SHRI VIVEKANAND JI’s - CA SANSAAR VIVEKANAND JI.pdf · SHRI VIVEKANAND JI’s Biography & Vital Quotes compiled by Pankaj Kumar [email protected] +91-94116-33092 Page 1

SHRI VIVEKANAND JI’sP A N K A J P R A T I S T H A & C O

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Personal EditionA Gist on Vivekananda’s Life and his epic Quotes compiled by PankajKumar

SHRI VIVEKANAND JI’s Biography & Vital Quotes compiled by Pankaj Kumar

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Swami Vivekananda quotes(FROM “THINKEXIST.COM”)

Indian Spiritual leader of the Hindu religion (Vedanta). Disciple of the famous 19th century mystic-“The Lord hasdeclared to the Hindu in His incarnation as Krishna. I am in every religion as the thread through a string of pearls. Wherever thou seest extraordinaryholiness and extraordinary power raising and purifying humanity, know thou that I am there.”saint Sri Ramakrishna of Calcutta. Founderof the Ramakrishna Order of Monks. 1863-1902

Do you know on whose name we celebrate our National Youth Day?

It is on Greatest Indian Philosopher Swami Vivekananda's Birthday on 12th January.



Biography

A spiritual genius of commanding intellect and power, Vivekananda crammed immense labor andachievement into his short life, 1863-1902. Born in the Datta family of Calcutta, the youthfulVivekananda embraced the agnostic philosophies of the Western mind along with the worship ofscience.

At the same time, vehement in his desire to know the truth about God, he questioned people of holyreputation, asking them if they had seen God. He found such a person in Sri Ramakrishna, whobecame his master, allayed his doubts, gave him God vision, and transformed him into sage andprophet with authority to teach.

After Sri Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda renounced the world and criss-crossed India as awandering monk. His mounting compassion for India's people drove him to seek their material helpfrom the West. Accepting an opportunity to represent Hinduism at Chicago's Parliament of Religionsin 1893, Vivekananda won instant celebrity in America and a ready forum for his spiritual teaching.

For three years he spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion in America and England and thenreturned to India to found the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Exhorting his nation to spiritual



greatness, he wakened India to a new national consciousness. He died July 4, 1902, after a second,much shorter sojourn in the West. His lectures and writings have been gathered into nine volumes.

Ramakrishna Order

Born in 1836 in a remote village of Bengal in India, Sri Ramakrishna attained an exalted state ofspiritual illumination. Before his passing in August 1886, he gave monastic vows to a group of young,earnest spiritual seekers. That was the seed of the monastic order which later became known as theRamakrishna Order. The first monastery (Sanskrit, Math) at Baranagore, a northern suburb of Kolkata,was organized by Ramakrishna’s monastic disciples headed bySwami Vivekananda. Gradually theOrder set for itself a twofold ideal:

to create a band of monastic teachers of Vedanta as taught by Sri Ramakrishna and practicallyillustrated by his own life; and

in conjunction with the lay disciples to carry on missionary and philanthropic work, lookingupon all - irrespective of caste, creed or color - as veritable manifestations of the Divine.

For some time the latter work was carried on through an association called the Ramakrishna MissionAssociation, started by Swami Vivekananda in May 1897, shortly after his return from the West. In1899 he shifted the Math, which had changed places by then, to its present site in Belur, across theriver Ganga, about six kilometers north of Howrah railway station, where it set itself more vigorouslyto the task of training a band of monks inspired with the twin ideals of Self-realization and service tothe world. Soon after this, the Math authorities took upon themselves the work of the MissionAssociation.

The Ramakrishna Math was registered as a trust in 1901. To facilitate the work of the MissionAssociation and for giving it a legal status, a society named the Ramakrishna Mission was registered in1909 under Act XXI of 1860. Its management was vested in a Governing Body. Both the Math and theMission gradually extended their spheres of activity as a result of which a number of branches indifferent parts of India and abroad came into existence. Excluding the Headquarters at Belur, theOrder has 141 branches in all with resident swamis. The distribution of centers is as follows: 10 inBangladesh; 1 each in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, France, Japan, Mauritius, Netherlands, Russia,Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and UK; 12 in USA; and 106 in India.

Though the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission with their respective branches aredistinct legal entities, they are closely related, inasmuch as the Governing Body of the Mission is madeup of the Trustees of the Math; the administrative work of the Mission is mostly in the hands of themonks of the Ramakrishna Math, and both have their Headquarters at Belur Math. The Math



organization is constituted under the trust with well-defined rules of procedure. The Mission is aregistered society.

Though both the organizations take up charitable and philanthropic activities, the former lays emphasison religion and preaching, while the latter is wedded mainly to welfare services undertaken with thespiritual outlook. This distinction should be borne in mind, though "Ramakrishna Mission" is looselyassociated by people with Math activities also. In the West, the branches of the Ramakrishna Order aregenerally known as "Vedanta Society." It is necessary, moreover, to point out that the appropriation ofthe name of Sri Ramakrishna or Swami Vivekananda by any institution does not necessarily imply thatit is a branch of either the Ramakrishna Math or the Ramakrishna Mission.

The Math and the Mission own separate funds and keep separate accounts of them. Both the Math andthe Mission centers in India receive grants from the Indian federal and state governments and alsopublic bodies, as well as donations from the public. The accounts of both the Math and the Missionare annually audited by qualified auditors.

FAQs

(Click here for Infrequently Asked Questions)

Do I have to believe in reincarnation to practice Vedanta?You don't have to believe in anything. But if you are an adventurous soul you might want tosearch for truth. Vedanta is the perfect philosophy and religion for an atheist or agnostic. Forthat matter, one path in Vedanta, Jnana-yoga, teaches that we must constantly challengewhat appears to us as real-saying to oneself, "not this, not this" in order to find the truereality. As for reincarnation, you might say -- not this, not this!

Do we need a spiritual teacher? If so, why?Except possibly for the rare spiritual genius, we all need a teacher. There are many reasonsfor this, one of which is this: in our day-to-day living we find that there are both helpful andobstructive forces constantly affecting our minds. The spiritual teacher has the power to helpus encourage the positive forces and neutralize the negative forces and guide us to where alldualities are resolved.

Doesn't our present scientific knowledge answer most of the questionsabout the universe?



The current Western cosmological paradigm is only the tip of the iceberg. Through the meansof intense spiritual disciplines the mind acquires new ways of knowing the deeper levels ofreality, culminating in the mind-transcending realization of pure Consciousness...InfiniteBeing, Knowledge, Bliss Absolute.

How do you explain the widely different concepts of the variousreligions?The Divine Reality is not a concept that can be thought of, written about, or spoken of. In theattempt to conceptualize the inconceivable, differences of interpretation are bound to arise -hence different religions. As one grows in spiritual awareness these differences fall awayleading to a unitive experience beyond all concepts.

I don't believe in incarnations and saints, do you?Hmm, do you think all people are born with the same intelligence and abilities? Aren't theresome who are more intelligent than others, and some who have artistic or other abilities waybeyond what we can do? Likewise, some souls are more advanced along the spiritual path.Do you think Mother Teresa, for instance, is just your ordinary woman? You may not want tocall her a saint, but you have to admit she is not just your ordinary woman. Perhaps "saint"would be a good name for her.

I notice that in the Readings that Vivekananda has only used themasculine gender in his talks. Did he ever address women or anywomen's issues?Your question deals with the conventions of language, but also with what Vivekanandaactually did. Regarding language, until very recently in America the word "man" was equatedwith the word "mankind" and in meaning could include both men and women which is howVivekananda used the word "man." At times, however, Vivekananda makes specificreferences to women, and he also used the phrase "men and women." But more importantlyhe advocated independence for women. And in his usual way, left it up to those who need it,women, to nail down what "independence" really means. When Vivekananda came toAmerica, his chief supporters and helpers were almost all women. And since then Americanwomen have been exceedingly important in maintaining the Vedanta movement in the U.S.Vivekananda was full of praise for American women, appreciating their get-up-and-go, theirparticipation in the social and political life, as well as their abilities to be mothers, wives,sisters and enter the labor market if they wished. But it should be noted that he scoldedAmerican women too, actually he scolded everyone for not grounding one's life in divinity.

If we did have another life before this one, how come we don't rememberit?



We don't remember our babyhood, so why should we remember a previous life? It is ablessing that we do not remember our previous life. If we did remember, how could wefunction in this present one? We'd be thinking about our past life all the time, wouldn't we?We have to put all of our attention into our present life and try to live it in the best way wecan.

Vivekananda asked man to believe in himself rather than God. But whenI believe in myself and try to do things, they don't always work out, so Iseek help from God who bails me out. Am I not able to understandSwami Vivekananda?When Swami Vivekananda asked man to believe in himself, he was referring to much morethan the little ego-self; rather, he was asking one to believe in his/her real Self. From thepoint of view of Advaita or Monism, the real Self is the Divine Reality Itself, non-differentfrom the Godhead. When you say "God bails me out," this help is coming as much from yourReal Self as God. (The word "God" usually implies the dualistic viewpoint--that is, that Godand you are different.) To the extent that the ego is attenuated, to that extent divinitymanifests in one's life. If you read more of Vivekananda while always keeping mind that youare, in fact, the complete divine reality, and of, course, act in accordance with that idea ofyourself--that you are divine--I believe these questions will be clarified for you. Go deeperinto the woods. P.S. The ego-self is but a dim and distorted reflection of the Self on a part ofthe mind. The whole purpose of spiritual life is to purify, unify, and transform the instrument,that is the mind, so that the Self can be realized as it is in Itself--pure and infinite.

What can Vedanta or Vivekananda’s teachings do for a poor person?That Vivekananda wanted his message sown "broadcast" shows that he was acutely aware ofthe problem of his countrymen. He knew, however, that spiritual knowledge must precedesocial effort. His idea was that the message of the individual person's innate divinity wouldstir men and women to action. He said, "Meddle not with so called social reform for therecannot be any reform without spiritual reform first." (CW 5:74) Thus the downtrodden mustcatch the spirit one way or another, but some awakening must precede social action if it is tobe sufficiently effective to raise the populace to higher levels. If one puts into practice thetenets of Vedanta all of one's problems are resolved whether the person is rich or poor,healthy or ill. All of life's problems are caused by the absence of full knowledge (avidya) ofour true nature. Sincere spiritual practice shifts our sense of identity from the human, with itsvarious limitations to the fullness of the Divine Self (Atman). The consequence of this changeis self-confidence, strength and other divine virtues which brings complete transformation ofthe person. Even a little of this realization will have a tremendous effect.

What do we gain when we attain spiritual realization? Is it worth the



effort?Actually, in truth, we gain nothing when we attain realization. We are always that ineffableDivine Being. All spiritual practice is for the purpose of removing our ignorance of our realnature. All that we seek in life is attained in its infinite fullness in the experience of Self-realization.

What is the difference between the New Age philosophy and Vedanta astaught by Ramakrishna and Vivekananda.The key difference between New Age teachings and Vedanta or any other valid spiritualtradition is in how the nature of the human being is understood. In most New Age teachingsthe ego-bound personality is regarded as real, while in Vedanta the ego is regarded as theprinciple of limitation and separateness. As such, the ego must be transcended in order torealize the Self or God. From the Vedantic viewpoint the goal and purpose of life is completetranscendence of the human condition. Methods which reinforce the ego as real are counterproductive to efforts toward illumination or transcendence.

