National Youth Day Tribute: Swami Vivekananda Jayanti 2024
Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, celebrated on January 12th, marks the birth anniversary of one of India’s greatest spiritual leaders and thinkers, Swami Vivekananda. The day is also observed as National Youth Day, to inspire the young generation with his message of courage, service, and self-realization. On this occasion, let us look at some of the powerful lessons that Swami Vivekananda taught us through his life and words.
1. You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.
Swami Vivekananda emphasized the importance of self-confidence and self-respect. He said, “You are the soul, free and eternal, ever pure, ever perfect.” He urged us to realize our true nature and potential, and not to depend on external factors for our happiness and success. He said, “The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves.”
2. Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of action and determination. He inspired us to overcome our lethargy and inertia, and to pursue our goals with zeal and enthusiasm. He said, “The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.” He encouraged us to face the challenges and difficulties of life with courage and perseverance. He said, “Strength is life, weakness is death.”
3. You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
Swami Vivekananda was a seeker of truth and a lover of wisdom. He explored various philosophies and religions, and found the essence of all in Vedanta, the ancient Hindu philosophy of non-dualism. He said, “Vedanta is the science which teaches us how to know ourselves.” He taught us that the ultimate source of knowledge and guidance is within us, and that we have to awaken our inner light and intuition. He said, “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.”
4. In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of compassion and love. He said, “The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them.” He advised us to follow our heart and conscience, and not to be swayed by the opinions and judgments of others. He said, “The greatest sin is to think yourself weak. No one is greater: know that you are great.”
5. They alone live, who live for others.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of service and sacrifice. He said, “The ideal of all education, all training, should be this man-making. But, instead of that, we are always trying to polish up the outside. What use in polishing up the outside, when there is no inside?” He urged us to live for a higher purpose, and to dedicate our lives to the welfare of humanity. He said, “The only way to know God is to love many.”
6. Neither seek nor avoid, take what comes.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of equanimity and balance. He said, “The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.” He taught us to accept the ups and downs of life with grace and gratitude, and not to be attached to the results of our actions. He said, “Work as if you were to live a hundred years, live as if you were to die tomorrow.”
7. Comfort is no test of truth. Truth is often far from being comfortable.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of honesty and integrity. He said, “Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.” He challenged us to seek the truth, even if it is inconvenient or unpopular. He said, “Do not believe in a thing because you have read about it in a book. Do not believe in a thing because another man has said it was true. Do not believe in words because they are hallowed by tradition. Find out the truth for yourself. Reason it out. That is realization.”
8. The fire that warms us can also consume us; it is not the fault of the fire.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of moderation and harmony. He said, “The world is neither good nor evil; each man manufactures a world for himself.” He warned us of the dangers of extremes and fanaticism, and the need for balance and harmony. He said, “The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him – that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.”
9. Ask nothing; want nothing in return. Give what you have to give; it will come back to you, but do not think of that now.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of generosity and detachment. He said, “The more we give, the more we get. The law of nature is that we may get anything by sacrificing the other. The law of love is different. The law of love is that we get by giving.” He taught us to give without expecting anything in return, and to renounce the fruits of our actions. He said, “The moment you think of yourself as separate from anyone else, you are in bondage. That is the fundamental bondage – that is the cause of all misery, and of all selfishness.”
10. Do one thing at a Time, and while doing it put your whole Soul into it to the exclusion of all else.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of concentration and focus. He said, “The power of the mind is like the rays of the sun when they are concentrated they illumine.” He advised us to do one thing at a time, and to do it with full attention and devotion. He said, “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”
11. Be a hero. Always say, “I have no fear.”
Swami Vivekananda was a man of courage and valor. He said, “Be brave, be brave! Man dies but once. My disciples must not be cowards.” He inspired us to overcome our fears and doubts, and to face the world with confidence and conviction. He said, “Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny.”
12. All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of unity and diversity. He said, “The Vedanta recognizes no sin it only recognizes error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that.” He taught us to respect and celebrate the diversity of life, and to recognize the underlying oneness of all existence. He said, “I am a Hindu. I am sitting in my own little well and thinking that the whole world is my little well. The Christian sits in his little well and thinks the whole world is his well. The Mohammedan sits in his little well and thinks that is the whole world. I have to thank you of America for the great attempt you are making to break down the barriers of this little world of ours, and hope that, in the future, the Lord will help you to accomplish your purpose.”
13. The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of service and love. He said, “The only way to get out of the bondage of the world is to work for others.” He urged us to serve the poor and the needy, and to see God in every being. He said, “The poor, the illiterate, the ignorant, the afflicted – let these be your God. Know that service to these alone is the highest religion.”
14. The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves.
Swami Vivekananda was a man of spirituality and universality. He said, “Religion is not in books, nor in theories, nor in dogmas, nor in talking, not even in reasoning. It is being and becoming.” He taught us to follow our own path, and to respect all paths that lead to the same goal. He said, “I accept all religions that were in the past, and worship with them all; I worship God with every one of them, in whatever form they worship Him. I shall go to the mosque of the Mohammedan; I shall enter the Christian’s church and kneel before the crucifix; I shall enter the Buddhistic temple, where I shall take refuge in Buddha and in his Law.
15. Take risks in your life, If you win, you can lead! If you lose, you can guide!
Swami Vivekananda was a man of adventure and leadership. He said, “The history of the world is the history of a few men who had faith in themselves.” He inspired us to take risks in our life, and to learn from our failures and successes. He said, “Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvelous work. It is fearlessness that brings heaven even in a moment.”
