Swami Vivekananda - Memoirs of Manmatha Nath Ganguli
Katha
Swamiji got down from the sofa and stood in the room. He pointed to a carpet and asked me to sit on it. At a short distance there was another carpet and Swamiji took his seat on it. When I followed him, he said, "In dream you have seen the Mother as Kumari. But henceforth you should meditate on Her as of the Shodashi form — like." As he said this I could vividly visualize the image and at the moment I did not wonder at this at all. About the vision I had never spoken to any soul. yet he knew it, and I did not marvel for I had taken it for granted that he knew everything. In my dream, many years before, I had seen seven maids. The tallest was a maid of eleven and the smallest and youngest only five. The difference of age and height decreased in a graded manner and all were very beautiful divine persons. Each of them had a gold crown and they were dressed in very fine garments and ornaments. But they had all the brightness of the goddesses. They emerged one by one from one side and moved forward on before me to vanish at a small distance. The vision was so vivid that the images left a permanent impression in my memory.
Swamiji went on, "After some time you saw Mahadeva in your vision. He had the trident in His hand and He gave you this mantra.... From that time on you performed that japa." It was many years after the first one that I had this dream. He said. "But from now onwards your mantra is this." ... He repeated the bija-mantra of the Mother thrice, aloud. And I saw before me a full size divine figure of the classical image with the tongue lolling out. I asked him, "Shall I have to meditate on Her like that?" He said. "If you wish, you can think of Her with the tongue in. "And he smiled.
After this he gave me certain hints about initiation and the process of sadhana that I was to practise. He gave me the mantra for the worship of the guru and showed me the centres for nyasa. He said, "First of all perform the menial obeisance, then visualize your guru as vividly as you can. For this, sahasrara (thousand-petalled lotus in the brain) is the best place. After this the mantra of the chosen deity should be slowly repeated and Her image should be meditated in the heart.
"In offering the mental worship, first of all meditate on the feet, then slowly go upwards till you come to the face, and then meditate on the face. When meditation will be deep, there will he no hands or feet. As long as you see the form, the nirvikalpa plane cannot be reached. But do not hurry. You must go slowly and across the stages one by one. Otherwise it may take a much longer time."
After my initiation was thus over, he said, "Sit here, beside me, and meditate. Practise meditation every day without fail, however busy you may be. It must be done even for a short time, say for a few minutes. If you do not find time otherwise you may do it in the bathroom. Even that will do."
To be continued...(Memoirs of Manmatha Nath Ganguli)
KATHA : Vivekananda Kendra
Once he said, "This body will never be fit again. I shall have to leave it and bring another body to complete the work. There are many things that remain undone."
On a previous occasion he had said in a divine mood. "I do not want mukti (liberation). As long as there shall be one soul left. I have to come again and again."
The internal condition of China was politically very wretched. The European powers wanted to divide China among them. Japan also joined them in this exploitation and attacked China. One day I asked Swamiji. "China is such an old country. Do you think this ancient country with its civilization will die out?" He was silent for a while. Then he said. "I see before me the body of an elephant. There is a foal within. But it is a lion-cub that comes out of it. It will grow in future and China shall become great and powerful."
Of Indian freedom, he said, "Our country shall be free. But not with bloodshed. There is a great future for India after her independence." At the time he did not say when, but from another brother-disciple I had learnt later that he had said that India would be free within fifty-years.
Katha - Vivekananda Kendra
Once I asked, "What will happen
if I do not follow your behest and fall?" He said. "Go and fall
to the very depth of abyss. It is I who shall raise you by the
tuft of your hair. There is no power on this earth to keep you
fallen.
At one time he remarked casually. "There are many souls that
will come in future. They shall be free from birth and some
shall become free even by hearing the name of Shri Ramakrishna.
He had said. "I want a band of Sannyasins for my work. But some
good parents must constitute the nucleus of a better order of
things. From this shall originate the future society to outshine
the past glory of India."
On the question of women's emancipation, he said, "There is no
need of any set programme for uplifting women. Give them
education and leave them free. They will work out the solution
of their own problems themselves."...
Here are a few incidents that I heard from Swamiji which have
been referred to by others. But I give the details as I heard.
