Prominent learnings during 1750-1950 CE--IX

The Divine Truth is greater than any religion or creed or scripture or idea or philosophy--- Sri Aurobindo

 Continuing my learning on Dharma, Ethical Living and spiritual wisdom from great Saints and philosophers of the period 1750-1950 CE, we shall now cover Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, an eminent Indian Philosopher, a great Yogi, Guru, Poet and a renowned spiritual reformer. Through" Integral Yoga", a method of spiritual practice developed by him, he wholeheartedly  worked for transformation of human life and human nature into a life divine, and contributed towards making the world a divine place to live.

" When mind is still, then truth gets her chance to be heard in the purity of silence." and " Our actual enemy is not any force exterior to ourselves. but our own crying weaknesses, our cowardice, our selfishness, our hypocrisy and our purblind sentimentalism." are two of such wisdom filled powerful messages of Sri Aurobindo focusing on self introspection,Yoga and ethical living in general.

Born Aurobindo Ghosh in the year 1872 in then Calcutta, he joined Indian Independence movement and was jailed for defying British rule. During his stay in Jail, he had mystical and spiritual experiences, directing him to leave politics and carry forward his spiritual insights. He founded Aurobindo Ashram Pondicheery in 1926 and worked with his spiritual collaborator Mirra Alfassa, a French lady, also called " The Mother".His literary works namely ' The Life Divine', "Synthesis of Yoga"," Savitri" as well as commentaries on Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagwat Gita and many more scriptures are shining examples of his profound wisdom and spiritual insights. For his commendable spiritual cum philosophical work and messages to the mankind, he was nominated for Noble prize in Literature in the year 1943 and also for Noble Peace Prize in the year 1950.

The vast canvas of knowledge of Sh Aurobindo from his literary scriptures is awesome and difficult to be put up in a small blog. However, I will try to put some of his key thoughts in three to four sub headings.

HINDU RELIGION & THE WORLD RELIGIONS

• That which we call the Hindu religion is really the Eternal Religion because it embraces all others.
• In the wider Hinduism, which is not a dogma or combination of dogmas, but a law of life, which rejects nothing but insists on testing and experiencing everything---- In this Hinduism, we find the basis of Future World Religion. This Santana Dharma has many scriptures-- Vedas, Vedantas, Gita, Upanishads, Darshanas, Purana's, Tantra's etc. At the same time it does not reject Bible or Koran. It believes in the ultimate goal of any religion, which is emancipation from the bondage of material nature and freedom from individual rebirth.
• If a religion is not universal, it can't be eternal. A narrow religion, a sectarian religion, an exclusive religion-- can live only for a limited time and a limited purpose.
• The world moves through an indispensable interregnum of free thought and materialism to a new synthesis of religious thought & experience, a new religious world life free from intolerance, yet full of faith & fervor, accepting all forms of religion because it has an unshakable faith in the ONE. The religion which embraces Science and Faith, Theism, Christianity, Mohammedanism and Buddhism & yet is none of these, is that to which the World Spirit moves.
• Each religion has helped mankind .PAGANISM ( a modern religious movement, having respect for mother earth and incorporating beliefs and practices from outside of main world religions) has helped mankind to visualize largeness and height of one's life, giving him many sided perfection. To expand the concept, Christianity gave him vision of divine love & Charity; Buddhism has shown him a noble way to be wiser, gentler and purer; Judaism & Islam how to be religiously faithful in action &  devoted to God; Hinduism has opened to him the largest & profoundest spiritual possibilities. A great thing would be done if all these God visions could embrace and cast themselves into each other, shunning away related intellectual dogmas and cult egoism.
• All religions have saved a number of souls, but yet none has been able to spiritualize mankind, mainly because of cult egoism and dogmas.

YOGA, INTEGRAL YOGA AND ITS OBJECTS AND PROCESSES 

• Yoga is a generic name for any discipline, by which one attempts to pass out of the limits of one's ordinary mental consciousness into a greater spiritual consciousness.
• Yoga is the exchange of egoistic for a universal or cosmic consciousness.
• Yoga is the passage of the human thinking animal towards the God consciousness, from which he has descended.
• Gita tells us that equality of soul & mind is Yoga and that this equality is the foundation of the Brahman state ( ब्रह्मस्तिथि ).
• Integral Yoga, a method of spiritual practice, leads to evolution of human life into a life divine on earth. It believes in spiritual realization that leads to transformation of a man's nature enabling a divine life. 
• Yoga is communion with God for knowledge, for love or work.The Yogin puts himself into direct relation with that which is omniscient & omnipotent within man & also without him. He is in tune with the infinite & becomes a channel for the strength of God to pour itself out upon the world, whether thru calm benevolence or active  beneficence. 
• The Yogin sees God in all things and events.He is the flood, He is the earthquake, He is death that leads to a higher life, He is pain that prepares us for a higher bliss. 
• The Yoga we practice is not for ourselves alone, but for the Divine; its aim is to work out the will of the Divine in the world; to effect a spiritual transformation & to bring down a divine nature & a divine life into the mental, vital and physical nature and life of Humanity. Its aim is liberation and transformation of the human being. It is not Personal Ananda, but bringing down of Divine Ananda on earth.
• The three processes of Yoga are--- ( a)-- The संकल्प  of आत्मसमर्पण  Put yourself with all your heart and all your strength into God's hands; make no conditions, ask for nothing ; ( b) Standing aside and watching the working of the Divine power in oneself. This working may be difficult and therefore faith is essential. Remember the words of Gita--" मच्चित्तः  सर्वद्गर्णी  मत्प्रसादात  तरिष्यसि। ie by giving thyself up in heart and mind to ME, thou shall cross over all hurdles & perils bu My Grace. (c)The vision of God everywhere and in all things, in all happenings, the surrender of fruits of action and action itself to God and the freedom thereby from ignorance, from अहंकार , from द्वंद , from desire, so that you are शुद्ध , मुक्त , full of Ananda, pure, free, perfect and blissful in your being.
•  Another quote from famous Gita shared by revered Aurobindo in this context is; " सर्वधर्माण परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ; अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्योः मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शच ie Abandon all dharma s and take refuge in Me alone; I will free you from all sins and evils; do not grieve.
• Yoga is skill in works, meaning thereby that it leads to transformation of mind and creation of a spiritual condition of universal equality and God union. By the skill of Yogin, it leads to perfect adaptation of the soul and its instruments to the rhythm of divine and universal spirit in a nature liberated from the shackles of egoism as well as limitations of the sense mind. 
• By practicing Yoga, as the state of being changes, the will and temperament gets modified. Yogin begins to subordinate his personal will to the sense of Supreme Will, which attract him upwards--- merging into universal and infinite. His temperament also gets delivered from all leash of straining & desire, from all urges of passion or pain of willful self delusion.

