Bibliography of Swami Vivekananda - Wikipedia

Bibliography of Swami Vivekananda - Wikipedia



Bibliography of Swami Vivekananda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902)[1] was an Indian Hindu monk and a key figure in the introduction of Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world.[2] He was one of the most influential philosophers and social reformers in his contemporary India and the most successful and influential missionaries of Vedanta to the Western world.[3][4] Indian Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore's suggested to study the works of Vivekananda to understand India. He also told, in Vivekananda there was nothing negative, but everything positive.[5]

In last one century, hundreds of scholarly books have been written on Vivekananda, his works and his philosophy in different languages. Sister Nivedita, who was a disciple and a friend of Vivekananda, wrote two books The Master as I Saw Him and Notes of some wanderings with the Swami Vivekananda. The first one was published in 1910 and the second one was published in 1913.[6] Sister Gargi's lifelong research work, a series of six volumes of books, Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries was first published in two volumes in 1957. In 1983–87, these series was republished in six volumes.[7] Bengali scholar and critic Sankari Prasad Basu, who was a director of Swami Vivekananda Archives, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture wrote several books on Vivekananda such as Vivekananda o Samakalin Bharatbarsha ((in Bengali) 7 volumes), Sahasya Vivekananda (in Bengali), Bandhu Vivekananda (in Bengali), etc.[8]

Monks of Ramakrishna Math and Mission too have written several notable books on the life and works of Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda and Modern India written by Swami Jagadiswarananda was first published in 1941. In this book, the author covered the biography of Vivekananda in brief.[5] Swami Nikhilananda wrote Vivekananda: A Biography which was first published in 1943 from Advaita Ashrama.[9] Yuganayak Vivekananda (in Bengali), written by Swami Gambhirananda was first published in 1966–1967.[7]

Books[edit]

Published in his lifetime[10]

Karma Yoga (1896)
Raja Yoga (1896)
Vedanta Philosophy: An address before the Graduate Philosophical Society (first published 1896)
Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1897)
Vedanta philosophy: lectures on Jnana Yoga (1902)

Title page of Notes of some wanderings with the Swami Vivekananda, with other works in the backgroundPublished posthumously

Here is a list of selected books of Swami Vivekananda published after his death (1902)[10]

Addresses on Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Complete works. Vol 5
The East and the West
Inspired Talks (1909)
Narada Bhakti Sutras – translation
Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1904)
Para Bhakti or Supreme Devotion
Practical Vedanta
Jnana Yoga
Raja Yoga (1920)
Speeches and writings of Swami Vivekananda; a comprehensive collection
Vivekavani (1986) – Telugu
Yoga (1987) – Telugu
A Bouquet of Swami Vivekananda's Writings (2013), handwritten works of Swami Vivekananda

Books on Swami Vivekananda[edit]

A–R[edit]
BookAuthor/EditorPublisherISBNAn Analytical Study of the Social Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda: A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand Stephen Abraham University of Otago
A Biography of Swami Vivekananda Gautam Ghosh Rupa & Co. ISBN 978-81-291-0149-5
A comprehensive biography of Swami Vivekananda Sailendra Nath Dhar Vivekananda Prakashan Kendra
A Short Life of Swami Vivekananda Pavitrananda (Swami.) Advaita Ashrama
A study on Swami Vivekananda's doctrine of "Real Man" with special reference to the Christian view of man according to St. Thomas Aquinas Mariadasan Chellamony Pontificia Universitas Sanctae Crucis
Biography of Swami Vivekananda Dharam C. Vyas Cyber Tech ISBN 978-81-7884-693-4
Chronology of Swami Vivekananda in the West Terrance D. Hohner, Carolyn B. Kenny Prana Press ISBN 978-0-9700868-0-8
Contemporary Indian idealism (with special reference to Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan). Ripusudan Prasad Srivastava Motilal Banarsidass
Cultural contact and fusion: Swami Vivekananda in the West, 1893–96 Satish K. Kapoor ABS Publications
Did Swami Vivekananda Give Up Hinduism? G. C. Asnani Sister Nivedita Academy
Educational Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda S.V. Bharathi Discovery Publishing House ISBN 978-81-8356-023-8
Educational philosophy of Swami Vivekananda T. S. Avinashilingam Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya
Educational philosophies of Swami Vivekananda and John Dewey D. Vijaya Bharathy ISBN 978-81-7648-202-8
Ethical ideas in the world outlook of Swami Vivekananda, Lokamanya B.G. Tilak, and Aurobindo Ghose Irina Pavlovna Chelysheva Vostok
Great Political Thinker: Swami Vivekananda S.K. Chaudhary Sonali Publications ISBN 978-81-8411-140-8
Harmony of religions: the relevance of Swami Vivekananda Kalarikkal Poulose Aleaz Punthi-Pustak ISBN 978-81-85094-59-5
Idealistic Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda G. Ranjit Sharma Atlantic Publishers & Distri
Learn Rajayoga from Vivekananda: A Grand Exposition of India's Unique Philosophy and Practice of Yoga, which Swami Vivekananda Made for His American Disciples Mahendra Kulasrestha Lotus Press ISBN 978-81-8382-009-7
Life and Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda G. S Banhatti Atlantic Publishers & Dist ISBN 978-81-7156-291-6
Life of Swami Vivekananda Vivekananda's Disciples Vedanta Press ISBN 978-0-87481-085-1
Life of Swami Vivekananda: (12 January 1863 to 4 July 1902); Drama in Engl. Staged on 31 March 1982 at Sri Thyagaraja Hall, Calcutta by Bala Vihar Children, Calcutta Thevarkal Venketes Waraiyer Narayanaswamy Central Chinmaya Mission Trust
Make me a man, message of Swami Vivekananda T. S. Avinashilingam Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya
Man Without Frontiers: The Ultimate Concern of Swami Vivekananda Maria Arokiam Kanaga Salesian Pontifical University, Faculty of Philosophy
Monastic disciples of Swami Vivekananda: inspiring life-stories of some principal disciples Abjajānanda (Swami.) Advaita Ashrama ISBN 978-81-7505-246-8
Negotiating Worlds, Re-envisioning Modernity: Swami Vivekananda and Colonial Discourse Kristen Anne Hardy University of Manitoba (Canada) ISBN 978-0-494-22501-1
Neo-Hinduism: an exposition of Swami Vivekananda's conception of Vedantism (Yoga philosophy) D. V. Athalye D.B. Taraporevala sons and co.
Notes of some wanderings with the Swami Vivekananda Sister Nivedita Udbodhan, Calcutta N.A.
Perspectives on Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Vedanta tradition M. Sivaramakrishna, Sumita Roy Sterling Publishers
Photographs of Swami Vivekananda, 1886–1901 Vedanta Society of Northern California Sri Ramakrishna Math ISBN 978-81-7823-000-9
Political Concept of Swami Vivekananda Sajal Basu Sujan Publications ISBN 978-81-85549-02-6
Political Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda Kalpana Mohapatra Northern Book Centre ISBN 978-81-7211-079-6
Prophet disarmed: Vivekananda and Nivedita Narasingha Prosad Sil Monash Asia Institute, Centre of South Asian Studies, Monash University ISBN 978-0-7326-1161-3
Quintessence of Yoga Philosophy: An Exploration of Swami Vivekananda's Conception of Practical Vedantism (Neo-Hinduism) D. V. Athalye Taraporevala
Rediscovering Swami Vivekananda Amiya Kumara Majumadara BPR Publishers ISBN 978-81-908841-9-8
Reflections on Swami Vivekananda: Hundred Years After Chicago M. Sivaramkrishna South Asia Books ISBN 978-81-207-1603-2
Religious and moral philosophy of Swami Vivekananda Shail Kumari Singh Janaki Prakashan
Religious Revivalism As Nationalist Discourse: Swami Vivekananda and New Hinduism in Nineteenth-Century Bengal Shamita Basu Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-565371-7
Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda: by his Eastern and Western admirers Eastern and Western admirers Advaita Ashrama
Revolutionary Ideas of Swami Vivekananda Rabindra Kumar Das Gupta Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture

