Shankaracharya Jayanti

In the Upanishads the arguments are often very obscure. 
By Buddha the moral side of the philosophy was laid stress upon, and by Shankaracharya, the intellectual side. 
He worked out, rationalised, and placed before men the wonderful coherent system of Advaita. …

… In the old Upanishads we find sublime poetry; their authors were poets. … 
They never preached, nor philosophised, nor wrote. Music came out of their hearts. 

In Buddha we had the great, universal heart and universal patience, making religion practical and bringing it to everyone's door. 
In Shankaracharya we saw tremendous intellectual power, throwing the scorching light of reason upon everything. We want today that bright sun of intellectuality joined with the heart of Buddha, the wonderful infinite heart of love and mercy. This union will give us the highest philosophy. 

Science and religion will meet and shake hands. Poetry and philosophy will become friends. This will be the religion of the future, and if we can work it out, we may be sure that it will be for all times and peoples.

                           - Swami Vivekananda, 
                                Jnana-Yoga, London

Encourage Everyone

Working without Motive

Every good thought that we send to the world without thinking of any return, will be stored up there and break one link in the chain, and make us purer and purer, until we become the purest of mortals. 

Yet all this may seem to be rather quixotic and too philosophical, more theoretical than practical. 

I have read many arguments against the Bhagavad-Gita, and many have said that without motives you cannot work. They have never seen unselfish work except under the influence of fanaticism, and, therefore, they speak in that way.

- Swami Vivekananda, 

Karma-Yoga (Classes in New York) 

Give up Fruits of Work

"To work you have the right, but not to the fruits thereof." Man can train himself to know and to practise that, says the Karma-Yogi. When the idea of doing good becomes a part of his very being, then he will not seek for any motive outside. Let us do good because it is good to do good; he who does good work even in order to get to heaven binds himself down, says the Karma-Yogi. Any work that is done with any the least selfish motive, instead of making us free, forges one more chain for our feet.

So the only way is to give up all the fruits of work, to be unattached to them. Know that this world is not we, nor are we this world; that we are really not the body; that we really do not work. We are the Self, eternally at rest and at peace.

- Swami Vivekananda, 

Karma-Yoga (Classes in New York) 

Definition of Morality

Wheels of the World-Machine

And this is Maya

With every breath, every impulse of our heart asks us to be selfish. At the same time, there is some power beyond us which says that it is unselfishness alone which is good. 
Every child is a born optimist; he dreams golden dreams. In youth he becomes still more optimistic. It is hard for a young man to believe that there is such a thing as death, such a thing as defeat or degradation. Old age comes, and life is a mass of ruins. Dreams have vanished into the air, and the man becomes a pessimist. Thus we go from one extreme to another, buffeted by nature, without knowing where we are going. ... ... 
 Then, there is the tremendous fact of death. The whole world is going towards death; everything dies. 
All our progress, our vanities, our reforms, our luxuries, our wealth, our knowledge, have that one end -- death. That is all that is certain. ... ... 
Death is the end of life, of beauty, of wealth, of power, of virtue too. Saints die and sinners die, kings die and beggars die. They are all going to death, and yet this tremendous clinging on to life exists. Somehow, we do not know why, we cling to life; we cannot give it up. 
And this is Maya.

- Swami Vivekananda, 

Jnana-Yoga, London

Karmayogi's Way

Karma-Yoga … is a system of ethics and religion intended to attain freedom through unselfishness, and by good works.

The Karma-Yogi need not believe in any doctrine whatever. He may not believe even in God, may not ask what his soul is, nor think of any metaphysical speculation. He has got his own special aim of realizing selflessness; and he has to work it out himself. 
Every moment of his life must be realization, because he has to solve by mere work, without the help of doctrine or theory, the very same problem to which the Jnani applies his reason and inspiration and the Bhakta his love.

- Swami Vivekananda, 

Karma-Yoga (Classes in New York)