OTHER KEY PHILOSOPHICAL MESSAGES ON SPIRITUALITY FOR HUMANITY

• Spirituality is indeed the master key of the Indian mind; the sense of the infinite is native to it. Further, Gita is the greatest gospel of spiritual works, ever yet given to the human race.
• Live within, be not shaken by outward happenings. Arise, transcend thyself; Thou art man and the whole nature of man is to become more than himself.
• All existence is a manifestation of God. He who chooses the infinite has been chosen by the infinite.
• All thoughts, desires, conventions and attachments, which come from outside, must be ruthlessly pushed away. The inside must be made extremely calm and quiet; there should reign an upward aspiration--- a state of awaiting.
• All desires and egotism will have to be banished from the being. To be free from all egoistic motive, let us be careful of truth in speech & action; void of self- will and self-assertion; watchful in all things, in all situations.
• Sin and virtue are a game of resistance we play with God in His efforts to draw us towards perfection. Further, one who loves God finds the object of his love everywhere.
• Not in the state of unconsciousness, but in full awareness, when the higher power will descend into and direct us, then only the Yogic life will begin. For reaching this stage, one has to do intense Sadhna leading to total manifestation of divine in oneself.
• All can not reach in a single life, highest in this path; but all can go forward. As a man advances, he gets peace, strength and joy. Further, even a little of this Dharma, delivers a man or a nation out of great fear; Conveyed in a verse ," स्वल्पमप्यस्य  धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात ". It conveys that Spirituality is not a thing divorced from life.
• There are two great factors in universe, Silence and Speech. Silence prepares, speech creates; Silence acts and Speech gives impulse to action; Silence compels, Speech persuades. It is the sovereign stillness which commands the harmony of life and is the calm of the Yogin. In this calm, right knowledge comes, which eventually becomes the infallible source of right action ( योगाः कर्मसु कौशलम ).
• There is no escaping from the belief that God exists. He is all. All proceeds from Him. All exists in Him.. He is all wise, for all knowledge is His. He is all love( सर्वमङ्गलम ). His is an infinite wisdom, ours is finite; His is perfect, ours underdeveloped; His is an infinite and all wise love, ours a finite and unwise love-- a love full of Maya. God's love looks beyond.
• Try to see oneness in all things. Become one in soul with all beings( सर्वभूतात्मा ). Become a center of the radiation of the divine state( ब्रह्मस्थिति ). It is not only in things animate but in things inanimate also that we must see Narayana , experience Shiva, throw our arms around Shakti. We must see Him in all events, actions, thoughts, feelings, in ourselves and others, throughout the world.
• Ideals are not truths, not realities, they are at most potentialities of future truth. Great executive personalities have usually been men of considerable idealism.
• When we have passed beyond enjoyments, then we shall have bliss; which also mean that we should go beyond individualizing to become real persons. Ego and Desires are actual bars in this realization.
• Man is God hiding himself from nature, so that he may possess her by struggle, insistence, violence and surprise. God is universal and transcendent.
• God and Man; World and Beyond World, become one when they know each other. Their division is the cause of ignorance and consequently suffering.
• The soul needs no proof of its rebirth, any more than it needs proof of its immortality.
• All birth is a progressive self-finding, a means of self realization. To grow in knowledge, in power, in delight, love and oneness, towards the infinite light, capacity and bliss of spiritual existence; to universalize ourselves till we are one with all being; and to exceed constantly our limited present self till it opens up fully to the transcendence in which the universal lives.
• Will, Karma and consequence are the three steps of the energy which move the universe. But Karma and Consequence are only the outcome of Will, which gives them their value and without it they would be nothing. And the Will of Man is the agent of Eternal. Man is a conscious soul of the Eternal. His soul, thought, will and action, are intimate with universal soul, thought , will and action.
• Karma and  Consequence draw their meaning from their value to the soul; they are steps by which it moves towards the perfection of its manifested nature.
• The pursuit of Truth may entail on me penalties and sufferings; the world may demand from me loss of outward happiness, good fortune or damage to my body. I must still follow truth. I must increase my inner strength & inner greatness and must not ask for quite irrelevant reward. Happiness or sorrow, good fortune or ill fortune are not my main concern, whether in this birth or in future; but my perfection and higher good of mankind, irrespective of sufferings and tribulation.
• In a broader sense, Dharma is ethical; it is the idea of moral laws. It, on its heights holds up the moral law in its own right & for its own sake, to human acceptance and observance. The larger idea of Dharma is indeed a conception of the true law of all energies and includes a conscience, a rectitude in all things, a right law of thought & knowledge, of aesthesis, of all other human activities & not limited to our ethical actions.

THE DIVINE LIFE

• Man also is God and it is thru his developing Manhood that he approaches the Godhead. Life also is the Divine, its progressive expansion is the self expression of the ब्रह्म , and to deny Life is to diminish the Godhead within us.
• When a man lives in the cosmic self, he necessarily embraces the life of the world and his attitude towards that world struggling upward from the egoistic state to the one of compassion, of love or of helpfulness. Even charity and altruism are often essentially egoistic in their immediate motive.
• A Divine life in a Divine body is the ideal that we envisage. Divine body is an evolution out of our human imperfection and ignorance into a greater truth of nature and spirit-- a transformation. 
• The Divine existence is pure and unlimited, it is SAT; whatever it puts forth in its limitless purity of self-awareness is truth of itself--- SATYA. The divine knowledge is knowledge of the Truth; the divine workings are words & ideas of the Truth; the divine will is power of the Truth. God is universal and infinite. His infinity is Supra-cosmic.
• A Divine Life upon earth can only come about by a spiritual change of our being--- a radical and fundamental change; an evolution or revolution of our nature. The embodied being have to rise above the domination of its veils of mind, life and body into the full consciousness and possession of its spiritual reality.
• The Super-Mind is in its very essence a Truth Consciousness, which is always free from ignorance. Super-mind is an eternal reality of the divine being & divine nature. The nature of Super-mind is always the same, a being of knowledge, proceeding from truth to truth and hence inevitable. Its manifestation of the Divine Life will also be inevitable, its own life on its own plane is Divine. The truth consciousness is a luminous many sided dynamic. In it, there can be a spiritual feeling, a spiritual sensation and a spiritual essentiality of substance that knows and reveals, that acts and manifests in an omniscience which is one with omnipotence.
• A new Humanity on earth means for us the development of a type or race of mental beings whose principle of mentality would be no longer a mind in the ignorance seeking for knowledge, but, a seeker after light not its natural possessor; open to light but not an inhabitant of light; not yet a perfected instrument; truth conscious and delivered out of the ignorance. It would be called a Mind of Light, a mind capable of living in the truth, capable of being truth conscious.

The world of spiritual and philosophical knowledge of revered Aurobindo and also his spiritual collaborator Mirra Allfassa ( The Mother) is boundless. The philosophical greatness and depth of revered Aurobindo can once again, be experienced in his marvel scripture SAVITRI----the story of conjugal love conquering death. Quoting one passage from  this scripture;

" He is the Maker & the world He made,

  He is the vision & He is the Seer,

  He is himself the actor & the act,

  He is himself the knower & the known,

  He is himself the dreamer & the dream."

 Humanity will  ever remain indebted to revered Aurobindo. In a small blog of mine, I have tried to share only a few key insights from his scriptures, literature and messages during his life time. Let me end the blog by a quote from revered Mother;

The only true freedom is the one obtained by union with the Divine. One can unite with the Divine only by mastering one's ego.

