“The sun=Knowledge. The stormy water=Work. The lotus=Love. The serpent=Yoga. The swan=the Self. The Motto=May the swan (the Supreme Self) send us that. It is the mind-lake. How do you like it? May the Swan fill you with all these anyway.”
(p.528, V. 8, The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Swamiji’s letter to Miss Macleod explaining the design of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission seal, dt.24th July 1900)
“One needs faith (shraddha). By God’s grace, when faith dawns in the heart one becomes fearless…It does not matter what other people say-one realizes this peace oneself; one feels it within…The Power of Brahman is our Mother. What fear could we have? Why should we be weak? He who thinks himself weak becomes weak. You are Mother’s child. How can you be weak? You are all-powerful. By her grace, what can you not accomplish? How long does it take to get rid of the sense of “I and mine”? Mother, out of mercy, can illumine the heart in a moment – and truly she does.”.”
(p.102-4, Spiritual Treasures, Swami turiyananda’s letter dt. 24th July 1915)