Go Forward Quotes

“This attempt of yours to make people accept Sri Ramakrishna will hinder the growth of your spiritual power.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“How much chaos there is in this creation! Hundreds of stars and comets are hurtling at lightning speed through the sky. How many living beings, beyond even our ability to imagine, are going back and forth between life and death in the midst of great pain and misery. And all the while, the diverse life histories of all living beings are being written. On the surface of the ocean are rows of tremendously high waves, engaged in battle, as it were, day and night. Beneath the surface, an oyster is manufacturing a pearl out of a small particle of sand. It doesn't keep track of the tremendous turbulence that is going on above. This is not mere poetry. We have seen this "terrible truth" with open eyes. That is why I ask you to disregard the external world and enter deeply within yourself. At the end of the war, a new human society will arise. Prepare yourself to serve that new "god of society". Day and night remember the words [of Swamiji]: "The only God I believe in is the sum total of individual souls." That God is none other than Ramakrishna-Sarada- Vivekananda.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“We are so irritated by the behavior of the new monks that, if we had enough money, we would manage the work with paid people. Those who come don't want spiritual life; it is as if they had come for a job. In many ashramas, there is not much discussion about spirituality at all, and in many places, the ideal of Swamiji is unknown. As a result, ashramas have become social service leagues. Spiritual seekers desirous of liberation have now become workers. Only one who can give up everything can become a monk. Otherwise, he is merely pretending to be a monk, like a clown in the circus. This life is very difficult. It is not like fighting from within a fort but from the middle of an open field.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“The individual soul must be awakened from the deep sleep it is immersed in. One who considers the Self to be the body cannot accomplish anything great. So long as his mind dwells on the body, he will not be able to think of anything other than his own body and his own nation. The reason we consider many of the people of Western nations to be uncivilized is their identification of the Self with the body. When someone with such an outlook joins a religious order, he turns the ashrama into his home and yoga into a job. Even Sri Ramakrishna, the God of Love, has been turned into a zemindar by them. He is being served with great pomp throughout the country—he must have a fancy bed, a beautiful house, and good food! If the mind cannot accept abstract ideas, then what is the point of coming into the circle of Sri Ramakrishna? This worn-out baggage was present in the religion of old. Haven't you seen people take rotten fish, fry it in spices, and kill the smell with onions before they eat it? This is the same thing. The spice of social service has been added to the decaying religion of the olden days—that is all.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“It is useless to try to understand Swamiji's ideas by reading my letters. You will understand Swamiji's ideas better if you burn all these letters. You have intelligence. You have a good command of language. I can only give a clue. But I don't understand why you are obsessed with these letters. They are becoming a great obstacle to your ability to think freely. That is why I think you should read Swamiji's books in solitude. For example, read the English version of Karma Yoga repeatedly and with deep attention until you have mastered everything in it. In the letters of Swamiji, you will find the ideal of the Mission, the method of work, and many other things very clearly expressed.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“Nowadays I notice another funny thing—idealism. Whomever I talk to is a "paramahamsa"! But at the very first slip, we see that they are nothing but uncultured fools. That is why I am requesting two things of you: 1) Never lose your temper. Never become agitated. Never get angry. One can remedy injustice without getting angry. It can be done; certainly it can be done. 2) Put your ideals into practice in your life. Don't just lecture about them—demonstrate them through your actions. Raise your own life and let others follow their own path. "Everyone must follow the ideal—everyone, that is, but me." A very convenient "philosophy"! It is leading us to ruin.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“Thakur has simply told us, "Go forward." The advancement of the body, mind, and intellect is our goal. Do as much work as possible and hold the banner of our Lord before society. Let me tell you a few simple things: 1) Do not be afraid under any circumstance. 2) Let your intellect be your guide (accepting our advice merely for the sake of sharpening your intellect). 3) Do not look back at your past. March forward. 4) A spiritual community is meant to help one another go forward. That which keeps us bound within a small area so that we rot to death in a stagnant pond, as it were, is not a real spiritual community. 5) The sole and strongest tendency of our nation is jealousy. Read Swamiji's letters and remain alert.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“Much time is wasted in vain when one works according to his whim. Don't float on the surface; dive deep. The entire human race is in danger; don't sit idly by.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“If you are always weighing the relative convenience and inconvenience of things, you will not be able to accomplish much work. We must do our duty even in the midst of a thousand difficulties.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“Read "Bhābbār Kathā". Even if one disregards the notions of Īśvara, Bhagavān, dharma, and mukti, how much will his efficiency increase if his body and mind are prepared in this way, and how beautiful will his work be! If a shopkeeper is very intelligent (jñāna yoga), if he loves his work (bhakti yoga), if he has the power of immersing himself in work with a one-pointed mind (rāja yoga), and if his body and mind are habituated to the work (karma yoga), is it not inevitable that his shop will improve?”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“The clearer knowledge becomes (jñāna yoga), the greater will be the attraction for it (bhakti yoga). As a result of this attraction, the mind becomes more and more one-pointed (rāja yoga), and in every action of our day-to-day lives (karma yoga) the purity of the ātman will manifest itself more and more. In a word, this is the "Ramakrishna mold"; this is the basis of our spiritual sādhanā.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers

“Revered Swamiji has recorded for us that ideal of human life which he saw in Sri Ramakrishna. Whoever molds his life according to Thakur's ideal must develop his life equally along the four paths of jñāna, karma, bhakti, and rāja yoga. If in a person's life any one of these paths is less developed than the others, know that this person has not been able to fully attune himself to the ideal of Sri Ramakrishna.”
― Premeshananda, Go Forward : Letters to Spiritual Seekers