S[edit]
BookAuthor/EditorPublisherISBNSaints of India: Swami Vivekananda Shiri Ram Bakshi, Sangh Mittra Criterion
Short Life of Swami Vivekananda Swami Tejasananda Advaita Ashrama ISBN 978-81-7505-030-3
Social Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda A.R. Mohapatra Readworthy Publications (P) Limited ISBN 978-93-80009-01-8
Social Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda Santwana Dasgupta Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture ISBN 978-81-87332-43-5
Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda Jawaharlal Nehru Advaita Ashrama (Publication Department) ISBN 978-81-7505-004-4
Swami Vivekanand B. R. Kishore Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. ISBN 978-81-7182-952-1
Swami Vivekanand : educational philosopher & his work S.K. Shukla Omega Publications ISBN 978-81-8455-091-7
Swami Vivekananda Amiya Sen Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-564565-1
Swami Vivekananda Bābūrāma Śarmā Diamond Pocket Books
Swami Vivekananda Dr. M. H. Syed, R. K. Singh, P. K. Choudhry Himalaya Books
Swami Vivekananda K. L. Miglani Pinnacle Technology ISBN 978-1-61820-127-0
Swami Vivekananda M. S. Nateson Vivekananda Publishing House
Swami Vivekananda N.L. Gupta Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd ISBN 978-81-261-1538-9
Swami Vivekananda Premacanda Saraswathi Press
Swami Vivekananda S. Paul Sterling Publishers Pvt., Limited ISBN 978-81-7862-440-2
Swami Vivekananda Sachi Sinhal Prabhat Prakashan ISBN 978-81-8430-018-5
Swami Vivekananda Satyakam Vidyalankar Hind Pocket Books
Swami Vivekananda Una Da Manavad Raghbir Rachnac
Swami Vivekananda Verinder Grover Deep & Deep Publications ISBN 978-81-7100-570-3
Swami Vivekananda: a forgotten chapter of his life Benishankar Sharma Oxford Book & Stationary Co.
Swami Vivekananda: A Historical Review R. C. Majumdar Advaita Ashrama ISBN 978-81-7505-202-4
Swami Vivekananda: A Man with a Vision Devika Rangachari Penguin Books Limited ISBN 978-81-8475-563-3
Swami Vivekananda: A Mental and Spiritual Biography Rajagopal Chattopadhyaya Vivekananda Math
Swami Vivekananda: A Reassessment Narasingha Prosad Sil Susquehanna University Press ISBN 978-0-945636-97-7
Swami Vivekananda: A Sixth Plane Being in San Francisco Belinda Worthen
Swami Vivekananda: a study D. V. Athalye Ashish
Swami Vivekananda: A Study on Aesthetics Mohit Chakrabarti Atlantic Publishers & Distri
Swami Vivekananda : An Iconoclastic Ascetic Ajeet Jawed Ane Books India ISBN 978-81-8052-195-9
Swami Vivekananda & Success of Students A. R. K. Sarma Sri Sarada Book House
Swami Vivekananda and His Times: A Series of Lectures B. Bhattacharya NCIC
Swami Vivekananda and Indian Nationalism Subodh Chandra Sen Gupta Sahitya Samsad
Swami Vivekananda and Japan Medhasananda ISBN 978-4-931148-43-7
Swami Vivekananda and Religious Pluralism Chacko Puthenpurackal Pontificia Universitas Gregoriana
Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna in Sri Aurobindo's Writings Sri Aurobindo, K. C. Anand Sri Aurobindo Society ISBN 978-81-7060-208-8
Swami Vivekananda and the emergence of India through spiritual culture Sarvasthananda (Swami.) Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama
Swami Vivekananda and the Future of India Ranganathananda (Swami.) Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture
Swami Vivekananda and the Indian quest for socialism Arun Kumar Biswas Firma KLM
Swami Vivekananda and the Indian Renaissance Telliyavaram Mahadevan Ponnambalam Mahadevan Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Vidyalaya Teachers College
Swami Vivekananda: and the Modern World Pranab Bandyopadhyay United Writers ISBN 978-81-85328-12-6
Swami Vivekananda and the modernisation of Hinduism William Radice Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-565093-8
Swami Vivekananda and the World of Youth Nabaniharan Mukhopadhyay Akhil Bharat Vivekananda Yuva Mahamandal
Swami Vivekananda: Awakener of Modern India R. Ramakrishnan Sri Ramakrishna Math
Swami Vivekananda centenary memorial volume Ramesh Chandra Majumdar Swami Vivekananda Centenary
Swami Vivekananda's Concept of Service Swami Swahananda Sri Ramakrishna Math ISBN 978-81-7120-900-2
Swami Vivekananda: Education of Love Mohit Chakrabarti Kanishka Publishers ISBN 978-81-7391-822-3
Swami Vivekananda: Epoch-maker Spiritual Leader Swami Jitatmananda Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama
Swami Vivekananda: Excellence in Education Mohit Chakrabarti Gyan Publishing House ISBN 978-81-7835-479-8
Swami Vivekananda: His Dynamic Vision Harbans Lal Agnihotri Aman Prakashan ISBN 978-81-900402-2-8
Swami Vivekananda: his global vision Santinath Chattopadhyay Punthi Pustak ISBN 978-81-86791-29-5
Swami Vivekananda, His Human Books Jung Bahadur Goyal Falcon Books ISBN 978-81-900592-0-6
Swami Vivekananda: his life & message Anil Chandra Ghosh Presidency Library
Swami Vivekananda, his life and mission Ranganathananda (Swami.) Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture
Swami Vivekananda, His Reconstruction of Hinduism as a Universal Religion P. M. Thomas McMaster University
Swami Vivekananda: His Sanyasa ... M. S. Natesan Vivekananda Publishing House
Swami Vivekananda, his second visit to the West: new discoveries Marie Louise Burke Advaita Ashrama
Swami Vivekananda in America Nivedita Raghunath Bhide Vivekananda Kendra ISBN 978-81-89248-22-2
Swami Vivekananda in America: new findings Asim Chaudhuri Advaita Ashrama, Publication Dept. ISBN 978-81-7505-297-0
Swami Vivekananda in contemporary Indian news (1893–1902): with Ramakrishna and the Mission Bimalakumāra Ghosha, Lakshmi Kanta Boral Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture ISBN 978-81-85843-89-6
Swami Vivekananda in Chicago: new findings Asim Chaudhuri Advaita Ashrama ISBN 978-81-7505-211-6
Swami Vivekananda in India: A Corrective Biography Chattopadhyay Rajagopal Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-1586-5
Swami Vivekananda: India's Emissary to the West Swami Ranganathananda Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan Trust
Swami Vivekananda: insan-i-kamal : revisioning Som P. Ranchan Indian Publishers Distributors ISBN 978-81-7341-053-6
Swami Vivekananda in San Francisco Ashokananda (Swami.) Vedanta Society of Northern California
Swami Vivekananda in the West Rajagopal Chattopadhyaya The Author
Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries (six volumes) Sister Gargi Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata
Swami Vivekananda: Messiah of Resurgent India Pranaba Ranjan Bhuyan Atlantic Publishers & Dist ISBN 978-81-269-0234-7
Swami Vivekananda on Education Śaṅkara Abhyaṅkara Aditya Pratishthan ISBN 978-81-86879-05-4
Swami Vivekananda on Himself Swami Sambudhdhananda Advaita Ashrama ISBN 81-7505-280-5
Swami Vivekananda on India and Her Problems Swami Nirvedananda Advaita Ashrama
Swami Vivekananda on Indian philosophy and literature Rabindra Kumar Dasgupta Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture ISBN 978-81-85843-81-0
Swami Vivekananda, patriot-prophet: a study Bhūpendranātha Datta Nababharat Publishers
Swami Vivekananda: Pioneer in Social Revolution Vidyotma Singh Vista International Publishing House ISBN 978-81-89942-13-7
Swami Vivekananda: literary biography Carebanu Cooper
Swami Vivekananda, the educator V. Sukumaran Nair Facet Books International ISBN 978-0-932377-10-4
Swami Vivekananda, the known philosopher, the unknown poet Radhika Nagrath Meteor Books ISBN 978-81-88248-05-6
Swami Vivekananda: The Living Vedanta Chaturvedi Badrinath Penguin Books India ISBN 978-0-14-306209-7
Swami Vivekananda: the man and his mission Sanat Kumar Rai Chaudhuri Scientific Book Agency
Swami Vivekananda, the prophet of Vedantic socialism Vijendra Kasturi Ranga Varadaraja Rao Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India
Swami Vivekananda: Vibrant Humanist Mohit Chakrabarti Kanishka Publishers ISBN 978-81-7391-420-1
Swami Vivekananda Vijnanagita: The Wisdom Song of Vivekananda Babaji Bob Kindler Srv Assoc ISBN 978-1-891893-09-4
Swami Vivekananda: Visionary of Truth Mohit Chakraborty Abhijeet Publications ISBN 978-93-80031-45-3
Swâmi Vivekânanda's contribution to the present age Satprakashananda (Swami.) Vedanta Society of St. Louis ISBN 978-0-916356-58-3
Swami Vivekananda's ideas on history: with special reference to Indian history and culture Tangsal Narayana Vasudeva Rao, Indian Council of Historical Research Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Institute of Vivekananda Studies
Swami Vivekananda's legacy of service: a study of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission Gwilym Beckerlegge Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-567388-3
Swami Vivekananda's neo-Vedānta Rabindra Kumar Dasgupta Asiatic Society
Swami Vivekananda's Understanding of Religious Pluralism: A Theological Assessment from a Catholic View Represented by Joseph Neuner Sebastian Panjikaran Pontificia Universitas Gregoriana, Facultas Theologiae
Swami Vivekananda's Winning Formulas to Become Successful Managers A. R. K. Sarma Sri Sarada Book House