You have mentioned that the True goal of a man's life is to discoverone's true nature in him. If Man's true nature is divine, how did hebecome ignorant in the first place? How did we get ignorant of our truenature? Being truly a divine and perfect soul, should we not haveremained that way?Congratulations! You have asked one of the prime questions in spiritual philosophy for whichthere is no clear-cut answer. The non-dual Vedanta philosophy, subscribed to by SwamiVivekananda, gives the clearest answers as far as it is possible to do in human language.There have always been among us a few human beings who have actually realized the Truth,in the process of which they have transcended all phenomena and re-dentified with theEternal Reality, Buddha, Jesus, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda. Their answers are our scriptures.There we find our answers. In answer to your last question, "Being truly a divine and perfectsoul, should we not have remained that way?" We are ever that Perfect Being whether weare aware of it or not. This veil of ignorance limits our awareness of ourselves and the world.Spiritual practices remove this ignorance. This is possible because ignorance is ultimatelyunreal, being but the play of an inscrutable divine energy. Why this is so cannot be answered.Our goal is to find the Reality of our true nature, not get lost in endless questioning. There isa lecture by Swami Vivekananda in Vol. II of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda,entitled, "The Real and the Apparent Man" which should be most helpful to you. I hope thishelps answer your question and spurs you onwards in your spiritual search.

Infrequently Asked Questions



How can we recognize a Jivanmukta?"Recognizing" a Jivanmukta can be difficult if not purely subjective. Although "inner" changeis uniform in the enlightened state (absence of ignorance re: one's true nature) it's "outer"manifestation can take various forms. Not everyone could recognize even Ramakrishna'sdivinity in his lifetime and even afterward--and he was not just a jivanmukta, he was anavatara! So there is no reason to suppose everyone can recognize a jivanmukta when theysee one. And it is not necessary either. The point is that, according to Vedantic understandingof reality and the human situation, it is possible to be "free" here and now. Enlightenmentdoesn't have to be an after- death experience. If that were to be so, there would be noenlightened teachers around, as they would drop dead the moment they attainedenlightenment. Whether or not we meet a jivanmukta or can recognize one in our lifetime,according to Vedanta each of us has the potential to become a jivanmukta ourselves. Whenwe become jivanmuktas, I don't think we'd care if anyone recognized us as such or feeloffended if they didn't. Nor would we want to advertise our achievement. The "I" of ajivanmukta is very different from the "I" of an unenlightened person.

I have found Dvaita (dualism), Advaita (nondualism), andVishishtadvaita (qualified nondualism) on the Web. Please explain thedifferences among these three philosophies and the implications of eachof the philosophies for the spiritual seeker.The basic difference between these philosophies is in how we understand our self. WithDvaita we look upon our self as one soul among many souls which are all different andseparate from God. With Vishishtadvaita, we regard our soul as a part of God. With Advaita,we realize that the Soul or Self is non-different from the Absolute or Brahman. Oneimplication of the three philosophies is that there is a progression in the awareness of ourspiritual nature culminating in the unitive nondual realization in which the sense ofseparation and difference fades away and disappears in the Advaitic realization.

Some Vedanta sites on the Web seem to emphasize the personal God andothers no recognizable God at all, but a vast abstraction called Brahman.Why do these differences exist in one religion?Vedanta encompasses multiple approaches to the Divine Reality because the actualexperience of Divine Reality differs from person to person. Furthermore, those who have notactually experienced the Divine Reality may conceive of God in highly individual or personalways which are in accord with their temperament. For example, some persons may think ofGod as personal, others as impersonal. Vedanta recognizes these differences and suppliesthe practical support (yogas) and philosophies corresponding to the different paths to thegoal. Because Vedanta is based on the actual spiritual experiences of seers which may differfrom one seer to another, Vedanta encompasses multiple approaches to the Divine Reality.



All people do not conceive of the Divine in the same way. Many people think of God aspersonal, others conceive of God as impersonal. Vedanta recognizes these differences andsupplies both practical support with the different the yogas and differing philosophiescorresponding to the different paths to God.

Who is a Jivanmukta? Which Vedanta texts refer to the concept of aJivanmukta?Translated literally, the Sanskrit word "Jivanmukta" means "living-free": it's an epithet givento a person who becomes spiritually enlightened, because only such a person is really "free"in the truest sense of the term. We don't have to die in order to taste this freedom. We canexperience it right here, right now. Such spiritually free people do exist in every generationand it is they who keep the lamp of spirituality burning brightly. The concept of Jivanmuktaappears in many Vedanta texts. See especially the following Upanishads: Brihadaranyaka3.8.10 and 4.4.14, Kena 2.3.5, Katha 2.3.4; and the Gita 5.23 and 5.26. In addition, of course,see the characteristics of the Sthitaprajna (a person of "established wisdom") Gita 2:55-70,which describe how a Jivanmukta lives. The jivanmukta category is also identified with aperson who has gone "beyond the gunas" (gunatita) in the Gita and the characteristic of sucha person are also given. The "Vivekachudamani" and other Vedanta works also describe(usually toward the end) the characteristic of a jivanmukta. There is one entire text titled"Jivanmukti- Viveka" which deals with this subject.



Photo Gallery

We are pleased to present here an exhaustive collection of Swami Vivekananda's photos.

Copies of these pictures can be had from the Ramakrishna Order's branch in Kolkata (in India) or in San Francisco (inUSA).

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LIFE MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES GIVEN BY VIVEKANAND JI“TAKE UP ONE IDEA.

MAKE THAT ONE IDEA YOUR LIFE - THINK OF IT, DREAM OF IT, LIVE ON THAT IDEA.

LET THE BRAIN, MUSCLES, NERVES, EVERY PART OF YOUR BODY, BE FULL OF THAT IDEA,

AND JUST LEAVE EVERY OTHER IDEA ALONE.

THIS IS THE WAY TO SUCCESS THAT IS WAY GREAT SPIRITUAL GIANTS ARE PRODUCED.”

“We Are Responsible For What We Are, And Whatever We Wish Ourselves To Be, We Have ThePower To Make Ourselves. If What We Are Now Has Been The Result Of Our Own Past Actions, ItCertainly Follows That Whatever We Wish To Be In Future Can Be Produced By Our PresentActions; So We Have To Know How To Act.”

Never Think There Is Anything Impossible For The Soul. It Is The Greatest Heresy To Think So. IfThere Is Sin, This Is The Only Sin? To Say That You Are Weak, Or Others Are Weak.”

“You Have To Grow From The Inside Out. None Can Teach You, None Can Make You Spiritual.There Is No Other Teacher But Your Own Soul.”

“The Goal Of Mankind Is Knowledge ... Now This Knowledge Is Inherent In Man. No KnowledgeComes From Outside: It Is All Inside. What We Say A Man 'Knows', Should, In Strict PsychologicalLanguage, Be What He 'Discovers' Or 'Unveils'; What Man 'Learns' Is Really What He Discovers ByTaking The Cover Off His Own Soul, Which Is A Mine Of Infinite Knowledge.”

We Are What Our Thoughts Have Made Us; So Take Care About What You Think. Words AreSecondary. Thoughts Live; They Travel Far

“Where Can We Go To Find God If We Cannot See Him In Our Own Hearts And In Every LivingBeing”



“You Cannot Believe In God Until You Believe In Yourself.”

The First Sign Of Your Becoming Religious Is That You Are Becoming Cheerful”

“The World Is The Great Gymnasium Where We Come To Make Ourselves Strong.”

“In One Word, This Ideal Is That You Are Divine.”

“The Vedanta Recognizes No Sin It Only Recognizes Error. And The Greatest Error, Says TheVedanta Is To Say That You Are Weak, That You Are A Sinner, A Miserable Creature, And That YouHave No Power And You Cannot Do This And That.”

“The More We Come Out And Do Good To Others, The More Our Hearts Will Be Purified, And GodWill Be In Them.”

“All The Powers In The Universe Are Already Ours. It Is We Who Have Put Our Hands Before OurEyes And Cry That It Is Dark.”

God Of Truth, Be Thou Alone My Guide…”

“If You Think About Disaster, You Will Get It. Brood About Death And You Hasten Your Demise.Think Positively And Masterfully, With Confidence And Faith, And Life Becomes More Secure, MoreFraught With Action, Richer In Achievement And Experience.”

“The Greatest Religion Is To Be True To Your Own Nature. Have Faith In Yourselves!”

“You Know, I May Have To Be Born Again, You See, I Have Fallen In Love With Mankind.”

By The Study Of Different Religions We Find That In Essence They Are One.”



Our Duty Is To Encourage Every One In His Struggle To Live Up To His Own Highest Idea, And Strive At TheSame Time To Make The Ideal As Near As Possible To The Truth.”

If Faith In Ourselves Had Been More Extensively Taught And Practiced, I Am Sure A Very LargePortion Of The Evils And Miseries That We Have Would Have Vanished.”

Think Day And Night, "I Am Of The Essence Of That Supreme Existence, Knowledge, Bliss--What Fear AndAnxiety Have I? This Body, Mind, And Intellect Are All Transient, And That Which Is Beyond These Is Myself."

“My Nature Is Love Him. And Therefore I Love. I Do Not Pray For Any-Thing. I Do Not Ask ForAnything. Let Him Place Me Wherever He Likes. I Must Love Him For Love’s Sake. I Can Not TradeIn Love.”

To Devote Your Life To The Good Of All And To The Happiness Of All Is Religion. Whatever You DoFor Your Own Sake Is Not Religion”

“Truth Can Be Stated In A Thousand Different Ways, Yet Each One Can Be True.”

The Will Is Not Free - It Is A Phenomenon Bound By Cause And Effect - But There Is SomethingBehind The Will Which Is Free.”

“As Different Streams Having Different Sources All Mingle Their Waters In The Sea, So DifferentTendencies Various Though They Appear, Crooked Or Straight, All Lead To God.”

“When An Idea Exclusively Occupies The Mind, It Is Transformed Into An Actual Physical Or MentalState.”

“All Differences In This World Are Of Degree, And Not Of Kind, Because Oneness Is The Secret OfEverything.”



“Infinite Power Of The Spirit, Brought To Bear Upon Matter Evolves Material Development, Made ToAct Upon Thought Evolves Intellectuality, And Made To Act Upon Itself Makes Of Man A God. First,Let Us Be Gods, And Then Help Other To Be Gods. "Be And Make." Let This Be Our Motto.”

“Religion Is The Manifestation Of The Divinity Already In Man”

“It Is Good To Love God For Hope Of Reward, But It Is Better To Love God For Love’s Sake; AndThe Prayer Goes: O Lord, I Do Not Want Wealth Nor Children Nor Learning. If It Be Thy Will, I ShallGo From Birth To Birth. But Grant Me This, That I May Love Thee Without The Hope Of Reward -’Love’ Unselfishly For Love’s Sake.”

To Worship God Even For The Sake Of Salvation Or Any Other Reward Is Equally Degenerate. LoveKnows No Reward. Give Your Love Unto To God, But Do Not Ask Anything In Return Even From HimThrough Pray.”

“That Man Has Reached Immortality Who Is Disturbed By Nothing Material.”

External Nature Is Only Internal Nature Writ Large.”