Prominent Learnings during 1750-1950 CE--VIII

Silence is truth,Silence is bliss,Silence is peace and Silence is the self -- Ramana Maharshi

Continuing our thrust on learnings from prominent Saints and Philosophers of the period 1750-1950 CE, we shall share some of the spiritual and ethical messages conveyed by a Hindu sage of Southern India and a leading proponent of Advaita Vedanta Sh Ramana Maharshi of the period 1879-1950 CE.

" Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What's wrong is seeking it outside when actually it is inside,"and ," Your true nature is that of infinite spirit. The feeling of limitation is the work of mind." are two examples of his simple, straightforward messages to the community, uplifting their self and spiritual insight.

Born in December 1879, named Venkataraman Iyer, he had a deep interest towards Self introspection and Self analysis raising basic question to his teachers on " Who am I? and seeking  answers on purpose of life. He strongly advocated Self Inquiry (आत्म विचार ) as means of Self Realization. His philosophy and wisdom has been 
compiled into several books by his disciples. Naming a few; The collected works of Ramana Maharshi, Everything is an illusion, Be as you are and Gems for Bhagwan.                                                                            

As per him, the whole Vedanta is contained in two Biblical statements --," I am that I am" and " Be still and know that I am God". God is within us. It is only our wandering minds and perverted ways that stand in the way of our knowing myself or God. Nan- Yar, meaning " Who am I ?" has been his philosophical mantra." Who am I", really means trying to find the source of the ego or the "I" thought. Let me now briefly share some of his teachings on " Self Inquiry" and " Self Realization", two of his fundamental approaches.These are;

• The Self can not be found in books. You have to find it for yourself, within yourself.
• Turn your vision inward & the whole world will be full of supreme spirit.
• " I am", is the name of the God; God is none other than the Self.
• Guru, God and Self are one. As such, knowing the self, God s known. The Self is the only Reality and there is nothing else.
• All that is required to realize the Self is to " Be Still". If one's mind is still, the whole world appears peaceful. Mind control  means concentration and  concentrating the mind solely on Self leads to happiness and bliss.
• Self Inquiry leads directly to Self Realization by removing the obstacles or ignorance. It means trying to search for the sources of Ego or" I" and making efforts of getting rid of all other thoughts. The Self is pure consciousness and once the obstructions are removed, it shines forth.
• I want you to dive consciously into the self and into the heart.. Mind turned outward results in thoughts and objects. Turned inwards, the mind subsides but only after self inquiry. The mind is merely thoughts and of all thoughts,"I" is the root, which has to go.
• The Self is the pure reality in whose light, the body, the ego and all else shine. When all thoughts are stilled, pure consciousness remains over.This self, which is pure consciousness, has no ego sense about it. This ego or individual being is at the root of all that is futile and undesirable in life. It is to be destroyed. This is Liberation or Enlightenment or Self Realization.
• On a question on the purpose of Self Realization, Maharishi replied," The goal of self realization is Realizing the Real which means existence without beginning or end, everywhere, infinite; existence underlying all forms, all changes, all matter & all spirit. People talk of self realization generally, under the delusion of non self as the self and unreal as real. But, actually, self always has been the self and there is no such thing as realizing it. All vices center around ego and once ego is gone, Self Realization naturally results."
• On a question on the state of Self Realized person, Maharishi said," A self realized man remains calm and composed during all activities,unaffected by worldly problems and has no anxieties, worries or cares. He feels that everything is being done by something with which he is in conscious union. Further,the sensation is common both to the realized man and the unrealized man. The difference is that the unrealized man identifies himself with the body, mistakes the body for the self & feels it while the realized man knows that all this is self which is perfect, all this is Brahman.As per him, sin is the action of the ego against the universal harmony or the will of God. .
• Your own Self Realization is the greatest service you can render to the world.

Besides the path of achieving self realization thru self inquiry, Maharishi stressed upon following an ethical and moral life in society. His message," Self reform automatically brings about social reform." conveys his priority on self reform first and then only social reforms for ethical living of society. Some of key suggestions given by him on this area include;

• No one succeeds without effort. Those who succeed owe their success to perseverance ie people must do hard work and should not shirk from owning responsibilities.
• There is neither past nor future. There is only the present. Yesterday was the present to you when you experienced it and tomorrow will also be the present when you experience it. Therefore experience takes place only in the present and beyond experience, nothing exists. In this way, he stressed upon people to live in reality and avoid either day dreaming or extending upon the past.
• A member of the community should conduct himself always by word, mind and body in such a fashion that it results in help to the society. 
• A good brotherly feeling with a sense of equality is the supreme goal to be reached collectively by the community.
• Unless one is happy, he can't bestow happiness on others. There is no cause for you to be miserable and unhappy.You yourself impose limitations on your true nature of infinite being and then weep that you are a finite creature.
• When the embodied beings treat each other with equal respect, great peace and harmony flourish. The whole world shines like the one dwelling house of entire human family.
• Wanting to reform the world without discovering one's true self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns.
• Transforming yourself is a means of giving light to the world.
• All good or divine qualities are included in JNANA ( spiritual enlightenment) and all bad or satanic qualities in AJNANA ( spiritual darkness). When JNANA comes,all AJNANA vanishes to make room for divine qualities in a man. If a man is Jnani, he can not utter lies or commit sins. The message is that spiritual enlightenment transforms ethical living.
• Peace is for purification of one's mind. Power is for growth of the community. Having established the community with power, one should then establish supreme peace. Ethical living demands peace all around by one's spiritual enlightenment as well as respect for others.

Maharishi had great respect for all religions and in no way his teachings oppose  any religion. He clarified," A religion involves two modes of activities; Horizontal & Vertical. Horizontally, it harmonizes and controls the life of the individual and society in conformity with its faith and morality. Vertically, it provides spiritual paths to attain a higher state or realize the ultimate truth during this life. Religions, horizontally, are not contradictory. Maharishi's vertical path has been most direct & central; the quest of one's self and for this, any religion could serve as a foundation.

There is so much to learn from Maharishi's  life. I will now share a few more relevant self related valuable  insights given by him based on his question answer sessions. 

• We are all really SAT-CHIT-ANANDA ( being, knowledge, bliss), but we imagine that we are bound by destiny and suffer. Maharshi clarified in one of the session," As long as a man is the doer, he also reaps the fruits of his deeds; but as soon as he realizes the self thru self inquiry or surrender, his sense of being the doer falls away and the destiny ends. Maharshi called it external liberation."
• There are only two ways to conquer destiny--- thru self inquiry to discover that only ego is bound by it or killing the ego by complete surrender to the Lord saying all the time," Not I, but thou, O Lord", giving up all sense of I and mine and leaving it to Lord to do whatever he likes. Accept His will and await His pleasure.He knows what is best and when and how to do it.
• True surrender is the love of God for the sake of love and nothing else, not even for the sake of salvation. In other words, complete effacement of Ego is essential to conquer destiny. To explain a bit more, true surrender is giving oneself up to the original care of one's being. Let us not delude ourselves by imagining this source to be some God outside us. This source is within us.Let us seek this source, give ourselves to it and finally merge into it. 
• Holding on to Reality is Samadhi. It is totally different from Sleep.While sleep is a state of merging in ignorance and remaining unaware of  the world, Samadhi is merging in Reality. Further, remaining in the primal, pure, natural state without any efforts is " Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi".In this Samadhi, one remains calm and composed during any activity since he is moved by the deeper real self within and unaffected by anything external to it.
• Man's real nature is happiness which is inborn in the true self. Man's search for happiness is an unconscious search for his true self. The true self is imperishable and therefore when a man finds it, he finds happiness which never ends. While answering a related question, he said," First find out the truth behind yourself, then only you will be able to understand the truth behind the world.Without understanding yourself, what is the use of trying to understand the world."
• Grace is necessary for removal of ignorance but grace is there all along. All that is necessary is to know its existence. The highest form of grace is silence.it is also the highest spiritual instructions. If the Guru is silent, the seeker's mind gets purified by itself.

