MEMORABLE SHIVARATRI

Naren (Swami Vivekananda) was now becoming aware of the spiritual power within him. There were moments when he, as it were, touched divinity and became almost physically conscious of Reality by the spiritual transmutation of the internal faculties of sense. His thought became a sweeping power.

On one occasion he displayed it: It was on Shivaratri (the Night of Shiva) in March 1886. Naren was seated with three or four brother-disciples in a room in the compound of the Cossipore garden-house. They had fasted the whole day and intended to spend the night in meditation, worship and prayer. A mild shower of rain fell in the evening and the starlit sky was in parts fleeced with clouds. After finishing the worship, Japa and meditation proper to the first quarter of the night, Naren was resting and conversing with others, sitting on the worshipper's seat. One of the brother disciples went out to prepare a smoke for him and another went to the main residence on a piece of work. Just then a feeling of divine power came to Naren. He wanted to test it out that night, and said to Kali (later Swami Abhedananda) who was sitting close to him, "Just touch me after a while." When the brother¬ disciple who had gone to prepare tobacco entered the room, he saw Naren sitting motionless in meditation and Kali, with his eyes shut, touching Naren's right knee with his right hand. He noticed that Kali's hand was trembling. After a minute or two Naren opened his eyes and said, "That is enough. How did you feel?" Kali answered, "I felt a shock as though from an electric battery. My hand was shaking all the while." The brother disciple asked Kali, "Was your hand trembling because you were touching Naren?" Kali answered, "Yes, I could not keep it steady, though I tried."

A little later the young men applied themselves to the worship and meditation proper to the second quarter of the night. Kali entered into deep meditation at that time. He was never seen to enter into such deep meditation before. His whole body became stiff, with his neck and head inclined slightly forward. Consciousness of the outer world seemed to have completely left him for some time. Everyone present thought that he was having such meditation as a result of having touched Naren a little while previously. Naren also noticed that state and indicated it to a companion by a sign.

After the last quarter's worship was over at four in the morning, Shashi came to the worship-room and said to Naren, "The Master wants you." Naren went upstairs with Shashi to the Master. No sooner had the Master seen Naren than he said, "What is this? Spending with hardly anything accumulated! Allow it first to accumulate sufficiently in your-self; then you will know where and how to spend it. Mother Herself will teach you. Don't you see what harm you have done to him by injecting your attitude of mind into him? He has been progressing till now with a particular mental attitude, the whole of which has now been destroyed, like a miscarriage during the sixth month of pregnancy. What's done is done. Don't act so thoughtlessly from now on. The boy, however, is lucky that greater harm has not befallen him." Naren said afterwards, "I was completely flabbergasted. The Master was able to know whatever we did at the time of worship. What else could I do but keep silent when he scolded me like that!"


SOURCE: LIFE OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA,
                    BY EASTERN & WESTERN DISCIPLES

*************************

A REVEALING INCIDENT ON SHIVA-RATRI:

Sri Ramakrishna

Sri Ramakrishna used to tell his other disciples about greatness of his chief disciple Naren, the future Swami Vivekananda [Swamiji]. In course of time he would be endowed with power to transmit spirituality to others through mere thought or touch. It actually happened one day during Sri Ramakrishna’s life time.

It was Shiva-ratri, the night of the spring festival of the Lord Shiva. Three or four boy devotees were fasting with Swamiji. They wished to pass the auspicious night worshiping and keeping vigil. That evening there was a heavy shower, and the devotees were delighted to see on the newly formed clouds occasional flashes of lightening that looked like Lord Shiva’s matted hair.

Swami Vivekananda

At 10 pm., after finishing the first quarter of the night’s worship, chanting, and meditation, Swamiji remained seated, relaxing and conversing with others. One of his companions left the room to prepare a smoke for him, and another went to the main building to finish a particular chore. Swamiji suddenly felt that divine power awaken within him. Intending to put it into effect and test its results, he said to Swami Abhedananda, who was seated facing him, “Please touch me for a while.” After a little while, the boy who had gone to prepare the tobacco returned. He saw Swami Vivekananda meditating, sitting motionless, while Abhedananda sat close by, his right hand touching Swamiji’s right knee. Abhedananda’s hand was trembling rapidly, and his eyes were closed. After a few minutes Swamiji opened his eyes and said: “That is enough. How did you feel?”

Swami Abhedananda

Abhedananda replied, “As one feels a shock wave while touching an electric battery, and one’s hand trembles, so I felt when touching you.”

The boy asked Abhedananda, “Was your hand trembling of itself as you touched Swamiji?”

Abhedananda responded: “Yes. I could not keep it steady, though I tried.”

There was no further discussion of the incident. Swamiji smoked his tobacco. Afterwards all were involved in the second quarter of worship and meditation. Abhedananda then went into deep meditation. We had never seen him so absorbed. His whole body became stiff, his neck and head were bent, and for a time he completely lost consciousness of the outer world. Everyone present thought he had that deep meditation as a result of having touched Swamiji shortly before. Swamiji also noticed his condition and silently pointed it out to a companion.

