Kathamrita Volume II - Swami Vivekananda

the holy mantras while taking a dip in theGanges. He may have placed all the flowersindiscriminately at the feet of the deity whileperforming worship and left without utteringany sacred mantras.”Man of karma and Sri Ramakrishna – how long doesone have to perform work?“As long as one craves worldly enjoyment, onecannot renounce work. One has to performwork as long as one desires pleasure.“A bird sat absent-mindedly on the mast of aship. The ship was sailing on the Ganges untilit finally reached the mighty ocean. The birdthen came to its senses. It looked all around andcould see no landmark or shore. It flew towardthe north, hoping to reach land. Having flown along distance, it grew tired, but could still seeno landmark. What could it do? It returned tothe ship and sat on the mast again.“After some time the bird flew away again –this time toward the east. It couldn’t seeanything in the east either – there was only avast sheet of water. It became extremely tiredand again returned to the mast of the ship andperched there. After resting for a long time, itwent to the south and then to the west. When itfound no sign of land anywhere, it sat on themast again and flew no more. It sat therepeacefully. Now it had no feeling of urgency,restlessness, or anxiety in its mind. Being at