T–Z[edit]
BookAuthor/EditorPublisherISBNTeaching of Swami Vivekananda Edgar Wesley Thompson M.E. Publishing House
The cyclonic Swami: Vivekananda in the West Sukalyan Sengupta, Makarand R. Paranjape Samvad India Foundation, in association with Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth ISBN 978-81-901318-2-7
The concept of man according to Swami Vivekananda Thaddeus J. Kunnumpurath Pontificia Studiorum Universitas a S. Thoma Aq. in Urbe
The Hermeneutics of Religious Syncretism: Swami Vivekananda's Practical Vedanta Thomas L. Bryson University of Chicago, The Divinity School
The Immortal Philosopher of India Swami Vivekananda Bhawan Singh Rana and Mīnā Agravāla Meena Agrawal Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. ISBN 978-81-288-1001-5
The life of Swami Vivekananda, by his eastern and western disciples Gambhirananda (Swami.) Advaita Ashrama
The Master as I Saw Him Sister Nivedita Longmans, Green & Co., N.A.
The Message of Swami Vivekananda Karan Singh (Sadr-i-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir) Swami Vivekananda Centenary Celebration and Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee, Publication Department
The Message of Swami Vivekananda: To the Modern World K. S. Ramaswami Sastri Ramakrishna Math
The Mind of Swami Vivekananda: An Anthology and a Study Gautam Sen Jaico Publishing House ISBN 978-81-7224-212-1
The Monk As Man: The Unknown Life of Swami Vivekananda 1933– Samkara Penguin Books India ISBN 978-0-14-310119-2
The Nationalistic and Religious Lectures of Swami Vivekananda Tapasyananda (Swami.) Advaita Ashrama
The Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda: Chicago Address Centenary Volume : Homage from Visva-Bharati Pradip Kumar Sengupta Progressive Publishers
The political philosophy of Swami Vivekananda A. V. Rathna Reddy Sterling
The Religious and Political Thought of Swami Vivekananda Aron Harilela University of Hull
The social philosophy of Swami Vivekananda: its relevance to modern India Abraham Stephen Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge ISBN 978-81-7214-843-0
The Socio-Political Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda Bhaiya Subhash Chandra Prasad Universal-Publishers ISBN 978-1-58112-075-2
The social and political ideas of Swami Vivekananda S. S. Mital Metropolitan
The Swami Vivekananda: A Study Mano Mohan Ganguly Contemporary Publishers
The universal symphony of Swami Vivekananda Ranganathananda (Swami.)
The Vedantic Synthesis of Swami Vivekananda Andrew Avison Ross University of Canterbury
The Teachings of Swami Vivekananda Avyaktananda (Swami.) Vedanta Movement
The Vedānta of Swami Vivekananda B. Prasannakumary Writers Workshop Publication ISBN 978-81-7595-307-9
The Vedanta of Swami Vivekananda Suhas Ranjan Ray Sristi Prakashan
Vivekananda Gajanan Khergamker Jaico Publishing House ISBN 978-81-7992-171-5
Vivekananda: A Biography Swami Nikhilananda
Vivekenanda: a comprehensive study Jyotir Maya Nanda (Swami) Swami Jyotirmayananda ISBN 978-81-85304-66-3
Vivekananda and Indian renaissance B. K. Ahluwalia, Shashi Ahluwalia Associated Pub. Co.
Vivekananda: his gospel of man-making with a garland of tributes and a chronicle of his life and times, with pictures Jyotir Maya Nanda (Swami) Swami Jyotirmayananda ISBN 978-81-85304-66-3
Vivekananda: World Teacher Swami Adiswarananda ISBN 978-1-59473-210-2
Vivekananda, the prophet of human emancipation: a study on the social philosophy of Swami Vivekananda Santwana Dasgupta Bijaya Dasgupta
Vivekananda, the warrior saint: a biographical study Haṃsrāja Rahabara Farsight Publishers & Distributors
Vivekananda: The Yogas and Other Works Swami Hikhilananda Ramakrishna Vivekanada Center ISBN 978-0-911206-04-3
Vivekananda's approach to social work Indira Patel Sri Ramakrishna Math
Vivekananda's influence on Subhas Nanda Mookerjee Jayasree Prakashan
Vivekananda's message to the youth Vijendra Kasturi Ranga Varadaraja Rao, T. S. Avinashilingam Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Vivekananda Reader Swami Narasimhananda (edited) Advaita Ashrama ISBN 978-81-7505-364-9
Wandering Monk: Permanent Exhibition at Kanyakumari on Swami Vivekananda as a Parivrajaka M. Lakshmi Kumari Vivekananda Kendra
Western women in the footsteps of Swami Vivekananda Atmaprana (Pravrajika.) Ramakrishna Sarada Mission
Wisdom of Vivekanand Sachin Sinhal Prabhat Prakashan ISBN 978-81-8430-062-8
What Religion Is in the Words of Swami Vivekananda John Yale Kessinger Publishing ISBN 978-1-4254-8880-2

See also[edit]

Bibliography of Ramakrishna
Teachings and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda

References[edit]
Citations[edit]
^ Chaube 2005, p. 52
^ Vivekananda 2006, p. 11
^ Mohapatra 2009, p. 14
^ Piazza 1978, p. 59
^ Jump up to:a b Chattopadhyaya 1999, p. 314
^ Chattopadhyaya 1999, p. 299
^ Jump up to:a b Chattopadhyaya 1999, p. 326
^ Dutt 1999, p. 121
^ Chattopadhyaya 1999, p. 316
^ Jump up to:a b "Vivekananda Library online". vivekananda.net. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
Works cited[edit]Bharathi, K. S. (1998). Encyclopaedia of Eminent Thinkers: The political thought of Vivekananda. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-7022-709-0.
Chaube, Sarayu Prasad (2005). Recent Philosophies on Education on India. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-8069-216-1.
Vivekananda, Swami (2006). The Indispensable Vivekananda: An Anthology for Our Times. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-7824-130-2.
Mohapatra, Amulya Ranjan (2009). Swaraj - Thoughts of Gandhi, Tilak, Aurobindo, Raja Rammohun Roy, Tagore & Vivekananda. Readworthy. p. 14. ISBN 978-81-89973-82-7.
Piazza, Paul (1978). Christopher Isherwood: Myth and Anti-Myth. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-51358-6.
Chattopadhyaya, Rajagopal (1999). Swami Vivekananda in India: A Corrective Biography. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1586-5.
Dutt, Kartik Chandra (1999). Who's who of Indian Writers, 1999: A-M. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-260-0873-5.
External links[edit]Books on Swami Vivekananda in WorldCat
Books on and by Swami Vivekananda from Advaita Ashrama


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Swami Vivekananda
Biography
Birthplace
Prayer to Kali at Dakshineswar
Baranagar Math
Swami Vivekananda's travels in India (1888–1893)
Teachers Ramakrishna
Sarada Devi
Relationship with Ramakrishna
at the Parliament of the World's Religions (1893)
in California

Works and
philosophy

Teachings and
philosophy
Teachings and philosophy
Vivekananda and meditation
Influence and legacy of Vivekananda
Neo-Vedanta
Books
Bibliography
Sangeet Kalpataru
Bartaman Bharat
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
Inspired Talks
Jnana Yoga
Karma Yoga
Lectures from Colombo to Almora
My Master
Raja Yoga
The East and the West
Poems/songs
"Kali the Mother"
Khandana Bhava–Bandhana
"My Play is Done"
The Hymn of Samadhi
The Song of the Sannyasin
To the Fourth of July
Nachuk Tahate Shyama
Lectures
"Buddhism, the Fulfilment of Hinduism"
Christ, the Messenger
Religion not the crying need of India
Vedanta Philosophy
Miscellaneous
Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached
Atmano mokshartham jagat hitaya cha
Bahujana sukhaya bahujana hitaya cha


Foundations
Advaita Ashrama
Belur Math
Ramakrishna Math
Ramakrishna Math, Mangaluru
Ramakrishna Mission
Udbodhan
Vedanta Society (New York)
Disciples
and friends

