Stories told by Swami Vivekananda

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Dear Advaitins,

 

Namaste,

 

Find below couple of stories told by Swamiji:

 

 

The Bugle Sound

 

To worship is inherent in every man's nature; only the highest

philosophy can rise to pure abstraction. So man will ever personify

his God in order to worship Him. This is very good, as long as the

symbol, be it what it may, is worshipped as a symbol of the Divinity

behind and not in and for itself. Above all, we need to free

ourselves from the superstition of believing because 'it is in the

books'… There was once a stag, proud and free, and he talked in a

lordly fashion to his child, 'Look at me, see my powerful horns! With

one thrust I can kill a man; it is a fine thing to be a stag!' Just

then the sound of the huntsman's bugle was heard in the distance, and

the stag precipitately fled, followed by his wondering child. When

they had reached a place of safety, he inquired, 'Why do you fly

before man, O my father, when you are so strong and brave?' The stag

answered, 'My child, I know I am strong and powerful, but when I hear

that sound, something seizes me and makes me fly whether I will or

no.' So with us. We hear the 'bugle sound' of the laws laid down in

the books, habits and old superstitions lay hold of us; and before we

know it, we are fast bound and forget our real nature which is

freedom. (CW, 8:33-34)

 

 

 

 

Strength is the Test

 

There is an old story of an astrologer who came to a king and

said, 'You are going to die in six months.' The king was frightened

out of his wits and was almost about to die then and there from fear.

But his minister was a clever man, and this man told the king that

these astrologers were fools. The king would not believe him. So the

minister saw no other way to make the king see that they were fools

but to invite the astrologer to the palace again. There he asked him

if his calculations were correct. The astrologer said that there

could not be a mistake, but to satisfy him he went through the whole

of the calculations again and then said that they were perfectly

correct. The king's face became livid. The minister said to the

astrologer, 'And when do you think that you will die?' 'In twelve

years', was the reply. The minister quickly drew his sword and

separated the astrologer's head from the body and said to the

king, 'Do you see this liar? He is dead this moment.'

 

If you want your nation to live, keep away from all these things. The

only test of good things is that they make us strong. (CW, 8:185)

 

HARI OM TAT SAT

 

Yours in the Lord,

 

Br. Vinayaka.