Divine Messages - 15 : Some Sayings of Swami Vivekananda

Some sayings of Swami Vivekananda.

·         Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to 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.

·         It is love and love alone that I preach, and I base my teaching on the great Vedantic truth of the sameness and omnipresence of the Soul of the Universe.

Sri Ramakrishna Web Site – belurmath.org

Divine Messages - 14 : Some Sayings of Swami Vivekananda

Some sayings of Swami Vivekananda.

·         If you have faith in all the three hundred and thirty millions of your mythological gods, … and still have no faith in yourselves, there is no salvation for you. Have faith 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 and sorrow have all one cause, and that is our weakness. With weakness comes ignorance, and with ignorance comes misery.

·         The older I grow, the more everything seems to me to lie in manliness. This is my new Gospel.

·         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 they may be. It is being and becoming, not hearing or acknowledging; it is the whole soul becoming changed into what it believes.

·         Religion is the manifestation of the Divinity already in man.

Sri Ramakrishna Web Site – belurmath.org

Divine Messages - 13 : Some Sayings of Swami Vivekananda

Some sayings of Swami Vivekananda.

·         My ideal, indeed, can be put into a few words, and that is: to preach unto mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life.

·         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 will be; if you think yourselves strong, strong you will be.

Sri Ramakrishna Web Site – belurmath.org

Divine Messages - 12 : Some Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna

Some sayings of Sri Ramakrishna.

·         Pure knowledge and pure love are one and the same thing.  Both lead the aspirants to the same goal. The path of love is much easier.

·         Live in the world like a waterfowl. The water clings to the bird, but the bird shakes it off. Live in the world like a mudfish. The fish lives in the mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny.

·         I tell you the truth: there is nothing wrong in your being in the world. But you must direct your mind toward God; otherwise you will not succeed. Do your duty with one hand and with the other hold to God. After the duty is over you will hold to God with both hands.

·         One should constantly repeat the name of God. The name of God is highly effective in the Kaliyuga. The practice of yoga is not possible in this age. Clap your hands while repeating God's name, and the birds of your sins will fly away.

·         The breeze of His grace is blowing day and night over your head. Unfurl the sails of your boat (mind), if you want to make rapid progress through the ocean of life.

·         Who is the best devotee of God? It is he who sees, after the realization of Brahman that God alone has become all living beings, the universe, and the twenty-four cosmic principles. One must discriminate at first, saying 'Not this, not this', and reach the roof. After that one realizes that the steps are made of the same materials as the roof, namely, brick, lime, and brick-dust. The devotee realizes that it is Brahman alone that has become all these — the living beings, the universe, and so on.

Sri Ramakrishna Web Site – belurmath.org

Divine Messages - 11 : Some Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna

Some sayings of Sri Ramakrishna.

·         He is born in vain who, having attained the human birth, so difficult to get, does not attempt to realize God in this very life.

·         You see many stars in the sky at night, but not when the sun rises. Can you therefore say that there are no stars in the heavens during the day?  O man, because you cannot find God in the days of your ignorance, say not that there is no God.

·         One cannot have the vision of God as long as one has these three – shame, hatred, and fear.

·         Be not a traitor in your thoughts.  Be sincere; act according to your thoughts; and you shall surely succeed.  Pray with a sincere and simple heart, and your prayers will be heard.

·         Do not let worldly thoughts and anxieties disturb your mind.  Do everything that is necessary in the proper time, and let your mind be always fixed on God.

·         You should remember that the heart of the devotee is the abode of God.  He dwells, no doubt, in all beings, but He especially manifests Himself in the heart of the devotee.  The heart of the devotee is the drawing room of God.

Sri Ramakrishna Web Site – belurmath.org

Divine Messages – 10 : When I Asked God…

When I Asked God...