Monastic disciples
Shuddhananda
Virajananda
Swarupananda
Paramananda
Other disciples
and friends
Ajit Singh of Khetri
Alasinga Perumal
Emma Calvé
J. J. Goodwin
John Henry Wright
Josephine MacLeod
Sara Chapman Bull
Sister Christine
Sister Nivedita
Abhayananda
William Hastie


Memorials
Vivekananda Rock Memorial
National Youth Day (India)
Swami Vivekananda Airport
Swami Vivekananda Road metro station
Swami Vivekanand Nagar
Vivekanandar Illam
Vivekananda Setu
Swami Vivekananda statue (Golpark, Kolkata)
150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda Youth Employment Week
Vivek Express
Depictions

Films
Swami Vivekananda (1955)
Bireswar Vivekananda (1964)
Swami Vivekananda (1998)
Swamiji (2012)
The Light: Swami Vivekananda (2013)
Dramas
Biley
Bireswar


Namesake
educational
institutions
Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College
Swami Vivekanand Subharti University
Swami Vivekanand University, Madhya Pradesh
Vivekananda Degree College, Kukatpally
Vivekananda Degree College, Puttur
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Vivekananda: A Biography
Nikhilananda

4.34
493 ratings46 reviews
An absorbing biography of Swami Vivekananda (1863 - 1902) that presents his vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture, deep spiritual insight, brilliant conversation, broad human sympathy, and colorful personality. Swami Vivekananda, India's first spiritual and cultural ambassador to the West, proclaimed the universal message of Vedanta: the non-duality of the Godhead, the divinity of the soul, the oneness of existence, and the harmony of religions. This 256 page book details the life of Swami Vivekananda and contains 28 photographs, as well as, an appendix containing the Swami's most important teachings.

Publication date, 1 December 1953

216 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1989
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About the author

Swami Nikhilananda (1895–1973), born Dinesh Chandra Das Gupta was a direct disciple of Sri Sarada Devi. In 1933, he founded the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, a branch of Ramakrishna Mission, and remained its head until his death in 1973. An accomplished writer and thinker, Nikhilananda's greatest contribution was the translation of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita from Bengali into English, published under the title The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942).



Ashish Iyer
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July 6, 2022
I always wanted to read book on Swami Vivekananda. And Finally i read one now. I always had a bit of influence of him in my childhood days. There was a Ramakrishna Math near my home, I used to go with my parents and sometime with my neighbor (they were like family). I am so pleased that I read this biography, actually i wanted to read The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (9 volumes) then I thought why not read his biography then delve into deeper level and his philosophies.

Vivekananda was India's first spiritual and cultural ambassador to the West, went to represent the Sanatan Dharma. Author Nikhilananda lays it out very clearly how Vivekananda was, what was his life like and what was his belief system. Through this book one meets an extraordinary human being. Swamiji’s message of loving everyone inspite of what they do and how they behave are spiritually enlightening. This book is a must read not to know Swamiji better but because in this journey of knowing Swami Vivekananda better one will actually end up knowing themselves much better. This book is not just description of life events, but is also an intellectual, spiritual biography, as the author wonderfully traverses through the many moods and thought streams of Swamiji over time. Both the human and the super human side of Swamiji's personality comes alive all through the book.

This monk's 39 years of life, a life so full of blessedness, indomitable energy, vigor, sacrifice, vision and hard work. The life of Swamiji is a lofty scripture in itself and presents an ideal, along with his message that is awakening, refreshing, invigorating and inspiring at once.

If you are interested in reading in Hindi, look for न भूतो न भविष्यति by Narendra Kohli. Its a beautiful Hindi literature.
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Rucha
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November 16, 2022
I cried when I finished reading this book. The way it is written, it was as though I was walking alongside Swami Vivekananda, my brother and friend, for his entire life up until he took his last breath.

We often think the life of a monk means experiencing never-ending bliss, a constant flow of peace, and an unbreakable stream of good fortune. This wasn’t the case in Swami Vivekananda’s life. There were many moments of uncertainty and self-doubt, as well as people who betrayed him and made him feel less than.

The thought even entered the mind of such a realized person of how he gave so much of himself and put in so much selfless work for other people, but all he received in return is botheration. When such a great personality can think such things, we should not be down on ourselves for those fleeting moments of selfishness.

One thing that was constant in his life was the work he endlessly gave for the upliftment of his countrymen, the poor and indigent, even when his physical body was deteriorating. He could never give up the idea of improving the circumstances of those around him. He worked tirelessly day and night for society.

He seemed to repeatedly say to his brother disciples when they would desire a life of solitude and to realize their own enlightenment, what is the point of reaching such a high state of consciousness, if you are not going to share what you have realized with others. His life was a testament to what can be achieved when the mind is pure, sharp, contemplative, and focused on the divine.

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Ramakrishnan
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July 15, 2008
I have read this book from cover to cover about 5/6 times.
It is very hard to read this book without profusely crying (being an Indian that I am) just thinking about his super human accomplishments in the 1890's America with unbelievable odds working against him. Yet what he did on 911 (sep 11, 1893) in Chicago will be heard for centuries .. to inspire mankind of all faiths.

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Ajay
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August 16, 2019
Great book on Swami Vivekananda. We need more of such people in this world.

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Lucas Gialluisi
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April 4, 2014
One of the best biographies that i have read in these last years so far. A must read for those who wants to know about probably the first hindu leader coming from the oriental word to speak in the western world uniting both worlds. Vivekanda have reached this point in the Parliament of Religions hold in Chigago in the beginning of 1900.. As it says in the book we started his famous speech saying ``Sisters and brothers of America`` removing all sectarianisms behind the religions and praying for the union as ramakhrisna used to say..``All religions are ways to find god``. The book also contains a detailed insight about his relationship with western disciples and his trips along europe , america and finally his coming back for India in his last days before enter in a state of eternal samadhi. It also shows the appreciation of Vivekanda for Buddha , Jesus and other enlightened soul such as his two visits at Bodhi -Gaya and also a small trip to Rome where Swami Vivekananda shows a profound love of Christ in his earthy journey.

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Dan Gheorghita
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December 26, 2020
It is indeed an interesting account on the life of the Swami.
Contentwise, it is a good book. Structurewise it is a bit messy. I'd ascribe the fact, perhaps, to the lack of skills of the writer. There is no chronology of time, but rather a mish-mash of happenings, so it's hard to follow the order of events ad the value that is communicated through them.

There is the feeling of the hand of the writer, his reverence for the Swami and India, too much perhaps, for in some moments the book is gaining the shape of idolatry and a mild propaganda. This should not happen in a biography, I'd say, where the language should be rather factual and direct, with much care to not alter or add anything.

In the end, I remain with the feeling that I must read perhaps another one or two biographies to really get to know the ife of the Swami. However, I could withdraw from the book a solid idea of what was the mind of this great Sannyasin.

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Shalini Goyal
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October 31, 2022
Update 31st October 2022:

So I was rereading the book, and it so happened that I read it in Hindi this time around. Having already read the English version twice, I had some paragraphs imprinted in my memory. So when I couldn't find a particular paragraph in Hindi, I immediately compared the two versions and found a strange discrepancy. Attaching the two in the review, notice that the paragraph I have boxed in English version is missing in the Hindi one. (If there is a Bengali reading good Samaritan out there, could they please compare the Bengali version as well?)

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sporadicv...
2023-list biography tbr-again-2018
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Pushpam Singh
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August 27, 2013
This book is a beautiful portrayal of life of Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest monks of all times India has seen. Many of us know swami by name and by reference but not many of us know him by person. The stories of his childhood days and his adulthood discussed in this book opens up a new world of insight for us.
He was a great inspiration and a very difficult character to convince for anything. He wasn't easy going when it came to logic.
Another striking characteristic that comes out is the relation between him and Ramakrishna Paramhansa. It might be surprising for some and for some it is depiction of a different type of relationships.
Somewhere one can judge about the typical life of a person during those days.
This is the first book I read on greatest monk.

It is a must read.

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Abhijeet Parihar
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May 20, 2019
What a great story and it very beautifully written. .

The most difficult part in spirituality is to be totally convinced that reaching god is possible or it is possible for oneself. This self-doubt is the biggest enemy for any seeker.

Turning away from this doubt will not help you but reading the life story of great spiritual giants such as Vivekananda will definitely help you understand that there were others just like you who had fears and doubts but still perceived and reached their goals.

Just a side note:
Read biographies to draw inspiration but never try to imitate someone else's life because it will only lead to confusion and depression.

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Anugrah Nagaich
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June 29, 2012
The detailed biography of Swami Vivekananda, describing his life vividly.
I read it just for ascertaining the miracles/super-human abilities (rumored to be) associated with SwamiJi & found that most of the supposed rumors which I heard were actually true.
This can be thus very inspiring for people who are followers of Ramakrishna Mission as well as people who want to know about the person who en-lighted India's intellectual superiority & spread it across the globe by his extra-ordinary capabilities, way before the era of globlization or IIT's.

