Vivekananda: A Biography

“It may be that I shall find it good to get outside my body — to cast it off like a worn-out garment. But I shall not cease to work. I shall inspire men everywhere, until the world shall know that it is one with God.” — Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a well-known religious figure in America, is cherished with respect and affection by an ever increasing number of readers of his books. His genius was revealed to the world at large in the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, where he indicated India’s rightful place in the spiritual map of the world. The first cultural ambassador of his motherland to the West, and the builder of the spiritual bridge connecting the two hemispheres, Vivekananda dreamed of One World based upon a synthesis of religion and science and a knowledge of the solidarity of humankind. In his utterances, the souls of East and West, the one oppressed by the tyranny of society and the other by the dead weight of secularism, found the way to freedom. Spiritual freedom was the central message of Swami Vivekananda. This biography by Swami Nikhilananda, revealing the life and message of a great World Teacher, is inspiring to hear.