Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached: As the birthday of Swami Vivekananda advances upon us, I could not stop myself from writing an article about my favourite quote of his. It was perhaps this quote which drew me about learning more about Vivekananda and I can recall so many of my childhood memories, dreams and passions shaped around this.
“Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.” – Vivekananda
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Arise Awake and Stop Not till the goal is reached!
Let’s explore a little further the meaning of this quote – arise awake and stop not till the goal is reached. Swami Vivekananda’s words for me were more than mere words – they still fill me with fire, passion and somehow feel like I am being kicked out of my bed to respect the inner self. The quote speaks to me in so many levels.
In this particular instance, the article is about elevating ourselves to the higher standards. The perspective I would like to present is to grow beyond our limitations, limiting beliefs, thoughts and even shortcomings to become the person who is worthy of a goal.
Arise – to wake up to a higher standard
The three words are quite simply their own power houses. It is about elevating ourselves to the next level. In his Karmayoga, Vivekananda talks about being the better self – the self which is about work and not results, it is about commitment and not the outcomes. I can go on, but can probably never make justice to the quality of words spoken by him.
Awake – to understand your capabilities
The power of this quote is in the perseverance for our dreams, passions and the desire to keep them alive. Our life is a constant pursuit, a hunt to go after what we dream in. The moment we give up the pursuit, it is gone – makes us question the purpose of life which is supposed to be bigger than us.
You see, the pursuit of a goal is not just to achieve it but to go beyond what we are. It is about who we become in this process and make something remarkable out of ourselves. Arise awake stop not till the goal is reached – this is a powerful way of steering our course to something bigger than ourselves and attach ourselves to these goals and higher callings.
Stop not till the goal is reached – Perseverance
We always have the choice of deciding what goal we commit to. But the beauty lies in making a serious commitment and to be completely immersed in. When we can show this sort of love for something beyond ourselves, we live a life of pursuit that can elevate the quality of joy we can gain from it.
In this instance, I do like the representation that the dream is not just something for us to get, it is about becoming that person in the process.
Inspiring vivekananda quotes
From his speech at the Parliament of Religions to his complete works, his words are filled with motivation. Here is a small collection of his quotes to motivate us.
- “Arise awake and stop not till the goal is reached.”
- “In a day, when you don’t come across any problems – you can be sure that you are traveling in a wrong path.”
- “You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”
- “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”
- “The greatest sin is to think yourself weak.”
- “Stand up, be bold, and take the blame on your own shoulders. Do not go about throwing mud at other; for all the faults you suffer from, you are the sole and only cause.”
- “Anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject it as poison.”
- “Strength is life, weakness is death.”
- “Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin; to say that you are weak, or others are weak.”
- “All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that, do not believe that you are weak; do not believe that you are half-crazy lunatics, as most of us do nowadays. Stand up and express the divinity within you.”
References:
Manjappabg, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons, image of Vivekananda, edited to fit in the quote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Vivekananda