The enormous wisdom extracted from Maharishi's philosophy, writings and question answer sessions can never be contained in a small blog like that of mine. I have made a sincere attempt to pick up key learnings restricted to  my area of analysis. Let me end the blog by another gem of his saying;

The end of all wisdom is love, love and love

Prominent Learnings during 1750-1950 CE--VII

He who sees, perceives, understands & loves the self; delights in the self; reveals in the self; rejoices in the self, becomes the Lord and Master in all the world.

                                                                             ( Swami Abhedananda)                                                   
Continuing our thrust in learning from some of the great Saints & Philosophers, we shall pick up a few powerful messages on Dharma, Ethical living & spiritual wisdom conveyed to the world by Swami Abhedananda of the period 1866-1939 CE, spiritual brother of Swami Vivekananda and a direct disciple of Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa. " All religions unanimously declare that God is Truth and Truth is God." and " Faith in God is the cornerstone of all the great mansions of religions of the world." are some of his powerful messages on main focus of Religions of the world.             


Born in Calcutta, named Kaliprasad Chandra, learnt Yoga from
 19th century mystic Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa; established Ramakrishna Vedanta Math. On the advice of Swami Vivekananda, he headed Vedanta Society of New York in 1897 and for next 25 yrs, traveled and lectured on Vedanta wide across the audience of the  world; authored several books on philosophy, religion, culture, reincarnation. doctrine of Karma & other spiritual aspects. 

Going thru his published scripts titled " The Complete Works of Swami Abhedananda", I could pick up enormous treasure of knowledge and wisdom on " Dharma, Ethical living and Spiritual Wisdom". Some of my key learnings are summarized below

• Every religion can be divided into two parts, non essentials and essentials. Doctrines, dogmas, rituals, ceremonies and mythologies of all the organized religious creeds come under non essentials.The essentials consist of Self Knowledge which is knowledge of divine nature of self or higher self and Self Control which is restraint of the lower self or selfish nature.
• Whenever there is too much of non essentials, religious corruption, superstitions and false theology prevail and hide the kernel of essential truth. Furthermore, poor self control may easily start reflecting into unethical human behavior like uncontrolled passion, anger, greed, hatred towards others, self delusion, egotism and sometimes jealousy.
• No one can succeed in attaining self control, so essential for following Dharma & Ethical values, by being a slave to desires. Ethical and Spiritual living requires subjugation of senses.
• Whether we believe in God or not, whether we have faith in any prophet or not, if we have self control, concentration, truthfulness and disinterested love for one and all, then we are on a righteous path leading to ethical and spiritual living.
• Vedanta philosophy preaches that the true Self is absolutely indestructible and unchangeable. Destruction of self is just as impossible as the destruction of the Absolute and this truth is realized by achieving perfection in self knowledge.
•  He, who realizes all beings in the self, and the self in all animate & inanimate objects of the universe, never hates anyone or anything. Hatred develops from imperfect relative knowledge and when hatred is gone, jealousy and other selfish feelings disappear and divine love begins to reign.
• True self or Atman is above good or evil, beyond virtue or vice. We are a part of Divinity. let us feel it, realize it and we will be free. The attainment of this freedom thru self knowledge brings in us the realization of our oneness with divinity. 

Swami Abhedananda had great belief in the Power of True self, Doctrine of Karma, Reincarnation, Meditation & Concentration, Divine heritage of man, Truthfulness in life and Salvation thru love. He frequently quoted relevant verses from sacred scriptures, Bhagwat Gita & Upanishads, besides relative wisdom from other prominent religions of the world, during his lectures and discourses.

 Quoting him on one occasion in the context of Self Knowledge, it is said," I am the light of the universe.Through me shine the sun, moon, stars and the lightening. I am the lord of the body, senses and the mind. I am also the lord of all phenomenal objects. I have realized my true self and also the true self of the universe and now I am one with the Absolute." What a powerful message on True self and Divinity! Let me now share a few more learnings from his scriptures, on Karma, Ethical living and divinity in general.

• Life is Prana, Prana is life; Life is immortality and Immortality is life; Life never dies.
• The doctrine of Karma alone can explain the problem of good and evil and reconcile man to the terrible and apparent injustice of life.
• In this world of relativity, it is impossible to find an action which is absolutely good and creates no discord or disharmony. " स्वारम्भा हि  दोषेण धरमेंनागिन्रिवाव्रता  ie actions are followed by its demerits just as the fire is enveloped with smoke. It is equally difficult to find any work with absolute evil effect without causing some kind of good somewhere in the universe.
• Wherever there is perfect harmony, peace, tranquility or happiness, this could be the result of good acts; and wherever discord, disease, suffering, pain, misery or unhappiness prevail,there could be violations of moral and other laws of ethical living and consequently, there is evil.
• A believer in the law of Karma is responsible for all the good and bad results of his own actions. He knows that he creates his own destiny and moulds his character by his thoughts and deeds. He never blames others for his misery and suffering. He is more moral and virtuous. He avoids doing anything wrong because he knows that every wrong action will sooner or later react upon himself making him unhappy and miserable. Doctrine of Karma conveys that God never rewards the virtuous nor punishes the wicked. "नादन्ते कस्यचित्त पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः ".
• The Karmyoga teaches that by performing all the obligatory works of life without seeking any return for self ie thru non attachment, we gain the purification of the heart leading to divine wisdom and liberation of soul.
• Divine love( expression of feeling of oneness) and Divine wisdom are one and lead to seeing divinity in everything.These unfold the inner self simultaneously and lead us to God consciousness.
• The knowledge of Truth ( Sat-yam) brings freedom to the soul. About five centuries before the advent of Jesus, Buddha declared," Happy is he who has found the truth. Truth is noble and sweet. There is no savior in the world except the truth." Our own holy sages and prophets of Vedic period have been saying," From truth we have come into existence, in truth we live and into truth we return in the end."  Whosoever has found the truth, is happy, free and blissful. 
• The infinite & eternal truth, Brahman, pervades the whole universe, the visible and the invisible. May we realize the infinite in this life. May we attain to that truth and enjoy peace for ever.
• The Self ( Atman) is the infinite. Self is below, above, behind, before, right or left; self is all this.
• That which is infinite is bliss. In the finite, there is no bliss. Infinity alone is bliss. This infinity is to be realized.

