Over a period of time, I wrote some short quirks and quotes, mainly on Facebook. I am creating this page to keep putting a copy of them.
Quirks (self):
6 Sep 2020
Lalitha sahasranaama and other yoga texts talk about three knots:
(1) Brahma granthi – identification with physical body and dependence on the external world for security
(2) Vishnu granthi – identification with mind and dependence on external world for pleasure
(3) Rudra granthi – identification with individuality, claiming ownership of freewill, punya, paapa, etc
These also correspond to the purushaarthaas artha, kaama and dharma respectively. As a person proceeds on the spiritual path they get broken one by one in that sequence. These are done by Karma Yoga, Dhyaana Yoga and Jnaana Yoga respectively. A person who has attained the first two is called a Yogi as defined in 6.4. A person who has attained the third also is called a Jnaani as defined in 7.17-19, 3.27-28, 6.29-32, etc. In 12.6 and 12.7, Krishna says you get over the first two and have devotion to God. He will take care of the third for us. 15.3 says working with dispassion is the way to cross the first two knots. 15.4 says surrender to God is the way to cross the third knot.
6 Sep 2020
Essence of Bhagavad Gita: Sorrow comes because we seek security and pleasure in people, objects and situations in the world. Find alternate means to these two. Understanding Ishvara, law of Karma and doing Karma Yoga in the form of doing your duties, serving others and forbearance will free you from seeking security in worldly things. Doing Dhyaana Yoga in the form of japa, paaraayana, puja, meditation, etc will free you from seeking pleasure in worldly things. When you do these two, Ishvara will give you Spiritual Knowledge and you will be free from all sorrow forever. That is called Moksha. This is the path that Gita 12.6 and 12.7 shows.
18 Aug 2020
When you give some thing to a beggar, he will say, “Thank you”. When you give something to a monk, he will say, “Bless you”. A monk has more to give you than you can ever give to him. You give something tangible to receive something intangible.
BTW, the same holds good when you give to a beggar too. Because in both the cases, it the Lord alone who is receiving from you. The difference is that the monk knows it and the beggar doesn’t.
23 Apr 2020
Here is a generalization of what I read in an article on FB:
10 Steps To Manifesting ___________
- Be Clear About What You Need The ___________ For.
- Decide On How Much ___________ You Need.
- Get Rid Of The Limiting Beliefs.
- Act As If You Already Have ___________
- Believe That ___________ Is A Good Thing.
- Make A ___________ Dream Board.
- Amp Up Your Visualisation Process.
- Savour The Feel Of Having ___________
- Teach yourself what it means to have ___________
- Be Grateful for the ___________ you’ve had
You can fill the blank with anything you want:
– A particular character like patience, kindness, truthfulness, grit, diligence, etc
– A particular expertise like speaking, technology, skill, reading, writing, programming, knowledge, music, cooking, painting, language, etc
– A particular result like money, business, home, fame, position, power, education, certification, etc
Fill in what you want and read the list again.
10 Apr 2020
Interesting conversation
Today early morning, I found a person plucking flowers from some plants grown by us. It looked like he had been plucking regularly unknown to us.
Seeing me, he asked, “Can I pluck flowers? I didn’t find anyone around before to ask.”
I told him, “If you pluck these flowers and offer to God, surely we will get some punya. I don’t know what all you will get.”
He became confused and asked, “So, can I pluck or not?”
I smiled and replied, “You know what is right and what is not. You decide.”
He said, “I decide not to pluck flowers.”
I said, “Your wish.”
He thanked me and left.
People are inherently good. Just that they forget to think sometimes. A gentle reminder is enough.
03 Jan 2020
Some of my new year resolutions. Let me see how many I can keep till the end of the year. Please feel free to call me out if you find me violating any of them.
