ME News Bureau: Swami Vivekananda once said: “You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself”. But people never heard his words and kept on roaming to find God. The great man once again said to them “Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being”. That was Swami Vivekananda who taught us where the real God is and who the real God is.
The nation once again recalls his thoughts and philosophies, as it pays respects to Swami Vivekananda, who made a towering presence as India s spiritual guru, on his 155th birth anniversary.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other prominent national leaders took time to remember Vivekananda on his birthday, which is also being celebrated as the National Youth Day.
“I bow to Swami Vivekananda on his Jayanti. Today, on National Youth Day I salute the indomitable energy and enthusiasm of our youngsters, who are the builders of new India”, Modi tweeted.
Modi inaugurated the 22nd National Youth Festival through video conferencing.
Rahul tweeted “Everyone should inspire each other to make their life full of ideologies”.
Vivekananda was born Narendranath Datta, on January 12, 1863 during the Makar Sankranti festival at his ancestral home in Calcutta. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was an attorney at the Calcutta High Court. His mother, Bhubaneswari Devi, was a devout house wife. He was born in a traditional family coupled with his mother s strong religious temperament, that shaped his thoughts and personality.
He was influenced by his guru, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self. After his guru s death, Vivekananda toured the entire country and gained knowledge of the real picture of the country. He showed his anguish many times over the culture of the country in context of the brutal cast discrimination prevailed in India.
He later travelled to the United States, representing India at the 1893 Parliament of the World s Religions, delivered perhaps his best known speech which began, “Sisters and Brothers of America….”.
On his 155th birth anniversary, here is a rare conversation between Swami Vivekananda and his guru Ramakrishna Paramahansa
1. Swami Vivekanand:- I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you free.
2. Swami Vivekanand:- Why has life become complicated now?
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- Stop analyzing life… It makes it complicated. Just live it.
3. Swami Vivekanand:- Why are we then constantly unhappy?
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.
4. Swami Vivekanand:- Why do good people always suffer?
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer.
With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter.
5. Swami Vivekanand:- You mean to say such experience is useful?
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons later.
6. Swami Vivekanand:- Because of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading…
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides the way.
7. Swami Vivekanand:- Does failure hurt more than moving in the right direction?
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you.
8. Swami Vivekanand:- In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.
9. Swami Vivekanand:- What surprises you about people?
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- When they suffer they ask, “why me?” When they prosper, they never ask “Why me?”
10. Swami Vivekanand:- How can I get the best out of life?
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.
11. Swami Vivekanand:- One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa:- There are no unanswered prayers. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.