The above mentioned convictions and practical views of Swami Abhedananda provide scores of ideas for people to lead an ethical life in society. He dwelt on Divine Love in a simple but comprehensive manner linking it with ethical living as well as realization of God. Quoting him," Divine love generates non attachment to worldly pleasures. It straightens out all crookedness of the heart and destroys the germs of vanity and self conceit." Further, relating divine love with God realization, he said," Divine love brings the highest ecstatic or super conscious state in which the individual soul eternally communes with God, the universal spirit."

 He also carried out in depth work on " Reincarnation" and " Life beyond death" and expressed his views in series of lectures and scripts. Let me end the blog by sharing one or two of his strong convictions in this area based on his thinking.

1. The religion of Vedanta tells us not to seek divine wisdom from the departed spirits, and not to waste our time & energy by going after them, because the result will not be successful. " Devyana", the divine path is through Self Knowledge or the relative knowledge of the individual soul with the universal spirit.
2. The salvation of the soul is the highest ideal of all religions. In each individual soul, a current of love flowing like a river, constantly seeks an outlet thru which it can run into the ocean of divine love, called GOD. How can a man taste the nectar of divine love and obtain salvation from selfishness, so long as he is a slave of desires? True lover of God desires nothing, cares for nothing but the eternal truth.

Finally, let me quote Swami Abhedananda's views on a " Universal religion" and the essence of Truth.

" The world needs today a universal religion, which will embrace within its unbounded arms, all the established religions of the world, and which will give them their proper places which they deserve in this scale of religious revolution. Truth is eternal and it can not be monopolized by any sect or creed or religion."

Prominent Learnings during 1750-1950 CE--VI

 Truth is Your Birth Right. Assert it and be Master of Universe. Truth is " Tattva- Masi" ie That Thou Art.

                                                                                        ( Swami Rama Tirtha)                  

Continuing our thrust on learnings from prominent Saints and Philosophers of the period 1750-1950 CE, we shall share some of the spiritual and ethical messages conveyed by a Vedantin of highest realization, a great ascetic and an enlightened mystic poet of India, Swami Rama Tirtha. In a short life span of 33 years ( Oct 1873-- Oct 1906), Swami Rama took Vedanta to common man, into quiet homes, into crowded streets, into busy offices and into the western world.
In words of Mahatma Gandhi, " Swami Rama Tirtha was one of the greatest souls, not only of India, but of the whole world."  Swami Shivananda, Founder, Divine Life Society and a prominent spiritual philosopher said, " Swami Rama Tirtha lived practical Vedanta...... He is soul incarnate...." Swami Rama concentrated his thoughts on attaining Self Realization to the full and made all out efforts to merge himself with Universal consciousness of Humanity. To him was audible the music of cosmos and it is well reflected in his poems." Realization is religion" was his brief philosophy. He stood for perfect morality, total abstinence and righteous conduct. 

His poems are a marvel of religious depth as well as spiritual and ethical conduct in life. He was also a true harbinger of communal peace and unity. Let me summarize some of the key learnings and messages from " In woods of God Realization", the 10 to 12 volume compilation of the complete works of Swami Rama, restricting to my area of research of Dharma, Ethical living and Spiritual Wisdom.

• Religions, creeds and denominations are worn by people merely like amulets around the neck. All kinds of virtues and efficacy are normally ascribed to them and yet what little we achieve is utterly independent of these pet charms. Let us rise above these favorite superstitions. One must give up all his pet prejudices, possessions, clinging s and attachments. ( from Vol 5" The Spirit of Religion"- " Criticism & Universal love").
• Accept not a religion because it is the oldest. Accept not a religion because it is latest. Accept not a religion on the grounds of its being believed by a vast majority or by a chosen few. Believe not in a religion because it comes from a very famous man. Accept and believe in a religion on its own merits. Examine it yourself with an open mind. Be free to look at everything by your own inner light. ( Vol 10, Snapshots & Impressions).
• All the conventions, traditions, customs, superstitions & religious make beliefs of India have only become  dead symbols of spiritual ailment, primarily because of cramping of self into one set of living on a mental plane. If India is to live, caste system must be swept away. ( vol 10, Snapshots & Impressions). What a strong message on a social evil prevalent in Indian society !
• Laying strong emphasis on following " Sadharma Dharma", the religion of physical, mental & spiritual peace, Swami Rama conveyed 5 essential qualities to be demonstrated by it---- Simple, Easy, Natural, Universal and Practical. He further described some of  the key features of Sadharma Dharma as:--(a) Hard work and no stagnant indolence (b) Enjoyment of work as against tedious drudgery (c) Peace of mind (d) No conservative customs & appropriate reforms (e) Strong real feelings while avoiding flowery talks (f) Living realization.( vol 10, Snapshots & Impressions).

Swami Rama was a fearless social reformer and believer in the potential of self in life. Quoting him," Vedanta is the realization of our true self, Sat- Chit- Anand; the state of all being, all knowledge, all bliss". While delivering a lecture on " Happiness Within" on Dec 17, 1902 in USA, he said," Seek happiness not in the objects of sense; realize that happiness is within yourself." and also," Realize the heaven within you, and at once all the desires are fulfilled; all the misery & sufferings are put an end to." While delivering a lecture on ," Expansion of Self", in USA on Dec 16, 1902, he stated," Pleasure is within you. The whole treasure is within you. Come & realize your true self and let this song burst forth from you in fullness of joy:--

I am the mote in the sunbeam,

And I am the burning sun.

I am the blush of the morning,

And I am the evening breeze;

I am the leaf's low murmur,

the swell of the terrible seas;

the rose, her poet nigh-tangle,

the songs from the throat that rise;

I am intoxication, the grapes,

Wine press and musk, and wine;

The guest, the host, the traveler,

the goblet of crystal fine.

Let me now share some of the powerful messages of Swami Rama derived from his lectures focusing on Ethical living and the Role of True Self towards it. In two of his lectures, Sin-- its relation to the Atman or True Self ( Nov 16, 1902, USA) and Prognosis & Diagnosis of Sin ( Dec 20, 1902, USA), he spoke about some of the vices in life and how to avoid the same for Ethical living. Quoting a few;

• All these sins are due to ignorance, which makes you confound the real self with apparent body and mind. Give up this ignorance and these sins are no more.
• Everybody in this world from the point of view of his little self is a sinner. Everybody is somehow or other responsible for some defect/ deficiency or other & yet nobody in his heart of hearts thinks that he is a sinner-- he regards himself as pure.
• The Vedanta says, the only way to escape from all sins is to realize the true self. You will never be able to withstand animal passions unless you do away with all this splendor & glory that bewitches you; when you realize that, you stand above all passions, and at the same time be perfectly fine, be perfectly full of bliss & That is Heaven.
• Flattery, Vanity, Avarice or Greed, Attachment, Sloth or indolence, Rivalry, Sensuality and Anger are some of the prominent vices under the broader definition of sins. But none of these can be attributed to True Self or The Atman. Once we realize the real self, the greatest of the great, we will no longer stoop down to seek praise or vanity for the body. Once we realize that the unchangeable self is all beauty now & for ever, we will come out of the need to gratify the senses.