1. No sarcasm, cynicism or hidden message/agenda. Only straight forward communication.
2. Give full undivided attention to the person/people whom I am listening or talking to
3. No forwarding or spreading negativity. Spread only positivity.
4. Develop more efficiency in reading, listening, writing, working, etc
5. Multiply effectiveness by more delegation and close tracking of delegated work
6. Reading target: 25 books of 100 or more pages
01 Dec 2019
What I am convinced is this: We need to do Karma Yoga. We need to work as much as possible. Doesn’t matter if it is to family, profession, society, environment, etc. Just keep working for others. Take as minimum as possible for yourself. Reduce consumption to only what is needed to be able to give efficiently. Forebear everything that happens as Her will. Serve everyone as much as possible. Never cause grief to any living being as much as possible. When we do this for sufficient time, our Karmic balance will tilt. Then Bhakti, Jnana, Vairagya, Guru Kripa, Isvara Kripa, Sastra Kripa, Atma Kripa, everything will come on their own. Without enough Karma Yoga, Mahamaya will not unlock the door for all these. It is very simple. The key is in Her hands. We need to serve the world and the living beings to gain Her grace. When Her grace is got, everything will happen.
09 Oct 2019
Every person has multiple identities – family member, neighbor, citizen, speaker of a language, native of a state/country, practitioner of a religion or atheist, supporter of a specific social cause, employee of a company, fan of a book or movie, etc. Some people who are with me in one identity would be in the other in another identity. It is like the multilayered plywood with the grains running in different directions that give strength to the whole board. Identities give strength to individuals and societies. There is nothing wrong in identities as long as there is no “I am holier than thou” attitude. That is the one to be avoided in every identity.
18 Sep 2019
One night I was going on Thiruvannamalai Giripradakshina alone. It was around midnight. There was a woman, the front of whose house was operating as her tea shop. A pradakshina group of about 10 people were just leaving her shop after having tea. I asked her if she had tea. She said yes and gave me a glass of tea. When I wanted to pay her she refused to take money saying that this was just the left over of the tea she made for that group. I argued with her that the tea was fresh and I insisted on paying. Reluctantly she accepted the money for the tea. I was touched by her honesty and simplicity.
13 Sep 2019
You don’t need to be rich to give in charity. You don’t need to be free from sorrow to console others. You don’t need to be free from problems to help others. Give first. Then you will be filled more than before.
06 Sep 2019
I believe in only one thing: ”Unity of all Existence”. I believe that there is only One Thing/Person (aka God, Nature, etc.) and nothing else. Everything and everyone is a manifestation of that Divinity. The goal of everyone is to understand this and manifest it in every action and attitude. From this comes my morality, purpose, hope, empathy, etc.
28 Aug 2019
My teacher, Swami Paramarthanandaji, says repeatedly, “Don’t work FOR happiness. Happiness is just an attitude which is totally your choice, Independent of people, objects and situations around you. You don’t need to work for it. Just decide to be happy and be happy. Then, work as an EXPRESSION OF that happiness.”
22 Aug 2019
One day I didn’t have change in the bus. I had only a 2000 rupees note. I gave that to the conductor. He also did not have change. He wrote behind the ticket the balance amount that I need to get and asked me to collect it before I got down. I started reading a book. All through the journey, I kept reminding myself repeatedly at every short break from reading that I should not forget to collect the change. I realized that this is how I should remember the Lord in the midst of all activities.
21 Aug 2019
There is a big red rose in our garden right in front of the house, in the plain sight of hundreds of passers by, vendors, postmen, courier delivery boys, etc. It has been standing for more than a week and has started withering away naturally. I love the beautiful people of Bangalore.
15 Aug 2019
Success in life is not measured by what you have grabbed or accumulated from the world and other people. Success is measured by how much you have contributed to your family, society, country and humanity. Even in engineering, the merit of a machine is measured not by how much fuel it consumes. It is measured by how much output it gives for the least amount of fuel consumed. So, ask yourself, “kitna detaa hoon? – What is my mileage?” The less you consume and the more you contribute, the more efficient and successful you are.
15 Aug 2019
All over Bangalore, you can find people selling fruits, vegetables, tender coconut, etc in the roadsides. At night, they just put a plastic cover over it and tie it to protect from dust, rain, birds and animals. No locks. No security cameras. If you go out early morning, you see these all over the place. I am proud of the honesty and trust of the people. Jai hind !!!!
11 Aug 2019
My teacher used to always insist that people do two things for a healthy mind.
(1) Donate a percentage of earnings to any charity
(2) Involve in social service where we serve people in need directly
What I have observed is that giving in charity and serving people puts us in an “abundance mentality” automatically. To anyone he meets, most of the time his first question would be what that person is doing as social service. I feel social service is a good place that anyone can start to become psychologically healthy.
