LOOK WITHIN!!!!!!

TAKE ME TO THAT PLACE

I sat down in silence and gazed at Him

                 deep in his eyes

I stared at his mesmerizing looks, His

      incandescent blue body

I was so tired of being caught up with this world,

           there had to be something more

I felt too much sorrow;it was like a fire that 

    consumed me with overpowering heat

And it burned....and i watched it

Did i really have to go through this?

I looked at him deeply once again and said,

                "take me to that place...."

where droplets of rain come trickling down in the form of 

            your name to sooth these aching wounds

Where every thought that originates from this mind is

            pure and generates no more harm

Where every action that unfolds from this body is an 

            instrument of your grace and guidance

Where i can dance and loose myself in a natural intoxication

                    to the beat of your drum

"Take me there...take me to that place.."

     I said to him over and over again

He looked right back at me with a gentle smile

                         On his face, 

                      He said, "My child, look within.

                                  you are in that.........

THE WARRIOR IN SAFFRON

When I Asked God for Strength


He Gave Me Difficult Situations to Face




When I Asked God for Brain & Brown


He Gave Me Puzzles in Life to Solve




When I Asked God for Happiness


He Showed Me Some Unhappy People




When I Asked God for Wealth


He Showed Me How to Work Hard




When I Asked God for Favors


He Showed Me Opportunities to Work Hard




When I Asked God for Peace


He Showed Me How to Help Others




God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted


He Gave Me Everything I Needed .....

He is perhaps best known for his inspiring speech which began: "Sisters and Brothers of America," World’s Parliament of Religions  held in Chicago in 1893

Narendra Nath Datta

Life and Teachings 

Swami Vivekananda, known in his pre -monastic life as Narendra Nath Datta, was born in an affluent family in Kolkata on 12 January 1863. His father, Vishwanath Datta, was a successful attorney with interests in a wide range of subjects, and his mother, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, was endowed with deep devotion, strong character and other qualities. A precocious boy, Narendra excelled in music, gymnastics and studies. By the time he graduated from Calcutta University, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects, especially Western philosophy and history. Born with a yogic temperament, he used to practise meditation even from his boyhood, and was associated with Brahmo Movement for some time.

Meeting of his spiritual guru Sri Ramakrishna

SRI RAMAKRISHNA PARMAHAMSA

 
At the threshold of youth Narendra had to pass through a period of spiritual crisis and had doubts about the existence of God. It was at that time he first heard about Sri Ramakrishna from one of his English professors at college. One day in November 1881, Narendra went to meet Sri Ramakrishna who was staying at the Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar. He straightaway asked the Master a question which he had put to several others but had received no satisfactory answer: “Sir, have you seen God?” Without a moment’s hesitation, Sri Ramakrishna replied: “Yes, I have. I see Him as clearly as I see you, only in a much intenser sense.” Though Narendra did not accept Ramakrishna as his guru initially and revolted against his ideas, he was attracted by his personality and visited him frequently. He initially looked upon Ramakrishna's ecstasies and visions as, "mere figments of imagination","mere hallucinations"Though at first Narendra could not accept Ramakrishna and his visions, he could not neglect him either.During the course of five years of his training under Ramakrishna, Narendra was transformed from a restless, puzzled, impatient youth to a mature man who was ready to renounce everything for the sake of God-realisation. In time, Narendra accepted Ramakrishna as his guru, and when he accepted, his acceptance was whole-hearted and with complete surrendering as disciple
Apart from removing doubts from the mind of Narendra, Sri Ramakrishna won him over through his pure, unselfish love. Thus began a guru-disciple relationship which is quite unique in the history of spiritual masters. Narendra now became a frequent visitor to Dakshineshwar and, under the guidance of the Master, made rapid strides on the spiritual path. At Dakshineshwar, Narendra also met several young men who were devoted to Sri Ramakrishna, and they all became close friends.After a few years two events took place which caused Narendra considerable distress. One was the sudden death of his father in 1884. This left the family penniless, and Narendra had to bear the burden of supporting his mother, brothers and sisters. The second event was the illness of Sri Ramakrishna which was diagnosed to be cancer of the throat.The disciples nursed the Master with devoted care. In spite of poverty at home and inability to find a job for himself, Narendra joined the group as its leader.