“Do Not Stand On A High Pedestal And Take 5 Cents In Your Hand And Say, "Here, My Poor Man",But Be Grateful That The Poor Man Is There, So By Making A Gift To Him You Are Able To HelpYourself.It Is Not The Reciever That Is Blessed, But It Is The Giver.Be Thankful That You Are AllowedTo Exercise Your Power Of Benevolence And Mercy In The World, And Thus Become Pure AndPerfect.”

“God Is To Be Worshipped As The One Beloved, Dearer Than Everything In This And Next Life.”

“If Money Help A Man To Do Good To Others, It Is Of Some Value; But If Not, It Is Simply A Mass OfEvil, And The Sooner It Is Got Rid Of, The Better.”

“Condemn None: If You Can Stretch Out A Helping Hand, Do So. If You Cannot, Fold Your Hands,Bless Your Brothers, And Let Them Go Their Own Way.”



“It Is Our Own Mental Attitude Which Makes The World What It Is For Us. Our Thought Make ThingsBeautiful, Our Thoughts Make Things Ugly. The Whole World Is In Our Own Minds. Learn To SeeThings In The Proper Light. First, Believe In This World, That”

“The Moment I Have Realized God Sitting In The Temple Of Every Human Body, The Moment IStand In Reverence Before Every Human Being And See God In Him - That Moment I Am Free FromBondage, Everything That Binds Vanishes, And I Am Free.”

“There Is Nothing Beyond God, And The Sense Enjoyments Are Simply Something Through WhichWe Are Passing Now In The Hope Of Getting Better Things.”

“The Spirit Is The Cause Of All Our Thoughts And Body-Action, And Everything, But It Is UntouchedBy Good Or Evil, Pleasure Or Pain, Heat Of Cold, And All The Dualism Of Nature, Although It LendsIts Light To Everything.”

“We See That The Apparent Contradictions And Perplexities In Every Religion Mark But DifferentStages Of Growth. The End Of All Religions Is The Realizing Of God In The Soul . That Is The OneUniversal Religion.”

“Feel Like Christ And You Will Be A Christ; Feel Like Buddha And You Will Be A Buddha. It Is FeelingThat Is The Life, The Strength, The Vitality, Without Which No Amount Of Intellectual Activity CanReach God.”

“The Lord Is Great! - He Will Not Allow Me To Become A Hypocrite. Now Let What Is In Come Out....”

Each Soul Is Potentially Divine. The Goal Is To Manifest This Divinity With In By Controlling Nature,External And Internal. Do This Either By Work Or Worship Or Psychic Control Or Philosophy- By OneOr More All Of These- And Be Free. This Is Whole Of Religion.”

“God Is The Ever-Active Providence, By Whose Power Systems After Systems Are Being EvolvedOut Of Chaos, Made To Run For A Time And Again Destroyed.”



“Those Whose Only Aim Is To Barter The Energies Of Life For Gold, Or Name, Or Any OtherEnjoyment; Those To Whom The Tramp Of Embattled Cohorts Is The Only Manifestation Of Power;Those To Whom The Enjoyment Of The Senses Is The Only Bliss That Life C”

A Man May Be The Greatest Philosopher In The World But A Child In Religion. When A Man HasDeveloped A High State Of Spirituality He Can Understand That The Kingdom Of Heaven Is WithinHim.”

“Education Is The Manifestation Of The Perfection Already In Man”

Whatever You Are Doing, Put Your Whole Mind On It. If You Are Shooting, Your Mind Should BeOnly On The Target. Then You Will Never Miss. If You Are Learning Your Lessons, Think Only OfThe Lesson. In India Boys And Girls Are Taught To Do This.”

“When We Really Begin To Live In The World, Then We Understand What Is Meant By BrotherhoodOr Mankind, And Not Before.”

“My Countrymen Should Have Nerves Of Steel, Muscles Of Iron, And Minds Like Thunderbolt.”

“Prayer Is Divine Love Alone. When This Highest Ideal Of Love Is Reached, Philosophy Is ThrownAway. Who Will Then Care Of It ? Freedom, Salvation, Nirvana- All Are Thrown Away. Who Cares ToBecome Free While In The Enjoyment Of Divine Love?”

“Civilizations Have Arisen In Other Parts Of The World. In Ancient And Modern Times, WonderfulIdeas Have Been Carried Forward From One Race To Another...But Mark You, My Friends, It HasBeen Always With The Blast Of War Trumpets And The March Of Embattled Cohorts. Each Idea HadTo Be Soaked In A Deluge Of Blood..... Each Word Of Power Had To Be Followed By The Groans OfMillions, By The Wails Of Orphans, By The Tears Of Widows. This, Many Other Nations HaveTaught; But India For Thousands Of Years Peacefully Existed. Here Activity Prevailed When EvenGreece Did Not Exist... Even Earlier, When History Has No Record, And Tradition Dares Not PeerInto The Gloom Of That Intense Past, Even From Until Now, Ideas After Ideas Have Marched OutFrom Her, But Every Word Has Been Spoken With A Blessing Behind It And Peace Before It. We, OfAll Nations Of The World, Have Never Been A Conquering Race, And That Blessing Is On Our Head,And Therefore We Live...”



“Why Should A Man Be Miserable Even Here In The Reign Of A Just And Merciful God?”

“Hindu Religion Does Not Consist In Struggles And Attempts To Believe A Certain Doctrine OrDogma, But In Realizing Not In Believing, But In Being And Becoming.”

“God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted , He Gave Me Everything I Needed.”

“When I Asked God For Peace, He Showed Me How To Help Others.”

“The Lord Has Declared To The Hindu In His Incarnation As Krishna. I Am In Every Religion As TheThread Through A String Of Pearls. Wherever Thou Seest Extraordinary Holiness And ExtraordinaryPower Raising And Purifying Humanity, Know Thou That I Am There.”

“Let New India Arise Out Of Peasants Cottage, Grasping The Plough, Out Of Huts, Cobbler AndSweeper.”

“The Vedas Teach That The Soul Is Divine, Only Held In The Bondage Of Matter; Perfection Will BeReached When This Bond Will Burst, And The Word They Use For It Is, Therefore, Mukti - Freedom,Freedom From The Bonds Of Imperfection, Freedom From Death And Misery.”

“From The High Spiritual Flights Of The Vedanta Philosophy, Of Which The Latest Discoveries OfScience Seem Like Echoes, To The Low Ideas Of Idolatry With Its Multifarious Mythology, TheAgnosticism Of The Buddhists And The Atheism Of The Jains, Each And All Have A Place In TheHindu's Religion.”

Religion, The Great Milch Cow, Has Given Many Kicks, But Never Mind,It Gives A Great Deal Of Milk.”

When I Asked God For StrengthHe Gave Me Difficult Situations To Face

When I Asked God For Brain & BrownHe Gave Me Puzzles In Life To Solve

When I Asked God For HappinessHe Showed Me Some Unhappy People

When I Asked God For Wealth



He Showed Me How To Work Hard

When I Asked God For FavorsHe Showed Me Opportunities To Work Hard

When I Asked God For PeaceHe Showed Me How To Help Others

God Gave Me Nothing I WantedHe Gave Me Everything I Needed.”

The Mind Has To Be Made Malleable Like Clay. Just As Clay Sticks Wherever You Throw It, So The MindMust Be Made To Dwell Upon Whatever Object You Concentrate It.

A Tremendous Stream Is Flowing Toward The Ocean, Carrying Us All Along With It; And Though LikeStraws And Scraps Of Paper We May At Times Float Aimlessly About, In The Long Run We Are Sure To JoinThe Ocean Of Life And Bliss.

We Are Ever Free If We Would Only Believe It, Only Have Faith Enough. You Are The Soul, Free AndEternal, Ever Free, Ever Blessed. Have Faith Enough And You Will Be Free In A Minute.

Change Is Always Subjective. To Talk Of Evil And Misery Is Nonsense, Because They Do Not Exist Outside.If I Am Immune From All Anger, I Never Feel Angry. If Am Immune From All Hatred, I Never Feel Hatred.

'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'.

'Do Not Be Frightened. Awake, Be Up And Doing. Do Not Stop Till You Have Reached TheGoal'.

'Your Country Requires Heroes; Be Heroes! Your Duty Is To Go On Working, And ThenEvery Thing Will Follow Of Itself'.

'Arise, Awake And Stop Not Till The Goal Is Reached'.



You Cannot Believe In God Until You Believe In Yourself.

Education Is The Manifestation Of The Perfection Already In Man.

We Want That Education By Which Character Is Formed, Strength Of Mind Is Increased,The Intellect Is Expanded, And By Which One Can Stand On One's Own Feet.

So Long As The Millions Live In Hunger And Ignorance, I Hold Every Man A Traitor Who,Having Been Educated At Their Expense, Pays Not The Least Heed To Them.

Whatever You Think, That You Will Be. If You Think Yourselves Weak, Weak You WillBe; If You Think Yourselves Strong, Strong You Will Be.

If You Have Faith In All The Three Hundred And Thirty Millions Of Your MythologicalGods, … And Still Have No Faith In Yourselves, There Is No Salvation For You. HaveFaith In Yourselves, And Stand Up On That Faith And Be Strong; That Is What We Need.

Strength, Strength It Is That We Want So Much In This Life, For What We Call Sin AndSorrow Have All One Cause, And That Is Our Weakness. With Weakness ComesIgnorance, And With Ignorance Comes Misery..

Purity, Patience, And Perseverance Are The Three Essentials To Success, And Above All,Love.

Religion Is Realization; Not Talk, Not Doctrine, Nor Theories, However Beautiful TheyMay Be. It Is Being And Becoming, Not Hearing Or Acknowledging; It Is The Whole SoulBecoming Changed Into What It Believes.

Religion Is The Manifestation Of The Divinity Already In Man.

Teach Yourselves, Teach Everyone His Real Nature, Call Uon The Sleeping Soul And SeeHow It Awakes. Power Will Come, Glory Will Come, Goodness Will Come, Purity WillCome, And Everything That Is Excellent Will Come When This Sleeping Soul Is RousedTo Self-Conscious Activity.

They Alone Live Who Live For Others, The Rest Are More Dead Than Alive.



This Is The Gist Of All Worship – To Be Pure And To Do Good To Others.

'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'.

We Want That Education By Which Character Is Formed, Strength Of Mind Is Increased,The Intellect Is Expanded, And By Which One Can Stand On One's Own Feet.

Religion Is Realization; Not Talk, Not Doctrine, Nor Theories, However Beautiful TheyMay Be. It Is Being And Becoming, Not Hearing Or Acknowledging; It Is The Whole SoulBecoming Changed Into What It Believes.

Religion Is The Manifestation Of The Divinity Already In Man.

They Alone Live Who Live For Others, The Rest Are More Dead Than Alive.

This Is The Gist Of All Worship – To Be Pure And To Do Good To Others.

"I am the thread that runs through all these pearls," and each pearl is a religion or even a sect thereof.Such are the different pearls, and God is the thread that runs through all of them; most people, however,are entirely unconscious of it.

"I do not want to get material life, do not want the sense-life, but something higher." That is renunciation.Then, by the power of meditation, undo the mischief that has been done.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and everything shall be added unto you." This is the one great duty, thisis renunciation. Live for an ideal, and leave no place in the mind for anything else. Let us put forth all ourenergies to acquire that which never fails--our spiritual perfection. If we have true yearning for realization,we must struggle, and through struggle growth will come. We shall make mistakes, but they may be angelsunawares.