In another lecture on " The Secret of Success", delivered by Swami Rama in 1902 in Japan,he emphasized upon the importance of " Self- Sacrifice or Unselfish sacrifice" in one's life, which as per him is the symbol of Purity and Righteousness. Some of other key attributes for  successful Ethical living, he focused were, Universal Love ( love and be loved to be the goal), Fearlessness ( faith in one's real self), Cheerfulness ( brings calmer state of mind) and Self Reliance. Regarding Purity in life, he asked for removal of impure thoughts and immorality from one's life.

Swami Rama conveyed another powerful message in one of his talks in USA ( Feb 21, 1903) on " The Nature of Inspiration"--- " Very happy is he and blessed is he, whose life is a continuous sacrifice".He clarified several spiritual as well as ethical issues in his" Question Answer sessions" and " Informal talks". A few of these impacting common men are shared below;

• To a question, Who are you?, he replied," I am God and so are you." Immortal is the true divinity that you are.
• All desire is love and love is God, and that God, you are. Realize your oneness with that and you stand above everything.
• Cultivate peace of mind, fill your mind with pure thoughts and nobody can set himself against you.
• Criticizing, Censuring, blaming and fault finding with men is not worshiping God. Recognize God head in them.
• In your speech is God, in your seeing is divinity, in your act of hearing is divinity present AND that divinity of which you are so full is the same divinity in your friend, your brother, your relations and your enemy. There are no enemies when you feel divinity.

The learnings from Swami Rama's lectures are unending and highly absorbing.In a lecture on," The Infinite in the Finite", delivered in USA on Jan 10, 1903, he expressed---," Realize that you are infinity within. Know that.The very moment that a person knows himself to be that and realizes his true nature, he is free above all difficulty, above all suffering, above all tribulation and pain. Know that, Be yourself." The diversity of multi- dimensional spiritual cum ethical messages of Swami Rama can not be compressed into a small blog. Let me end the blog by another message to Humanity, given by Swami Rama for realizing Godhead;

The Time to be happy is now, The place to be happy is here,

 And the way to be happy is to make others so.

Prominent Learnings during 1750-1950 CE--V

"Every person is worthy of an infinite wealth of love;

 the beauty of his soul knows no limit."

                                                            ( Rabindranath Tagore; Glimpses of Bengal)

Rabindranath Tagore ( May 1861-Aug 1941) was a doyen of Literature & Music, who left an indelible impression all over the world by his literary as well as artistic abilities during late 19th & early 20th centuries.  A Humanist, Universalist and Internationalist, he wrote hundreds of texts, songs and poems besides contributing through the artworks, paintings,sketches, novels, dramas and stage plays. For his immense contribution, he was the first non European to be awarded Noble Prize in Literature in the year 1913 and was popularly known as Gurudev.

He was deeply moved by the perennial poverty of Calcutta & its impact was clearly visible in his literary works, prose-songs and dance dramas. During his international visits to more than 30 countries, he freely interacted with some of topmost authors, scientists, politicians and Humanists, sharing his views, philosophy & Literary talents. 

Two of his compositions namely, " Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak", the Indian national anthem   and " Amaar Shonar Bangla"--- the national anthem of Bangladesh, occupy a place of pride in these two Asian democracies. Yet another symbol of pride is " Sri Lanka Matha", national anthem of Sri Lanka, which is a Sinhalese translation of the Bengali version of Tagore's works, carried out by one of his student.

 Social inequities, beauty & preservation of nature, universal love, peace, justice, freedom, poverty, untouchability, abnormal caste consciousness and other prominent concerns  impacted his literary works. He shared his views on some of these evils and penned Dalit heroes for his poems and dramas. One such example has been his successful campaign for opening of famous Guruvayoor temple to Dalits. Considering my topic of research, let me pick up a couple of inspiring messages full of wisdom from the literary works of Tagore on Ethical living or Human Dharma in general. These are;

• LIFE of my life, I shall ever try to keep my body PURE, knowing that Thy living touch is upon all my limbs; I shall ever try to keep all untruths out from my thoughts knowing that Thou art that truth which has kindled the light of reason in my mind; I shall ever try to drive all evils away from my heart & keep my love in flower, knowing that Thou has thy seat in the innermost shrine of my heart.-- ( Song Poem 4  Gitanjali ).

• Tagore had his own opinion on Independence movement and nationalism, which is visible in song poem 35 of  Gitanjali.

,Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

and knowledge is free 
,Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls

,Where words come out from the depth of truth

,Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

,Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

,Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action

Into that heaven of Freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

 Elaborating on Dharma,in chapter " The Problem of Self " of his famous book on Spirituality," Sadhna",  Gurudev Tagore writes,"  Dharma is the innermost nature, the essence, the implicit truth, of all things. Dharma is the ultimate purpose that is working in our self. When any wrong is done, we say that Dharma is violated, meaning that the lie has been given to our true nature. Dharma is truth within us, it is inherent."

 In the same chapter, focusing on the misery out of ignorance of one's true self, he added," Set yourselves free from the Avid-ya; know your true soul and be saved from the grasp of the self which imprisons you. We gain our freedom when we attain our truest nature.

Stressing upon the importance of Ethical living among people, he stated that Love is the perfection of consciousness. Love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us. It is truth.It is the joy that is at the root of all creations. It is the white light of pure consciousness that emanates from Brahma. ( Realization in Love; Ch V, Sadhna).

He further added that Brahma is Brahma, the infinite ideal of perfection. But we are not what we truly are; we are ever to become true, ever to become Brahma. Once our soul reaches her ultimate object of repose in Brahma, all her movements acquire a purpose. It is this ocean of infinite rest which gives significance to our endless activities, ( The Realization of Infinite; Ch VIII, Sadhna ).

All our egoistic impulses, our selfish desires, obscure our true vision of the soul. He added that according to Upanishads, the key to cosmic consciousness, to God consciousness, is the consciousness of the soul. ( Soul consciousness, Ch II, Sadhna ).

Gurudev Tagore had a deep touch of Internationalism and Universal-ism. In Ch I," The Relationship of the Individual to the Universe" of his famous literary writing Sadhna, he conveys that man must realize the wholeness of his existence, his place in the infinite. " Bhuteshu bhuteshu vichintva"--- Let us work towards realizing him in each and all; not only in nature, but in the family, in society, in the state; the more we realize the world consciousness in all, the better it is for us. Again quoting song poem 69 from his noble Prize winning creation Gitanjali;

" The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures." Another line in the same poem conveys," It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean---- cradles of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow." Another example is  song poem 103 of Gitanjali, which presents Universal-ism in Spiritualism in a beautiful literary flow;

" In one salutation to Thee, my God, let all my senses spread out and touch this world at Thy feet." Another line in the same poem conveys;

" Let all my songs gather together their diverse strains into a single current and flow into a sea of silence in one salutation to Thee."

Tagore promoted spiritual as well as ethical values in life and worked for creation of a new world culture of diversity and tolerance. He was a great Humanist and this was visible in several of his literary works as well as dance dramas, novels, stage plays art and paintings. He drew inspiration and ideas for writing from his surroundings as well as inner feelings.His songs and music cover many aspects of Human emotions, devotional hymns and songs of love. With a view to free Indian villages from helplessness and ignorance, he established an International Institute for Rural reconstruction on a novel pattern of learning at SURUL, near Shantiniketan,, involving scholars & Officials of several nations.