Even a poor man can give 2 or 5 percent in charity without much change in lifestyle. Richer people can give more.
Just like you have a savings plan, you should have a donation plan. Also, giving time to people is also important. Quality time is the biggest gift that you can give someone.
1 Aug 2019
When I got into the BMTC bus in the evening to go back home from work, I recognised that it is the same conductor in the bus that I took in the morning to work. I smiled at him and told him that. He replied, “Yes, Sir. I remember. And I had to give you two rupees change. You went away without asking for it.” He returned the morning’s two rupees also when he gave change !!! I meet God everyday !!!
28 July 2019
There was a disciple who was in search of a ruby. He kept searching in big ruby shops everywhere. He spent a considerable amount of time and energy on it. His Guru noticed it and gave him the address of his Guru-bhai (co-disciple). He asked the disciple to go and ask him. The Guru’s Guru-bhai had a wonderful smile on his face and seemed to be overflowing with endless joy. His was a face that a fortunate few have, that you naturally smile looking at. The disciple was received very cordially. When the disciple hesitatingly asked him about the ruby, he brought it out from his old shabby bag and said, “It is yours now.” The disciple looked at the big shining ruby and said, “It seems very costly. I don’t think I can afford it.” The master said with a big smile, “You don’t need to pay anything. I know it is costly and you cannot afford to buy it. Take it as a gift.” For a moment, the disciple’s heart was jumping with joy. He could not believe that he is in possession of the beautiful ruby now. Then he started thinking, “If the master is able to give away such a ruby at the drop of a hat, there should be some bigger treasure that he has. Otherwise how can he part with the ruby so easily with a stranger?” He asked the master, “Sir, I wish to have that treasure from you, by which this ruby seems a pittance.” The master appreciated the disciple for the brilliant demand. He said that God is that Infinite Treasure and he can get the Treasure by following his own Guru’s words. The disciple came back to his Guru and was able to focus on spiritual sadhana.
My daughter has learnt to drive scooter and is yet to be fully comfortable. So I let her drive with me sitting behind. Today morning while driving to college she got a bit too close to a car on the right and brushed on it. In panic, she gave the accelerator instead of brake and luckily recovered before hitting anything else. I got down, apologized to the car driver and came back to the scooter. She asked me to drive. Now, this is an important moment. If I take the scooter, it will take longer for her to recover her confidence. I insisted that nothing wrong happened and she should just continue to drive. She agreed and drove well the rest of the way. She kept enough distance from other vehicles – a lesson newly learnt the hard way.
Whenever there is a failure, we should take a short break if needed, get back with renewed strength and ensure to bring it to a logical conclusion. That is the important moment when we should not give up. Such crucial moments decide whether we grow in strength or succumb to failure.
Every time we fall, it is important to get up and continue. After we have got over the emotional phase, we can calmly decide the next course of action. We should not make any course correction in an emotionally disturbed state.
I am happy to have applied today what I have learnt in theory before.
Q: How old are you?
A: I am eternal.
Q: Okay … I mean … how old is your body?
A: Well, it is estimated to be about 13.8 billion years.
Europe was the cradle of several religions like Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Norse, Gaul, etc. What happened to them? Where are the great temples to Zeus, Apollo, Osiris, Odin, etc.? North and South Americas had Native American religions with their own philosophy, mythology, rituals, etc. Where are the Mayan and Inca temples? What happened to them? Where is religious tolerance? How do we revive the destroyed religions? How do we get back the lost and endangered human cultures?
What is worth pursuing? According to Hinduism, three things are worth pursuing. You can take three things with you after death. (1) The merits of your good deeds of helping others. (2) The good character that you have developed, like freedom from anger, arrogance, etc. (3) The wisdom about yourself and the world that you have gained.
Q: Why are there so many gurus and cults in India?
A: Because there is real freedom in India to follow and propagate what one believes in. There is no prejudice of “only true book” or “only true God”. There is full freedom at a very deep psychological and social level. So people are willing to try and experiment in religion. So there is a lot of dynamism. Everyday new sects arise, old sects vanish, useful ones stay longer, sects split, sects merge. India is a huge active cauldron of religion.
