Incarnations of God

The central figure of the Gita is Krishna. As you worship Jesus of Nazareth as God come down as man, so the Hindus worship many Incarnations of God. They believe in not one or two only, but in many, who have come down from time to time, according to the needs of the world, for the preservation of Dharma and destruction of wickedness. 

Each sect has one, and Krishna is one of them. Krishna, perhaps, has a larger number of followers in India than any other Incarnation of God. 

                     - Swami Vivekananda, 

                        Talk at Pasadena, California 

Moral Nature

 

Highest Ideal of Karma-Yoga

He [Buddha] was the first who dared to say, "Believe not because some old manuscripts are produced, believe not because it is your national belief, because you have been made to believe it from your childhood; but reason it all out, and after you have analysed it, then, if you find that it will do good to one and all, believe it, live up to it, and help others to live up to it." 

He works best who works without any motive, neither for money, nor for fame, nor for anything else; and when a man can do that, he will be a Buddha, and out of him will come the power to work in such a manner as will transform the world. 

This man represents the very highest ideal of Karma-Yoga. 

               

                          - Swami Vivekananda in Karma-Yoga 

                            (Classes in New York) 

Give up Desire

 

Rescuing Truth from Priests

 … as I was telling you, among the Jews there was a continuous struggle between the priests and the prophets; and the priests sought to monopolise power and knowledge, till they themselves began to lose them and the chains they had put on the feet of the people were on their own feet. The masters always become slaves before long. 

The culmination of the struggle was the victory of Jesus of Nazareth. This triumph is the history of Christianity. Christ at last succeeded in overthrowing the mass of witchcraft. This great prophet killed the dragon of priestly selfishness, rescued from its clutches the jewel of truth, and gave it to all the world, so that whosoever desired to possess it would have absolute freedom to do so, and would not have to wait on the pleasure of any priest or priests.  

              - Swami Vivekananda, 

               Talk at San Francisco

A Leader

 

Buddha and Christ

These are the two Lights of the whole human nature. Two men have been produced, Buddha and Christ; these are the two giants, huge gigantic personalities, two Gods. 

Between them they divide the whole world. 

Wherever there is the least knowledge in the world, people bow down either to Buddha or Christ. It would be very hard to produce more like them, but I hope there will be. Mohammed came five hundred years after, five hundred years after came Luther with his Protestant wave, and this is five hundred years after that again. It is a great thing in a few thousand years to produce two such men as Jesus and Buddha. 

Are not two such enough? 

Christ and Buddha were Gods, the others were prophets. Study the life of these two and see the manifestation of power in them -- calm and non-resisting, poor beggars owning nothing, without a cent in their pockets, despised all their lives, called heretic and fool -- and think of the immense spiritual power they have wielded over humanity.  

                - Swami Vivekananda, Notes of Class Talks  

God Behind Everything