Ten life lessons by Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary

Swami Vivekananda was instrumental in introducing the Indian philosophies of Vedanta to the western world (Source: Wikipedia))
By: Express News Service listing 10 of his best motivational quotes. Which one of your favourite? Tell us and share it with your friends.
1. You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.
- Swami Vivekananda
2. Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached.
- Swami Vivekananda
3. 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.
- Swami Vivekananda
4. “In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.”
- Swami Vivekananda
5. “They alone live, who live for others.”
- Swami Vivekananda
6. “Neither seek nor avoid, take what comes.”
- Swami Vivekananda
7. “Comfort is no test of truth. Truth is often far from being comfortable.”
- Swami Vivekananda
8. “The fire that warms us can also consume us; it is not the fault of the fire.”
- Swami Vivekananda
9. “Ask nothing; want nothing in return. Give what you have to give; it will come back to you, but do not think of that now.”
- Swami Vivekananda
10. “Do one thing at a Time, and while doing it put your whole Soul into it to the exclusion of all else.”
- Swami Vivekananda
(Compiled and designed by Parmita Uniyal)

Think Positive In 2015

It was a very dark night. It was pitch black with no moon or stars in the sky. A young man needed to travel for some urgent work to the next village but was unable to see anything in the dark. Thus, he stood there puzzled on how to get to the next village.

A noble saint passing by saw the puzzled young man and asked,” What’s the problem my dear?”

The young man replied, “I need to go to the next village urgently, but how will I get there? I can’t see anything!”

The saint lit a lamp and gave it to the man saying, “Here, if darkness is the issue then light is the solution. Now start walking.”

The man looked at the lamp, then around him and once again disappointingly said, “Sir, this lamp only spreads light up to ten feet and the darkness continues after that. This lamp will not help."

The saint replied, “You start walking, the brightness will walk with you”.

What does this story teach us?

Firstly, we need to understand the aim of our life from a great person or saint. What do I want to be? Which direction do I need to take? It is necessary to implement great thoughts and teachings in our life. It is important to receive one such inspirational thought from a great person that will spread brightness in our life.

But, the most important point is, do we have that intense desire to progress in our path?

Now that we know the aim and have the desire, we will achieve nothing by merely concentrating on the darkness instead of the lamp. This is where positive thinking and implementation is vital.

During my travels to America, I read this in a book which touched my heart, “Ten minutes of positive thinking has the power to balance out a whole day’s negativity”. This is why our scriptures advise us to pray three times in a day, known as trikāl sandhyā. If one prays early in the morning, remembers God in the afternoon and constantly recollects that God is with me, then one will always live in motivation and hope. Then, the day ends with remembering God; this way ten minutes of positive thinking will remove the whole day’s negativity.

When these ten minutes of positive thinking slowly increase with time, then how positive can one fully become!

This New Year, let us all understand the aim of our life and begin to walk with positivity and motivation.

A Happy 2015 to all of you!

With Love and Blessings,

Wonderful Gifts To Our selves

During the festive Christmas and New Year season, while we devote so much thought and time to thinking of gifts for other people, few of us spend any time thinking about gifts we can give ourselves. Even those who do so, think only in terms of ‘things’ they want to purchase. However, there are so many gifts you can give yourself, which would be more valuable than anything you can purchase.

Would you believe if someone told you that there exist almost magical gifts that can make you live longer, reduce or even eliminate your medical bills, make you peaceful, increase your popularity amongst others, make you personally and professionally more successful and leave a better world for your children? Sounds like a dream? But such gifts do exist and are within your grasp. And they are free. Let me list ten of these.

Ten Special Gifts
1. The first is exercise. If you give yourself the gift of exercise – even 15 minutes a day – you will be healthier, live longer and feel more alert.

2. Yoga also confers similar benefits. It also adds a zing to your step and makes your muscles shed their laziness.

3. Meditation is invaluable. It confers many benefits, including a peaceful mind, calm demeanor and heightened awareness. Silence is a powerful gift. The first time you experience true inner silence, you will want to stay in this state forever.

4. The fourth gift you can give yourself is the gift of learning something new. It keeps you younger and more interested in life, and you become more alert.

5. Related to this is the gift of reading. Give this gift not only to yourself but also to your children.

6. Personal hygiene is a great gift, too. We take this for granted but even small things such as brushing your teeth before sleeping can have a great impact on your well-being. Washing hands, general cleanliness – everything matters.

7. Smiling -- you will be surprised what a great difference it will make to your life if you give yourself this gift.

8. Another such useful gift it the gift of empathy. This amazing gift broadens your world.

9. Tolerance: We are very quick to take offence. We have our prejudices against all kinds of people and things. We divide the world into ‘ours’, who can do no wrong and ‘others’, who can do no right. Tolerance is the bridge between the two.