Reply to a few friends who asked me what I thought of Asaram Bapu’s conviction: Praising him for the good things he did and letting the due process of the law of the land for the bad things he did, shows the maturity of the society. It would have been condemnable if he was supported when bad things have been proved in a court of law (not just media claims). The dynamism and openness of Hinduism allows and encourages people to seek spirituality wherever they want, keep freely switching from one to another. It also encourages people to experiment with new ways to seek God and to express spirituality. Among the hundreds and thousands of spiritual leaders, a couple of them here and there would be found not up to the mark and they will fall. As long as a spade is called a spade, this is a part of the system. Just because a person has a big following, he should not be able to get away with nonsense. I love this freedom, openness, progressiveness and transparency.
Material achievement of the West is not its goal. It is a by-product. Also, Material achievement of the West is a consequence, not the cause.
The achievement of the West is the Western Civilisation, which are concepts like democracy, universal documented legal system, rule of universal law, individual liberty, dignity of labour, fraternity, application of logic and due deliberation, honesty of public servants and police, sense of cleanliness, application of technology to solve human problems, moral responsibility of suffering of the common man all over the world, etc. There may be some individual failings, but these are the achievements and the foundations. It is these that any other country, including India should learn from and incorporate in their society.
One important shift in thinking and attitude needed to speed up personal development in any field – material or relationship or intellectual or spiritual – is to switch from a “bhokta” (experiencer) mode to “karta” (doer) mode. Life is not what happens to me. Life is what I do. Making this fundamental switch will avoid a lot of wastage of energy and save from a lot of heartburn.
Try implementing this one shift for one day: Life is not what happens to me. Life is what I do.
You will see a whole set of new possibilities opening up to you.
I have gone through a lot of self-help books. Everywhere the points are the same:
– You are the maker of your destiny
– Integrity is the bedrock of personality and success
– Have a goal and work towards it
– Strive for a win-win with the people with whom you interact
– Always keep learning
Everything else can be derived from these 5 points.
A message from the Bible to think about:
The King (Jesus) will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
– Matthew 25.34 to 25.40
Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The Kingdom of God doesn’t come with observation; neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 17:20, 17:21
Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.”
John 18:36
There was a discussion on Pure Consciousness in the Vivekananda Study Circle at IISc. We discovered that if we say or think “I am” and really mean it by the word “I”, we cannot say or think that so easily. The mind slows down considerably and even stops for a few moments just by thinking “I” correctly. Thought does not proceed, words do not come. We need to stop thinking about the real “I” to be able to think or speak. I was glad to notice that this was the experience of several of the regular students.
When someone tells you that he/she likes you, be very careful. A lion likes a deer, but that is not good for the deer. There are two types of liking: (1) I like you; you are very useful. (2) I like you; I will help you. The best is when both these are operating simultaneously. There is both give and take from both people.
I have a favourite pastime
When I sit in a bus or any crowded place, I see the faces of strangers passing by and wonder how much history, hopes, disappointments, values, successes, failures, loves, betrayals, ambitions, optimism, fears, etc. is behind each face. Each person is such a complex psychological entity shaped by so many experiences – faced, heard, read and imagined. It is mind boggling.In this complex life, anything that I can do to someone, which can give even a slightly better hope, better opportunity, or even just some solace by which they can face their life situations with more confidence and optimism, would be a small service to that person and a worship of God in that form. This is what I have learnt and this is what I believe.
Three core values from Bhagavad Gita (12.4) for everyone:
1. sarva bhoota hite rathaah – Seeking the welfare of all living beings; helping everyone as much as possible with an attitude of service
2. sanniyamyendriya graamam – Regulation and control over the sense organs and the mind; quality insistence and quantity moderation in eating, sleeping, working, talking and sense indulgence
3. sarvatra sama buddhayah – Having equanimity amidst the ups and downs of life; facing life with courage, perseverence, dignity and humility without being overwhelmed by failure or carried away by success
Social inequality and economic inequality are different and independent today. Affirmative action on one cannot solve the problem of inequality in the other.
Reservations for secular education, job, etc. should be based on economic status. These cannot solve the problem of social inequality.
