Recommended Reading
- ‘The Holy Geeta‘ by Swami Chinmayananda
- ‘Meditation & Life‘ by Swami Chinmayananda
- ‘Journey of a Master: Swami Chinmayananda‘ by Nancy Freeman Patchen
- ‘Pursuit of Happiness‘ by Swami Chinmayananda
- ‘Discourses on Astavakra Gita‘ by Swami Chinmayananda
Inspirational Quotes by Swami Chinmayananda (Indian Hindu Spiritual Teacher)
The average man looks up at night
and sees thousands and thousands, of twinkling stars,
Each different from the others.
But a man of wisdom and achievement,
Perceives the one light,
Behind the dark dome of the night-sky,
Whose incandescence peeps at us,
Through all the holes in the night-dome!.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Daily prayer and meditation are all wonderful therapeutic agencies in building up peace and happiness within an individual.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Yoga is skill in action.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Mind can make a hell of heaven.
Or a heaven of hell.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Success or achievement is not the final goal. It is the ‘spirit’ in which you act that puts the seal of beauty upon your life.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Work is love made visible. To bring into vivid expression your love for others
is work – to drag yourself through each day’s schedule, morose, unhappy,
miserable, is labor. Work alone brings achievement, never labor.
Grow up to be a man of sheer achievements through loving work.
—Swami Chinmayananda
The secret of success behind all men of achievement, lies in the faculty of applying their intellect in all their activities, without being mislead by any surging emotions or feelings. The secret of success in life lies in keeping the head above the storms of the heart.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Seek the Lord
In the smiles of your friends,
In the glow of angry eyes,
In the storms of passion.
He is everywhere, in everything.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Without devotion, knowledge is tasteless. Without knowledge, devotion is mere empty idol worship.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Bhakti is the attitude of the mind, and jnana is the attitude of the intellect;
both flow towards the Lord.
—Swami Chinmayananda
To define God is to defile God.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Love is a consistent passion to give, not a meek persistent hope to receive.
The only demand of life is the privilege to love all.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Brood less, smile more and serve all.
—Swami Chinmayananda
There is no companion like solitude. One who knows how to tune himself to the inner silence, even in the midst of the din and roar of the marketplace, enjoys a most recreative solitude.
—Swami Chinmayananda
When opportunity knocks,
We are either out or sleeping in.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Every body dies, nobody dies.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Spirituality is neither the privilege of the poor nor the luxury of the rich. It is the choice of the wise man.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Never complain, about the number of hours you have put in to do a job. Your nobility must estimate how much of you was put into each hour of your daily work.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Some act till they meet obstacles, others act inspite of obstacles and conquer them; but some act not fearing the possibility of some obstacles, that might arise enroute.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Religion must not be considered true because it is necessary, but necessary because it is true.
—Swami Chinmayananda
The real men of achievement are people
who have the heroism to fuel more and more enthusiasm in their work,
when they face more and more difficulties.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Work without faith and prayer is like an artificial flower without fragrance.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Silently hear everyone.
Accept what is good.
Reject and forget what is not.
This is intelligent living.
—Swami Chinmayananda
In all worthwhile undertakings, There will be risks of failure, of disappointments, of even disaster. To face them all with inner poise and firm faith is to discover the glory of final victory.
—Swami Chinmayananda
To give without sympathy is to build a temple without the idol and
it is as futile as painting a picture with black ink on a black-board.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Don’t die while living, live after you are dead.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Wisdom is the assimilated knowledge in us, gained from an intelligent estimation and close study of our own direct and indirect experience in the world.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Words are not necessary. Both will have their eyes flooded, and the joy of tears will wash away all quarrels.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Flood your mind with love. Look into the eyes of the other and embrace the person with whom you have quarreled.
—Swami Chinmayananda
The highest form of Grace is silence.
—Swami Chinmayananda
There is no destiny beyond and above ourselves; we are ourselves the architects of our future.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Universe is a cosmos and not a chaos. There exists a mental affinity; a scientific law;
a rhythm of mental relationship in which the entire living world is held together, in one web of love.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Unless we have a definite faith in the goal of our existence, and unless we believe, work for, and actually come to experience the goal positively as an existent factor, there is no hope of any plan becoming successful.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Let not your choice leave behind a sense of guilt.
—Swami Chinmayananda
A Conquest, without facing dangers is as dull as Victory without a shining glory. A game without a prize.
—Swami Chinmayananda
The heroism of the seeker is in rejecting the whisperings of mediate happiness and to live nobly fulfilling one’s larger duties.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Our present work may be great or small.
Yet, the important thing is to do it well.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Growing youth determined to reach their goal, sure of their dignity, consistent in their endeavors, proud of their cultural background – can alone bestow upon a growing country the status of a Nation.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Sandalwood perfumes even the axe that hurls it down!
The more we rub sandalwood against a stone, the more its fragrance spreads.
Burn it, and it wafts its glory through the entire neighbourhood.
Such is the enchanting beauty of forgiveness in life.
—Swami Chinmayananda
To give love is true freedom; to demand love is pure slavery.
—Swami Chinmayananda
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
Sri Aurobindo Indian Mystic, Philosopher, Poet
Paramahansa Yogananda Indian Hindu Mystic
Swami Vivekananda Indian Hindu Monk, Mystic
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Indian Hindu Philosopher
Ramana Maharshi Indian Hindu Mystic
Sathya Sai Baba Indian Hindu Religious Leader
B. K. S. Iyengar Indian Hindu Yoga Teacher
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Indian Hindu Religious Leader
Nisargadatta Maharaj Indian Hindu Religious Leader
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami American Hindu Teacher