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 46 reviews

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From other countries

meera yadav

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended.

Reviewed in India on 23 September 2022

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Speechless. Must read book.

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NP

5.0 out of 5 stars Good purchase

Reviewed in Canada on 30 November 2020

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This was purchased for my dad who really enjoyed reading this book

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J'aime Lire

5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspiring reading

Reviewed in the United States on 3 April 2014

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Very well written. I have learned a lot about this very humble, spiritually advanced human being. The Vedas and Hindu Scriptures explained in a way easy to grasp. I am so grateful to have bump into this fine book. India made a great advanced being in Vivekananda. If you want to learn about a man who worked like a... horse no more than that ... elephant.... more than that... for the cause of bridging East and West spiritually, for the uplifting of the human race into its own "nature", this book will inspire you. He made a colossal contribution to humanity. I recommend this book AND what he wrote during his stay on this planet.

10 people found this helpful

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vipul chitalia

5.0 out of 5 stars Book for the spiritual seeker

Reviewed in the United States on 14 May 2021

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A must read book for the spiritual seeker. Some of the original letters from Vivekananda are shared in the book verbatim. Inspiring read.

One person found this helpful

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RADHAKRISHNA SHENVI

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

Reviewed in India on 1 June 2017

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Book is good

One person found this helpful

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Varun

4.0 out of 5 stars Good if you are interested in his life

Reviewed in the United States on 28 September 2015

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Read it if you want to know more about Swami's life. Book doesn't consists of his teachings and great lectures.

3 people found this helpful

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Ramakrishnan Krishnan

5.0 out of 5 stars A must book for every citizen from India. Certainly ...

Reviewed in the United States on 15 March 2018

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A must book for every citizen from India. Certainly inspiring for any one who is embarking on a spiritual journey and loves to know India.

Nobel Laureate Poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote: If you want to learn about India, read Swami Vivekananda's biography. He is an embodiment of India"

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mdw 7htn7g6yyyyyy6yyyyyyuyyuuuuyyyyy

5.0 out of 5 stars This book transcends religious and ethnic boundaries

Reviewed in the United States on 3 July 2013

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This is a biography of - call him what you may- the leader of exposition of a universal religion and inherent divinity of all mankind, a saint, a realised soul, or a peerless intellect, and transcends religious and ethnic boundaries. Clearly the author, seems to have been a realised soul himself and hence the inferences have great depth. This book has the potential to change lives, and help advance a sincere aspirant in search of the Truth.

6 people found this helpful

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Mukher

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiration

Reviewed in the United States on 4 September 2020

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Great biography by a Swami about the peerless Swami Vivekananda

If you are truly seeking some answers about life, give this book a try.

One person found this helpful

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VIVEKANANDA: A Biography

1953, by Swami Nikhilananda 

Trustee of the Estate of Swami Vivekananda

----

 

PREFACE

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S inspiring personality was well known both in India and in America during the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decade

of the twentieth. The unknown monk of India suddenly leapt into fame at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, at which he represented Hinduism. His vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture as well as his deep spiritual insight, fervid eloquence, brilliant conversation, broad human sympathy, colourful personality, and handsome figure made an irresistible appeal to the many types of Americans who came in contact with him. People who saw or heard Vivekananda even once still cherish his memory after a lapse of more than half a century.

In America Vivekananda's mission was the interpretation of India's spiritual culture, especially in its Vedãntic setting. He also tried to enrich the religious consciousness of the Americans through the rational and humanistic teachings of the Vedãnta philosophy. In America he became India's spiritual ambassador and pleaded eloquently for better understanding between India and the New World in order to create a healthy synthesis of East and West, of religion and science.

In his own motherland Vivekananda is regarded as the patriot saint of modern India and an inspirer of her dormant national consciousness. To the Hindus he preached the ideal of a strength-giving and man-making religion. Service to man as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special form of wor¬ship he advocated for the Indians, devoted as they were to the rituals and myths of their ancient faith. Many political leaders of India have publicly acknowl¬edged their indebtedness to Swami Vivekananda.

The Swami's mission was both national and international. A lover of mankind, he strove to promote peace and human brotherhood on the spiritual foundation of the Vedãntic Oneness of existence. A mystic of the highest order, Vive-kananda had a direct and intuitive experience of Reality. He derived his ideas from that unfailing source of wisdom and often presented them in the soul-stirring language of poetry.

The natural tendency of Vivekananda's mind, like that of his Master, Rama-krishna, was to soar above the world and forget itself in contemplation of the Absolute. But another part of his personality bled at the sight of human suffer¬ing in East and West alike. It might appear that his mind seldom found a point of rest in its oscillation between contemplation of God and service to man. Be that as it may, he chose, in obedience to a higher call, service to man as his mission on earth; and this choice has endeared him to people in the West, Americans in particular.

V

 

vi Preface

In the course of a short life of thirty-nine years (1863-1902), of which only ten were devoted to public activities—and those, too, in the midst of acute physical suffering—he left for posterity his four classics: Jn21na-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, and R5ja-Yoga, all of which are outstanding treatises On Hindu philosophy. In addition, he delivered innumerable lectures, wrote inspired letters in his own hand to his many friends and disciples, composed numerous poems, and acted as spiritual guide to the many seekers.who came to him for instruction. He also organized the Ramakrishna Order of monks, which is the most outstanding religious organization of modern India. It is devoted to the propagation of the Hindu spiritual culture not only in the Swami's native land, but also in America and in other parts of the world.

Swami Vivekananda once spoke of himself as a "condensed India." His life and teachings are of inestimable value to the West for an understanding of the mind of Asia. William James, the Harvard philosopher, called the Swami the "paragon of Vedntists." Max Muller and Paul Deussen, the famous Orientalists of the nineteenth century, held him in genuine respect and affection. "His words," writes Romain Rolland, "are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Handel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of books, at thirty years' distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shocks, what transports, must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero!"

NIKHILANANDA

Ram akrishna-Vivekananda Center

New York

January 5, 1953

 

Gandhian Perspective On "Convergence Of Values: Spiritual, Political And Economic" By M. P. Lele

Articles : On & By Gandhi

| |

Gandhian Perspective On "Convergence Of Values: Spiritual, Political And Economic"
By M. P. Lele

Mahatma Gandhi has been described as a very unique personality who combined saintliness with politics. His advocacy of spiritualization of politics was not intended to mix politics with religion. It was rather, a passionate appeal for moralizing the culture and practice of politics. Although Gandhi’s popular image was that of a statesman, who successfully used nonviolence as a tool in the struggle for his political objective i.e., independence for India, elementally Gandhi was a humanist, who ventured through out his life to seek Truth as God.

Philosophically speaking, Gandhi believed in affirmation of the essential unity of all existence, the indivisibility of truth and interrelation of truth and nonviolence. While the former was the end, the latter was the means to achieve that, in whatever field i.e., social, economic or political, he worked in the course of his life’s mission.

Gandhi’s concept of religion transcends the rigid framework of a sectarian approach. About religion he said that it binds one indissolutely to the truth within and purifies actions. It is the personal element in human nature, which leaves the soul restless until it has found itself.

Gandhi was a revolutionary in every field that he treaded. To the protagonists of pure religion, he advised, “Carry God to the poor in a bowl of rice rather than a bundle of high dogmas and logic.”

Religion provides the ethical framework for all social and political actions of Gandhi. Wither it was satyagraha (use of moral force) for pressing political demands or his multi-faceted constructive programmes like Hindu-Muslim unity, upliftment of the oppressed classes or his emphasis on Swadeshi and Khadis, there was an underlying spiritual urge. Many of his critics and even some of his closest colleagues felt that Gandhi’s views were utopian and antithetical to modernity. But as the dust settles down on his historical agenda of political work, it is evident that as a practical person he always tried to strike a balance between the political realities on the ground and his moral ideological pursuits.

About his vision of India as an independent nation, Gandhi said: “My notion of Poorna Swaraj is not isolated independence but a healthy and disciplined inter-dependence between nations. My nationalism is not exclusive, nor designed to harm any other nation. It is rather to promote international cooperation.” About party politics as a social instrument, Gandhi was very skeptical. He wrote, “Today politics pushes the individual into immoral and anti-social conduct. Mutual distrust and enmity result into conflicts and wars, which unleash the bases of human passions even under the moral guise such as—patriotism, bravery, self-sacrifice and altruism. For satyagraha, Gandhi put four essential requirements:

Faith and regard for Truth


Strict adherence to nonviolence


Purity of means, as the ends and means are inter-convertible terms


Fearlessness (Abhaya) where pain is voluntarily borne by a satyagrahi.

