Swami Vivekanandas message

Swami Vivekanandas message for Students - I No country is as fortunate as India. The reason we say this is no other country has a leader like Swami Vivekananda who has so comprehensively worked out a vision for the countrys future. Swami Vivekananda has spelled out what direction we have to take so that our future becomes glorious. The most important thing for students like you to do is study the few books written by swami Vivekananda. The message he has given in those books are very clear and simple. He was a world leader. Leaders of his stature are very, very clear in their communication. His words are simple and direct. His words were meant to make sense to all of us. Let me give you just one example today. In one place, Swamiji says, When you have men who are ready to sacrifice their everything for their country, sincere to the backbone when such men arise, India will become great in every respect. Then only will India awake, when hundreds of large-hearted men and women giving up all desires of enjoying the luxuries of life, will long and exert themselves to their utmost, for the well-being of the millions of their countrymen who are gradually sinking lower and lower in the vortex of destitution and ignorance. Let us try to understand the words of the great Son of India that we just now quoted. Swamiji is speaking of how India can become great. India can become great when we have men who are ready to sacrifice everything for India. We have to forget about our future. Indias future must become our future. We must forget about our career. Indias future must become our career. This is the first quality that we need to develop. Next, Swamiji says that India can become great when we have men who are sincere to the backbone. What does this mean? Being sincere to the backbone means having the capability of speaking exactly what we do. Children have that quality. Somewhere on the way of growing up into adults, some people start developing a bad habit of speaking too much more than what they actually do. Supposing we decide that we shall wake up at 5 oclock. We must wake up at exactly that time. Like this, by developing small habits, we will remain sincere to the backbone. So the second quality required for making India great is for us to become sincere to the backbone. Then he says that India will become awake when large-hearted men and women will give up all desires of enjoying the luxuries of life. Why does he suddenly start saying that India will wake up? Is it sleeping now? Yes. India had a great history. In fact, just a few centuries ago, India was materially the most prosperous nation in the world. Since we were materially so great, some of the best brains of this country had dedicated themselves to spiritual research. These great men and women, who were called Rishis, discovered the truths of Atman and Brahman.

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Swami Vivekanandas message

Today, we still have this great treasure of spiritual knowledge in India, but materially we are poor. Material poverty creates physical, intellectual and moral poverty too. Imagine a student who used to get the first rank in his class. After some years, if he starts getting low marks or even starts failing in some subjects, how do we feel? Dont we feel that he still has the capacity to do well and top the class, but he is at present blind to his capabilities? Dont we feel as though he is now sleeping and hence his full potential is not coming out? Similar is the case with India. India has infinite capabilities. But she is asleep. When she wakes up, she will again become great. She will again regain her glory. What is required for that? We should become large hearted, be ready to sacrifice our luxuries in life and work for the betterment of our poorer fellow countrymen. Why does Swamiji say large hearted men and women? People who are able to think only about their own future are small-hearted people. Large hearted people will think about their own future and about the future of India. In fact, they will understand clearly that their own future lies in the future of India. If they work for Indias future, their own future will become bright. Otherwise, if we are all busy working hard for making our own individual futures bright, at the cost of neglecting others, one day, we will find that our country has become ruined! Then, all that we worked for will be in vain! So, what Swamiji has said is this India is today sleeping. She will wake up and become great. How will that happen? We all have to become large hearted, sincere to the backbone and sacrifice our luxuries in life. What then? It is not enough if we become large hearted, sincere and sacrificing. We must then feel for India. We must feel for the poor people of India. We must intensely feel that India need not be so degraded. Our people need not be so degraded. But this feeling is not enough. Along with that feeling, we must work hard to lift up this nation materially and intellectually. But, feeling like this and working like this you can do when you all grow up. Right now, you are all students. Right now, you will have to prepare yourself in such a way that when you grow up, you will be able to feel properly, as Swamiji wanted. And then, you will be able to work properly as Swamiji wanted. Right now, you must concentrate on preparing yourself to be large hearted, sincere and sacrificing young boys and girls. How will that happen? If you do your present duty well, this will be achieved. Study well, play well, pray well. Develop good habits. And above all, study Swami Vivekanandas books. I pray to Swami Vivekananda on this extremely holy occasion of his 150th birth anniversary that you all may become the workers that he wants. ******************

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