“Comfort” is no test of truth; on the contrary, truth is often far from being “comfortable.”

“Face the brutes.” That is a lesson for all life—face the terrible, face it boldly. Like the monkeys, thehardships of life fall back when we cease to flee before them.

“I do not want to get material life. I do not want sense-life but something higher.” That is renunciation.Then, by the power of meditation, undo the mischief that has been done.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and everything else shall be added unto you.” This is the one great duty,this is renunciation. Live for an ideal, and leave no place in the mind for anything else.

“The earth is enjoyed by heroes”—this is the unfailing truth. Be a hero. Always say, “I have no fear.”

A few heart-whole, sincere, and energetic men and women can do more in a year than a mob in a century.

A tremendous stream is flowing toward the ocean, carrying us all along with it; and though like straws andscraps of paper we may at times float aimlessly about, in the long run we are sure to join the Ocean of Lifeand Bliss.

Above all, beware of compromises. Hold on to your own principles in weal or woe and never adjust them toothers’ “fads” through the greed of getting supporters. Your Atman is the support of the universe—whosesupport do you stand in need of?

Above all, beware of compromises. I do not mean that you are to get into antagonism with anybody, butyou have to hold on to your own principles in weal or woe and never adjust them to others “fads” thoughtthe greed of getting supporters.

After every happiness comes misery; they may be far apart or near. The more advanced the soul, the morequickly does one follow the other. What we want is neither happiness nor misery. Both make us forget ourtrue nature; both are chains--one iron, one gold; behind both is the Atman, who knows neither happinessnor misery. These are states, and states must ever change; but the nature of the Atman is bliss, peace,unchanging. We have not to get it, we have it; only wash away the dross and see it.



All is the Self or Brahman. The saint, the sinner, the lamb, the tiger, even the murderer, as far as they haveany reality, can be nothing else, because there is nothing else.

All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind; the infinite library of the universe isin our own mind.

All power is within you. You can do anything and everything. Believe in that. Do not believe that you areweak; do not believe that you are half-crazy lunatics, as most of us do nowadays. Stand up and express thedivinity within you.

All that is real in me is God; all that is real in God is I. The gulf between God and human beings is thusbridged. Thus we find how, by knowing God, we find the kingdom of heaven within us.

All that is real in me is God; all that is real in God is I. The gulf between God and me is thus bridged. Thusby knowing God, we find that the kingdom of heaven is within us.

All truth is eternal. Truth is nobody’s property; no race, no individual can lay any exclusive claim to it. Truthis the nature of all souls.

All who have actually attained any real religious experience never wrangle over the form in which thedifferent religions are expressed. They know that the soul of all religions is the same and so they have noquarrel with anybody just because he or she does not speak in the same tongue.

Always discriminate--your body, your house, the people and the world are all absolutely unreal like adream. Always think that the body is only an inert instrument. And the Atman within is your real nature.

Always discriminate—your body, your house, the people around, and the world are all unreal like a dream.Always think that this body is only an inert instrument. And the Atman within is your real nature.

Anything that brings spiritual, mental, or physical weakness, touch it not with the toes of your feet.

Anything that is secret and mysterious in these systems of yoga should be at once rejected. The best guidein life is strength. In religion, as in all other matters, discard everything that weakens you, have nothing todo with it.

Are great things ever done smoothly? Time, patience, and indomitable will must show.

Are you unselfish? That is the question. If you are, you will be perfect without reading a single religiousbook, without going into a single church or temple.

As body, mind, or soul, you are a dream; you really are Being, Consciousness, Bliss (satchidananda). Youare the God of this universe.

As long as we believe ourselves to be even the least different from God, fear remains with us; but when weknow ourselves to be the One, fear goes; of what can we be afraid?

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 expenseof other bodies; then you and I become separate.

As soon as you know the voice and understand what it is, the whole scene changes. The same world whichwas the ghastly battlefield of maya is now changed into something good and beautiful.



Astrology and all these mystical things are generally signs of a weak mind; therefore as soon as they arebecoming prominent in our minds, we should see a physician, take good food, and rest.

Avoid excessive merriment. A mind in that state never becomes calm; it becomes fickle. Excessivemerriment will always be followed by sorrow. Tears and laughter are near kin. People so often run from oneextreme to the other.

Be a hero. Always say, “I have no fear.” Tell this to everyone—“Have no fear.”

Be brave! Be strong! Be fearless! Once you have taken up the spiritual life, fight as long as there is any lifein you. Even though you know you are going to be killed, fight till you “are killed.” Don’t die of fright. Diefighting. Don’t go down till you are knocked down.

Be not afraid, for all great power throughout the history of humanity has been with the people. From out oftheir ranks have come all the greatest geniuses of the world, and history can only repeat itself. Be notafraid of anything. You will do marvelous work.

Be perfectly resigned, perfectly unconcerned; then alone can you do any true work. No eyes can see thereal forces; we can only see the results. Put out self, forget it; just let God work, it is His business.

Be strong! … You talk of ghosts and devils. We are the living devils. The sign of life is strength and growth.The sign of death is weakness. Whatever is weak, avoid! It is death. If it is strength, go down into hell andget hold of it! There is salvation only for the brave. "None but the brave deserves the fair." None but thebravest deserves salvation.

Be strong! Don’t talk of ghosts and devils. We are the living devils. The sign of life is strength and growth.The sign of death is weakness. Whatever is weak, avoid! It is death. If it is strength, go down into hell andget hold of it! There is salvation only for the brave.

Bless people when the revile you. Think how much good they are doing by helping to stamp out the falseego. Hold fast to the Atman, think only pure thoughts, and you will accomplish more than a regiment ofmere preachers.

Bless people when they revile you. Think how much good they are doing by helping to stamp out the falseego. Hold fast to the real Self. Think only pure thoughts, and you will accomplish more than a regiment ofmere preachers. Out of purity and silence comes the word of power.

Blows are what awaken us and help to break the dream. They show us the insufficiency of this world andmake us long to escape, to have freedom.

Books are infinite in number and time is short. The secret of knowledge is to take what is essential. Takethat and try to live up to it.

Both the forces of good and evil will keep the universe alive for us, until we awake from our dreams andgive up this building of mud pies.

Brave, bold men and women, these are what we want. What we want is vigor in the blood, strength in thenerves, iron muscles and nerves of steel, not softening namby-pamby ideas. Avoid all these. Avoid allmystery. There is no mystery in religion.

Brave, bold people, these are what we want. What we want is vigor in the blood, strength in the nerves,iron muscles and nerves of steel, not softening namby-pamby ideas. Avoid all these. Avoid all mystery.There is no mystery in religion.

By doing well the duty which is nearest to us, the duty which is in our hands now, we make ourselves



stronger; and improving our strength in this manner step by step, we may reach a state in which it shall beour privilege to do the most coveted and honored duties in life and in society.

By the Vedas no books are meant. They mean the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered bydifferent persons in different times. Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery, and wouldexist if all humanity forgot it, so is it with the laws that govern the spiritual world

Change is always subjective. All through evolution you find that the conquest of nature comes by change inthe subject. Apply this to religion and morality, and you will find that the conquest of evil comes by thechange in the subjective alone. That is how the Advaitic system gets its whole force, on the subjective sideof man.

Change is always subjective. To talk of evil and misery is nonsense, because they do not exist outside. If Iam immune from all anger, I never feel angry. If am immune from all hatred, I never feel hatred.

Come out into the broad light of day, come out from the little narrow paths, for how can the infinite soulrest content to live and die in small ruts?

Come out into the universe of Light. Everything in the universe is yours, stretch out your arms and embraceit with love. If you every felt you wanted to do that, you have felt God.

Delusion will vanish as the light becomes more and more effulgent, load after load of ignorance will vanish,and then will come a time when all else has disappeared and the sun alone shines.

Desire, ignorance, and inequality—this is the trinity of bondage.

Desire, want, is the father of all misery. Desires are bound by the laws of success and failure. Desires mustbring misery. The great secret of true success, of true happiness, is this: the person who asks for no return,the perfectly unselfish person, is the most successful.

Despondency is not religion, whatever else it may be.

Discriminate within yourself between the real and the unreal. Have you not read the Vedanta? Even whenyou sleep, keep the sword of discrimination at the head of your bed, so that covetousness cannot approachyou even in dream. Practicing such strength, renunciation will gradually come, and then you will see theportals of heaven are wide open to you.

Do any deserve liberty who are not ready to give it to others? Let us calmly go to work, instead ofdissipating our energy in unnecessary fretting and fuming.

Do not go for glass beads leaving the mine of diamonds. This life is a great chance. What, seekest thou thepleasures of the world? He is the fountain of all bliss. See for the highest, aim at that highest, andyou shall reach the highest.

Do not hate anybody, because that hatred which comes out from you must, in the long run, come back toyou. If you love, that love will come back to you, completing the circle.

Do not look back upon what has been done. Go ahead!

Do you think these sannyasi children of Sri Ramakrishna are born to simply to sit under trees lightingdhuni-fires? Whenever any of them will take up some work, people will be astonished to see their energy.Learn from them how to work.

Don't look back—forward, infinite energy, infinite enthusiasm, infinite daring, and infinite patience—thenalone can great deeds be accomplished.



Each work has to pass through these stages—ridicule, opposition, and then acceptance. Those who thinkahead of their time are sure to be misunderstood.

Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it were after his or her heart. But the intelligent ones arethose who can convert every work into one that suits their taste.

Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards itis evil.

Every individual is a center for the manifestation of a certain force. This force has been stored up as theresultant of our previous works, and each one of us is born with this force at our back.

Every step I take in light is mine forever.

Everything must be sacrificed, if necessary, for that one sentiment: universality.

Experience is the only teacher we have. We may talk and reason all our lives, but we shall not understand aword of truth until we experience it ourselves.

Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is unrighteousness, fear is wrong life. All the negative thoughtsand ideas that are in the world have proceeded from this evil spirit of fear.

Fear is death, fear is sin, fear is hell, fear is unrighteousness. All the negative thoughts and ideas that are inthis world have proceeded from this evil spirit of fear.

Fill the brain with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that willcome great work.

First get rid of the delusion “I am the body,” then only will we want real knowledge.

First, believe in the world—that there is meaning behind everything.

Freedom can never be reached by the weak. Throw away all weakness. Tell your body that it is strong, tellyour mind that it is strong, and have unbounded faith and hope in yourself.

Give up all desire for enjoyment in earth or heaven. Control the organs of the senses and control the mind.Bear every misery without even knowing that you are miserable. Think of nothing but spiritual freedom.

Go on saying, “I am free.” Never mind if the next moment delusion comes and says, “I am bound.”Dehypnotize the whole thing.

God is merciful to those whom He sees struggling heart and soul for realization. But remain idle, withoutany struggle, and you will see that His grace will never come.

God is not to be reached by the weak. Never be weak. You have infinite strength within you. How else willyou conquer anything? How else will you come to God?

God is not to be reached by the weak. Never be weak. You have infinite strength within you. How else willyou conquer anything? How else will you come to God?

