Interesting Incidents from the Life of Swami Vivekananda – Part 3

Swamiji has had a very peculiar experience since his very boyhood; he occasionally felt that certain events or circumstances that come in his life were a repetition of something he was already acquainted with. Here is the account of the same in his words:

From my very boyhood, whenever I came in contact with a particular object, man or place, it would sometimes appear to me as if I had been acquainted with it beforehand. But all my efforts to recollect the particulars were unsuccessful, and yet the impression persisted. I will give you an instance: One day I was discussing various topics with my friends at a particular place. Suddenly something was said, which at once reminded me that in some time past in this very house I had talked with these friends on that very subject and that the discussion had even taken the same turn. Later on I thought that it might be due to the law of transmigration. But soon I decided that such definite conclusions on the subject were not reasonable. Now I believe that before I was born I must have had visions somehow, of those subjects and people with whom I would have to come in contact in my present birth. Such memories have come every now and then throughout my life.

Interesting Incidents from the Life of Swami Vivekananda – Part 2

Swami Vivekananda used to see two contradictory ideals as soon as he went to bed at night; given below is the complete description in Swamiji’s words:

As soon as I went to bed, two ideals appeared before me every night ever since I had reached my youth. One vision presented me as a person of endless wealth and prosperity, innumerable servants and dependants, high rank and dignity, great pomp and power. I thought that I was seated at the head of those who were called big men in the world. I felt I certainly had the power to achieve this end. Again, the next moment, I felt as if I had given up everything of the world and was leading a life of renunciation, putting on a loincloth, eating whatever was available without effort, spending nights under trees, and depending solely on God’s will. I felt I could live the life of the Rishis and the Munis if I wanted. These two opposite pictures, according to which I could mould my life, thus arose in my mind. But the latter would grip the mind in the end. I thought that it was in this way alone that man could attain real bliss, and that I should follow this path and not the other. Brooding on the happiness of such a life, my mind would then merge in the contemplation of God and I would fall asleep. It is a matter of astonishment that this happened every night, for a long time.

Interesting Incidents from the Life of Swami Vivekananda – Part 1

Swamiji was not an ordinary person right from his childhood. Almost his whole life, starting from his childhood till his last day on earth, was full of many interesting and inspirational incidents, which not only teach us certain important lessons about life, but also inspire us. Here, I am presenting a series of unusual and interesting experiences of Swami Vivekananda and incidents from his life in his own words. I hope the readers will admire the series and learn from it.

Swamiji used to have a certain peculiar kind of experience when he went to sleep. Given under is the account in Swamiji’s own words:

Swami Vivekananda in Meditation

 

I used to see all my life a wonderful point of light between my eyebrows, as soon as I shut my eyes in order to go to sleep, and I used to observe attentively its various changes. So that it might be convenient to see it, I used to lie on my bed in the way people bow down touching the ground with their foreheads. The extraordinary point keep changing its colours and increasing in size, became gradually converted into the form of a ball, and bursting at last, covered my body from head to foot with white liquid light. As soon as that happened, I lost consciousness and fell asleep. I believed that all people went to sleep that way. I was long under that impression. When I grew up and began to practise meditation, that point of light used to come before me as soon as I closed my eyes, and then I concentrated my mind on it. In those days I daily practised meditation with a few friends according to the instructions of Maharishi Devendranath. We talked among ourselves about the nature of visions and experiences that each of us had. At that time I came to know from what they said that they never had the vision of such a light and that none of them went to sleep in that way.

Swami Vivekananda to the Youth of India

• Men, men, these are wanted: everything else will be ready, but strong, vigorous, believing young men, sincere to the backbone, are wanted. A hundred such and the world become revolutionized.

• Come out and be men! India wants the sacrifice of at least a thousand of her young men — men, mind you, and not brutes.
• Chastity is the first virtue in man or woman.
• He who has no faith in himself can never have faith in God.
• Faith, faith, faith in ourselves, faith, faith in God this is the secret of greatness.
• He is an atheist who does not believe in himself.
• 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.
• All the strength and succor you want is within yourselves. Therefore make your own future.
• Whatever we shall be in the future will be the result of what we think and do now.
• The remedy for weakness is not brooding over weakness, but thinking of strength.
• Anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually and spiritually, reject as poison.
• It is character that cleaves its way through adamantine walls of difficulties.
• Character is repeated habits, and repeated habits alone can reform character.
• What I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which the thunderbolt is made.
• Let us all work hard, my brethren, this is no time for sleep. On our work depends the coming of the India of the future.
• Utter no words of condemnation. Close your lips, and let your hearts open.
• All condemnation of others really condemns ourselves.
• Religion and religion alone is the life of India, and when that goes India will die.
• Purity in thought, speech and act is absolutely necessary for anyone to be religious.
• The Indian nation cannot be killed, so long as her people do not give up their spirituality.
• The mainspring of the strength of every race lies in its spirituality, and the death of that race begins the day that spirituality wanes and materialism gains ground.
• Purity, patience and perseverance are the three essentials of success and above all – LOVE.
• He who struggles is better than he who never attempts.
• It is a privilege to serve mankind, for this is the worship of God.
• Even thinking of the least good of others gradually instils into the heart, the strength of a lion.
• They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.
• Arise! Awake! And Stop Not till the goal is reached.