Affirmative action in social and cultural areas – like teaching classical music, classical dance, religious education, teaching to celebrate festivals in a refined manner, replacing animal sacrifice with more non-violent rituals, teaching basic rituals of puja, japa, etc that can be done everyday/weekly/etc., chanting Thirukkural, Gita, Vishnu sahasranaama, etc., singing bhajans – are needed to bring about social equality.
Vannaarapettai = Madivaala = Dhobi ghat = … Washington
I am not secular. I am a Hindu. That implies that I am a religious pluralist and a spiritual humanist.
I have three questions: 1. How do I inspire a person to be honest even if it will cost his life? 2. How do I inspire a person not to give up in life even in the face of thousands of failures? 3. How do I inspire a person to be humble even in the midst of tremendous success?
If you offer a practical solution to these three questions that can help a common man, who cannot think too much, cannot be unbiased, detached, etc., I will be very interested. I can see that religion has been catering to this with all its after-life concepts, God, etc. (That religion has been misused by some people to gain power and pleasure is not a fault of religion. Everything in this world has been similarly misused. So let us put that aside for now.)
Quirks (collected):
22 July 2019
*An Empty Boat* ⛵
A monk decides to meditate alone, away from his monastery.
He takes his boat out to the middle of the lake, moors it there, closes his eyes and begins his meditation.
With his eyes still closed, he senses his anger rising, and by the time he opens his eyes, he is ready to scream at the boatman who dared disturb his meditation.
But when he opens his eyes, he sees it’s an empty boat that had probably got untethered and floated to the middle of the lake.
At that moment, the monk achieves self-realization, and understands that the anger is within him; it merely needs the bump of an external object to provoke it out of him.
From then on, whenever he comes across someone who irritates him or provokes him to anger,
he reminds himself, *“The other person is merely an empty boat. The anger is within me.”*
Take time for introspection & search for answer:
“Empty boat” is a famous & fabulous metaphor. Its value lies in its implementation.😇😇
A beautiful story that I read today:
*MARIA’S NEW HAT!!!👒*
Maria lived with her mother in a small apartment in NYC.
She wasn’t too young or too old..
not too short or too tall..
not particularly beautiful nor ugly..
She was just an average woman.
She worked as a secretary at a large company and her life was pretty much boring and mundane.
No one at work paid any attention to her…
Those that did considered her to be as boring as her life was.
One morning, on her way to work, Maria saw a new hat shop that opened down the street.
In a spur of curiosity she walked in!
In the shop was a little girl and her mother,
who came to pick the girl a hat, and another customer who was trying on hats…
Maria also tried on a few hats, until she found one she liked.
She put it on and
It looked nice!
First to notice was the little girl : “Mommy, look how pretty that woman looks with the hat on!”
The mother said:
“Ma’am, I must say, this hat just looks wonderful on you!”
The second buyer also came to look : “Ma’am, you look lovely with that hat on!”
Maria went to the mirror..
She looked at herself..
And for the first time in her adult life..
She liked what she saw.
Smiling, she went to the counter and bought the hat.
As she walked outside a new world revealed itself to her.
She never before noticed the colors of the flowers..
or the scent of the fresh air..
The sound of the cars and the people..
sounded like an harmonious melody..
She walked as if drifting on a cloud..
with a song in her heart..
When she passed by the coffee shop she walked by every morning,
one of the young handsome man called out to her:
“Hey darling..looking good!
Are you new here?
Can I buy you a cup of coffee? ”
She smiled shyly and kept walking..
Floating on her cloud…
When she got to the office building, the doorman opened the door and wished her Good Morning..
Never before had he even noticed her!
The people in the elevator asked her the floor she needed and pressed the button for her.
The people at the office, as if seeing her for the first time, flattered her on how lovely she looked today.
The manager asked her out to lunch to talk about how she felt at work!
When this magical workday was over she decided to take a cab home instead of the bus.
As soon as she put her hand up 2 taxis stopped!
She took the first one and sat in the back seat..
Thinking about the miraculous day she had and how her life changed!! Thanks to the new hat!
When she got home, her mom opened the door.
The sight of Maria took her breath away!
“Maria” she said surprised “How beautiful you look! Your eyes are all lit up like when you were a little girl! ”
“Yes, mother” Said Maria
“It’s all thanks to my new hat, I had the most marvelous day!”