When I Asked God for Strength,

He Gave Me Difficult Situations to Face

When I Asked God for Brain & Brawn,

He Gave Me Puzzles in Life to Solve

When I Asked God for Happiness,

He Showed Me Some Unhappy People

When I Asked God for Wealth,

He Showed Me How to Work Hard

When I Asked God for Favours

He Showed Me Opportunities to Work Hard

When I Asked God for Peace

He Showed Me How to Help Others

God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted,

He Gave Me Everything I Needed

Swami Vivekananda

Divine Messages – 9 : Message of Sri Ramakrishna

The message of Sri Ramakrishna to the modern world, which he gave through his life and through his recorded conversations, may be briefly stated as follows:

·         The goal of human life is the realization of the Ultimate Reality which alone can give man supreme fulfilment and everlasting peace.  This is the essence of all religions.

·         The Ultimate Reality is one; but it is personal as well as impersonal, and is indicated by different names (such as God, Ishvar, etc.) in different religions.

·         The Ultimate Reality can be realized through various paths taught in world religions. All religions are true in so far as they lead to the same ultimate Goal.

·         Purity of mind is an essential condition for the attainment of the Ultimate Reality; real purity is freedom from lust and greed.  External observances are only of secondary importance.

·         Through spiritual practices man can overcome his evil tendencies, and divine grace can redeem even the worst sinner. Therefore one should not brood over the past mistakes, but should develop a positive outlook on life by depending on God.

·         God realization is possible for all.  The householders need not renounce the world; but they should pray sincerely, practise discrimination between the Eternal and the Temporal and remain unattached.  God listens to sincere prayer.  Intense longing (vyakulata) is the secret of success in spiritual life.

·         God dwells in all people but the manifestation of this inner Divinity varies from person to person.  In saintly people there is greater manifestation of God.  Women are special manifestations of Divine Mother of the Universe, and so are to be treated with respect.

·         Since God dwells in all people, helping the needy should be done not out of compassion (which is an attitude of condescension) but as humble service to God.

·         Egoism, caused by ignorance, is the root-cause of all suffering.

·         Life is an expression of the spontaneous creativity (Lila) of God.  Pleasure and pain, success and failure, etc. are to be borne with patience, and one should resign oneself to God’s will under all circumstances.

Sri Ramakrishna Web Site – belurmath.org

Divine Messages – 8 – Dada J. P. Vaswani’s Philosophy and Teaching 6/6

Dada J. P. Vaswani's Philosophy and Teaching – What Life Has Taught Me?

·         If while praying we can think of worldly matters, why can we not, when doing worldly things, think of God?

·         Think positively. Eat sparingly. Exercise regularly. Walk as much as you can. Be careful to see that your thoughts and actions are clean. A guilty mind breeds many diseases. There is the way to live a happy, healthy, harmonious life.

·         I have met many who will go to any length to prove the superiority of their religion over those of others. They will hold endless discussions and debates. They will even fight for it – and die for it. But I have met very few who live for their religion – who bear witness to the great teaching in deeds of daily living. Religion is life!

Sadhu Vaswani Mission Web Site - sadhuvaswani.org

Divine Messages – 7 – Dada J. P. Vaswani’s Philosophy and Teaching 5/6

Dada J. P. Vaswani's Philosophy and Teaching – What Life Has Taught Me?

·         When all around us the storms blow and the tempests roar, let us close our eyes, think of God and repeat the words “God is with me-and He is in control.” Those are words of power and can quell the fiercest storm.

·         No man can attain to enlightenment by his own efforts. Enlightenment cometh to man by the grace of God. Strive for enlightenment – yes. But like the peasant who tills the soil and sows the seed – then turns to the heaven for chaandi ka gola (the silver drops of rain)

·         The greatest illusion which man suffers from is perhaps the illusion of death. In reality, there is no death. Death is very much like the sunset. When the sun sets here, it has already risen elsewhere. Likewise, death here is birth elsewhere. For life is eternal.

·         The greatest intoxication is that of the ego. The worst madness is that of anger. The person who is free from arrogance and anger finds goodness and beauty wherever he goes.

·         Has someone offended you or insulted you? Insults are like bad coins. You cannot avoid them, but you can refuse to accept them.

·         The test of a man is – how much he can bear and how much he can share and how soon he confesses a mistake and makes amends for it.

Sadhu Vaswani Mission Web Site - sadhuvaswani.org