God is self-evident, impersonal, omniscient, the Knower and the Master of nature, the Lord of all. He isbehind all worship and it is being done according to Him, whether we know it or not.

God is very merciful to those whom He sees struggling heart and soul for spiritual realization. But remainidle, without any struggle, and you will see that His grace will never come.



Great work requires great and persistent effort for a long time. … Character has to be established through athousand stumbles.

Have faith in Guru, in his teachings, and in the surety that you can get free. Think day and night that thisuniverse is zero, only God is. Have intense desire to get free.

Have you got the will to surmount mountain-high obstructions? If the whole world stands against you swordin hand, would you still dare to do what you think is right?

He whom the sages have been seeking in all these places is in our own hearts; the voice that you heard wasright, says Vedanta, but the direction you gave to the voice was wrong.

Him I call a Mahatma ("great soul") whose heart bleeds for the poor, otherwise he is a Duratma ("wickedsoul"). Let us unite our wills in continued prayer for their good.

Hold to the idea, “I am not the mind, I see that I am thinking, I am watching my mind act,” and each daythe identification of yourself with thoughts and feelings will grow less, until at last you can entirely separateyourself from the mind and actually know it to be apart from yourself.

However we may receive blows, and however knocked about we may be, the Soul is there and is neverinjured. We are that Infinite.

I am no metaphysician, no philosopher, nay, no saint. But I am poor and I love the poor. I see what theycall the poor of this country and how many there are who feel for them!

I fervently wish no misery ever came near anyone; yet it is that alone that gives us an insight into thedepths of our lives, does it not? In our moments of anguish, gates barred forever seem to open and let inmany a flood of light.

I hate this world, this dream, this horrible nightmare, with its churches and chicaneries, its books andblackguardisms, its fair faces and false hearts, its howling righteousness on the surface and utterhollowness beneath and, above all, its sanctified shopkeeping!

I hate this world, this dream, this horrible nightmare, with its churches and chicaneries, its books andblackguardisms, its fair faces and false hearts, its howling righteousness on the surface and utterhollowness beneath, and, above all, its sanctified shopkeeping.

I have been asked many times, "Why do you laugh so much and make so many jokes?" I become serioussometimes--when I have a stomachache! The Lord is all blissfulness. He is the reality behind all that exists.He is the goodness, the truth in everything. You are His incarnations. That is what is glorious. The neareryou are to Him, the less you will have occasions to cry or weep. The further we are from Him, the more willlong faces come. The more we know of Him, the more misery vanishes.

I, for one, thoroughly believe that no power in the universe can withhold from anyone anything they reallydeserve.

If a person who lives in God becomes miserable, what is the use of living in God? What is the use of such aGod? Throw such a God overboard into the Pacific Ocean. We do not want such a God!

If a piece of burning charcoal be placed on a man’s head, see how he struggles to throw it off. Similar willbe the struggle for freedom of those who really understand that they are slaves of nature.

If one who lives in the Lord becomes miserable, what is the use of living in Him? What is the use of such aGod? Throw Him overboard into the Pacific Ocean. We do not want Him.



If superstition enters, the brain is gone.

If the mind is intensely eager, everything can be accomplished—mountains can be crumbled into atoms.

If there is no strength in body and mind, the Atman cannot be realized. First you have to build the body bygood nutritious food—then only will the mind be strong.

If there is one word that you find coming out like a bomb from the Upanishads, bursting like a bombshellupon masses of ignorance, it is the word “fearlessness.”

If you really want the good of others, the whole universe may stand against you and cannot hurt you. Itmust crumble before your power of the Lord Himself in you if you are sincere and really unselfish.

If you think that you are bound, you remain bound; you make your own bondage. If you know that you arefree, you are free this moment. This is knowledge, knowledge of freedom. Freedom is the goal of all nature.

If you want to be a yogi, you must be free, and place yourself in circumstances where you are alone andfree from all anxiety. One who desires a comfortable and nice life and at the same time wants to realize theSelf is like the fool who, wanting to cross the river, caught hold of a crocodile, mistaking it for a log ofwood.

If you want to be a Yogi, you must be free, and place yourself in circumstances where you are alone andfree from all anxiety. One who desires a comfortable and nice life and, at the same time, wants to realizethe Atman is like the fool who, wanting to cross the river, caught hold of a crocodile mistaking it for a log ofwood.

If you want to have life, you have to die every moment for it. Life and death are only different expressionsof the same thing looked at from different standpoints; they are the falling and the rising of the same wave,and the two form one whole.

Impurity is a mere superimposition under which your real nature has become hidden. But the real you isalready perfect, already strong.

In Buddha we had the great, universal heart and infinite patience, making religion practical and bringing itto everyone’s door. In Shankaracharya we saw tremendous intellectual power, throwing the scorching lightof reason upon everything. We want today that bright sun of intellectuality joined with the heart of Buddha,the wonderful infinite heart of love and mercy. This union will give us the highest philosophy. Science andreligion will meet and shake hands. Poetry and philosophy will become friends.What! Those giants of old,the ancient Rishis, who never walked but strode, of whom if you were to think but for a moment you wouldshrivel up into a moth, they sir, had time--and you have no time!

In real meditation you forget the body. You may be cut to pieces and not feel it at all. You feel suchpleasure in it. You become so light. This perfect rest we will get in meditation.

In the world take always the position of the giver. Give everything and look for no return. Give love, givehelp, give service, give any little thing you can, butkeep out barter. Make no conditions and none will beimposed. Let us give out of our own bounty, just as God gives to us.

In the world take always the position of the giver. Give everything and look for no return. Give love, givehelp, give service, give any little thing you can, but keep out barter. Make no conditions and none will beimposed on you. Let us give out of our own bounty, just as God gives to us.

In this external world, which is full of finite things, it is impossible to see and find the Infinite. The Infinitemust be sought in that alone which is infinite, and the only thing infinite about us is that which is within us,our own soul. Neither the body, nor the mind, nor even our thoughts, nor the world we see around us, is



infinite.

Is there any sex-distinction in the Atman (Self)? Out with the differentiation between man and woman—allis Atman! Give up the identification with the body, and stand up!

It is always for greater joy that you give up the lesser. This is practical religion—the attainment of freedom,renunciation. Renounce the lower so that you may get the higher. Renounce! Renounce! Sacrifice! Give up!Not for zero. Not for nothing, but to get the higher.

It is always for greater joy that you give up the lesser. This is practical religion--the attainment of freedom,renunciation. Renounce the lower so that you may get the higher. Renounce! Renounce! Sacrifice! Give up!Not for zero. Not for nothing. But to get the higher.

It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual activity canreach God.

It is only by doing good to others that one attains to one's own good.

It is only work that is done as a free-will offering to humanity and to nature that does not bring with it anybinding attachment.

It is only work that is done as freewill offering to humanity and to nature that does not bring with it anybinding attachment.

It is the cheerful mind that is persevering. It is the strong mind that hews its way through a thousanddifficulties.

It is the patient building of character, the intense struggle to realize the truth, which alone will tell in thefuture of humanity.

Jnana teaches that the world should be given up, but not on that account to be abandoned. To be in theworld but not of it—is the true test of the sannyasin.

Karma is the eternal assertion of human freedom. If we can bring ourselves down by our karma, surely it isin our power to raise ourselves by our own karma.

Knowledge can only be got in one way, the way of experience; there is no other way to know.

Learn to feel yourself in other bodies, to know that we are all one. Throw all other nonsense to the winds.Spit out your actions, good or bad, and never think of them again. What is done is done. Throw offsuperstition. Have no weakness even in the face of death. Be free.

Learn to feel yourself in other bodies, to know that we are all one. Throw all other nonsense to the winds.Spit out your actions, good or bad, and never think of them again. What is done is done. Throw offsuperstition. Have no weakness even in the face of death. Do not repent, do not brood over past deeds. Beâzâd ("free").

Learning and wisdom are superfluities, the surface glitter merely, but it is the heart that is the seat of allpower.

Learning and wisdom are superfluities, the surface glitter merely, but it is the heart that is the seat of allpower. It is not in the brain but in the heart that the Atman, possessed of knowledge, power, and activity,has its seat.

Let each one of us pray day and night for the downtrodden millions who are held fast by poverty,priestcraft, and tyranny. Pray day and night for them. I care more to preach religion to them than to the



high and the rich.

Let each one of us pray day and night for the downtrodden millions, who are held fast by poverty,priestcraft, and tyranny. Pray day and night for them. I care more to preach religion to them than to thehigh and the rich. I am no metaphysician, no philosopher, nay, no saint. But I am poor and I love the poor.

Let the mind be cheerful but calm. Never let it run into excesses, because every excess will be followed by areaction.

Let the mind be cheerful but calm. Never let it run into excesses, because every excess will be followed by areaction.

Let us make our hearts as big as an ocean, to go beyond all the trifles of the world and see it only as apicture. We can then enjoy the world without being in any way affected by it.

Let us not depend upon the world for pleasure.

Let us put forth all our energies to acquire that which never fails—our spiritual perfection. If we have trueyearning for realization, we must struggle, and through struggle growth will come. We shall make mistakes,but they may be angels unawares.

Let us worship the spirit in spirit, standing on spirit. Let the foundation be spirit, the middle spirit, theculmination spirit.

Live for an ideal, and that one ideal alone. Let it be so great, so strong, that there may be nothing else leftin the mind; no place for anything else, no time for anything else.

Live for an ideal, and that one ideal alone. Let it be so great, so strong, that there may be nothing else leftin the mind; no place for anything else, no time for anything else.

Look here--we shall die! Bear this in mind always, and then the spirit within will wake up. Only then willmeanness vanish from you, practicality in work will come, you will get new vigor in mind and body, andthose who come in contact with you will also feel that they have really got something uplifting from you.

Look here—we shall die! Bear this in mind always, and then the spirit within will wake up. Then meannesswill vanish from you, practicality in work will come, you will get new vigor in mind and body, and those whocome in contact with you will also feel that they have really got something uplifting from you.

Look upon every man, woman, and everyone as God. You cannot help anyone, you can only serve: servethe children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege.

Love is always mutual and reflective. You may hate me, and if I want to love you, you repulse me. But if Ipersist, in a month or a year you are bound to love me. It is a well-known psychological phenomenon.

Many of us get many messages in our lives, or think we get them. As long as the message is regarding ourown selves, go on doing what you please. But when it is in regard to our contact with and behavior toothers, think a hundred times before you act upon it—and then you will be safe.

May I be born again and again, and suffer thousands of miseries so that I may worship the only God thatexists, the only God I believe in, the sum total of all souls--and, above all, my God the wicked, my God themiserable, my God the poor of all races, of all species, is the special object of my worship.

Meditation means the mind is turned back upon itself. The mind stops all the thought-waves and the worldstops. Your consciousness expands. Every time you meditate you will keep your growth.

Meditation means the mind is turned back upon itself. The mind stops all the thought-waves and the world



stops. Your consciousness expands. Every time you meditate, you will keep your growth.

Mind you, this is life's experience: if you really want the good of others, the whole universe may standagainst you and cannot hurt you. It must crumble before your power of the Lord Himself in you if you aresincere and really unselfish.

My child, what I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the samematerial as that of which the thunderbolt is made.

