One day Vivekananda went to Sri Ram Krishna Dev and asked him to pray so that Vivekananda could get a job and get rich. Sri Ram Krishna Dev said, “I always pray but I think she(Maa Kali) wants you to ask her about it.”After much back and forth, Vivekananda decided to go and do just that. And he went.

Ram Krishna Dev asked him, “Did you tell her what you wanted? About your job and a good salary?”

Vivekananda looked nonplussed and said,” Oh no, I forgot to ask that.”
Sri Ram Krishna Dev: “Then what did you ask for?”
Vivekananda:” For gyan, bhakti,bibek and bairagya !(Knowledge, Bhakti, Vivek and Vairagya)
Sri Ram Krishna Dev:” What? Go back and ask for the things that you want otherwise. How will you get it?”
Vivekananda went again, looking happy. Came back and when asked what he had prayed for, looked taken aback and said -“I asked for Gyan bhakti bibek and bairagya.”I am feeling shy about asking for other things .

Don’t be shy, go back and ask with all your heart, talk to her like she is your mother and you will get what you seek.

Vivekananda went back and came back, looking abashed. “I can’t seem to remember anything else when I stand in front of her Thakur. The only things my heart seeks are gyan bhakti,bibek bairagya!

Smiling Ramkrishna Dev said -“that is the problem and the solution right there!”Narendranath Dutta also known as Swami Vivekananda became his disciple and the rest is history.

Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta on 12 th January 1863 .He was born in a well-to-do Bengali Hindu family and before he interacted with Sri Ram Krishna was not particularly religious. He had a curious, questioning mind and loved finding out the truth behind things. Father Viswanath Datta was a lawyer and his mother Bhuvaneswari Devi, mother,mother, was deeply spiritual

RamKrishna Mission Schools, colleges and libraries are known for raising sound kids . The only thing I have always wondered is why there was a lack of similar enterprises for girls and women’s education of the caliber that the men’s institutes had . But I am glad he did what he did. A man much before his time talked about the need for universal brotherhood in the true spirit and play being an important requirement for kids and adults for building strong bodies, and minds and encouraging team spirit and community building.

Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Kolkata is a place where my husband and I worked. I did so from 2011 January to 2012 December. A learning experience I always cherish.

Belur Math is the (headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission), Belur, Howrah. Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur Math, District: Howrah, WB is where my hubby did his higher secondary from. Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Gol Park, Kolkata was a place where I visited the library, participated in cross-cultural events, and learned how to sing as a kid.

Swamiji harmonized the East and the West, religion and science, past and present. And that is why he is great. Our countrymen have gained unprecedented self-respect, self-reliance, and self-assertion from his teachings.”

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

Sharing 3 of the many inspiring words that Swami Vivekananda said in his lifetime.

We want an education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet. Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man.

Whatever you think, that you will be. If you think yourselves weak, weak you will be; if you think yourselves strong, strong you will be.

Religion is realization; not talk, not doctrine, or theories, however beautiful they may be. It is being and becoming, not hearing or acknowledging; it is the whole soul becoming changed into what it believes.

Writing this with the Ultimate Blog Challenge because good thoughts need to be shared. What is your thought on the right kind of education? Let me know in the comments below.