Swamiji said, "Then I used to beg my food from door to door in
the Himalayas. Most of the time I spent in spiritual practices
which were rigorous; and the food that was available was very
coarse, and often that too was insufficient to appease the
hunger. One day I thought that my life was useless. These hill
people are very poor themselves. They cannot feed their own
children and family properly. Yet they try to save a little for
me. Then what is the use of such a life? I stopped going out for
food. Two days thus passed without any food. Whenever I was
thirsty I drank the water of the streams using my palms as a
cup. Then I entered a deep jungle. There I meditated sitting on
a piece of stone. My eyes were open, and suddenly I was aware of
the presence of a striped tiger of a large size. It looked at me
with its shining eyes. I thought, 'At long last I shall find
peace and this animal its food. It is enough that this body will
be of some service to this creature." I shut my eyes and waited
for it, but a few seconds passed and I was not attacked. So, I
opened my eyes and saw it receding in the forest. I was sorry
for it and then smiled, for I knew it was the Master who was
saving me till his work be done."
Here are a few of his remarks about the national traits of
America and India. These were casual observations during his
talks and discourses in a conversational mood.
"Bharata was sattva-pradhana during the days of rishis. Even now inside the bone and marrow India is still sattva-guni. Among all the nations of the world Bharata is still sattvika — more so than any one else — but on the outer shell it has become full of tamas. For a long time they have been passing through a great storm, and their bad days have not ended yet. It is hunger that is killing the nation, and the whole race is dying out slowly. Our duty is to give them food and education."
To be continued...(Memoirs of Manmatha Nath Ganguli)
The main theme of my life is to take the message of Sanatana Dharma to every home and pave the way for launching, in a big way, the man-making programme preached and envisaged by great seers like Swami Vivekananda. - Mananeeya Eknathji
| विवेकानन्द
केन्द्र कन्याकुमारी (Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari) Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra : http://www.vivekanandakendra.org Read Article, Magazine, Book @ http://eshop.vivekanandakendra.org/e-granthalaya Cell : +91-941-801-5995, Landline : +91-177-283-5995 |
|
| . .
. Are you Strong? Do you
feel Strength? — for I
know it is Truth alone
that gives Strength. Strength is the medicine for the
world’s disease . . . This is the great fact: "Strength is LIFE; Weakness is Death." |
|
| Follow us on blog twitter youtube facebook g+ delicious rss Donate Online | |
KATHA : Vivekananda Kendra
"To change the condition of India she must be fed and clothed properly. People must get education. The poor are the narayanas. They must be served with food and education."
"The Indians are religious inside. For want of food and clothing the spiritual fire has dimmed. When there will be no want and they get some education, the spiritual fire will blaze once more."
"Do not talk and think too much of child-marriage, widow-marriage, etc. When women get proper education and are enlightened, they will solve their own problems themselves."
About brahmacharya and medhu he seemed to have the orthodox view. I heard him say on his wonderful power of retentive memory in this manner. "If a man can be continent for twelve years, he can have extraordinary memory. One must be celibate and keep his brahmacharya absolutely even in his dream."
He had once told me. "You must know that the Sannyasin is the guru of the householders. Even if you but see the gerua (ochre cloth) bow down to it in reverence. Think of your own guru and pay your respect whether the person is fit or unfit. Keep the ideal of renunciation before you and gerua should remind you of the highest renunciation and knowledge."
To me he advised, "Choose one path. Do not keep your feet in two boats." He wanted me to become a Sannyasin or a householder. At that time was I unmarried. Later on. I chose to be a householder.
KATHA : Vivekananda Kendra
Swamiji looked at us and said, "Look, engrave this scene in your memory. You will never see this again." Now I think it must have been a state of samadhi. When Nag Mahashaya opened his eyes again, Swamiji said, "Please, tell them something of the Master." Swamiji did not rise himself nor did he ask him to sit. Such attempt would have jarred the ecstatic mood in which he was at that time, and Nag Mahashaya himself would have been very uncomfortable.
Sadhu Nag Mahashaya suddenly smiled the heavenly smile of the gods who have the vision of Shiva's world. He half raised his right hand and said, "It is this, it is this." Every one felt a charge of spiritual energy and the atmosphere of the room was tense with awe and reverence. Then he went out as suddenly as he had come.