My name should not be made prominent. It is my ideas that I want to see realized. The disciples of all theprophets have always inextricably mixed up the ideas of the Master with person, and at last killed the ideasfor the person. The disciples of Sri Ramakrishna must guard against doing the same thing. Work forthe idea, not the person.

Nature grinds all of us. Keep count of the ounce of pleasure you get. In the long run, nature did her workthrough you, and when you die your body will make other plants grow. Yet we think all the time that we aregetting pleasure ourselves. Thus the wheel goes round.

Nature, body, mind go to death, not we. We neither go nor come. The man Vivekananda is in nature, isborn and dies; but the Self we see as Vivekananda is never born and never dies. It is the eternal andunchangeable Reality.

Neither seek nor avoid; take what comes. It is liberty to be affected by nothing. Do not merely endure; beunattached.

No authority can save us, no beliefs. If there is a God, all can find Him. No one needs to be told it is warm;all can discover it for themselves. So it should be with God. He should be a fact in the consciousness ofevery person.

No one should be judged by their defects. The great virtues a person has are his or her especially. But theirerrors are the common weakness of humanity and should never be counted in estimating a person’scharacter.

No one should be judged by their defects. The virtues a person has are his especially; his errors are thecommon weaknesses of humanity and should never be counted in estimating his character.

Not even the deepest sleep will give you such a rest as meditation can. The mind goes on jumping even indeepest sleep. Just those few moments in meditation your brain has almost stopped. … You forget the body.… You feel such pleasure in it. You become so light. This perfect rest we will get in meditation.

Oh, to live even for a day in the full light of freedom, to breathe the free air of simplicity! Isn’t that thehighest purity?

Oh, to live even for a day in the full light of freedom, to breathe the free air of simplicity! Isn’t that thehighest purity?

One who leans on others cannot serve the God of Truth.

Our first duty is not to hate ourselves, because to advance we must have faith in ourselves first and then inGod. Those who have no faith in themselves can never have faith in God.

Our supreme duty is to advance toward freedom—physical, mental, and spiritual—and help others to do so.

Out of purity and silence comes the word of power.

Perfection does not come from belief or faith. Talk does not count for anything. Parrots can do that.



Perfection comes through selfless work.

Perfection is always infinite. We are the Infinite already.You and I, and all beings, are trying to manifestthat infinity.

Please everyone without becoming a hypocrite or a coward.

Pray all the time, read all the scriptures in the world, and worship all the gods there are ...but unless yourealize the Truth, there is no freedom.

Pray all the time, read all the scriptures in the world, and worship all the gods there are …[but] unless yourealize the Self (atman), there is no freedom.

Purity, patience, and perseverance are the three essentials to success and, above all, love.

Put God behind everything—human beings, animals, food, and work. Make this a habit.

Put God behind everything—people, animals, food, work. Make this a habit.

Realize your true nature. That is all there is to do. Know yourself as you are—infinite spirit. That is practicalreligion. Everything else is impractical, for everything else will perish.

Realize yourself. That is all there is to do. Know yourself as you are—infinite spirit. That is practical religion.Everything else is impractical, for everything else will vanish.

Religion as a science, as a study, is the greatest and healthiest exercise that the human mind can have.

Religion has no business to formulate social laws and insist on the difference between beings, because itsaim and end is to obliterate all such fictions and monstrosities.

Renounce and give up. What did Christ say? "He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Again andagain did he preach renunciation as the only way to perfection. There comes a time when the mind awakesfrom this long and dreary dream—the child gives up its play and wants to go back to its mother.

Renunciation is the background of all religious thought wherever it be, and you will always find that as thisidea of renunciation lessens, the more will the senses creep into the field of religion, and spirituality willdecrease in the same ratio.

Renunciation is the very basis of our true life. Every moment of goodness and real life that we enjoy iswhen we do not think of ourselves.

Say "So'ham, So'ham" whatever comes. Tell yourself this even in eating, walking, suffering. Tell the mindthis incessantly—that what we see never existed, that there is only "I". Flash--the dream will break! Thinkday and night, this universe is zero, only God is. Have intense desire to get free.

Self-realization is to be attained by renunciation, by meditation—renunciation of all the senses, cutting theknots, the chains that bind us down to matter.

So long as millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every person a traitor who, having been educated attheir expense, pays not the least heed to them.

So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every person a traitor who, having beeneducated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them!

So long as there is desire or want, it is a sure sign that there is imperfection. A perfect, free being cannothave any desire.



Soft-brained people, weak-minded, chicken-hearted, cannot find the truth. One has to be free, and as broadas the sky.

Some people are so afraid of losing their individuality. Wouldn’t it be better for the pig to lose his pig-individuality if he can become God? Yes. But the poor pig does not think so at the time. Which state is myindividuality? When I was a baby sprawling on the floor trying to swallow my thumb? Was that theindividuality I should be sorry to lose? Fifty years hence I shall look upon this present state and laugh, justas I now look upon the baby state. Which of these individualities shall I keep?

Stand as a rock; you are indestructible. You are the Self (atman), the God of the universe.

Stand as a rock; you are indestructible. You are the Self, the God of the universe.

Stand up, be bold, and take the blame on your own shoulders. Do not go about throwing mud at others; forall the faults you suffer from, you are the sole and only cause.

Stand up, be bold, and take the blame on your own shoulders. Do not go about throwing mud at others; forall the faults you suffer from, you are the sole and only cause.

Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you arethe creator of your own destiny. All the strength and succor you want is within yourselves. Therefore, makeyour own future.

Stand upon the Atman, then only can we truly love the world. Take a very, very high stand; knowing ouruniversal nature, we must look with perfect calmness upon all the panorama of the world.

Stand upon the Self, only then can we truly love the world. Take a very high stand; knowing our universalnature, we must look with perfect calmness upon all the panorama of the world.

Stick to God! Who cares what comes to the body or to anything else! Through the terrors of evil, say—myGod, my love! Through the pangs of death, say—my God, my love! Through all the evils under the sun, saymy God, my love!

Stick to God! Who cares what comes to the body or to anything else! Through the terrors of evil, say--myGod, my love! Through the pangs of death, say--my God, my love! Through all the evils under the sun, say--my God, my love! Thou art here, I see Thee. Thou art with me, I feel Thee. I am Thine, take me. I am notof the world’s but Thine, leave not then me.

Strength is life, weakness is death. Strength is felicity, life eternal, immortal. Weakness is constant strainand misery; weakness is death.

Strength is the sign of vigor, the sign of life, the sign of hope, the sign of health, and the sign of everythingthat is good. As long as the body lives, there must be strength in the body, strength in the mind, strengthin the hand.

Superstition is our great enemy, but bigotry is worse.

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life—think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain,muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This isthe way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced. Others are mere talkingmachines.

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life--think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain,muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This isthe way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced. Others are mere talking



machines.

Tell the truth boldly, whether it hurts or not. Never pander to weakness. If truth is too much for intelligentpeople and sweeps them away, let them go; the sooner the better.

Thank God for giving you this world as a moral gymnasium to help your development, but never imagineyou can help the world.

That which is nearest is least observed. The Atman is the nearest of the near, therefore a careless andunsteady mind gets no clue to the Atman. But one who is alert, calm, self-restrained, and discriminating,ignores the external world and, diving more and more into the inner world, realizes the glory of the Atmanand becomes great.

That which is nearest is least observed. The Atman is the nearest of the near, therefore the careless and theunsteady mind gets no clue to it. But the person who is alert, calm, self-restrained, and discriminatingignores the external world and, diving more and more into the inner world, realizes the glory of the Atmanand becomes great.

The animal has its happiness in the senses, the human beings in their intellect, and the gods in spiritualcontemplation. It is only to the soul that has attained to this contemplative state that the world reallybecomes beautiful.

The Atman alone is eternal. Hospitals will tumble down. Railroad givers will all die. This earth will be blownto pieces, suns wiped out. The Atman endures for ever.

The book one must read to learn natural sciences is the book of nature. The book from which to learnreligion is your own mind and heart.

The correct meaning of the statement "The Vedas are beginningless and eternal" is that the law or truthrevealed by them is permanent and changeless.

The correct meaning of the statement “The Vedas are beginningless and eternal” is that the law or truthrevealed by them is permanent and changeless.

The disciple must have great power of endurance. Bear all evil and misery without one thought ofunhappiness, resistance, remedy, or retaliation. That is true endurance, and that you must acquire.

The disciple must have great power of endurance. Life seems comfortable; and you find the mind behaveswell when everything is going well with you. But if something goes wrong, your mind loses its balance. Thatis not good. Bear all evil and misery without one murmur of hurt, without one thought of unhappiness,resistance, remedy, or retaliation. That is true endurance; and that you must acquire.

The essence of Vedanta is that there is but one Being and that every soul is that Being in full, not a part ofthat Being.

The essential thing in religion is making the heart pure; the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, but only thepure in heart can see the King. While we think of the world, it is only the world for us; but let us come to itwith the feeling that the world is God, and we shall have God.

The first sign that you are becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful.

The great secret of true success, of true happiness, is this: the man or woman who asks for no return, theperfectly unselfish person, is the most successful.

The greatest help to spiritual life is meditation. In meditation we divest ourselves of all material conditions



and feel our divine nature. We do not depend upon any external help in meditation.

The greatest help to spiritual life is meditation. In meditation we divest ourselves of all material conditionsand feel our divine nature. We do not depend upon any external help in meditation. The touch of the soulcan paint the brightest color even in the dingiest places; it can cast a fragrance over the vilest thing; it canmake the wicked divine--and all enmity, all selfishness is effaced.

The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves! If you do not exist, how canGod exist, or anybody else?

The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves! If you do not exist, how canGod or anybody else exist?

The greatest sin is to think that you are weak. No one is greater: realize that you are Brahman. Nothing haspower except what you give it.

The highest manifestation of strength is to keep ourselves calm and on our own feet.

The highest manifestation of strength is to keep ourselves calm and on our own feet.

The human soul has sojourned in lower and higher forms, migrating from one to another according to thesamskaras or impressions, but it is only in the highest form as a human being that it attains to freedom.

The idea of perfect womanhood is perfect independence.

The important thing is how much less you think of the body, of yourself as matter—as dead, dull, insentientmatter; how much more you think of yourself as shining immortal being. The more you think of yourself asspirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely free from matter, body and senses. This is the intensedesire to be free.

The important thing is: how much less you think of the body, of yourself as matter—as dead, dull,insentient matter; how much more you think of yourself as shining immortal being.

The important thing is: how much less you think of the body, of yourself as matter--as dead, dull, insentientmatter; how much more you think of yourself as shining immortal being. The more you think of yourself asshining immortal spirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely free of matter, body and senses. This isthe intense desire to be free.

The Kingdom of Heaven is within us. God is within us. He is the Soul of our souls. See Him in your own soul.That is practical religion. That is freedom.

The Kingdom of Heaven is within us. He is there. He is the soul of our souls. See Him in your own soul. Thatis practical religion. That is freedom

The less passion there is, the better we work. The calmer we are, the better for us and the more theamount of work we can do. When we let loose our feelings, we waste so much energy, shatter our nerves,disturb our minds, and accomplish very little work.

The less the thought of the body, the better it is for us. For it is the body that drags us down. It isattachment, identification, which makes us miserable.

