Soul does not know, It is knowledge itself. It is a mistake to say the Soul loves, exists, or knows. Love, existence, and knowledge are not the qualities of the Purusha, but its essence. When they get reflected upon something, you may call them the qualities of that something. They are not the qualities but the essence of the Purusha, the great Atman, the Infinite Being, without birth or death, established in its own glory. It appears to have become so degenerate that if you approach to tell it, "You are not a pig," it begins to squeal and bite.

SOURCE: The Complete Works of Swami Vivkananda; 
                   Raja Yoga; Chap-II [PP:248 - 49]


6.5.12

ON LORD BUDDHA

Today is Buddha Purnima. On this holy occasion Swami Vivekananda's  Speech delivered in Detroit, USA is posted.
In every religion we find one type of self-devotion particularly developed. The type of working without a motive is most highly developed in Buddhism. Do not mistake Buddhism and Brâhminism. In this country you are very apt to do so. Buddhism is one of our sects. It was founded by a great man called Gautama, who became disgusted at the eternal metaphysical discussions of his day, and the cumbrous rituals, and more especially with the caste system. Some people say that we are born to a certain state, and therefore we are superior to others who are not thus born. He was also against the tremendous priestcraft. He preached a religion in which there was no motive power, and was perfectly agnostic about metaphysics or theories about God. He was often asked if there was a God, and he answered, he did not know. When asked about right conduct, he would reply, "Do good and be good."

There came five Brâhmins, who asked him to settle their discussion. One said, "Sir, my book says that God is such and such, and that this is the way to come to God." Another said, "That is wrong, for my book says such and such, and this is the way to come to God"; and so the others. He listened calmly to all of them, and then asked them one by one, "Does any one of your books say that God becomes angry, that He ever injures anyone, that He is impure?" "No, Sir, they all teach that God is pure and good." "Then, my friends, why do you not become pure and good first, that you may know what God is?"

Of course I do not endorse all his philosophy. I want a good deal of metaphysics, for myself. I entirely differ in many respects, but, because I differ, is that any reason why I should not see the beauty of the man? He was the only man who was bereft of all motive power. There were other great men who all said they were the Incarnations of God Himself, and that those who would believe in them would go to heaven. But what did Buddha say with his dying breath? "None can help you; help yourself; work out your own salvation." He said about himself, "Buddha is the name of infinite knowledge, infinite as the sky; I, Gautama, have reached that state; you will all reach that too if you struggle for it." Bereft of all motive power, he did not want to go to heaven, did not want money; he gave up his throne and everything else and went about begging his bread through the streets of India, preaching for the good of men and animals with a heart as wide as the ocean.

SOURCE: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda;  Volume 4 [Lectures and Discourse]

5.5.12

VIVEKANANDA 3D VIDEO

VIVEKANANDA, THE AWAKENER OF THE YOUTH

COURTESY: vivekanandahouse.org 
                             &
                        ani.gif.com



4.5.12

VIVEKANANDA'S LIFE EVENTS

Chronology of Main Events in Swami Vivekananda's Life:

1863January 12Birth in Kolkata
1879Enters Presidency College
1880Transfers to General Assembly Institution
1881NovemberFirst meeting with Sri Ramakrishna
1882-1886Association with Sri Ramakrishna
1884Passes B. A. Examination
Father passes away
1885Sri Ramakrishna’s last illness
1886August 16Sri Ramakrishna passes away
FallEstablishes Baranagar Math
December 24Informal vow of sannyasa at Antpur
1887JanuaryFormal vows of sannyasa at Baranagar Monastery
1890-1893Travels all over India as itinerant monk
1892December 24At Kanyakumari, South India
1893February 13First public lecture, Secunderabad, South India
May 31Sails for America from Mumbai
July 25Lands at Vancouver, Canada
July 30Arrives in Chicago
AugustMeets Professor John Ft. Wright of Harvard University
September 11First address at Parliament of Religions, Chicago
September 27Final address at Parliament of Religions
November 20Begins mid-western lecture tour
1894April 14Begins lectures and classes on East Coast
May 16Speaks at Harvard University
July-AugustAt Green Acre Religious Conference
NovemberFounds Vedanta Society of New York
1895JanuaryBegins classes in New York
June 4-18At Camp Percy, New Hampshire
June-AugustAt Thousand Island Park on St. Lawrence river, N.Y.
August-SeptemberIn Paris
October-NovemberLectures in London
December 6Sails for New York
1896March 22-25Speaks at Harvard University, offered Eastern Philosophy chair
April 15Returns to London
May-JulyGives classes in London
May 28Meets Max Muller in Oxford
August-SeptemberIn the Europe for six weeks
October-NovemberGives classes in London
December 30Leaves Naples for India
1897January 15Arrives in Colombo, Sri Lanka
February 6-15In Chennai
February 19Arrives in Kolkata
May 1Establishes Ramakrishna Mission Association, Kolkata
May-DecemberTours northwest India
1898JanuaryReturns to Kolkata
MayBegins North India pilgrimage with Western devotees
August 2At Amarnath, Kashmir
December 9Consecrates Belur Math
1899March 19Establishes Advaita Ashrama at Mayavati
June 20Leaves India for second visit to the West
July 31Arrives in London
August 28Arrives in New York City
August-NovemberAt Ridgely Manor, New York
December 3Arrives in Los Angeles
1900February 22Arrives in San Francisco
April 14Founds Vedanta Society in San Francisco
JuneFinal classes in New York City
July 26Leaves for Europe
August 3Arrives in Paris for International Exposition
September 7Speaks at Congress of History of Religions at Exposition
October 24Begins tour of Vienna, Constantinople, Greece and Cairo
November 26Leaves for India
December 9Arrives at Belur Math
1901JanuaryVisits Mayavati
March-MayPilgrimage in East Bengal and Assam
1902January-FebruaryVisits Bodh Gaya and Varanasi
MarchReturns to Belur Math
July 4Mahasamadhi
COURTESY: www.belurmath.org