TEACHINGS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA GAVE A PURPOSE TO MY LIFE

04 Jul 2018

0 comments

One of the best things about my childhood was that I got an opportunity to read a lot and take lessons from the lives of great men, who have shaped that world into what it is today. Of the umpteen people I grew up reading, Swami Vivekananda has influenced and inspired me the most. Today, as we mark the 116th punyatithi of Swamiji, I realize there is hardly any aspect of my life that has not been inspired by him and how his work has been the fulcrum of my life and political career.

Swami Vivekananda was a great visionary and had the insight to see things much ahead of his time. This is what makes each word of his relevant even today. His teachings imbibed in me the essence of putting in selfless devotion to my work. His complete work, which I’ve read quite a few times, dominates my office. With a charismatic personality, he was one of the most distinguished individuals in the country, who became a pathfinder for others.

We know what a great orator he was. Reading his speeches, especially one that he gave in London gives me goosebumps even to this day. I urge everyone especially the youth to read his books. If I have been able to do anything constructive with my life, it is the because of his inspiring words.

Swamiji was a Warrior Sanyasi who spread an infectious energy wherever he went. He exuded a divine radiance. Everywhere I go, I try to spread the words of Swami Vivekananda, especially when I meet youth. He believed every individual is a powerhouse of infinite possibility and there is nothing we cannot achieve. All one needs is to be confident, fix a goal and strive towards achieving it with unfaltering dedication.

Swami Vivekananda laid great emphasis on maintaining a healthy body and the need of practising yoga. As a commemoration to the great leader, every year on 12th of January, his birth anniversary, we initiate Maas Yoga programmes across Madhya Pradesh. In 2012, on Swamiji’s 150th birth anniversary, we decided to establish Vivekananda Youth Centres at district and state-level with the aim of giving a new direction to the lives of the youth. These centres are the venue for educational, sports and youth welfare activities and dissemination of Swamiji’s philosophy, teachings and moral values.

The pioneer of spiritual thoughts in India, Swami Vivekananda had the vision of seeing it as a developed nation. It is up to us to fulfil his dreams. It can only happen when we tread on the path taught by him. We need to respect women, pay importance to education, stop violence, be strong and determined and above all, ‘Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.’ Only then can we achieve growth, development and prosperity.