Tagore was a towering figure, being a deeply relevant and many sided contemporary thinker. He desired to make his Ashram  of Shantiniketan into a connecting thread between India and the world;  a world center for the study of Humanity, beyond the boundaries of nation and Geography. Many of his stories and novels focused on interpersonal relationships, colored and impacted by human shortcomings as well as idiosyncrasies. His literary works, however, were progressive and worked towards bringing a positive shift in the mindset of traditional Indian values.

It is difficult to pick up and present the innumerable value driven messages given by a literary giant like Gurudev Tagore to the nation and the world in a small blog. I have tried to limit the learnings picked up on my theme of reading research ie Dharma, ethical living and to some extent spiritual wisdom. Let me end the blog by another powerful message on " Service to Humanity"from one of his literary works;

" I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I woke up and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy".

Prominent Learnings during 1750-1950 CE-IV

"Karma-Yoga, is a system of Ethics and Religion, intended to attain freedom thru unselfishness, and by good works. The Karma-Yogi need not believe in any doctrine.  He may not believe even in God, may not ask what his soul is. Every moment of his life must be realization."
                                                                                                      Swami Vivekananda      

I hope that you have gone thru my earlier Blog no 21 sharing prominent messages on Dharma and Ethical living from my reading research of  " The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda". For me, it has been a fascinating experience to understand a few facets of the remarkable personality of this great Saint cum Philosopher of India. Adding to what has been covered in my earlier Blog, let me share a few more powerful learnings on my theme of research from the life of Swami Vivekananda, impacting the life of common masses.

• Duty is seldom sweet. It is only when Love greases its wheels that it runs smoothly; it is a continuous friction otherwise; And Love- Love shines in freedom alone; freedom from being a slave to  senses, to anger, to  jealousies and so on occurring everyday in human life, ( Ch IV, Vol I). Further, every Duty is holy and devotion to the duty is the highest form of the worship of God.
• Inactivity should be avoided by all means. Activity always means resistance. Resist all evils, mental & physical, and when you have succeeded in resisting, then will Calmness come.( Ch II, Vol I). Further, let there be action without reaction; while action is pleasant, all misery is reaction.
• Each is great in his own place. Our first duty is not to hate ourselves, because to advance, we must have faith in ourselves first and then in God. ( Ch II, Vol I).
• The great error in all ethical systems, without exception, has been the failure of teaching the means by which man could refrain from doing evil. ( from his address on " Hints on practical Spirituality", delivered in LA, California, USA.
• Have charity towards all beings. Pity those who are in distress. Love all creatures. Do not be jealous of anyone. Look not to the faults of others. 
• The Vedanta recognizes no sin, it only recognizes error . The greatest error, says the Vedanta, is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable weak creature and that you have no power & you can not do this and that and so on. All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we, who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark. Know that there is no darkness around us. Take your hands away and there is the light which was there from the beginning. Darkness  never existed ; weakness never existed--- ( From his address on Practical Vedanta, delivered in London in 1896).
• Know the truth and be free in a moment. All the darkness will then vanish, When man has seen himself as one with the infinite being of the universe, when all separateness has ceased, when all men and women; all Gods and angels; all animals and plants AND the whole universe has melted into that Oneness, then all fear disappears.Whom to fear? What can cause me sorrow? Whom to be jealous?  All bad feelings will disappear. Against whom can I have bad feelings? against myself? There is none in the universe but myself. ( from his address on The Atman delivered in USA ).
• Religion is neither talk, nor theory, nor intellectual consent. It is a  realization in the heart of our hearts; it is touching God; it is a feeling, realizing that I am a spirit in relation with the universal spirit and all its great manifestations all across. ( From his address " The Great Teachers Of The World", California, Feb 3, 1900).
• These great teachers are the living Gods on this earth. Let me talk about some of the messengers and prophets of India; some of the oldest founders of religion. As one of the central message from GITA, Lord Krishna says," Remain Unattached". He again states on another note on Intense Activity," Work, Work, Work day and night, you will find peace. Flying from work is never the way to find peace. Lord Krishna further teaches us," Whosoever, in the midst of intense activity, finds inner peace, he is a Yogi; he is a great soul; he has arrived at perfection.". Let me share Buddha's message, says Buddha," Root out selfishness and everything that makes you selfish." Behold another ethical message from Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, " The kingdom of Heaven is spread out across the earth, only people do not see it. Do not delay a moment; leave nothing for tomorrow. Another great ethical message comes from Prophet Muhammad," The civilization is the existence of God. Each person is born pure and that human beings are given a choice on this earth, whether to follow evil or good steps. Treat all God's creations with equality and compassion". Let us salute all the past Prophets whose teachings and lives we have inherited. ( The Great Teachers of the World--- Feb 3, 1900).
• You may pray all the time, read all the scriptures in the world, and worship all the Gods there are, but( unless), you realize the soul ( your inner self), there is no freedom. Not talking, theorizing, argumentation, but Realization; that I call Practical Religion.( The Practice of Religion delivered at Alameda, California, April 18,1900).

Swami ji used to share his convictions and knowledge with his disciples and others in series of  Discussion/ Question & Answer sessions , both while abroad as well as India. Let me share a few prominent ethical messages from the collection;

• Blessed indeed are those who can renounce Kama-Kanchana ( Lust & Greed), while living in their homes with their family.
• मा हिंस्यात सर्वभूतानि --- Cause no injury to any being.
• Quoting great Manu," निवृत्तिस्तु महाफला "--- Cessation of desires brings great results.
• एका ईव सुह्र्द धर्मा , निधानेप्यनु  यति यह  --- Virtue is the only friend which follows us even beyond the grave. Everything else ends with death.
• समता सर्वभूतेषु एतं  मुक्तस्या  लक्षणम -- "Equality in all beings", this is the sign of the free, emphasizing the need to look upon all human beings with respect and dignity.
• You must give your body, mind and speech to the welfare of the world. You have read," मातृदेवो भव , पितृदेवो भव " ie look upon your mother as God; look upon your father as God but I say," दरिद्रदेवो भव , मूर्खदेवो  भव " ie let the poor, the illiterate, the ignorant, the afflicted be your God. Let us know that service to these alone is the highest religion.
• Give up all ME and MINE.
• Love is beyond time and space.It is absolute. The more we grow in love & virtue & holiness, the more we see love & virtue & holiness outside. All condemnations of others really condemns ourselves.
• Emphasizing on Love, Swami ji  answered," Love never degenerates; the universe is too small for its expansiveness. Love is struggle of a human soul to find its compliment, its stable equilibrium, its infinite rest.
• Be true unto death. Be perfectly unselfish and you will be sure to succeed. Do not fight with people, do not antagonize anyone. Bear with various opinions of everybody. Patience, purity and perseverance will prevail.
• I stand for truth; truth will never allay itself with falsehood. Even if all the world should be against me, Truth must prevail at the end.

I am amazed at the treasure of knowledge , this philosopher saint of India possessed and shared for the upliftment of masses within the country and the world. It had been extremely difficult to pick and choose the relevant contents for my theme of the blog from this vast treasure I came across while doing my reading research of " The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda". Let me end this blog by a few verses from translation of a poem of great Shankaracharya; titled, " NIRVANASHATKAM"shared by Swami ji in his talks; also recited at Green-acre, Maine ( 1894-1899), Vol IX.