Although Gandhi’s basic ideas on economics were rooted in the oriental spiritual traditions of ‘Aparigraha’ (spirit of non-possession) and ‘Sanyama’ (restraint in consumption), his ideas on economics got crystallized as he went on analyzing the cause of the plight and poverty of poor nations like India, who had suffered due to the exploitative policies of capitalist and colonial powers. Gandhi’s views on economics reflect the common man’s perception about his well-being.

Modern Economics has taken its shape after the industrial revolution in the later part of the 18th century. The resultant craze for material progress put forth the Growth Oriented development model. Today, economic growth has become the standard measure of power, strength and virtue at all levels i.e., individual, national and international. The IMF and World Bank and their multi-faceted arms working in forums like WTO etc. are trying to impress upon nations that they should accelerate their growth rate in order to integrate themselves into the process of globalization, despite the fact that it has brought about ecological imbalances, environmental problems and increasing disparity of economic well-being among nations.

Today in retrospect, Gandhi appears to be prophetic in outrightly rejecting the growth model of economic development. In Hind Swaraj, his first exposition on the contemporary issues in the early 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi severely criticized the western model of development and its resultant civilization. He labeled it as “Satanic”, calling it a product of dark age, “Kaliyuga” of Indian mythology. Gandhi said that this civilization is enslaving men by offering temptation of money and the luxuries as its fruit. Alternatively, Gandhi propounded the model of “Sarvodaya”—the good for all. He said that economics has to be infused with spiritual values. It should create social prosperity in terms of cordial relationship, among different layers of society rather than accumulation of sheer material wealth in certain pockets only.

Today, it is a growing realization that even the so-called affluent societies created by the growth based economic model are experiencing isolation, emptiness and are loosing their own perspectives. At the personal level, it is causing acute stress, depression and insecurity. Gandhi said that an economy based purely on material considerations and totally devoid of any value base would not bring happiness to mankind. Only that economic system which is regulated by ideals rooted in permanent order of things would achieve the vision of a sustainable world.

Crucial features of Gandhi’s economic model could be summarized as follows:

All wealth is produced jointly and should therefore bye equally divided among those who have produced it.

Everyone should get enough to satisfy his needs as also reasonable comforts of life.

There should be limitation on human wants within certain reasonable limits. Gandhi said, “Nature produces enough for our day-to-day needs, and if everybody took just enough for himself and nothing more, there would be no pauperism in this world.”

For the use of accumulated wealth, Gandhi came up with the doctrine of trusteeship. Similarly, his Swadeshi movement was aimed at the rejuvenation of Indian Industry and Village Crafts which gave employment to rural folk in times when they had no farm work in hand.

Gandhi said that Science and Technology should be so regulated that they work for public good and not as tools to exploit hapless masses.

In Gandhi’s words, “True economics never militates against the highest ethical standards, just as all true ethics to be worth its name, must also be good economics”.

Mahatma Gandhi thus offers us an integrated approach and solution to the calls and cries of the present times. He believed that human life follows an integral unity in all its aspects and hence it could not be addressed in parts or dealt with in compartments like social, religious, political, economic and so on. In the Gandhian perspective of things, all life sustaining values converge into an integrated pattern. Gandhi firmly believed that for a sustainable world, the development model must have its roots in spiritual values. However, they must express themselves through the normal activities of life in all fields i.e., economic, social and political.

Source: Anasakti Darshan Vol.2, No.2, July-December 2006

Gandhi, Spirituality, And Social Action By Surendra Bhana*

Articles : On & By Gandhi

Gandhi, Spirituality, And Social Action
By Surendra Bhana*


Time magazine selected Indian social reformer Mohandas K. Gandhi the runner-up to scientist Albert Einstein as the Man of the Millennium. As Johanna McGeary said in her lead-article, “The flesh and blood Gandhi was a most unlikely saint. Just conjure up his portrait: a skinny, bent figure, nut brown and naked except for a white loincloth, cheap spectacles perched on his nose, frail hand grasping a tall bamboo staff. This was one of the century's great revolutionaries? Yet this strange figure swayed millions with his hypnotic spell. His garb was the perfect uniform for the kind of revolutionary he was, wielding weapons of prayer and nonviolence more powerful than guns.” Gandhi may have become a “towering myth” in the West, but it was one that mattered. His work and his spirit have awakened a moral beacon for all times.

At first glance, Gandhi's ideas may seem irrelevant to current struggles for social change. He railed at industrialism and material pleasures. He remained unpersuaded by the value of modernity and technology, and offered us instead a backward-looking romantic vision of a simple society. Much of his ascetic personal philosophy has lost its meaning for newer generations of people used to more hedonistic ways. His kind of pacifism would not be tolerated even in India where he is regarded as the Father of the Nation.

Despite Gandhi’s idiosyncrasies and the anachronism of some of his ideas, there is much to his beliefs that is relevant. For us, his enduring value lies in the power of love, peace, and freedom. Freedom and justice were ever his guiding light. His ecumenical approach to religion is a model of tolerance that we can follow; and his vision of non-violence as a basis of change provides lessons for resolving conflicts within our society.

We are particularly attracted by Gandhi's way that reform begins with an individual. Spiritualize and awaken the individual conscience, and we will have an easier road to peaceful change. A majority of one is all one requires to effect meaningful change.

Spirituality as the Basis of Change: The Context of Gandhi's Social Action

For Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948), religion was both, the formal where ritual practices diverged, and the eternal where all faiths had common goals. Prayers were needed to affirm and activate the divine within, not to ask favours. He did not care for dogmas. For him, it was not theology but morality that mattered. There was truth in each of the religions, but that did not mean they were all true, because they contained some falsehood as well. God was infinite even if every religion was partial and limited. He argued for sadbhava, that is goodwill and toleration. Therefore religions could gain much by a dialogue, and none should claim exclusivity since it would amount to "spiritual arrogance." Religion was "not an authoritative and monolithic structure of ideas and practices, but a resource from which one freely borrowed ..." It was the basis of all life, and it thus shaped all activities. No action was without the influence of religion, and for him politics was not separate from religion, although he did not advocate theocracy. Religion was a matter of freely and sincerely held beliefs.

Gandhi was following an ancient tradition of using spirituality as a basis of social change. The Buddha and Jesus Christ had used them effectively. Gandhi’s unique discourse on the subject was the result of his having discovered the East and the West at about the same time, the one through the other. Thus he incorporated Christian notions of love, forgiveness, and uncomplaining suffering into his philosophy while rejecting the idea that salvation could come only through Christ; and he embraced Islam’s emphasis on equality. Jainism's anekantavada (the many-sidedness of truth) made him tolerant to all religions.

Injustices could be eliminated if ahimsa (non-violence) was practiced. But he found the Hindu idea of ahimsa too passive, and the Christian notion of love too attached. Thus he combined ahimsa and love, and added the Hindu concept of anaskati (detachment) to arrive at his activist philosophy. For Gandhi the world was ordered on moral principles and brute force had no place in it. He added fasting as a tool in his armoury. Fasting was not hunger strike designed to extract submission or evoke self-pity. Rather it was a way of atoning vicariously for the misdeeds of others. This "vicarious suffering" like "voluntary crucifixion" is an essentially Christian idea.

Hinduism nevertheless formed the core of his religious beliefs. It offers salvation through karma-yoga (selfless action), raja-yoga (bodily discipline), bhakti-yoga (devotional endeavours), and jnana-yoga (knowledge through mental discipline). He chose to stress the first, and adapted it to four fundamental Hindu ideas to suit his philosophy of social activism. Thus, Moksha (individual liberation), Tapasya (penitence), Yoga (mind-body harmonization), and Samadhi (withdrawal to prepare for moksha) all were adapted to suit his commitment for social reform and change in the service of the poor and the needy.

He drew upon the lives of ordinary people to create symbols with which they could identify. His approach was always aimed at appealing to the head and the heart. In any situation, he set the rules, developed his own unique logic. From this core set of beliefs, he shaped satyagraha (Passive Resistance). This concept means "soul-force" in Sanskrit, but in Gujarati (Gandhi's native language), it also means insisting on truth without being obstinate or uncompromising. Truth had many sides, so one had to remain open and flexible. The use of violence implied infallibility and was therefore totally inappropriate in satyagraha. He called satyagraha "surgery of the soul" intended to awaken the opponent’s humanity.