The Birth As SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

Sri Ramakrishna instilled in these young men the spirit of renunciation and brotherly love for one another. One day he distributed ochre robes among them and sent them out to beg food. In this way he himself laid the foundation for a new monastic order. He gave specific instructions to Narendra about the formation of the new monastic Order. In the small hours of 16 August 1886 Sri Ramakrishna gave up his mortal body.After the Master’s passing, fifteen of his young disciples (one more joined them later) began to live together in a dilapidated building at Baranagar in North Kolkata. Under the leadership of Narendra, they formed a new monastic brotherhood, and in 1887 they took the formal vows of sannyasa, thereby assuming new names. Narendra now became Swami Vivekananda although this name was actually assumed much later.

 

Awareness of Life’s Mission By The Wandering Monk

BELUR MATH

After establishing the new monastic order, Vivekananda heard the inner call for a greater mission in his life. While most of the followers of Sri Ramakrishna thought of him in relation to their own personal lives, Vivekananda thought of the Master in relation to India and the rest of the world. In the middle of 1890, Swamiji embarked on a long journey of exploration and discovery of India as a messenger of Sri Ramakrishna. During his travels all over India, Swami Vivekananda was deeply moved to see the appalling poverty and backwardness of the masses. He was the first religious leader in India to understand and openly declare that the real cause of India’s downfall was the neglect of the masses. He saw that, in spite of poverty, the masses clung to religion, but they had never been taught the life-giving, ennobling principles of Vedanta and how to apply them in practical life.Thus the masses needed two kinds of knowledge: secular knowledge to improve their economic condition, and spiritual knowledge to infuse in them faith in themselves and strengthen their moral sense. He wanted “to set in motion a machinery which will bring noblest ideas to the doorstep of even the poorest and the meanest.” It was to serve as this 'machinery’ that Swamiji founded the Ramakrishna Mission a few years later. 

  

Indian Messenger To The West (1893–1897)

AT THE WORLD 
PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS
CHICAGO

When these ideas were taking shape in his mind in the course of his wanderings that Swami Vivekananda heard about the World’s Parliament of Religions to be held in Chicago in 1893. His friends and admirers in India wanted him to attend the Parliament.His journey to America took him through China and Canada and he arrived at Chicago in July 1893

Though initially nervous, he bowed to Saraswati, the goddess of learning and began his speech with, "Sisters and brothers of America!". To these words he got a standing ovation from a crowd of seven thousand, which lasted for two minutes. When silence was restored he began his address. He greeted the youngest of the nations in the name of "the most ancient order of monks in the world, the Vedic order of sannyasins, a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance."And he quoted two illustrative passages in this relation, from the Bhagvad Gita—"As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee!" and "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths that in the end lead to Me." Despite being a short speech, it voiced the spirit of the Parliament and its sense of universality. He spoke several more times at the Parliament on topics related to Hinduism and Buddhism. The parliament ended on 27 September 1893. All his speeches at the Parliament and outside made him famous as an ‘orator by divine right’ and as a ‘Messenger of Indian wisdom to the Western world’. After the Parliament, Swamiji spent nearly three and a half years spreading Vedanta as lived and taught by Sri Ramakrishna, mostly in the eastern parts of USA and also in London.

Soon after his return to Kolkata, Swami Vivekananda accomplished another important task of his mission on earth. He founded on 1 May 1897 a unique type of organization known as Ramakrishna Mission.

Devoted Friends Or Diciples

SISTER NIVEDITA

Many westerners were influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s life and message. Some of them became his disciples or devoted friends.Among them the names of Margaret Noble (later known as Sister Nivedita), Captain and Mrs Sevier, Josephine McLeod and Sara Ole Bull, are to be cited  . Nivedita dedicated her life to educating girls in Kolkata. Swamiji had many Indian disciples also, some of whom joined Ramakrishna Math and became sannyasins.