“Maria” said her mother
“What hat??”
*Maria panicked.*
She touched her head and saw that the hat that changed her life was not there… She didn’t remember taking it off in the cab..
Or at lunch..
Or at the office..
She thought back to the store where she had bought it..
How she noticed it for the first time..
She put it on..
Paying for it at the cashier’s…
And she remembered painfully now..
How she put it on the counter..
To get her purse out to pay..
And how she forgot the hat right there..
On the counter…
Then she walked out to the street..
Hat-less yet glowing!
It wasn’t the hat that freed Maria,
it was the quality of her thoughts!
*_Our thoughts can enslave us into a horrible bondage or liberate us towards sweet freedom: to be, do, or have anything we wish for!!!_*
This is called as Placebo effect..
Your mind is so powerful that it can create poison as well as Nectar.
You just need to know how to create it.
🌿🌿
When Abraham Lincoln became the president of America, his father was a shoemaker. And, naturally, egoistic people were very much offended that a shoemaker’s son should become the president. On the first day, as Abraham Lincoln entered to give his inaugural address, just in the middle, one man stood up. He was a very rich aristocrat. He said, “Mr. Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.” And the whole Senate laughed; they thought that they had made a fool of Abraham Lincoln.
But certain people are made of a totally different mettle. Lincoln looked at the man directly in the eye and said, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes for your family, and there will be many others here because he made shoes the way nobody else can.
He was a creator. His shoes were not just shoes; he poured his whole soul into them. I want to ask you, have you any complaint? Because I know how to make shoes myself. If you have any complaint I can make you another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator and I am proud of my father”.
The whole Senate was struck dumb. They could not understand what kind of man Abraham Lincoln was. He was proud because his father did his job so well, with so much enthusiasm, such a passion, and perfection.
It does not matter what you do. What matters is how you do it – of your own accord, with your own vision, with your own love. Then whatever you touch becomes gold.
Moral: No one can hurt you without your consent. It is not what happens to us that hurts us. It is our response that hurts us.
*“Ships don’t sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside you and weigh you down”
Quotes:
Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don’t have brains enough to be honest.
– Benjamin Franklin
The eternal, the infinite, the omnipresent, the omniscient is a principle, not a person. You, I, and everyone are but embodiments of that principle, and the more of this infinite principle is embodied in a person, the greater is he, and all in the end will be the perfect embodiment of that and thus all will be one as they are now essentially. This is all there is of religion, and the practice is through this feeling of oneness that is love.
– Swami Vivekananda
As manifested beings we appear to be separate, but our reality is one, and the less we think of ourselves as separate from that One, the better for us. The more we think of ourselves as separate from the Whole, the more miserable we become. From this monistic principle we get at the basis of ethics, and I venture to say that we cannot get any ethics from anywhere else.
– Swami Vivekananda.
Practical patriotism means not mere sentiment or even emotion of love of the motherland but a passion to serve our fellow-countrymen.
– Swami Vivekananda
Hinduism is not a definitive dogmatic creed, but a vast, complex, but subtly unified mass of spiritual thought and realization. Its tradition of the godward endeavour of the human spirit has been continuously enlarging through the ages.
– Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
“The Vedanta is not ‘a’ religion, but religion itself in its most universal and deepest significance.” – Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
All religions should reside everywhere, for all of them desire self-control and purity of heart. … Contact (between religions) is good. One should listen to and respect the doctrines professed by others. Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, desires that all should be well-learned in the good doctrines of other religions.
– From the rock edicts of King Ashoka dated to around 250BC
Social laws were created by economic conditions under the sanction of religion. The terrible mistake of religion was to interfere in social matters. But how hypocritically it says and thereby contradicts itself, “Social reform is not the business of religion”! True, what we want is that religion should not be a social reformer, but we insist at the same time that society has no right to become a religious law-giver. Hands off! Keep yourself to your own bounds and everything would come right.
– Swami Vivekananda
Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.
– Karl Popper
God is everywhere but He is most manifest in man. So serve man as God. That is as good as worshiping God.
