Author Archives: Web Kumar

— Swami Vireshananda — Swami Vivekananda met William James, the father of modern American psychology, probably in 1894 and also in 1896. Mr James was already familiar with Eastern spirituality and hence, he was interested in what Swamiji had to offer to him. Swamiji made an ineffaceable impact on William James who later said: ‘That […]

— Swami Vireshananda — The inception of the Ramakrishna Mission is a momentous event in Indian history. The Mission brought about the national renaissance in India which ultimately culminated in political freedom. It also caused widespread social awareness and ini-­tiated a mass educational movement across the length and breadth of the country. It gave a […]

— Swami Vireshananda — The later part of the 19th century was the age of the Industrial Revolution. The 20th century was the age of technological advancement, while the 21st century is the age of Information technology and connectivity. It was presumed that the progress of society was natural and spontaneous with the development of […]

— Swami Vireshananda — To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow. —William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act V, Sc. V. When we continue […]

— Swami Vireshananda — या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्ति-रूपेण संस्थिता । नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः॥ To the Devi, who abides in all beings in the form of power, salutations to her, salutations to her again and again.1 Devi Mahatmyam or Chandi, the celebrated scripture on Divine Mother, ecstatically describes Her to be pervading every element […]

— Swami Vireshananda — The evolution of human society from primitive tribes to modern civilisation makes an interesting study. It is also the history of material and intellectual progress of human beings, if not spiritual. Civilisational history is a testimony to the extraordinary perseverance of humans in struggling against nature—enduring untold hardships, encountering dangers at […]

— Swami Vireshananda — Sri Ramakrishna used to say: ‘As long as I live, so long do I learn.’ The educational system of a society revolves around providing a conducive ambience for students to pursue their primary duty of learning. However, there are several opinions about what really makes learning and how a student learns. […]

— Swami Vireshananda — The main purpose of spiritual sādhana is to transcend physical understanding of reality and to raise our awareness to the realm of pure Consciousness. This is an extraordinary spiritual endeavour that takes us beyond the relative plane into a wonderful sphere of mystical revelations. It culminates in the discovery of non-difference […]

— Swami Vireshananda — The study of human beings is one of the many fascinating studies undertaken within religion, philosophy, and the physical sciences for hundreds of years. In this study, a human becomes an object of investigation, the medium is the human mind, while oneself becomes the investigator. In other words, a knower investigates […]

— Swami Vireshananda — Vedanta speaks of a universe filled with the consciousness of Brahman, the Supreme Reality, whose conscious presence is felt in all the individual components, however small they may be. This idea is graphically described in the Mundaka Upanishad: तदेतत्सत्यं यथा सुदीप्तात्पावकाद्विस्फुलिङ्गाः सहस्रशः प्रभवन्ते सरूपाः । तथाक्षराद्विविधाः सोम्य भावाः प्रजायन्ते तत्र चैवापि […]