For some people in our country, it doesn't matter so much the accused is really guilty or innocent as to what religion he belongs. Some months back I was disgusted when I read that an NGO by the name "Combating Communalism" and the lady behind it Teesta Seetalvad was working hard for acquittal of Godhra accused. Now the chief witness has accused the very same people of forcing her to give false testimony in the Best Bakery case in order to convict accused who she are in fact innocent!
Inspiring Capsules from Vivekanand
I have been associated with a group of friends who are dedicated to the cause of spreading the message of Swami Vivekanand. One of the members frequently sends quotations from Vivekanand's writings on our e-group. Here's one of his mails ... truely inspiring!
On Work
1. It is better to wear out than to rust out.
2. Whenever you promise to do any work, you must do it exactly at the appointed time, or people lose their faith in you.
3. Whatever one has to do, one must apply to it one’s whole attention and energy for the time being. Pavhari Baba of Ghazipur would clean his brass water vessel with the same undivided attention as he used in his meditation, japa, worship, study, etc. He cleaned it so diligently that it shone like gold. He himself being the best example of the secret he once told us of work, "the means should be loved and cared for as if it were the end itself."
4. We must plunge heart and soul and body into the work. And until we be ready to sacrifice everything else to one idea and to one alone, we never, never will see the Light.
5. Great Enterprise, boundless courage, tremendous energy and, above all perfect obedience - these are the only traits that lead to individual and national regeneration.
6. Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it takes after his heart. But the intelligent man is he who can convert every work into one that suits his taste. No work is pretty. Everything in this world is like a banyan-seed, which, though appearing tiny as a mustard seed, has yet the gigantic banyan tree latent within it. He indeed is intelligent who notices this and succeeds in making all works truly great.
7. All work is spoilt by dilatoriness.
8. Best work is only done by alternate repose and work.
9. One who wastes one’s energy in dabbling in other people’s affairs and in other aimless activities can hardly have any energy left for performing a desirable duty. The sum total of the energy that can be exhibited by a person is a fixed quantity. As such, if it finds an outlet in useless way, it can no further be drawn on for any purposeful activity. One requires tremendous energy to realize the deeper truths of religion. That is why the religious books of all races advice the aspirants not to waste their energy in the enjoyments of sense-objects, but to preserve it through continence and other means.
10. About works also, it should be understood that nobody can wholly avoid doing something or other, and no work can be either good or wholly bad. If you undertake a good work, you are bound to do some amount of bad work along with it. As a result, along with the happiness derived from the good work, some amount of unhappiness and dissatisfaction also will come inevitably. If you want to avoid that much of evil, you will have to give up the hope of deriving the apparent happiness from the sense-enjoyment, that is to say, you will have to give up all the selfish motives and go on doing your works out of a sense of duty. That is what is called ‘work without motive’ (selfless work) . While instructing Arjuna about this in the Gita, Shri Krishna says "Work, but dedicate its fruit to me , that is say, work for me."
11. Purity, patience and perseverance are the three essentials to success, and above all love. (this is my pet one!)
12. I like to work on calmly and silently, and the Lord is always with me. Follow me, if you will, by being intensely sincere, perfectly unselfish and above all, by being perfectly pure.
13. The wind is blowing; those vessels whose sails unfurled catch it, and go forward on their way, but those which have their sails furled do not catch the wind. Is that fault of the wind? Is it the fault of the Merciful father,whose wind of mercy is blowing without ceasing day and night, whose mercy knows no decay, is it His fault that some of us are happy and some are unhappy? We make our own destiny.
14. Whatever you do,let that be your worship for the time.
Having spent so much time on this, I am sure it's time for me to get back to work. :-)
On Work
1. It is better to wear out than to rust out.
2. Whenever you promise to do any work, you must do it exactly at the appointed time, or people lose their faith in you.
3. Whatever one has to do, one must apply to it one’s whole attention and energy for the time being. Pavhari Baba of Ghazipur would clean his brass water vessel with the same undivided attention as he used in his meditation, japa, worship, study, etc. He cleaned it so diligently that it shone like gold. He himself being the best example of the secret he once told us of work, "the means should be loved and cared for as if it were the end itself."
4. We must plunge heart and soul and body into the work. And until we be ready to sacrifice everything else to one idea and to one alone, we never, never will see the Light.
5. Great Enterprise, boundless courage, tremendous energy and, above all perfect obedience - these are the only traits that lead to individual and national regeneration.
6. Even the greatest fool can accomplish a task if it takes after his heart. But the intelligent man is he who can convert every work into one that suits his taste. No work is pretty. Everything in this world is like a banyan-seed, which, though appearing tiny as a mustard seed, has yet the gigantic banyan tree latent within it. He indeed is intelligent who notices this and succeeds in making all works truly great.
7. All work is spoilt by dilatoriness.
8. Best work is only done by alternate repose and work.
9. One who wastes one’s energy in dabbling in other people’s affairs and in other aimless activities can hardly have any energy left for performing a desirable duty. The sum total of the energy that can be exhibited by a person is a fixed quantity. As such, if it finds an outlet in useless way, it can no further be drawn on for any purposeful activity. One requires tremendous energy to realize the deeper truths of religion. That is why the religious books of all races advice the aspirants not to waste their energy in the enjoyments of sense-objects, but to preserve it through continence and other means.
10. About works also, it should be understood that nobody can wholly avoid doing something or other, and no work can be either good or wholly bad. If you undertake a good work, you are bound to do some amount of bad work along with it. As a result, along with the happiness derived from the good work, some amount of unhappiness and dissatisfaction also will come inevitably. If you want to avoid that much of evil, you will have to give up the hope of deriving the apparent happiness from the sense-enjoyment, that is to say, you will have to give up all the selfish motives and go on doing your works out of a sense of duty. That is what is called ‘work without motive’ (selfless work) . While instructing Arjuna about this in the Gita, Shri Krishna says "Work, but dedicate its fruit to me , that is say, work for me."
11. Purity, patience and perseverance are the three essentials to success, and above all love. (this is my pet one!)
12. I like to work on calmly and silently, and the Lord is always with me. Follow me, if you will, by being intensely sincere, perfectly unselfish and above all, by being perfectly pure.
13. The wind is blowing; those vessels whose sails unfurled catch it, and go forward on their way, but those which have their sails furled do not catch the wind. Is that fault of the wind? Is it the fault of the Merciful father,whose wind of mercy is blowing without ceasing day and night, whose mercy knows no decay, is it His fault that some of us are happy and some are unhappy? We make our own destiny.
14. Whatever you do,let that be your worship for the time.
Having spent so much time on this, I am sure it's time for me to get back to work. :-)
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Quotation,
Swami Vivekanand
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