Swami Vivekananda Quotes About Scripture

• Wherever there is evil and wherever there is ignorance and want of knowledge, I have found out by experience that all evil comes, as our scriptures say, relying upon differences, and that all good comes from faith in equality, in the underlying sameness and oneness of things. This is the great Vedantic ideal.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Faith, Ignorance, Differences

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.1116, Manonmani Publishers

• It will not do merely to listen to great principles. You must apply them in the practical field, turn them into constant practice. What will be the good of cramming the high - sounding dicta of the scriptures? You have first to grasp the teachings of the Shastras, and then to work them out in practical life. Do you understand? This is called practical religion.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Teaching, Practice, Principles

  Swami Vivekananda, Ann Myren (1993). “Living at the Source: Yoga Teachings of Vivekananda”, Shambhala Publications

• Throw aside your scriptures in the Ganga and teach the people first the means of procuring their food and clothing, and then you will find time to read to them the scriptures.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Mean, People, Scripture

  Swami Vivekananda, Swami Saradananda (1964). “Swamiji's Message to a Disciple: Reprint from the Talks with Swami Vivekananda”

• The attempt is to kill the false "I", so that the real "I", the Lord, will reign. "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me," say the Hebrew scriptures.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Real, Jealous, Reign

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.313, Manonmani Publishers

• [Not parroting.] My old Master used to say, "It is all very good to teach the parrot to say, 'Lord, Lord, Lord' all the time; but let the cat come and take hold of its neck, it forgets all about it" [You may] pray all the time, read all the scriptures in the world, and worship all the gods there are, [but] unless you realise the soul there is no freedom. Not talking, theorising, argumentation, but realisation. That I call practical religion.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Cat, Talking, Soul

• Pray all the time, read all the scriptures in the world, and worship all the gods there are ...but unless you realize the Truth, there is no freedom.

  Swami Vivekananda

  World, Scripture, Atman

  Swami Vivekananda (2015). “The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda”, p.1648, Manonmani Publishers

• Who cares for your bhakti and mukti? Who cares what your scriptures say? I will go into a thousand hells cheerfully if I can rouse my countrymen, immersed in tamas, to stand on their own feet and be men inspired with the spirit of karma-yoga. I am a follower only of he or she who serves and helps others without caring for his own bhakti and mukti!

  Swami Vivekananda

  Karma, Yoga, Caring

• You must try to combine in your life immense idealism with immense practicality. You must be prepared to go into deep meditation now, and the next moment you must be ready to go and cultivate the fields. You must be prepared to explain the intricacies of the scriptures now, and the next moment to go and sell the produce of the fields in the market....The true man is he who is strong as strength itself and yet possesses a woman's heart.

  Swami Vivekananda

  Strong, Heart, Men

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