One who is ready to undergo sufferings for the welfare of the society, only such a person realises his or her objective and becomes successful.

Pleased with Swami Vivekananda’s Gurubhakti (devotion towards the Guru) and Sadhana,  his Guru, Swami Ramkrushna Paramhans showered on Him the blessing for propagating Sanatan Dharma throughout the world; but before leaving, He had to seek the blessings of Maa (Swami Ramkrushna’s wife).   Swamiji went to Maa to obey His Guru and seek her blessings.  Maa said, “Why are you in such a hurry?  Stay for a few more days and go after that.”  Swami stayed on to obey Maa’s command.

On the third day, Maa asked Swami to get a knife, as she had to cut some fruits. Swami brought a knife and gave it to her. Blessing Him, Maa said, “Go!  You shall be successful in your mission, your fame will spread far and wide, like the light of the sun in all the four directions.” Listening to the sudden words of blessings from Maa’s mouth, Swami said to Maa, “You showered the blessings all of a sudden, is there anything special?”  Maa said, “Yes, I wanted to put you through one final examination and you succeeded in   that.

The way you handed over the knife to me, with the handle pointing towards me and the sharp edge towards yourself, I immediately understood that you are now ready to do Samashti Seva.  When one develops such an instinct that the person before us must not suffer any hardship and diverts it towards oneself for the sake of other person’s convenience, a person with such instincts of sacrificing can ensure the welfare of the society and only they achieve success,” saying so, Maa kept her hand on Swami’s head as a blessing  !!!