Swami Premanandaji, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna was in charge of training the brahmacharis at Belur Math. Besides training in various spiritual exercises, the brahmacharis had to perform many daily chores, as Math could not afford to hire workers. One thing Premanandaji often insisted upon was that the brahmacharis should give full attention to the work they were doing. Once, while a brahmachari was asked to cut straw to feed the cows, he sliced his finger. Premanandaji came in and scolded him saying he was not yet ready to become a sannyasi, because if he could not concentrate on the work at hand, how could he concentrate during meditation and build up his monastic life.
If we can focus well on the work at hand, we can meditate well. If we are exercising, we should concentrate on the exercises. If we are doing housework, concentration should be on that. If studying, concentration should be on the subject at hand. This will help us to control our mind and thus have better meditation. The emphasis is focusing on today and whatever we are doing at the moment. The past is gone and we cannot get it back, nor can we replace it. Tomorrow has not arrived; so focus only on the present. Let our motto be ‘Mind, Here and Now’, reminding ourselves of this constantly and practising it as much as possible.
A popular poem titled ‘Look to This Day’ emphasises this idea very well:
Look to this day
for it is life,
the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all
the realities and truths of existence,
the joy of growth,
Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av The Vedanta Kesari.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av The Vedanta Kesari.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Panchakroshi Parikrama of Varanasi
At the snow-capped Kailas, the Divine Lord Shiva was seated with Mother Parvati.
Gadai and the Monks
A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Sri Ramakrishna.
Chintayo momo maanosho Hori...
Sri Ramakrishna loved songs. There probably was no normal day when he did not sing some songs.
The Vedanta Vaccine
The world is still struggling under the impact of the pandemic due to Covid-19 for the last three years.
Chandrakirti's Chariot: Self in Madhyamaka Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta
The goal in Advaita Vedanta is the cessation of suffering and the attainment of true fulfillment. Suffering, according to this school, is due to ignorance of the true nature of the self and consequent erroneous identification with the body-mind.
Reminiscences of Sargachhi
Question: यद्यदाचरतत श्रेष्ठसतत्तदरेवरेतरो जनिः। ‘Whatever a superior person does, others do the same thing!’ (Gita 3:21) – What does this statement mean?
THE AUTUMN FESTIVAL
A fictional narrative based on incidents from the childhood of Sri Ramakrishna.
Bards of Guruvayur: Vilwamangalam II
Saints of India
In the Universal Mother’s Divine Playground
Swami Vivekananda never taught the worship of Mother Kali. In a letter to Mary Hale he writes, “Kali worship is not a necessary step in any religion.
Swami Vivekananda: A Sportsman Par Excellence
In various books and articles, Swami Vivekananda has been called a spiritual leader, a prophet, a patriot, a social reformer, a philosopher, a yogi, a writer, an orator, an educationist, a musician, and so on.
