Acharya Shriram Sharma Quotes in English (Translations of Quotes in Hindi)

68700134 Acharya Shriram Sharma Motivational and Inspirational Quotes from Guiding Thoughts

Achary Shriram Sharma - Quotes in Hindi (Daily Guidance Part 2)

Yugrishi Acharya Shriram Sharma - An introduction to HIM and HIS expectations from us! from Guiding Thoughts

Quotes by Swami Vivekananda and Ramkrishna Paramhansa on: Education, God, How To Reform People?, Krishna and The Bhagvad Gita !

The following are exceptional lines/ quotes  from the lectures and writings of Swami Vivekananda. The quotes are on a range of subjects, covering  - The greatness of The Bhagvad Gita, Lord Buddha, The purpose of Education, Jesus and Krishna, Good and Evil. 

SWAMI  VIVEKANANDA ON EDUCATION:

"The less you read, the better. Read the Gita and other good works on Vedanta. That is all you need. The present system of education is all wrong. The mind is crammed with facts before it knows how to think. Control of the mind should be taught first. If I had my education to get over again and had any voice in the matter, I would learn to master my mind first, and then gather facts if I wanted them. It takes people a long time to learn things because they can't concentrate their minds at will."

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION:

"We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one's own feet."

RAMKRISHNA PARAMHANSA ON MEN & GOD:

My Master used to say, "This world is a huge lunatic asylum where all men are mad, some after money, some after women, some after name or fame, and a few after God. I prefer to be mad after God. God is the philosophers' stone that turns us to gold in an instant; the form remains, but the nature is changed — the human form remains, but no more can we hurt or sin."

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON PROPHETS ACCROSS THE AGES:

Prophets preach, but the Incarnations like Jesus, Buddha, Ramakrishna, can give religion; one glance, one touch is enough. That is the power of the Holy Ghost, the "laying on of hands"; the power was actually transmitted to the disciples by the Master — the "chain of Guru-power". That, the real baptism, has been handed down for untold ages.

TAMAS, RAJAS and SATTVIKA:

The world is our fish basket, we must not depend upon it for enjoyment. Those who do are the Tâmasas or the bound. Then there are the Râjasas or the egotistical, who talk always about "I", "I". They do good work sometimes and may become spiritual. But the highest are the Sâttvikas, the introspective, those who live only in the Self. These three qualities, Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva (idleness, activity, and illumination), are in everyone, and different ones predominate at different times.

IS GOD A MERE MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY:

Today God is being abandoned by the world because He does not seem to be doing enough for the world. So they say, "Of what good is He?" Shall we look upon God as a mere municipal authority?

HOW TO REFORM:

Violent attempts at reform always end by retarding reform. Do not say, "You are bad"; say only, "You are good, but be better."

IS THERE ANYTHING CALLED 'RIGHTEOUS ANGER or JUSTIFIABLE KILLING?''

Priests are an evil in every country, because they denounce and criticise, pulling at one string to mend it until two or three others are out of place. Love never denounces, only ambition does that. There is no such thing as "righteous" anger or justifiable killing.

WOMEN- THE LION OR THE FOX?

If you do not allow one to become a lion, he will become a fox. Women are a power, only now it is more for evil because man oppresses woman; she is the fox, but when she is not longer oppressed, she will become the lion.

SPIRITUAL ASPIRATIONS BALANCED THROUGH INTELLECT:

Ordinarily speaking, spiritual aspiration ought to be balanced through the intellect; otherwise it may degenerate into mere sentimentality. . . .

KRISHNA AND THE GREATNESS OF THE BHAGVAD GITA:

All theists agree that behind the changeable there is an Unchangeable, though they vary in their conception of the Ultimate. Buddha denied this in toto. "There is no Brahman, no Atman, no soul," he said. As a character Buddha was the greatest the world has ever seen; next to him Christ. But the teachings of Krishna as taught by the Gita are the grandest the world has ever known. He who wrote that wonderful poem was one of those rare souls whose lives sent a wave of regeneration through the world. The human race will never again see such a brain as his who wrote the Gita.

GOOD and EVIL:

There is only one Power, whether manifesting as evil or good. God and the devil are the same river with the water flowing in opposite directions.

CREDITS and REFRENCES:

The above quotes are from the complete works of Swami Vivekananda: http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_7/vol_7_frame.htm

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Swami Vivekananda Quotes on : Worshipping The Mother Form, Upanishads, Buddhism, Vegetarianism, The difference between a Prophet and a Scientist !

Enclosed here are short excerpts from the words and writings  of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, and Swami Vivekananda. These  short excerpts are explanations on subjects as diverse as : How were the Upanishads written? Should we limit ourselves to the scriptural texts or go beyond? Why do we worship the Mother form or the female form of energy? When do societies move towards vegetarianism, what prompts them to make this move? What distinguishes a prophet from a scientist?The greatness of Buddhism!

The exact same thoughts and message on the same subjects is echoed in the extensive Literature penned by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya. 

Quoted text:

Ramakrishna Paramhansa on the short shortsightedness of placing a premium on wealth and social position: 

"Some people are proud of their wealth, their fame and social position,but these pride things are transitory. None can take them away with them after death.It is not good to be proud of wealth.You may say "I am wealthy",but then there are millionaires, multi-millionaires, and so on.

In the evening fireflies think that they are lighting the world; but when the stars begin to shine, their pride is subdued.The stars in turn think they are lighting the world,but when the moon shines the stars are put to shame. The moon too believes that her light illumines everything;but lo! the dawn appears and the rising sun effaces the light of the moon; If wealthy people thought of these things, the would no longer be proud of their wealth."