A satyagrahi (one who pursues Passive Resistance) has to observe certain rules of behaviour: believe in the power of right action, think rationally, study the situation, dissuade the opponent, keep open the channels of communications, use intermediaries, follow rules and principles, be courteous, remain open to compromise, and accept suffering love. If the opponent proved to be unyielding, the satyagrahi must engage in economic and political action such as boycott. Take positive action, or be trampled upon like worms, is the way he put it.

This is the lesson he sought to impart at his ashrams or communal settings where he experimented in group living. Religious spirit was used at these places to turn the individual into a social activist. The first, Phoenix Settlement, was inspired by a single reading of John Ruskin’s Unto This Last (1900), a work that extolled the virtues of the simple life of love, labour, and human dignity. The second was founded in 1910, and was called Tolstoy Farm in honour of Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). Gandhi first read the Russian’s The Kingdom of God is Within You in 1893 soon after it was published. At these two experiments in communal living, he sought to shape the moral and spiritual life of the residents so that they may engage effectively in political and social change in the world outside.

When he returned to India, ashrams continued to be an important part of his life. He taught the residents to serve their fellows around strict moral principles, and to be daunted by nothing, not even death, in pursuing their goals. They were expected to find the truth through a life of simplicity, tolerance, hard-work, discipline, and self-reliance. Christians, Hindus, and Muslims nurtured respect for one another. There was much that was experimental as the residents tried out new diets, nature cure, and harmonious living with the environment. It was a way of training an army of spiritualized soldiers ready to effect change through ahimsa (non-violence). The ashrams produced heroic individuals.

He entered South Africa in 1893 a hesitant person; he left in 1914 self-confident and purposeful, spiritual and humble. He had learned that thought had no meaning unless it was lived out. Life was shallow unless it carried with it a vision. It was a weapon with great potential.

In India, Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920 that lasted for two years. It was inspired by the simple but effective idea of withdrawing cooperation to the imperial government, and of setting up alternative institutions. Non-cooperation came in several stages: resigning from government services, refusing to use government-created institutions, withholding taxes, quitting the armed services, and destroying foreign cloth. The movement made independence a widely shared goal. It radicalized a large body of Indians who had been drawn into it, and it helped to promote the Indian National Congress whose president he became in 1924. The movement reduced the hold of the colonial state on the people, but it failed to end foreign rule. For Gandhi, the failure signalled a need for reform from within. He withdrew from active politics, and devoted his energies to a "comprehensive syllabus" for change in what became known as the Constructive Program.

This program aimed at effecting national regeneration. Gandhi believed that Indians did not deserve independence unless they ended divisiveness, and changed their outmoded practices and beliefs. For him, political power for its own sake would only encourage careerism. Overall, Gandhi hoped to awaken spirituality. The program aimed to produce, among other things, Hindu-Muslim unity, equality for the untouchable caste, use of domestically-produced cloth (khadi), development of village industries, institution of craft-based education, and a ban on alcohol. It also worked for other desirable social changes such as introducing equality for women, developing health education, promoting indigenous languages, working for economic and social equality among peasants, workers, and tribal groups, creating a code of conduct for students, bringing help to lepers and beggars, and inculcating respect for animals.

For 35 years Gandhi single-mindedly expended his energies towards achieving these aims. The goal of political independence, however, had a logic different from and often contradictory to that of the Constructive Program. Satyagraha (Passive Resistance) required working within the institutions created by the colonial state. Many Indian leaders were more interested in political independence rather than moral regeneration, and believed that the second was better left until after the first had been achieved. Gandhi needed to redefine constantly the relationship among conventional politics, satyagraha, and his reform program, not always with success. This made his overall strategy incoherent, and he appeared occasionally erratic and unpredictable. He was most comfortable with his reform program and satyagraha rather than conventional politics.

Gandhi's search for communal harmony went with an inner personal search. When violence broke out between Hindus and Muslims, he blamed himself, and often wondered why God was not working for him. Was he pure, had he removed all traces of violence within himself? This brought him to the conclusion that the possible source of his violence was the presence of unconscious sexuality. He had already taken a vow of celibacy in 1906. He thus began his experiments of sleeping with carefully chosen female associates. The experiments showed him that he was pure and that God had not forsaken him. He was ready to offer his own life to fight against communal violence, and thus to awaken the conscience and moral energies of his misguided countrymen. From October 1946 to February 1947, he walked from village to village, working 18 hours a day and covering as many as 49 villages, living in huts. His feet developed chilblains. He faced death threats. Nothing deterred him.

Gandhi’s emphasis on awakening individual spirituality offers a solution to communities in search of ways to effect desirable social change. The process must begin with the individual. Awakened to the potential within, the individual will carry the message to others. The individual thus repays the moral debt owed to others, and contributes to harmonious living. This strategy is an effective anti-dote to the modern state’s tendencies towards centralization and bureaucratization; as well as against the intolerance that divide one human being from another. Share, do not waste resources; do not despoil the environment; and recognize that the earth belongs to all who live in it. There is much we can learn from him.

Gandhi's Ideas: A Basis for Dialogue and Action

There are five major ideas from Gandhi's teaching and example, and their implications for dialogue and social action.

1. Leadership By Example:

Gandhi exercised leadership by example. There was nothing he expected his followers to do that he himself was not prepared to do. There are many such instances when he took the lead. His sheer dedication and commitment inspired his followers. They quickly recognized that nothing deterred him. Here are three examples.

First: When he agreed to a political compromise in 1908 with the Boer leader Jan C. Smuts, some of his supporters accused him of expediency. He remained firm that it was the right thing to do, and so set out to be the first to register for a new identity document and thereby honour the compromise. On his way, however, he was severely assaulted by one of his compatriots. When he regained consciousness, he insisted on fulfilling his promise to be the first to register, and asked that the registrar be brought to him.

Second: He headed the column of 2000 marchers during the Great March of 1913 in South Africa. He dressed like them, ate what they ate, and was prepared to experience all the hardships that they endured.

Third: At the age of 61, Gandhi set out on the Salt March of 1930 with 78 loyal supporters. They marched 241 miles at the rate of 10 to 15 miles per day over 24 days. It was “child’s play” to him, but his feat of endurance was illustrative of what could be done with the courage and determination that were hallmarks of his leadership by example.

Based on Gandhi's leadership by example, here are some questions to stimulate dialogue and action: How would Gandhi's example be seen in your community? Would those trying to lead by his example have followers? How does experiencing hardships prepare us for leadership? In your community today, what sort of example would best fit the leadership needed to address what matters to local people?

2. Serving as a Moral Symbol:

Gandhi was himself a moral symbol: his dress, his language, mode of public speaking, food, bodily gestures, ways of sitting, walking, talking, laughter, humour, and staff or walking stick. Each evoked deep cultural memories, spoke volumes, and conveyed highly complex messages. He hoped to reach the "whole being" and thus to mobilize their moral energy. In this world that he created, the colonial world had no access. No other leader before Gandhi had such a clear and complete strategy of action. None possessed either his self-confidence or his organizational and communication skills.

Gandhi evolved a distinct mode of discourse. He appealed to the emotions by judiciously selecting culturally significant symbols drawn from the daily lives of ordinary Indians. The symbols were: khadi, cow, Gandhi cap, spinning wheel. The spinning wheel was not only intended to rebel against modern technological civilization, but was affirming the dignity of rural India. It also affirmed the dignity of manual labour and social compassion. By supporting the spinning wheel he was promoting the needs of the poor. It was infinitely more moral than asking for financial donations.

Consistent with the idea of Gandhi serving as a moral symbol, here are some questions to guide dialogue and action: In your community, what dress, language, and manner of speaking and acting would bring out the rich culture of the local people? What beliefs and values should be represented in our leaders (and followers)? What are the traps or challenges of being seen as a "moral' leader? How might it benefit (or harm) the cause of a group?

3. Non-Violence:

Rational discussion worked when different parties recognized their fallibility and were prepared to be self-critical and understood the psychological and moral context within which they operated. When this did not work, it was necessary to appeal to the heart to expand the range of sympathy and understanding for the other party. The recourse must not be violent. The use of violence denied that all human beings had souls, and that they were capable of appreciating and pursuing good, and that no one was so degenerate that he could not be won over by appealing to his fellow-feeling and humanity. Violence presupposed infallibility and this was not the case. The consequences of violence were irreversible. Morality suggested otherwise, and ends do not morally or otherwise justify the means.

Following Gandhi's practice of non-violence, here are some questions to promote dialogue and action: How was Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States influenced by the idea of non-violence as a means for social change? How has this idea influenced social change movement throughout the world? Are there conditions under which violence might be justified?