– Sri Ramakrishna
The last word of all religion, philosophy, morality and altruism:
na tu aham kaamaye raajyam na swargam na apunarbhavam
kaamaye dukha taptaanam praaninaam aarti naashanam
I do not wish a kingdom or heaven or salvation. I only wish that living beings should be free from sorrow and suffering.
(A prayer from Mahabhaarata/Bhaagavatam)
“It is impossible for me to reconcile myself to the idea of conversion after the style that goes on in India and elsewhere today. It is an error which is perhaps the greatest impediment to the world’s progress toward peace. Why should a Christian want to convert a Hindu to Christianity? Why should he not be satisfied if the Hindu is a good or godly man?”
– Mahatma Gandhi
“Let me tell you again that you must be pure and help any one who comes to you, as much as lies in your power. And this is good Karma. By the power of this, the heart becomes pure (Chittashuddhi), and then Shiva who is residing in everyone will become manifest. He is always in the heart of everyone.”
– Swami Vivekananda
What should we do to our selfishness?
If your religion has not made you selfless, sympathetic, serviceful and sacrificing then bundle it up and throw it into the sea. It is not religion. It is delusion. Start a new and begin to become truly religious. Behold the presence of God in all and worship Him through ceaseless service in dedicated spirit. Trample down your selfishness. There is no greater disease than selfishness. O Seeker! Cleanse thyself of this disease and become beloved of God. Religion must be living and it must enter into your daily life. And it must regulate your relations with the rest of your fellowmen. Otherwise it is at best lop-sided and little understood, and it defeats its own purpose and will avail you nothing.
– Sri Swami Chidananda
After so much austerity, I have understood this as the real truth—God is present in every Jiva; there is no other God besides that. “Who serves Jiva, serves God indeed”. What I have told you today, inscribe in your heart. See that you do not forget it.
—Swami Vivekananda
From Reminiscences about Swami Vivekananda by one of his Western woman disciples: Then we found that this man whom we had set up in our minds as an exalted being did not observe the conventions of our code. All fine men reverence womanhood; the higher the type, the greater the reverence. But here was one who gave no heed to the little attentions which ordinary men paid us. We were allowed to climb up and slide down the rocks without an extended arm to help us. When he sensed our feeling, he answered, as he so often did, our unspoken thought. “If you were old or weak or helpless, I should help you. But you are quite able to jump across this brook or climb this path without help. You are as able as I am. Why should I help you? Because you are a woman? That is chivalry, and don’t you see that chivalry is only sex? Don’t you see what is behind all these attentions from men to women?” Strange as it may seem, with these words came a new idea of what true reverence for womanhood means. And yet, he it was, who wishing to get the blessing of the one who is called the Holy Mother, the wife and disciple of Shri Ramakrishna, sprinkled Ganga water all the way so that he might be purified when he appeared in her presence. She was the only one to whom he revealed his intention. Without her blessing, he did not wish to go to the West. Never did he approach her without falling prostrate at her feet
You will find that in the Vedic or Upanishadic age Maitreyi, Gârgi, and other ladies of revered memory have taken the places of Rishis through their skill in discussing about Brahman. In an assembly of a thousand Brahmanas who were all erudite in the Vedas, Gargi boldly challenged Yâjnavalkya in a discussion about Brahman. Since such ideal women were entitled to spiritual knowledge, why shall not the women have the same privilege now? What has happened once can certainly happen again. History repeats itself. All nations have attained greatness by paying proper respect to women. That country and that nation which do not respect women have never become great, nor will ever be in future. The principal reason why your race has so much degenerated is that you have no respect for these living images of Shakti. Manu says, “Where women are respected, there the gods delight; and where they are not, there all works and efforts come to naught.” (Manu, III. 56.) There is no hope of rise for that family or country where there is no estimation of women, where they live in sadness.
– Swami Vivekananda to an Indian disciple.
“I would say to my countrymen that India has a mission to fulfil, and it is because of this that India still lives. There is nothing mystic in this word ‘mission’. India has something original to contribute to the culture and civilization of the world in almost every department of human life. In the midst of Her present degradation and slavery, the contribution She has been making is by no means a small one. Just imagine for a moment how great Her contribution will be once She is free to develop along Her own lines and in accordance with Her own requirements.”
– Netaji Subash Chandra Bose.