(Source and Credits :" The Gospel Of Ramakrishna" by Swami Abhedananda (a direct disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa).

Swami Vivekananda on the Limited Value of chanting Gods name without a corresponding internal change in the self:

There is a vast difference between saying "food, food" and eating it, between saying "water, water" and drinking it. So by merely repeating the words "God, God" we cannot hope to attain realisation. We must strive and practise.

(Source and Credits : http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_7/vol_7_frame.htm)

Swami Vivekananda on why many religions of the world worship the "Divine Mother" or the Female form of energy:

Mother is the first manifestation of power and is considered a higher idea than father. With the name of Mother comes the idea of Shakti, Divine Energy and Omnipotence, just as the baby believes its mother to be all-powerful, able to do anything. The Divine Mother is the Kundalini ("coiled up" power) sleeping in us; without worshipping Her we can never know ourselves. All-merciful, all-powerful, omnipresent are attributes of Divine Mother. She is the sum total of the energy in the universe. Every manifestation of power in the universe is "Mother". She is life, She is intelligence, She is Love. She is in the universe yet separate from it. She is a person and can be seen and known (as Shri Ramakrishna saw and knew Her). Established in the idea of Mother, we can do anything. She quickly answers prayer.

She can show; Herself to us in any form at any moment. Divine Mother can have form (Rupa) and name (Nâma) or name without form; and as we worship Her in these various aspects we can rise to pure Being, having neither form nor name.

The sum total of all the cells in an organism is one person; so each soul is like one cell and the sum of them is God, and beyond that is the Absolute. The sea calm is the Absolute; the same sea in waves is Divine Mother. She is time, space, and causation. God is Mother and has two natures, the conditioned and the unconditioned. As the former, She is God, nature, and soul (man). As the latter, She is unknown and unknowable. Out of the Unconditioned came the trinity — God, nature, and soul, the triangle of existence. This is the Vishishtâdvaitist idea.

A bit of Mother, a drop, was Krishna, another was Buddha, another was Christ. The worship of even one spark of Mother in our earthly mother leads to greatness. Worship Her if you want love and wisdom.

(Source and credits : http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_7/vol_7_frame.htm )

Swami Vivekananda explaining that as Societies progress( move away from military power to intellectual power, they move towards vegetarianism) 

The meat-eating animal, like the lion, gives one blow and subsides, but the patient bullock goes on all day, eating and sleeping as it walks. The "live Yankee" cannot compete with the rice-eating Chinese coolie. While military power dominates, meat-eating still prevails; but with the advance of science, fighting will grow less, and then the vegetarians will come in.

(Source and credits : http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_7/vol_7_frame.htm)

Swami Vivekananda explaining The Upanishads and how they were written ?( As algebraical symbols):

Vyasa's philosophy is par excellence that of the Upanishads. He wrote in Sutra form, that is, in brief algebraical symbols without nominative or verb. This caused so much ambiguity that out of the Sutras came dualism, mono-dualism, and monism or "roaring Vedanta"; and all the great commentators in these different schools were at times "conscious liars" in order to make the texts suit their philosophy.

The Upanishads contain very little history of the doings of any man, but nearly all other scriptures are largely personal histories. The Vedas deal almost entirely with philosophy. Religion without philosophy runs into superstition; philosophy without religion becomes dry atheism.

Vishishta-advaita is qualified Advaita (monism). Its expounder was Râmânuja. He says, "Out of the ocean of milk of the Vedas, Vyasa has churned this butter of philosophy, the better to help mankind." He says again, "All virtues and all qualities belong to Brahman, Lord of the universe. He is the greatest Purusha. Madhva is a through-going dualist or Dvaitist. He claims that even women might study the Vedas. He quotes chiefly from the Purânas. He says that Brahman means Vishnu, not Shiva at all, because there is no salvation except through Vishnu.

(Source and credits : http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_7/vol_7_frame.htm)

Swami Vivekananda on what distinguishes The Prophet from  The Scientist:

Knowledge can never be created, it can only be discovered; and every man who makes a great discovery is inspired. Only, when it is a spiritual truth he brings, we call him a prophet; and when it is on the physical plane, we call him a scientific man, and we attribute more importance to the former, although the source of all truth is one.

(Source and credits: http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_7/vol_7_frame.htm)

Swami Vivekananda on Vedanta Philosphy: How it asks you not to be limited by  whats written in the books. It prompts you to self experience and self realise.

"The ancient Hindus were wonderful scholars, veritable living encyclopaedias. They said, "Knowledge in books and money in other people's hands is like no knowledge and no money at all."

(Source and credits: http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_7/vol_7_frame.htm)

Swami Vivekananda on the greatness of Buddha and Buddhism:

Buddhism, one of the most philosophical religions in the world, spread all through the populace, the common people of India. What a wonderful culture there must have been among the Aryans twenty-five hundred years ago, to be able to grasp ideas!

Buddha was the only great Indian philosopher who would not recognise caste, and not one of his followers remains in India. All the other philosophers pandered more or less to social prejudices; no matter how high they soared, still a bit of the vulture remained in them. As my Master used to say, "The vulture soars high out of sight in the sky, but his eye is ever on a bit of carrion on the earth."

(Source and credits: http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_7/vol_7_frame.htm)

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Shriram Sharma Acharya's Daily Motivational Quotes (English translations of Hindi quotations)

SHORT DAILY QUOTES:

    

• The Weakest person is the One who has no self control.