J. J. GOODWIN

A special mention should be made about J.J. Goodwin about whom Swami Vivekananda wrote: "Those who think they have been helped by any thought of mine, ought to know that almost every word of it was published through the untiring and most unselfish exertions of Mr. Goodwin...a disciple of never-failing devotion, a worker who knew not what tiring was...."

THE WARRIOR IN SAFFRON

1863 - 1902

"MAHASAMADHI" - The Final Call 

His tours, hectic lecturing engagements, private discussions and correspondence had taken their toll on his health. He was suffering from many physical ailments A few days prior to his demise, he was seen intently studying the almanac. Three days before his death he pointed out the spot for this cremation—the one at which a temple in his memory stands today. He had remarked to several persons that he would not live to be forty.Vivekanada - The WARRIOR IN SAFFRON, died at 10 minutes past 9 on July 4 1902 while he was meditating. According to his disciples, this was "MAHASAMADHI". Afterward, his disciples recorded that they had noticed "a little blood" in the Swami's nostrils, about his mouth and in his eyes. The doctors remarked that it was due to the rupture of a blood-vessel in the brain, but they could not find the real cause of the death. According to his disciples, Brahmarandhra — the aperture in the crown of the head — must have been pierced when he attained Mahasamadhi. Vivekananda had fulfilled his own prophecy of not living to be forty years old.The funeral pyre of Swami Vivekananda was built and the body was consigned to the flames on the bank of Ganga in Belur. On the other bank of the river,Ramakrishna had been cremated sixteen years before.

Before his Mahasamadhi he had written to a Western follower: 

“It may be that I shall find it good to get outside my body, to cast it off like a worn out garment. But I shall not cease to work. I shall inspire men everywhere until the whole world shall know that it is one with God.”   


 "They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.
This is the gist of all worship – to be pure and to do good to others... "

EVERYTIME I TALK , READ, WRITE OR JUST THINK ABOUT HIM, TEARS FILL MY EYES.......

YES, HE HAS INSPIRED ME TOO.  

Meet you soon.... 

DEFYING DESTINY

"We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what   you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they   travel far.
You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself".......SWAMI VIVEKANANDA.

Recently i read the autobiography of Swami Vivekananda and to tell you the truth my thinking has been greatly influenced by his speech. I know it sounds too unreal but i bet,you say the same thing when u read it that is his power and ability to convey ideas to questioning minds in a convincing manner. He was a man who realized the truth and who spread the truth all over the world. My inspiration comes from there. Now let's read the lives of some extraordinary people who defied their destiny and are living proofs that people can overcome anything.

Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic: a man with no limbs who teaches people how to get up.

This is a story of a man from no limbs to no limits.Nick Vujicic... Born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia, without any medical explanation or warning, Nicholas Vujicic (pronounced Voy-a-chich) came into the world with neither arms nor legs. Having had an uneventful pregnancy and no family history to expect this condition, imagine the shock his parents felt when they saw their first born, brand new baby boy, only to find he was what the world would consider imperfect and abnormal. Little did they know that this beautiful limbless baby would one day be someone who would inspire and motivate people from all walks of life, touching lives all over the world.Throughout his childhood Nick dealt not only with the typical challenges of school and adolescence such as bullying and self-esteem issues; he also struggled with depression and loneliness as he questioned why he was different to all the other kids surrounding him.As Nick grew up he learned to deal with his disability and started to be able to do more and more things on his own. He adapted to his situation and found ways to accomplish tasks that most people could only do by using their limbs, such as cleaning teeth, brushing hair, typing on a computer, swimming, playing sports, and much more. As time went by Nick began to embrace his situation and achieve greater things. In grade seven Nick was elected captain of his school and worked with the student council on various fund-raising events for local charities and disability campaigns. After school Nick went on with further study and obtained a double bachelor degree majoring in accounting and financial planning. By the age of 19, Nick had started to fulfill his dream of encouraging others by sharing his story through motivational speaking. He found the purpose of his existence, and also the purpose in his circumstance.According to Nick, the victory over his struggles throughout his journey, as well as his passion for life can be credited to his faith, his family, his friends and the many people he's encountered during his life who have encouraged him along the way. Now at 27 years old, this limbless young man has accomplished more than most people even twice his age. Nick recently made the massive move from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA, where he is the president of an international non-profit organization, and also has his own motivational speaking company; Attitude Is Altitude. Since his first motivational speaking engagement back when he was 19, Nick has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, speaking to a range of different groups such as students, teachers, youth, business men and women, entrepreneurs, and church congregations of all sizes. He has also told his story and been interviewed on various televised programs worldwide. However, Nick's speaking engagements have gone beyond purely motivational speaking, he has had the opportunity to speak with several leaders, including the vice president of Kenya. This year alone Nick is set to speak in over 20 countries.