10. Finally, how about gifting yourself active concern for your environment? This means not only caring for the environment in a theoretical way but also actively promoting good practices such as waste recycling, water conservation, promoting greenery and so on. With this gift, you will not only improve your life but will gift your children a better world.

That’s Not All

There are other gifts, too, which we can give ourselves. These would be unique for each person. I am sure we can all think of some of these.

Would it not be great if all of us can give ourselves at least some of the above gifts during this gift-giving season? Not only will we be the richer for these, they will make our loved ones richer beyond any material gift we can give them. Just select your own gifts, open them with your will-power and revel in them for many happy years to come.

Add to the list of gifts we could give ourselves

Lesson Of Time-Karma

"In Life you will realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.
Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.
But the most important are the ones who bring out the best in you, respect you and accept you for who you are.
Those are the ones worth keeping around."

Sri Padmapadacharya

Sri Padmapadacharya
In the land of the Cholas, on the banks of the Kaveri, there was a devout Brahmana called Vimala. He was blessed with a boy. While in his teens, he mastered all the Vedas and showed an extreme distaste for worldly life. He earnestly hoped for a guru who would lead him across the ocean of samsara. Refusing to marry, he travelled with the purpose of finding such a guru. Fortunately for him, Sri Shankara was staying at Kashi, expounding his inimitable Bhasyas. The boy Padmapada resplendent with Brahma-Tejas ran to him and threw himself at his feet. The Acharya perceived the learning, courage and earnestness of the newcomer. He accepted him as his disciple. He initiated him into the Sanyasa Ashrama under the name of Sanandana.
He was first of Shankara’s disciples. He was first in more than one sense. His unrivalled devotion so pleased the teacher that, in appreciation of his earnest search for truth, the Acharya took the trouble of explaining to him his works thrice. This partially engendered in the other disciples a feeling of misgiving, which the Acharya immediately took care to eradicate.
When Sanandana and a few other disciples were once on the other bank of the river Ganga, the Acharya called them to come to him. No boat was available. But Sanandana, secure in faith and grace of the Acharya, stepped on the water and began to walk. Struck with his devotion, the divine Ganga showed her admiration by placing lotuses on the water to support his feet at every step. To the astonishment of all, he unconcernedly crossed over to the other bank where he was duly rewarded by the embrace of the Acharya. It was a mark of affection, which no other disciple had ever received. In memory of this incident, he was henceforth known as Padmapada at the desire of the Acharya.
Even before becoming a disciple, he was in the centre of the world of Vedic, traditional scholarship of his times. It is however not the revelation of his great scholarship, but the great challenge he faced, the course he opted, of flowing generosity and atonement, and the prophetic understanding he displayed that made him great as a person.
There is a famous incident of his saving the life of the Acharya. A devotee of Bhairava, a Kapalika took advantage of the nobility of the Acharya. He begged him to give his head as an offering to the terrible Bhairava. The Acharya willingly consented. But he warned that his head must be taken without the knowledge of his disciples, especially of Padmapada.
When the disciples had all gone to have their bath in the river, the Kapalika came. He found the Acharya in Samadhi. He raised his sword to smite and sever the head. Unfortunately for him, Padmapada intuitively divined the nefarious intention of the Kapalika. By force of his meditation on Lord Narasimha, he assumed the latter’s form. He pounced upon the Kapalika and tore him to pieces. Having done this, he sent up a terrible roar of triumph.
His co-disciples rushed to the spot and the Acharya rose from his Samadhi. He was as much astonished as the others. With great difficulty, he made Padmapada resume his form. They were all surprised to learn that in his Purvashrama, Padmapada was a staunch devotee of Nrisimha. He had contemplated on Narasimha while doing penance on the hills of Ahobila.
Padmapada also related an incident. A hunter asked him what he was doing in the forest. When told that he was seeking Narasimha, the hunter said that there was no such being as he knew every inch of the forest. Padmapada insisted that indeed there was such a being and described minutely the form of man-lion. The hunter said that he would produce the man-lion the next day before sunset.
The hunter roamed about in search of the elusive being. Failing to catch it in the stated time, he decided to take away his life. Narasimha was pleased with the hunter’s devotion and steadfastness. He appeared before the hunter who immediately put the rope round the neck of Narasimha and dragged him to the presence of Padmapada. Surprised beyond measure, Padmapada could not help asking the incarnate Deity how it happened. Sri Narasimha replied that even Brahma had not shown such earnestness in contemplation as the illiterate hunter.

Chandi Path For Mahalaya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byItrleFXFs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byItrleFXFs

One Last Question

Swami Vivekanand:- One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- 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.