I am neither Body nor changes of the Body; nor am I senses, nor objects of the senses;

I am Existence Absolute! Bliss Absolute! Knowledge Absolute. I am He. I am He.

I am not aversion, nor attachment, nor greed, nor delusion;nor egotism, nor envy;

 Neither Dharma, nor Moksha; neither desire, nor objects of desire

I am Existence Absolute! Bliss Absolute! Knowledge Absolute. I am He. I am He

I am neither sin, nor virtue, neither pain, nor pleasure;
Nor temple, nor worship; nor pilgrimage, nor scriptures;
Neither the act of enjoying, nor the enjoyable, nor the enjoy-er;
I am Existence Absolute! Bliss Absolute! Knowledge Absolute. I am He. I am He.

I am neither death, nor fear of death; nor was I ever born, nor had I parents;
Nor friends, nor relations; I have neither Guru, nor disciple;
I am Existence Absolute! Bliss Absolute! Knowledge Absolute. I am He. I am He.

I am without form, without limit, beyond space, beyond time;
I am in everything, I am the basis of the universe, everywhere am I;
I am Existence Absolute! Bliss Absolute! Knowledge Absolute.I am He. I am He.

Prominent Learnings during 1750-1950 CE--III

"Religion is realization; not talk, not doctrine, nor theories, however beautiful they may be. It is being and becoming, not hearing and acknowledging, it is the whole soul becoming changed into what it believes." Swami Vivekananda

Continuing our learnings from the Saints and Philosophers of the period 1750-1950 CE, we shall pick up a few threads on Dharma and Ethical Living from the phenomenal work of another great Spiritual philosopher cum Patriotic Saint, Swami Vivekananda. Born in Jan 1863 as Narendra Nath Datta, he grew into a great Indian Hindu monk, expressing Religion, Dharma and Ethics in a rationale manner using plain, commonsense language for the masses to easily understand and apply in life.

 As a chief disciple of Indian mystic Saint Ramakrishna Paramhans, he became a key figure in introducing Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga with utmost clarity and rationale to the western world. While traveling all over India, he felt necessity of infusing into the minds of people, a Faith in themselves, so that they can  come out of economic backwardness and poverty. He founded" Ramakrishna Mission", an organization to spread his messages on Religion, Dharma, Ethics, Spirituality and Universal Oneness. He also established Belur Math, a permanent abode for monastery and monastic order.

While going through "The Complete Works Of Swami Vivekananda",I have been overwhelmed by the richness of enormous storehouse of Spiritual and Ethical Treasure, based on his teachings and addresses delivered during his stay in Western World for about 4 years from year 1893 to 1897, and in Sri Lanka and various parts of India thereafter. Eminent British historian " A L Basham" stated, " In centuries to come, Vivekananda will be remembered as one of the main molders of the modern world." Though extremely difficult to pick up selective few messages and teachings, I shall attempt to share a few of these, limiting to my area of work, in two of my blogs, the current one, Blog 21 and the next one in line, Blog 22.

• Religion is the manifestation of the Divinity, already present in man. Moreover, Religion may also be called  the " Science of Consciousness", and as such Religion and Science are not contradictory, but complimentary. This universal concept frees religion from the hold of superstitions, dogmatism, priest craft and intolerance. It makes religion a noblest pursuit-- the pursuit of supreme freedom, supreme knowledge and supreme happiness. AN EYE OPENER for PURSUING DHARMA as well as ETHICAL LIVING in entire universe.

• All religions are more or less attempts to get beyond Nature----, the crudest or the most developed, expressed thru mythology or symbology, stories of Gods, angels or demons, or thru stories of saints and seers, great men or prophets OR thru abstractions of philosophies; all try to get beyond these limitations,- ( from an address in London on " Maya & Illusion" ),

• Each religion, as it were, takes up one part of the great universal truth and spends its whole force in embodying and typifying that part of the great truth. Each religion has a soul behind it and that soul may differ from the soul of another religion. Yet, a question arises as to whether they contradict or supplement each other, In my view, these are additions and not exclusions. This is the march of Humanity. Man never progresses from Error to Truth, but from Truth to Truth, from Lesser Truth to Higher Truth,--( out of address in California, USA on " The way to the realization of a Universal Religion).

• All religion is to be based on Morality; and Personal Purity is to be counted superior to Dharma. It ought to be known that Achara ( Conduct & Behavior) means purity inside and outside. Inside purity is attained by not speaking Falsehood, by not drinking, by not doing immoral acts and by doing good to others. As you do good to yourself, you must do good to others. ( from a lecture on Bhakti, delivered at Sialkot, Punjab). What a great message on Ethical Living!

• The concept of " Potential Divinity of the Soul", gives a new, ennobling concept of man. Degradation of man has led to enormous increase of immorality, violence, crimes and poor ethical standards. Potential divinity of soul prevents this degradation, divinizes human relationships, makes life more meaningful & worthwhile.

• We should be Pure because Purity is our real nature, our true divine self or Atman. We should love and serve our neighbors because we are all one in Supreme Spirit known as Brahma.In one of his address, Swami Vivekananda did impress upon people the need to observe Purity in Food , sharing a quote from Chhandogya Upanishad," आहार शुद्धो  सत्वशुद्धिः , सत्वशुद्धो  ध्रुवास्मृति।  It meant that when food is pure, then the inner senses get purified. On the purification of inner senses, memory becomes steady. Impure food weakens the power of receptivity of the senses and makes them act in opposition to the will. 

• Purity, Patience and perseverance are the three essentials to success, and above all, Love. It is love and love alone that I preach.

• Purity is the bedrock upon which the whole Bhakti- Building rests, Among the long list of attributes, considered conducive to Purity, as given by famous saint Ramanuja and narrated by Swami Vivekananda in his address  are; Satya, Truthfulness, Compassion, Ahimsa, Sincerity, Doing good to others without any gain to one's self, Not injuring others by thought, words or deeds, Not coveting other's goods, Not thinking vain thoughts, Absence of jealousy. Once again, a great Ethical message for society indeed!--- ( Ch X, Vol III titled, " The Method & the Means).

• The whole idea of Ethics is that it does not depend on anything unknowable, it does not teach anything unknown. It is in and thru the self that the whole world is known to me. Take off the self and the whole universe vanishes, In and thru the Self, all knowledge comes, --( Out of an address delivered in London on" Practical Vedanta", Vol II).

• Doing good to others is Virtue or Dharma; injuring others is Sin. Strength and manliness (Purusharth) are Virtue, while weakness and Cowardice are Sin; Loving others is a Virtue, hating others is a Sin. Faith in God and in one's own self is a Virtue, while having doubts and doubts is a Sin, knowledge of Oneness is a Virtue and so on.( from one of his address in Vol I).

While I shall be covering many more relevant messages on Dharma and Ethical living from Swami Vivekananda's treasure of knowledge in next blog, let me end this blog by another strong message on Truthfulness for Ethical Living, from one of his address on Vedanta in Lahore in year 1897. It meant Truth alone triumphs, and not Untruth. Through truth alone, the way to God's Devyana lies. 

सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं। सत्येन पन्था विततो देवयानः।