At 4 a.m. when the worship of the fourth quarter was over, Swami Ramakrishnananda came to the worship room and told Swamiji, “The Master [Sri Ramakrishna] is calling for you.” Swamiji immediately went to the second floor of the main building, where the Master was staying. Ramakrishnanada also followed him because he was serving the Master.

Seeing Swamiji, the Master said: Hello! You are frittering away your power before you have accumulated enough of it. First gather it deep within yourself, and then you will understand where and how you should use it. Mother will let you know. Don’t you see what great harm you have done to that boy by infusing your ideas into him? He had been following a specific practice for a long time, and now all is spoilt like a miscarriage in the sixth month of pregnancy. Well, what was supposed to happen has happened. From now on don’t do such a thing rashly. The boy is lucky that greater harm did not befall him.”

Swamiji said later: “I was completely dumbfounded. The Master had come to know whatever we did during worship! What could I do? I remained silent as he scolded me.”

In later years Swami Vivekananda transferred spiritual power to others by mere wish as predicted by his Guru Sri Ramakrishna.


SOURCE: The Great Master, Sri Ramakrishna, RK Math, Chennai-4

                *                *                *                 *

ANECDOTE: A TRUTHFUL STUDENT

While in school one day Swami Vivekananda [then Narendra] was talking animatedly to his friends during a class recess. Meanwhile, the teacher had begun to teach his subject. But the students were too absorbed in Narendra’s story to pay any attention to the lesson. After some time had passed, the teacher heard the whispering and understood what was going on! Visibly annoyed, he now asked each student what he had been teaching on. None could answer. But Narendra was remarkably talented; his mind could work simultaneously on two planes. While he had engaged one part of his mind in talking, he had kept the other half on the lesson. So when the teacher asked him that question, he answered correctly. Quite nonplussed, the teacher inquired who had been talking so long. Everybody pointed at Narendra, but the teacher refused to believe them. He then asked all students except Narendra to stand upon the bench. Narendra also joined his friends and stood up. The teacher asked him to sit down. But Narendra replied: ‘No sir, I must also stand up because it was I who was talking to them.’

SOURCE: Swami Vivekananda, The Friend of All  by RKM Institue of Culture, Kolkata

            

ANECDOTE: A LESSON ON SAME SIGHTEDNESS:

KING AJIT SINGH

Once Swami Vivekananda [Swamiji] was staying as King Ajit Singhji’s guest at the Khetri Palace. One evening the king invited Swamiji to join him to hear songs sung by a professional dancing girl. But Swamiji refused and sent a message that as a sannyasin it was against his principles to attend such party.    

When the singer heard this she was deeply grieved. She started to sing, as it were reply, a song of a Saint. The girls’ sweet, plaintive voice reached the sensitive ears of Swamiji. The meaning of the song: ‘O Lord, look not upon my evil qualities. Thy name, O Lord, is same sightedness. One piece of iron is in the image in the temple, and another in the butcher’s hand. But when they touch the philosopher’s stone, both alike turn into gold. So Lord, look not upon my evil qualities.’

The song touched Swamiji’s heart deeply. He soon reproached himself, muttering ‘What sort of a sannyasin am I that I still distinguish women from myself?’ The song taught him a great lesion. He realized he could not reject anyone, for in all lies the same Self.

Swamiji then rushed to the music room and listened to the song. He addressed the woman as ‘Mother’ and begged her pardon for his discourteous behavior.  


SOURCE: Swami Vivekananda, The Friend of All, by RKM, Institute of Culture, Kolkata 

A GREAT LESSON FROM MOTHER BHUVANESHWARI:

   Swami Vivekananda's life has many memorable events  which are very valuable and interesting. We can learn many lessons from them for our life too.
  S. NO             -STORY -                                          LINK

      1. A GREAT LESSON FROM MOTHER       See below  

      2. A TRUTHFUL STUDENT                           [ Click here ] 

      3. A LESSON ON SAME SIGHTEDNESS    [ Click here]

     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      1. SWAMI VIVEKANANDA: A GREAT LESSON FROM HIS MOTHER:

BHUVANESHWARI DEVI

When Swami Vivekananda [then Narendra] was studying in school he was punished for no fault of his own. The Geography teacher asked him a question which Narendra answered correctly. But the teacher thought Narendra he was wrong and punished him. But Naredra was undaunted even as a boy. He protested, ‘I committed no error, sir; I am sure what I said is right.’ This made the teacher furious and he caned Narendra mercilessly.

Narendra returned home, his eyes filled with tears and narrated every thing to his mother. But Bhuvaneshwari Devi consoled him saying, ‘My son, why do you care if you are in the right? Follow the truth always, whatever happens.’

SRI RAMAKRISHNA

Narendra found his Master, Sri Ramakrishna to be an embodiment of the ideal his mother had instilled in him. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: ‘Truth is to be cultivated by all means. If a man holds to truth in this Kaliyuga, he will certainly realize God.’ And Sri Ramakrishna himself practised what he preached.

This ideal of unwavering loyalty to truth which, Swami Vivekananda saw in his mother and later in his spiritual master Sri Ramakrishna found expression in all his actions. It was therefore only but natural that the world would later hear him proclaim: ‘Every thing can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.’


SOURCE: Swami Vivekananda, The Friend of All, RKM Institue of Culture, Kolkata