Nishtha or devotion to one ideal

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http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/magazine/vk/2005/7-8-2.asp

 

Vivekananda Tells Srories

Swami Vivekananda was a great storyteller. His talks and

writings are interspersed with numerous anecdotes, examples, similes, and

illustrations mirroring his vast knowledge of human nature--its potential and

its relative limitations. Some of these stories are well known, many others are

little known. We present here some more of these insightful stories, selected

from his Complete Works.

 

 

Nishtha or devotion to one ideal

There is a story of Hanumân, who was a great worshipper of

Râma. The Hindus worship many incarnations of God. According to them, God came

nine times in India

and will come once more. When he came as Rama, this Hanuman was his great

worshipper. Hanuman lived very long and was a great Yogi.

During his lifetime, Rama came again as Krishna;

and Hanuman, being a great Yogi, knew that the same God had come back again as Krishna.

He came and served Krishna, but he said to him, " I

want to see that Rama form of yours " . Krishna said,

" Is not this form enough? I am this Krishna; I am

this Rama. All these forms are mine " . Hanuman said, " I know that, but

the Rama form is for me. The Lord of Jânaki and the Lord of Shri are the same.

They are both the incarnations of the Supreme Self. Yet the lotus eyed Rama is

my all in all " . This is

Nishtha--knowing that all these different forms of worship are right, yet

sticking to one and rejecting the others. We must not worship the others at

all; we must not hate or criticize them, but respect them.(9: 223-224)

 

-- devishakti_india( http://spiritualhinduism.blogspot.com )