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Showing posts from July 3, 2007

#047, life is misery, nothing but misery

Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga clarifies that ignorance is the cause of misery. "...These are the five pains, the fivefold tie that binds us down, of which ignorance is the cause and the other four its effects. It is the only cause of all our misery. What else can make us miserable? ..." BLOGGER'S VIEWS In his letter dated Dec. 1900 from Belur Math, to the Raja of Khetri, Vivekananda lamented that his life was miserable and nothing else.. ".. The one great lesson I was taught is that life is misery, nothing but misery. ..." *Did Swamiji suffer from ignorance? He himself said that ignorance was the cause of misery. *Was his misery owing to red patches on his chest? *Was his misery a result of 'nobody subscribing to his personal fund'? *Was his misery a result of 'everybody in US coming for free lectures and nobody paying for them'? *Was his misery a result of foreign donors asking for accounts? *Was his misery a result of being made to

#46, It is better to get away from Calcutta now when the season of plague is on

One commonly found quotation of Swami Vivekananda on the internet is his exhortation to his brother-disciples and followers to serve in plague affected areas. VIVEKANANDA THEORY QUOTE "... Go, all of you, wherever there is an outbreak of plague or famine, or wherever the people are in distress, and mitigate their suffereings. At the most, you may die in the attempt ..." VIVEKANANDA PRACTICE QUOTE Swamiji wrote to Rakhal (Brahmananda) from Varanasi on Feb. 21, 1902: "... It is better to get away from Calcutta now when the season of plague is on. There is wide-spread plague in Allahabad; I do not know if it will spread to Varanasi this time ..." BLOGGER'S VIEWs *Others will die. *Swamiji will get away from Calcutta. *Worried whether it will spread to Varanasi. If it spreads where will he go? *Rakhal was in Calcutta facing plague *Swamiji asked Rakhal to release Rs. 100 to Nivedita from Monastery funds for Plague work. Some biographies and books praise that Vive