Gems from Gandhiji-14:

So long as a man does not of his own free will put himself last among his fellow creatures, there is no salvation for him. AHIMSA IS THE FARTHEST LIMIT OF HUMILITY.

- Autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi

Gems from Gandhiji-13:

The greater our innocence, the greater our strength and the swifter our victory.

Gems from Gandhiji-12:

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Gems from Gandhiji-11:

The true connotation of humility is self-effacement..... Service without humility is selfishness and egotism.

Gems from Gandhiji-10:

There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.

Gems from Gandhiji-9:

I cannot say what to preach, but I can say that a life of service and uttermost simplicity is the best preaching.

Gems from Gandhiji-8:

Hinduism is not an exclusive religion. In it, there is room for the worship of all the prophets in the world.

Gems from Swami Vivekananda-38:

A disciple went to his master and said to him, "Sir, I want religion". The master looked at the young man, and did not speak, but only smiled. The young man came everyday, and insisted that he wanted religion. But the old man knew better than the young man. One day, when it was very hot, he asked the young man to go the river with him and take a plunge. The young man plunged in, and the old man followed him and held the young man down under the water by force. After the young man had struggled for a while, he let him go and asked him what he wanted most while he was under the water. "A breath of air," the disciple answered. "Do you want God in that way? If you do, you will get Him in a moment," said the master. Until you have that thirst, that desire, you cannot get religion, however you may struggle with your intellect, or your books, or your forms.

Gems from Vinobaji-2: "Dispelling Delusions in the minds of people: Central Theme of the Gita"

...
...taking into consideration both the beginning and the end of the Gita, it is clear that the removal of delusion is its central message. This is the purpose of the Gita, as well as of the whole of the Mahabharata. Vyasa had said, right at the beginning of the Mahabharata, that he was lighting this lamp of history to dispel delusions in the minds of the people.

This introduction to Arjuna's conditions helps us greatly in understanding the rest of the Gita. We should be grateful for this. It also helps us in another way. It reveals Arjuna's straight-forwardness and honesty. The world 'Arjuna', in fact, means one who is honest and straightforward in nature. He opened out his heart before Krishna, laid bare before Him all that he felt and thought. He hid nothing from Him and ultimately surrendered to Him totally. In fact, he was already his devotee. When he made Krishna his charioteer and entrusted to Him the reins of his horses, he had got ready to give into His hands the reins of his mind also. Let us do likewise. Let us not think that, unlike Arjuna, we do not have Krishna to guide us. Let us not get caught in the fallacy that Krishna was an historical person. Everybody has Krishna residing in his heart as the indwelling Self. He is nearer to us than the nearest. Let us bare our heart, with all its impurities and weaknesses, before Him and say, "O Lord! I take refuge in you. You are my sole guide, my master. Show me the right path and I shall follow it." If we do so, Arjuna's charioteer will be our charioteer too. We shall hear the Gita from His own lips and He will leads to victory.

Excerpt from TALKS ON THE GITA by Vinobaji (2005 - Published by Paramdham Prakashan, Paunar).

Humble prostrations at the holy feet of Vinobaji and grateful thanks to Paramdham Prakashan.

Happy New Year!

Wish You All

a Happy, Prosperous and Purposeful 2010!

- Suri