Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda

News: National Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12th January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Background:
• The message and teachings of Swami Vivekananda, who was one of the most well-known spiritual leaders of India, outlive him. He preached ‘neo-Vedanta’, an interpretation of Hinduism through a Western lens, and believed in combining spirituality with material progress.
• Quotes such as “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached” have become a source of inspiration for many. 
• In this article we will understand meaning and context of above quote which Swami Vivekananda took from Katha Upanishad.  

What is the meaning of the quote?
• The quote reflects the basis of Swami Vivekanada’s philosophy, which says human beings have infinite power and strength within themselves. Vivekananda, in his speeches and work, reiterated and exhorted the youth to “take one idea” and make that one idea their life. 
• Strength and fearlessness were the two keywords he used to urge the youth to imbibe in their lives to achieve their true potential. 
• Swami Vivekananda appealed to the youth to follow the religion of fearlessness, for that is the only way to achieve any goal. He decried inactivity and ‘hypnotism’ of weakness, which he believed are the biggest deterrent to achieving anything. 
• To remain focused on any goal, Swami Vivekananda claimed that patience, perseverance, and purity are required. He categorically articulated that it is the calm, forgiving, equable and well-balanced mind that does the greatest amount of work. 
• Swami Vivekananda also stressed the importance of concentration to achieve one’s goals. “The world is ready to give up its secrets if we only know how to knock, how to give it the necessary blow and that can be done through concentration of the powers of the mind. The strength and the force of the blow come through concentration.” 
• To highlight the importance of work, he even said that through work even God can be attained. He called on the youth to wake up from their slumber and be awake to the divinity within themselves, which can lead to their success in every sphere of their lives. 

What are other important quotes of Swami Vivekananda?
• “Freedom can never be reached by the weak. Throw away all weakness. Tell your body that it is strong, tell your mind that it is strong, and have unbounded faith and hope in yourself.”
• “I stand for truth. Truth will never ally itself with falsehood. Even if all the world should be against me, Truth must prevail in the end.”
• “Ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die. Be of good cheer and believe that we are selected by the Lord to do great things, and we will do them.”