In 2005, Nick was nominated for the "Young Australian of the Year" Award, which is a large honor in Australia. The award honors a young person for their excellence and service to their local community and the nation, as well as their own personal accomplishments. Nominations for this award are only given to truly inspirational people.Now at 30 years old, this limbless young man has accomplished more than most people even twice his age. Nick recently made the massive move from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA, where he is the president of an international non-profit organization, and also has his own motivational speaking company; Attitude Is Altitude.

Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch--the lecture that captivated the world is now a book to inspire millions.

Randy Pausch was a professor of Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, and Design at carnegie mellon university. From 1988 to 1997, he taught at the University of Virginia. He was an award-winning teacher and researcher, and worked with Adobe, Google, Electronic Arts (EA), and Walt Disney Imagineering, and pioneered the non-profit Alice project. (Alice is an innovative 3-D environment that teaches programming to young people via storytelling and interactive game-playing.) He also co-founded The Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon with Don Marinelli.

On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” With slides of his CT scans beaming out to the audience, Randy told his audience about the cancer that is devouring his pancreas and that will claim his life in a matter of months. On the stage that day, Randy was youthful, energetic, handsome, often cheerfully, darkly funny. He seemed invincible. But this was a brief moment, as he himself acknowledged.

Randy Pausch delivered a one-of-a-kind last lecture that made the world stop and pay attention.It became an Internet sensation viewed by millions, an international media story, and a best-selling book that has been published in more than 35 languages.Randy’s lecture has become a phenomenon, as has the book he wrote based on the same principles, celebrating the dreams we all strive to make realities. Sadly, Randy lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on July 25th, 2008, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all, for generations to come.

Jessica Cox

Jessica Cox:The first pilot with no arms, proving you don't need 'wings' to fly

Jessica Cox suffered a rare birth defect and was born without any arms. None of the prenatal tests her mother took showed there was anything wrong with her. And yet she was born with this rare congenital disease, but also with a great spirit. The psychology graduate can write, type, drive a car, brush her hair and talk on her phone simply using her feet. Ms Cox, from Tuscon, Arizona, USA, is also a former dancer and double black belt in Tai Kwon-Do. She has a no-restrictions driving license, she flies planes and she can type 25 words a minute.

The plane she is flying is called an Ercoupe and it is one of the few airplanes to be made and certified without pedals. Without rudder pedals Jessica is free to use her feet as hands. She took three years instead of the usual six months to complete her lightweight aircraft license, had three flying instructors and practiced 89 hours of flying, becoming the first pilot with no arms.Jessica is recognized internationally as an inspirational keynote speaker. Born without arms, Jessica now flies airplanes, drives cars and otherwise lives a normal life using her feet as other use their hands.  She holds the title of the first person without arms in the American Taekwondo Association to get a black belt and the Guinness World Record for being the first armless person in aviation history to earn a pilot’s certificate.  Convinced that the way we think has a greater impact on our lives than our physical constraints, she chose to pursue a degree in psychology while in college at the University of Arizona.  Since then she has traveled the world sharing her inspiration message.

If Jessica can fly a plane with only her feet, what can you do?

And yes,you guessed it right. My next post is about Swami Vivekanada.