If you want to rise, if you want to be free, you must become strong and active and cut your bonds! Vanquish your enemies, be a terror to them! Shake off all cowardice and manifest your strength!

 

Nirmalananda Swami

(from "Swami Nirmalananda - His life and teachings):

Nirmalananda Swami: Tulsidas says,   "Tomorrow’s work must be done today, and today’s, this very instant". Our people, however, have made it a rule to postpone everything to some other time even unto the next life. I believe in American attitude — activity and promptness. Time is not for being wasted. Whatever is to be done ought to be done without a moment’s delay. This false pride indolence and procrastination will never take us out of our slavery. 

We follow Christ’s advice to show the left cheek when we are smitten on the right. But it is cowardice that makes us do so! Our religion is what the Gita teaches, to fight with all our might when we are attacked, not to take the blow lying down. Look at our Gods and Goddesses! Every one of them has one or more weapons. Even the Lord of Tyagis, the meditative God Shiva, has a trident in his hand. Rama and Lakshmana go to the forest with bows and arrows and other weapons. That typifies heroism in action, a righteous fight. "Slain, you reach heaven, victorious, you get empire over the earth!", says Krishna to Arjuna. Was it Ahimsa that he taught?! You get down on your knees at the sight of the enemy and call it Ahimsa! It is cowardice with a religious cloak, that is what it is!  If you want to rise, if you want to be free, you must become strong and active and cut your bonds! Vanquish your enemies, be a terror to them!

Once Sri Ramakrishna was travelling to Kamarpukur from Calcutta in a country cart with goods. The road lay through a vast expanse of fields. There was no habitation within reach or sight on either side. When the cart had reached the middle of the fields there appeared some robbers. As they neared the cart, the cartman ran away. Sri Guru Maharaj was alone. Nothing daunted, and roaring "Jai Kali!", He sprang out of the cart and rushed at the robbers. His roar, His courage and His conquering attitude terrified the robbers who ran away for their very lives. 

Gurudev simply hissed, He did not want to bite. Boldness you must have. Have you not heard that the Holy Mother had a 'robber father'? Shake off all cowardice and manifest your strength! You are really strong! You don’t know that. You think you are weak and you are lazy and indolent. It is high time that you shook off the lethargy and entered the battlefield of self-conquest!

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Vira Chandra: I was perplexed by the words of Maharaj, "Have you not heard that the Holy Mother had a 'robber father'?" They are metaphorical, meant to illustrate that strength and virtue can arise from humble or unexpected origins. "Holy Mother" refers to Sarada Devi, the wife and spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna. Sarada Devi's father was not literally a robber. The statement emphasizes that courage and inner strength are not dependent on noble or prestigious lineage. It implies that even if one comes from a background that might seem unremarkable or even disreputable, one can still possess great inner strength and spiritual power.