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The
Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (an
absolute must read !)
This contains almost every recorded word that emanated from Swami Vivekananda
in the form of speeches, interviews, sayings, writings, letters or poems.
Undoubtedly these are the very words that prompted the Nobel Laureaute
in Literature, Romain Rolland to say,
| "I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they
are through the pages of this book at thirty years' distance, without receiving
a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shock, what transport,
must have been produced when, in burning words, they issued from the lips
of the hero!" |
These are the very words that prompted the world renowned father of
the Indian Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, whose love for India can hardly be understated
to say,
"... after having gone through [his works], the
love that I had for my country became a thousandfold."
and the first Prime Minister of independent India to say,
"His whole life and teaching inspired my generation.
. ."
which include giant after giant men of exceptional character all of whom
are revered all over India for their remarkable and exemplary lives and
precepts.
The Complete Works is a reference material setting down a broad charter
for modern Hinduism in general and their influence on modern Hindu thought
cannot be understated; and Sister Nivedita's words truly express what it
would have been had we not had the Complete Works:
| The truths he preaches would have been as
true, had he never been born. Nay more, they would have been equally authentic.
The difference would have lain in their difficulty of access, in their
want of modern clearness and incisiveness of statement, and in their loss
of mutual coherence and unity. Had he not lived, texts that today will
carry the bread of life to thousands might have remained the obscure disputes
of scholars. He taught with authority, and not as one of the Pundits. For
he himself had plunged to the depths of the realisation which he preached,
and he came back like Ramanuja only to tell its secrets to the pariah,
the outcast, and the foreigner. |
and what it is with it:
| "In these volumes we have not only a gospel to the world
at large, but also, to its own children, the Charter
of the Hindu faith. For the first time in history Hinduism itself
forms here the subject of generalization of a Hindu mind of the highest
order. What Hinduism had needed was the organizing
and consolidating of its own idea. What the world had needed was
a faith that had no fear of truth. Both are to be found here." |
For a sample page, refer to some Selections
from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.
A 9 volume and pp 4600 must read for anyone seriously interested in
Vedantic thought ! |
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The
Life of Swami Vivekananda (must read)
-- by His Eastern and Western disciples in two volumes.
This book gives a two volume account of that phenomenal life of that
multi-faceted genius who not only lived an inspired life but was constantly
a source of inspiration to others. We cannot think of Sri Rama without
thinking of Hanuman, or remember Sri Krishna without remembering Arjuna.
In the same way do Buddha and Ananda go together, as do Christ and St.
Paul. Even such is the link between Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
For, the one was the spring and the other was the stream conveying the
spring's waters.
God to Ramakrishna was a Fact and a Reality. He did not have to argue
about God. He could affirm God. He was the peak of Indian Spiritual Culture.
His vision was cosmic and realisation was all-embracing. Swami Vivekananda
was his chief disciple, his most beloved pupil, his greatest heir, his
right interpreter and his most efficient executive.
Swami Vivekananda was not forty, when he entered into Mahasamadhi. But
his age is not to be calculated in solar years. For, in just one decade
of public work he had implanted into human consciousness ideas which may
need one thousand and five hundred years to get worked out in full. There
is an Indian side to his life-work and there is an international aspect
to it. In both the fields, his contribution has been unique.
Here is a life whose mission could probably be summed up in the words
of the Indian Philosopher and first Governor General, C. Rajagopalachari:
"Vivekananda saved Hinduism and saved India.
But for him, we would have lost our religion and would not have gained
our freedom. We therefore owe everything to Swami Vivekananda."
For a brief version of the life, click here. |
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Swami
Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries
-- by Marie Louise Burke
An exhaustive and fascinating account of the time Vivekananda spent,
mostly in America, that brings out the many sides of his personality. Must
read for Vivekananda enthusiasts. A painstaking research work on Swami
Vivekananda,
with fresh material hitherto unpublished. Excellently got up with many
illustrations in each volume. |
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