Swami Vivekananda

“Arise! Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached.”

 

- Vivekananda

 

I sometimes feel really upset about my incapability in remembering birthdays of great people. Even if they are my heroes like swami Vivekananda. There are only two of them I remember clearly, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and of course Tagore. But even then I often forget on the date and these days, newspapers or media does not reminds us either. Gone are those sweet days when every newspaper announced the birthdays of these great personalities on the front page, now we keep track of day to day life of celebrities.

 

Swamiji was my type of hero. He dedicated his whole life for the well being of the deprived people. Left behind the legacy of Ram Krishna Mission. This still works tirelessly in the field.

 

His biography collected from internet: A spiritual genius of commanding intellect and power, Vivekananda crammed immense labor and achievement into his short life, 1863-1902 (6^th January, 1863 to July 4, 1902). Born in the Datta family of Calcutta, the youthful Vivekananda embraced the agnostic philosophies of the Western mind along with the worship of science.

 

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

 

After Sri Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda renounced the world and criss-crossed India as a wandering monk. His mounting compassion for India's people drove him to seek material help from the West. Accepting an opportunity to represent Hinduism at Chicago's Parliament of Religions in 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 then returned 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.

 

Any one who wants to know a little more :

http://www.writespirit.net/authors/swami_vivekananda/biography-swami-vivekananda/

 

http://www.vivekananda.org/biography.asp

Loving oneself

We are born and brought up with teachings that slowly and firmly instill a belief in us, that is, loving oneself is selfish. But if we honestly think, then we will realize, loving oneself is the natural thing. Every living being first loves him or her then others. There is nothing wrong in that. It becomes wrong if we sacrifice or use others for the sake of our well being.

 

There is a vast difference between loving oneself than others and using others for one’s happiness. I can always love myself more than anyone else yet live a completely unselfish life. A life without cheating or abusing anyone.

 

I believe to love and respect others one has to love and respect oneself first. Otherwise we will never be able to love and respect others.

 

If we love and respect ourselves truly, just the way we are that will work for our advantage. It will rid us of jealousy, inferiority complex etc.

 

I believe that it increases our capacity of loving others too. To love and accept others just the way they are. As we love and accept ourselves with all our vices and virtues. That teaches us that no one is perfect, but still every one is lovable. If we can love ourselves then we can love others too.