The less the thought of the body, the better it is. For it is the body that drags us down. It is attachment,identification which makes us miserable. That is the secret: to think that I am the spirit and not the body,and that the whole of this universe with all its relations, with all its good and all its evil, is but as a series ofpaintings--scenes on a canvas--of which I am the witness.



The meditative state is the highest state of existence. So long as there is desire, no real happiness cancome. It is only the contemplative, witness-like study of objects that brings to us real enjoyment andhappiness.

The mind is but the subtle part of the body. You must retain great strength in your mind and words.

The mistake is that we cling to the body when it is the spirit that is really immortal.

The mistake is that we cling to the body when it is the spirit that is really immortal.

The moment you fear, you are nobody. It is fear that is the great cause of misery in the world. It is fearthat is the greatest of all superstitions. It is the fear that is the cause of our woes, and it is fearlessness thatbrings heaven in a moment.

The moment you fear, you are nobody. It is fear that is the greatest cause of misery in the world. It is fearthat is the greatest of all superstitions. It is fear that is the cause of our woes, and it is fearlessness thatbrings heaven in a moment.

The more we grow in love and virtue and holiness, the more we see love and virtue and holiness outside. Allcondemnation of others really condemns ourselves. Adjust the microcosm (which is in your power to do)and the macrocosm will adjust itself for you.

The more we grow in love and virtue and holiness, the more we see love and virtue and holiness outside. Allcondemnation of others really condemns ourselves. Adjust the microcosm (which is in your power to do)and the macrocosm will adjust itself for you. It is like the hydrostatic paradox, one drop of water canbalance the universe.

The more you think of yourself as shining immortal spirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely freeof matter, body, and senses. This is the intense desire to be free.

The nature of the brute is to remain where he is, of a human being to seek good and to avoid evil, and ofGod to neither seek nor avoid but just to be eternally blissful. Let us be Gods, let us make our hearts like anocean, to go beyond all the trifles of the world and see it only as a picture. We can then enjoy it withoutbeing in any way affected by it.

The nature of the brutes is to remain where they are, of human beings to seek good and avoid evil, and ofGod to neither seek nor avoid but just to be blissful eternally. Let us be like God.

The nearer we are to God, the less we will have occasions to cry or weep. The further we are from God, themore will long faces come. The more we know God, the more misery vanishes.

The one eternal religion is applied to the opinions of various minds and various races. There never was myreligion or yours, my national religion or your national religion; there never existed many religions, there isonly the one. One infinite religion existed all through eternity and will ever exist, and this religion isexpressing itself in various countries in various ways.

The past was great no doubt, but I sincerely believe that the future will be more glorious still.

The power is with the silent ones, who only live and love and then withdraw their personality. They neversay “me” and “mine”; they are only blessed in being instruments.

The power of purity—it is a definite power.

The powers of the mind should be concentrated and the mind turned back upon itself; as the darkest placesreveal their secrets before the penetrating rays of the sun, so will the concentrated mind penetrate its own



innermost secrets.

The sages are often ignorant of physical science, because they read the wrong book—the book within; andthe scientists are too often ignorant of religion, because they too read the wrong book—the book outside.

The secret of life is not enjoyment but education through experience.

The Self when it appears behind the universe is called God. The same Self when it appears behind this littleuniverse—the body—is the soul.

The Soul is not composed of any materials. It is unity indivisible. Therefore it must be indestructible.

The varieties of religious belief are an advantage, since all faiths are good, so far as they encourage us tolead a religious life. The more sects there are, the more opportunities there are for making a successfulappeal to the divine instinct in all of us.

The weak have no place here, in this life or any other life. Weakness leads to slavery. Weakness leads to allkinds of misery, physical and mental. Weakness is death.

The weak have no place here, in this life or in any other life. Weakness leads to slavery. Weakness leads toall kinds of misery, physical and mental. Weakness is death.

The weak, the fearful, the ignorant will never reach the Atman. You cannot undo what you have done; theeffect must come. Face it, but be careful never to do the same thing again. Give up the burden of all deedsto God. Give all, both good and bad. God helps those who do not help themselves.

The weak, the fearful, the ignorant will never reach the Atman. You cannot undo, the effect must come,face it, but be careful never to do the same thing again. Give up the burden of all deeds to the Lord. Giveall, both good and bad. Do not keep the good and give only the bad. God helps those who do not helpthemselves.

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one.Only the moment you reject all help are you free.

The whole universe is one in the Atman. That Atman when it appears behind the universe is called God. Thesame Atman when it appears behind this little universe, the body, is the soul. This very soul, therefore, isthe Atman in us.

The whole universe is one. There is only one Self in the universe, only One Existence, and that OneExistence, when it passes through the forms of time, space, causation, is called by differentnames, buddhi, fine matter, gross matter, all mental and physical forms. Everything in the universe is thatOne, appearing in various forms. When a little part of it comes, as it were, into this network of time, spaceand causation, it takes forms. Take off the network, and it is all one.

The whole universe is one. There is only one Self in the universe, only One Existence.

The will is stronger than anything else. Everything must go down before the will, for it comes from God. Apure and strong will is omnipotent.

The wind of divine grace is always blowing. You just need to spread your sail. Whenever you do anything,do it with your whole heart concentrated on it. Think day and night, “I am of the essence of that SupremeBeing-Consciousness-Bliss. What fear and anxiety have I?”

The wind of divine grace is blowing on for ever and ever. Do you spread your sail. Whenever you doanything, do it with your whole heart concentrated on it.



The world is ready to give up its secrets if we only know how to knock, how to give it the necessary blow.The strength and force of the blow come through concentration.

There are hundreds of thousands of microbes surrounding us, but they cannot harm us unless we becomeweak, until the body is ready and predisposed to receive them. There may be a million microbes of miseryfloating about us. Never mind! They dare not approach us, they have no power to get a hold on us, until themind is weakened. This is the great fact: strength is life. Weakness is death. Strength is felicity, life eternal,immortal. Weakness is constant strain and misery: weakness is death

There cannot be friendship without equality.

There is hope for all. None can die; none can be degraded forever. Life is but a playground, however grossthe play may be. However we may receive blows, and however knocked about we may be, the Atman isthere and is never injured. We are that Infinite.

There is no help for you outside of yourself; you are the creator of the universe. Like the silkworm you havebuilt a cocoon around yourself…. Burst your own cocoon and come out aw the beautiful butterfly, as the freesoul. Then alone you will see Truth.

There is one thing to be remembered: that the assertion--I am God--cannot be made with regard to thesense-world.

There is one thing to be remembered: that the assertion—I am God—cannot be made with regard to thesense-world.

There is only one sin and it is: weakness. When I was a boy, I read Milton’s Paradise Lost. The only goodman I had any respect for was Satan. The only saint is that person who never weakens, faces everything,and determines die game.

There is only one sin. That is weakness.... The only saint is that soul that never weakens, faces everything,and determines to die game.

There is only one sin—and that sin is weakness. When I was a boy, I read Milton’s Paradise Lost. The onlygood man I had any respect for was Satan. The only saint is the soul who never weakens, faces everything,and determines to die game.

There is to be found in every religion the manifestation of the struggle toward freedom. It is thegroundwork of all morality, of unselfishness, which means getting rid of the idea that human beings are thesame as this little body.

They alone live whose lives are in the whole universe, and the more we concentrate our lives on limitedthings, the faster we go towards death. Those moments alone we live when our lives are in the universe, inothers; and living this little life is death, simply death, and that is why the fear of death comes.

They alone live whose lives are in the whole universe. The more we concentrate our lives in limited things,the faster we go towards death. Those moments alone we live when our lives are in the universe, in others;and living this little life is death, simply death, and that is why the fear of death comes.

Think always, “I am ever-pure, ever-knowing, and ever-free. How I can do anything evil? Can I ever befooled like ordinary people with the insignificant charms of lust and wealth?” Strengthen the mind with suchthoughts. This will surely bring real good.

Think always: "I am ever-pure, ever-knowing, and ever-free. How can I do anything evil? Can I ever bebefooled like ordinary people with the insignificant charms of lust and wealth?" Strengthen the mind withsuch thoughts. This will surely bring real good.



Think day and night, "I am of the essence of that Supreme Existence, Knowledge, Bliss--what fear andanxiety have I? This body, mind, and intellect are all transient, and That which is beyond these is myself."

This earth is higher than all the heavens; this is the greatest school in the universe.

This I have seen in life—those who are overcautious about themselves fall into dangers at every step; thosewho are afraid of losing honor and respect, get only disgrace; and those who are always afraid of loss,always lose.

This is no world. It is God Himself. In delusion we call it world.

This is the first lesson to learn: be determined not to curse anything outside, not to lay the blame uponanyone outside, but stand up, lay the blame on yourself. You will find that is always true. Get hold ofyourself.

This is the great lesson that we are here to learn through myriads of births and heavens and hells—thatthere is nothing to be asked for, desired for, beyond one’s spiritual Self (atman).

This is the secret of spiritual life: to think that I am the Atman and not the body, and that the whole of thisuniverse with all its relations, with all its good and all its evil, is but as a series of paintings—scenes on acanvas—of which I am the witness.

This life is a hard fact; work your way through it boldly, though it may be adamantine; no matter, the soulis stronger.

This little separate self must die. Then we shall find that we are in the Real, and that Real is God, and He isour own true nature, and He is always in us and with us. Let us live in Him and stand in Him. It is the onlyjoyful state of existence. Life on the plane of the Spirit is the only life, and let us all try to attain to thisrealization.

This little separate self must die. Then we shall find that we are in the Real, and that Reality is God, and Heis our own true nature, and He is always in us and with us. Let us live in Him and stand in Him. It is theonly joyful state of existence.

This world is nothing. It is at best only a hideous caricature, a shadow of the Real. We must go to the Real.Renunciation will take us to It. Renunciation is the very basis of our true life; every moment of goodnessand real life that we enjoy is when we do not think of ourselves.

This world is nothing. It is at best only a hideous caricature, a shadow of the Reality. We must go to theReality. Renunciation will take us to It.

Those who die, merely suffering the woes of life like cats and dogs, are they human beings? The worthy arethose who, even when agitated by the sharp interaction of pleasure and pain, are discriminating and,knowing them to be of an evanescent nature, become passionately devoted to the Atman. This is all thedifference between human beings and animals.

Those who grumble at the little thing that has fallen to their lot to do will grumble at everything. Alwaysgrumbling they will lead a miserable life…. But those who do their duty putting their shoulder to the wheelwill see the light, and higher and higher duties will fall to their share.

Those who grumble at the little thing that has fallen to their lot to do will grumble at everything. Alwaysgrumbling, they will lead a miserable life, and everything will be a failure. But those who do their duties asthey go, putting their shoulders to the wheel, will see the light, and higher duties will fall to their share.

Those who have succeeded in attaching or detaching their minds at will have succeeded in Pratyahara,



which means "gathering towards," checking the outgoing powers of the mind, freeing it from the thralldomof the senses. When we can do this, we shall really possess character; then alone we shall have taken along step towards freedom. Before that, we are mere machines.

Those who work at a thing heart and soul not only achieve success in it but through their absorption in thatthey also realize the supreme truth—Brahman. Those who work at a thing with their whole heart receivehelp from God.

To believe blindly is to degenerate the human soul. Be an atheist if you want, but do not believe in anythingunquestioningly.

