My Inspiration – Sri Guruji – Swamy Vivekananda

Today is the birth anniversary of Sri Swamy Vivekananda, the great divine monk of India who enlightened the whole world with his spiritual, globally accepted, universal, thought provoking and soul stirring divine words. Mahatma Gandhiji stated that by reading Swamy Vivekananda’s books, his patriotism grew 100 folds! Today is the birth anniversary of this Divine Spirit.

I remember in my college days, while preparing for an entrance test, I used to keep a book about Swamy Vivekananda. (The book is a very small book – ‘Talks With Swamy Vivekananda.’ I strongly recommend). While studying at late night hours, whenever I felt sleepy, I used to read a page from the book, feel inspired and used to study more and more and more.  Today, whatever good that I do, he is my inspiration, he is my God.

History of National Youth Day:

The day 12th January, the National Youth Day is commemorated in India. This is the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. He was born on 12th Jan 1863. He lived merely 39 years.

Swamy Vivekananda is a colossal philosopher. He is a motivation to the youth, the incarnation of Indian ethnicity and astuteness.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was the Master of Swami Vivekananda. Sri Ramakrishna taught Swami Vivekananda to give lectures and writings about Indian Spiritual Culture. He wanted to incite plentiful youth associations, learning surrounds and overhaul assignments concerning the youth.

In the year 1984, the Government of India proclaimed that Swamy Vivekananda’s birthday is renowned as ‘National Youth Day’ from 1985. The Government of India stated that the allusion ‘the attitude of Swami and the principles that he stayed alive and worked could be an enormous source of appreciation for the Indian Youth’.

Quotes by Swami Vivekananda:

If we can adopt just a single of these quotes, I am sure, our lives will be enlightened forever!

• Choose the highest ideal and live your life up-to that. Look at the “ocean” and not at the wave.
• That which tends to increase the divinity in you is virtue, and that which tends to increase brutality in you is vice.
• He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Shiva.
• Purity in thought, speech, and act is absolutely necessary for anyone to be religious. Purity is strength. Spiritual truth is purity.
• The ideal of the man is to see God in everything. The real evil is idleness which is the principal cause of our poverty.
• Everyone should know that there is no salvation except through the conquering of desires.
• Death being so certain, it is better to die for a good cause.
• Religion is the manifestation of the Divinity already in man.
• Your country requires heroes, be heroes!
• To me the very essence of education is concentration of the mind, not the collecting of facts.
• Each soul is potentially divine.
• Religion is the idea which is raising the brute unto man, and man unto God.
• All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that.
• Work, work, work – let this be your motto.
• Now the only way out is to listen to the words of the Lord in the Gita.
• Be a hero. Always say, “I have no fear”.
• Struggle hard to get money, but don’t get attached to it.
• Feel that you are great and you become great.
• To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all is religion. Whatever you do for your own sake is not religion.
• At my will mountains will crumble up. Have that sort of energy, that sort of will; work hard, and you will reach the goal.
• It is those foolish people who identify themselves with their bodies that piteously cry, ‘Weak, weak, we are weak’.
• Keep the motto before you: “Elevation of the masses without injuring their religion”.
• Man never progresses from error to truth, but from truth to truth, from lesser truth to higher truth.
• Avoid all weakness, for weakness is sin, weakness is death.
• Never talk about the faults of others, no matter how bad they may be. Nothing is ever gained by that.
• I shall inspire men everywhere until the world shall know that it is one with God.
• Let us go forward and do yet greater things.
• The more selfish a man, the more immoral he is.
• Give to the weak, for there all the gift is needed.
• Knowledge exists, man only discovers it.
• Give up all desire for enjoyment in earth or heaven.
• Be courageous. Do not try to lead your brethren, but serve them.
• Be the witness and do not react, only thus can you be happy.
• None can help you, help yourself; work out your own salvation.
• Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvellous work.
• Try to love anybody and everybody.
• You have to go from the inside out. None can teach you, non can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
• Know it for certain that you are in everything.
• Go on bravely. Do not expect success in a day or a year.
• Let all your nerves vibrate through the backbone of your religion.
• Do not talk much, but feel the spirit within you.
• If you want to be spiritual, you must renounce.
• Your way is the best for you, but that is no sign that it is the best for others.
• Renounce the lower so that you may get the higher.
• Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being?
• Your work is to serve the poor and miserable, without distinction of caste or colour.
• Help another because you are in him and he is in you.
• The poor, the illiterate, the ignorant, the afflicted,…let these be your God. Know that service to these alone is the highest religion.
• If I am in the dark, let me light a lamp.
• The earth’s bravest and best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of many, for the welfare of all.
• Every duty is holy, and devotion to duty is the highest form of worship of God.
• We only get what we deserve. It is a lie when we say, the world is bad and we are good. It can never be so.
• You will understand the mighty strength of Krishna better with a little of strong blood in you.
• It is struggle against nature and not conformity to nature that makes man what he is.
• Each work has to pass through these stages – ridicule, opposition and then acceptance.
• First there should be strict integrity…Secondly, entire devotion to the cause.
• The will is not free – it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect – but there is something behind the will which is free.
• You fail only when you do not strive sufficiently to manifest infinite power.
• Whatever you do, devote your whole Mind, Heart, and Soul to it.
• Whatever you think, that you will be. If you think yourselves weak, weak you will be; if you think yourselves strong, strong you will be.
• Never mind failures; they are quite natural, they are the beauty of life – these failures.
• He works best who works without any motive, neither for money, nor for fame, nor for anything else.
• The new religion says that he is an atheist who does not believe in himself.
• Neither seek nor avoid, take what comes.
• You should work like a master and not as a slave; work incessantly, but do not do a slave’s work.
• Believe that the soul is immortal, infinite and all-powerful.
• Even if the order be wrong, first obey and then contradict it.
• Our first duty is not to hate ourselves; because to advance we must have faith in ourselves first and then in God.

My Salutations to Sri Ramakrishna Mutt for taking the legacy of Swamy Vivekananda forward.

My Salutations to Divine Park for bringing Swamy Vivekananda to my life.