To realize the spirit as spirit is practical religion. Everything else is good so far as it leads to this one grandidea.

To realize the spirit as spirit is practical religion. Everything else is good so far as it leads to this one grandidea. That realization is to be attained by renunciation, by meditation—renunciation of all the senses,cutting the knots, the chains that bind us down to matter.

To succeed you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. “I will drink the ocean,” says thepersevering soul, “at my will mountains will crumble.” Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, work hard,and you will reach the goal.

To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. "I will rink the ocean," says thepersevering soul, "at my will mountains will crumble up." Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, workhard, and you will reach the goal.

To talk of evil and misery is nonsense, because they do not exist outside. If I am immune against all anger,I never feel angry. If I am proof against all hatred, I never feel hatred.

To the person who desires nothing and does not get entangled in desires, the manifold changes of natureare one panorama of beauty and sublimity.

Tremendous purity, tremendous renunciation, is the one secret of spirituality. "Neither through wealth, northrough progeny, but through renunciation alone is immortality to be reached," say the Vedas. "Sell all thatthou hast and give to poor, and follow me," says the Christ. So all great saints and prophets have expressedit, and have carried it out in their lives. How can great spirituality come without renunciation?

Tremendous purity, tremendous renunciation, is the one secret of spirituality. How can great spiritualitycome without renunciation? Renunciation is the background of all religious thought wherever it be, and youwill always find that as this idea of renunciation lessens, the more will the senses creep into the field ofreligion, and spirituality will decrease in the same ratio.

True religion is not talk, or doctrines, or theories, nor is it sectarianism. It is the relation between soul andGod. Religion does not consist in erecting temples, or building churches, or attending public worship. It isnot to be found in books, or in words, or in lectures, or in organizations. Religion consists in realization. Wemust realize God, feel God, see God, talk to God. That is religion.

Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die.

Truth, purity and unselfishness—wherever these are present, there is no power below or above the sun tocrush the possessor thereof. Equipped with these, one individual is able to face the whole universe inopposition.

Truth, purity, and unselfishness—wherever these are present, there is no power below or above the sun tocrush the possessor thereof. Equipped with these, one individual is able to face the whole universe in



opposition.

Try a little harder, and meditation comes. You do not feel the body or anything else. When you come out ofit after the hour, you have had the most beautiful rest you ever had in your life. That is the only way youever give rest to your system. Not even the deepest sleep will give you such a rest as that.

Understanding human nature is the highest knowledge, and only by knowing it can we know God. It is alsoa fact that the knowledge of God is the highest knowledge, and only by knowing God can we understandhuman nature.

Wait with patience and love and strength. If helpers are not ready now, they will come in time. Why shouldwe be in a hurry? The real working force of all great work is in its almost unperceived beginnings.

Watch people do their most common actions; these are indeed the things that will tell you the real characterof a great person.

We are ever free if we would only believe it, only have faith enough. You are the soul, free and eternal, everfree, ever blessed. Have faith enough and you will be free in a minute.

We are suffering from our own karma. It is not the fault of God. What we do is our own fault, nothing else.Why should God be blamed?

We believe that every being is divine, is God. Every soul is a sun covered over with clouds of ignorance; thedifference between soul and soul is owing to the difference in density of these layers of clouds.

We believe that every being is divine, is God. Every soul is a sun covered over with clouds of ignorance; thedifference between soul and soul is owing to the difference in density of these layers of clouds.

We came to enjoy; we are being enjoyed. We came to rule; we are being ruled. We came to work; we arebeing worked. All the time, we find that. And this comes into every detail of our life.

We can never lose what is really ours. Who can lose his being? Who can lose his very existence? If I amgood, it is the existence first, and then that becomes colored with the quality of goodness. If I am evil, it isthe existence first, and that becomes colored with the quality of badness. That existence is first, last, andalways; it is never lost but ever present.

We cannot see outside what we are not inside. The universe is to us what the huge engine is to theminiature engine; and indication of any error in the tiny engine leads us to imagine trouble in the huge one.

We cannot see outside what we are not inside. The universe is to us what the huge engine is to theminiature engine; and indication of any error in the tiny engine leads us to imagine trouble in the huge one.

We get caught. How? Not by what we give but by what we expect. We get misery in return for our love: notfrom the fact that we love but from the fact that we want love in return. There is no misery where there isno want. Desire, want, is the father of all misery. Desires are bound by the laws of success and failure.Desires must bring misery.

We get caught. How? Not by what we give but by what we expect. We get misery in return for our love; notfrom the fact that we love, but from the fact that we want love in return. There is no misery where there isno want.

We have to go back to philosophy to treat things as they are. We are suffering from our own karma. It isnot the fault of God. What we do is our own fault, nothing else. Why should God be blamed?

We must approach religion with reverence and with love, and our heart will stand up and say, this is truth,



and this is untruth.

We must be bright and cheerful. Long faces do not make religion. Religion should be the most joyful thing inthe world, because it is the best.

We must have friendship for all; we must be merciful toward those that are in misery; when people arehappy, we ought to be happy; and to the wicked we must be indifferent. These attitudes will make the mindpeaceful.

We must plunge heart and soul and body into the work. And until we are ready to sacrifice everything elseto one Idea and to one alone, we never, never will see the Light.

We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our own fate. None else has the blame, none has the praise.

We want to know in order to make ourselves free. That is our life: one universal cry for freedom.

What about this marvelous experience of standing alone, discarding all help, breasting the storms of life, ofworking without any sense of recompense, without any sense of putrid duty, and of working a whole life,joyful, free -- not goaded on to work like slaves by false human love or ambition?Nature grinds all of us.Keep count of the ounce of pleasure you get. In the long run, nature did her work through you, and whenyou die your body will make other plants grow. Yet we think all the time that we are getting pleasureourselves. Thus the wheel goes round.

What do you gain in heaven? You become gods, drink nectar, and get rheumatism. There is less miserythere than on earth, but also less truth.

What I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as thatof which the thunderbolt is made.

What is material and what is not material? When the world is the end and God the means to attain that end,then that is material. When God is the end and the world is only the means to attain that end, spiritualityhas begun.

What is material and what is not? When the world is the end and God is the means to attain that end, thatis material. When God is the end and the world is only the means to attain that end, spirituality has begun.

What is the use of talking of one’s mistakes to the world? They cannot thereby be undone. For what one hasdone one must suffer; one must try and do better. The world sympathizes only with the strong and thepowerful.

What is the world that is to be given up? It is here. I am carrying it all with me. My own body. It is all forthis body that I put my hand voluntarily upon my fellow beings, just to keep it nice and give it a littlepleasure; [all for this body] that I injure others and make mistakes.

What is the world that is to be given up? It is here. I am carrying it all with me. My own body. It is all forthis body that I put my hand voluntarily upon my fellow human beings, just to keep it nice and give it alittle pleasure. It is all for the body that I injure others and make mistakes.

What the world wants is character. The world is in need of those whose life is one burning love--selfless.That love will make every word tell like a thunderbolt. Awake, awake, great souls! The world is burning inmisery. Can you sleep?Work unto death--I am with you, and when I am gone, my spirit will work with you.This life comes and goes--wealth, fame, enjoyments are only of a few days. It is better, far better, to die onthe field of duty, preaching the truth than to die like a worldly worm. Advance!

What the world wants is character. The world is in need of those whose life is one burning love—selfless.



That love will make every word tell like a thunderbolt. Aware, awake, great souls! The world is burning inmisery. Can you sleep?

What the world wants today is twenty men and women who can dare to stand in the street yonder and saythat they possess nothing but God. Who will go? Why should one fear? If this is true, what else couldmatter? If it is not true, what do our lives matter?

What the world wants today is twenty men and women who can dare to stand in the street yonder and saythat they possess nothing but God. Who will go? Why should one fear? If this is true, what else couldmatter? If it is not true, what do our lives matter?

Whatever you believe, that you will be. If you believe yourselves to be sages, sages you will be tomorrow.There is nothing to obstruct you.

When once you consider an action, do not let anything dissuade you. Consult your heart, not others, andthen follow its dictates.

When we can attach the mind to—or detach it from—the sense at our will, we shall really possess character.Then alone we shall have taken a long step towards freedom; before that, we are mere machines.

When we come to nonattachment, then we can understand the marvelous mystery of the universe: how it isintense activity and at the same time intense peace, how it is work every moment and rest every moment.

When we have become free, we need not go mad and throw up society and rush off to die in the forest orthe cave; we shall remain where we were but we shall understand the whole thing. The same phenomenawill remain but with a new meaning.

When we have become free, we need not go mad and throw up society and rush off to die in the forest orthe cave; we shall remain where we were, only we shall understand the whole thing.

Whenever we attain a higher vision, the lower vision disappears of itself.

Where God is, there is no other. Where the world is, there is no God. These two will never unite. Like lightand darkness. That is what I have understood from Christianity and the life of Jesus. Isn’t that alsoBuddhism? Isn’t that Hinduism? Isn’t that Islam? Isn’t that the teaching of all the great sages and teachers?

Where God is, there is no other. Where world is, there is no God. These two will never unite. Like light anddarkness.

Who makes us ignorant? We ourselves. We put our hands over our eyes and weep that it is dark.

Who will bring light to the poor? Who will travel from door to door bringing education to them? Let thesepeople be your God—think of them, work for them, pray for them incessantly. The Lord will show you theway.

Whose meditation is real and effective? Who can really surrender to the will of God? Only the person whosemind has been purified by selfless work.

Why are people so afraid? The answer is that they have made themselves helpless and dependent onothers. We are so lazy, we do not want to do anything ourselves. We want a Personal God, a Savior or aProphet to do everything for us.

Woman has suffered for eons, and that has given her infinite patience and infinite perseverance.

Women will work out their destinies—much better, too, than men can ever do for them. All the mischief towomen has come because men undertook to shape the destiny of women.



Work a little harder at meditation and it comes. You do not feel the body or anything else. When you comeout of it after the hour, you have had the most beautiful rest you ever had in your life. That is the only wayyou ever give rest to your system.

Work and worship are necessary to take away the veil, to lift off the bondage and illusion.

Work on with the intrepidity of a lion but at the same time with the tenderness of a flower.

Work unto death—I am with you, and when I am gone, my spirit will work with you. This life comes andgoes—wealth, fame, enjoyments are only of a few days. It is better, far better, to die on the field of duty,preaching the truth, than to die like a worldly worm. Advance!

Worship of society and popular opinions is idolatry. The soul has no sex, no country, no place, no time.

You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.

You must avoid excessive merriment. A mind in that state never becomes calm; it becomes fickle. Excessivemerriment will always be followed by sorrow. Tears and laughter are near kin. People so often run from oneextreme to the other.

You, as body, mind, or soul, are a dream, but what you really are, is Being, Consciousness, Bliss. You arethe God of this universe. You are creating the whole universe and drawing it in.

Your Atman is the support of the universe—whose support do you stand in need of? Wait with patience andlove and strength. If helpers are not ready now, they will come in time. Why should we be in a hurry? Thereal working force of all great work is in its almost unperceived beginnings.

Documents

SHRI VIVEKANAND JI’s - CA SANSAAR VIVEKANAND JI.pdf · SHRI VIVEKANAND JI’s Biography & Vital Quotes compiled by Pankaj Kumar [email protected] +91-94116-33092 Page 1