4. Satyagraha (Passive Resistance):

The way out of the dilemma of effecting change without violence is to use soul force. Mobilize the enormous latent energy of the soul, and thus bring to bear spiritual power to the issue. The new method should open up the opponent's heart and mind and thus renew rational discussion. However degenerate a person might be, he has a soul, and thus he has the capacity to feel for other human beings and to acknowledge their common humanity. Satyagraha was a "surgery of the soul", a way of activating "soul-force" and "suffering love" was the best way to do it since "moral nobility" disarmed opponents. A sense of common and indivisible humanity was necessary as an article of belief; as well as the feeling that degrading another degraded oneself. So the community's moral capital was necessary. Gandhi would say that it is always present no matter appearances to the contrary. Satyagraha has resonance in both Hindu and Christian traditions: spiritual nature of human beings, the power of suffering love, and the deliberate and skillfull use of suffering love to reach out to and to activate the moral energies of others.

In reflecting on Gandhi's idea of Satyagraha (Passive Resistance), here are some questions to stimulate dialogue and action: Under what conditions might passive resistance be more likely to be effective as a change of strategy? Under what conditions might it fail? For example, would we expect it to work in a Holocaust in which the Nazis killed millions of Jews?

5. Compromise and Negotiations:

A satyagrahi (or a practitioner of Passive Resistance) observed basic principles: study rationally, carefully, and methodically the situation; convince opponents of the passion of his feelings; keep open channels of communication; use intermediaries; observe rules and principles, be courteous; be ready for compromises; be prepared for suffering love. When the stakes got high (that is suffering love alone was not enough), the satyagrahis used additional methods: defiance of laws, non-payment of taxes, non-cooperation, and strikes. Gandhi's vocabulary changed when the reality proved intractable: "non-violent warfare", "peaceful rebellion". He also introduced fasting as a tactic for purification and attracting public support.

Gandhi's example of communication and compromise suggests several questions to guide our own efforts: How do we come to understand the situation in which we do community work? How do we demonstrate our commitment to bringing about desired change while being open to compromise? When do we use more aggressive approaches to change (e.g., strikes, boycott)? How do we keep communication open during a "battle" with others?

Conclusion: Applying Gandhi's Ideas in Today's Social Action

The modern industrial civilization is characterized by rationalism, secularization, science, technology, and globalization. Gandhi saw the impact of modern civilization essentially through the eyes of its victims. For him, all civilizations are inspired and energized by specific human conceptions, which, if corrupted could become sources of evil. The corruption he spoke of related to the neglect of the soul as a consequence of the emphasis on materialism and reason. It made for an aggressive, violent, and exploitative world sustained by regimentation and abuse of the natural environment in which the poor and the weak were treated with contempt.

The modern state tends to promote the idea that ordinary individuals—especially the poor and the "weak"—are not able to solve problems on their own. This has destroyed stable and long-established communities; devalued personal autonomy; and has undermined the individual’s sense of identity and continuity. It could destroy the moral foundation of the individual, and this could lead to indifference, alienation, and hostility.

Gandhi was prepared to accept the role of the state as a trustee within defined limits in which the local community could determine its own needs. In India’s case, the village community was a basic unit of economy. Large-scale industries were necessary, but they should be located in a city and restricted. Local communities should have the power to redefine their own institutions.

Gandhi’s notion of a good society held that human beings are informed by the spirit of piety and recognize their interdependence. They are governed by moral and spiritual powers. They cherish plurality of reason, intuition, faith, and traditions, and appreciate the individual’s need for autonomy. It places morality at the center of individual behaviour. The spirit of reverence and broad-minded tolerance is the hallmark of a society that Gandhi helped us to see.

*The author wrote his first article on Gandhi in 1975: "The Tolstoy Farm: Gandhi's Experiment of Co-operative Commonwealth," South African Historical Journal. Since then, he has continued to read and write on Gandhi. Gandhi's Legacy in 1997 focused on one hundred years of an organization that he founded in 1894 in South Africa, namely the Natal Indian Congress. Currently, he is researching new aspects of Gandhi in South African so as to better understand his life and work later in India.

Resources

The volume of literature on Gandhi is enormous. For the beginner, the following few references are a starting point.

Gandhi, Mohandas K., Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi. New Delhi: Government Printer, 1958-1997. There are 100 volumes of Gandhi’s own writings over the course of his life, and are most useful sources of information to a scholar researching on Gandhi.


Gandhi, Mohandas K., Satyagraha in South Africa, Ahmedabad: Navajivan, 1928. This is a detailed account of the historical circumstances that surround the first Passive Resistance campaign in South Africa.


Gandhi, Mohandas K., The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. This most widely read autobiography is perhaps the best one-volume statement of Gandhi’s life by Gandhi himself.


Parekh, Bhiku, Gandhi, New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. This little volume (110 pages) is an excellent introduction to Gandhi’s life and thought.

Links to Related Websites:



Gandhi Information Center

http://home.snafu.de/mkgandhi/


Mahatma Gandhi Home Page

http://web.mahatma.org.in/


Time Magazine

http://time.com/time/time/time100/poc/runnerup2.html


M. K. Gandhi Institute for Peace

http://www.gandhiinstitute.org/


Gandhiserve

http://www.gandhiserve.com/

Gandhi Showed How Religion Is Used In Politics1 By Vishal Arora

Articles : On & By Gandhi

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Gandhi Showed How Religion Is Used In Politics1
By Vishal Arora


Mahatma Gandhi said his mission was to win self-rule. He did not mean it as an exclusive term nor did it connote theocracy. Gandhi's vision was broad enough to encompass various faiths.

Those who believe religion cannot play a constructive role in politics must study how Mahatma Gandhi led India to win independence from the British rule with a struggle that was founded on religious beliefs.
Gandhi said his mission was to win Swaraj (self-rule), which he envisioned and portrayed as “Ramarajya”. Ramarajya was not an exclusive term, and nor did it mean theocracy. It called for establishment of a just and humane government and society which, according to him, was realising God on earth. Winning independence politically was only a small part of it.
Gandhi clarified that Ramarajya did not mean a rule of the Hindus. “My Rama is another name for Khuda or God. I want Khudai raj, which is the same thing as the Kingdom of God on earth” (Haimchar, February 26, 1947). He explained that politically translated, it is perfect democracy in which, “inequalities based on possession and non-possession, colour, race or creed or sex vanish; in it, land and State belong to the people, justice is prompt, perfect and cheap and, therefore, there is freedom of worship, speech and the Press—all this because of the reign of the self-imposed law of moral restraint” (The Hindu, June 12, 1945).
Gandhi’s Satyagraha (struggle for truth) movement, which compelled the British to leave the country in 1947, was also grounded on explicit and strong religious beliefs.
Satyagraha involved the use of soul force as against the body force and was characterized by passive resistance and Ahimsa (non-violence). It sought to awaken the inherent virtues in those against whom it was used, and not to suppress perceived evil in them by any physical pressure or force. Besides, it was focused on self-purification rather than judgment of the other.

According to Gandhi, non-violence was a more active force than retaliation, which increases wickedness. “I contemplate a mental, and therefore, a moral opposition to immoralities. I seek entirely to blunt the edge of the tyrant’s sword, not by putting up against it a sharper-edged weapon, but by disappointing his expectation that I would be offering physical resistance” (Young India, October 8, 1925).

Satyagraha had three inseparable components.
One, it was aimed at a just cause. He said, “I claim that the method of passive resistance…is the clearest and safest, because, if the cause is not true, it is the resisters and they alone who suffer.” (Speeches and Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, G.A. Natesan & Co., 1933).
Two, it was effective but peaceful. “Passive resistance is an all-sided sword; it can be used anyhow; it blesses him who uses it and him against whom it is used. Without drawing a drop of blood it produces far-reaching results,” said Gandhi (“Hind Samaj or Indian Home Rule”, Navajivan Publishing House, 1958). He saw non-violence as “the end of all religions”. (Young India, May 29, 1924)
Three, it concerned impurities and weaknesses in the self rather than focusing on the evil in the object of resistance. For instance, he said it was the people in India who needed to change to earn the freedom. “It is the people alone who have to win swaraj; no man, not even the Viceroy, can grant it.” (The Hindu, May 29, 1921)

He also said, “When it (the government) sees the faith in yourselves which you will have displayed to the world by starting 20 lakh spinning-wheels within the time fixed, it will come down on its knees…When you have done this, the world will have realized, and so will have the Government, that you have faith in yourselves, that you really mean to have Swaraj.” (Navajivan, June 5, 1921)

Again, he said, “You must be religious and pure of heart. You must give up drinking and firmly vow to wear only pure swadeshi (indigenous) cloth…. You must bear in mind that no one who is wicked and of impure heart succeed in the non-cooperation struggle.” (The Hindu, May 29, 1921)
However, Gandhi’s use of religion was not idealistic, and nor was he over-optimistic about the realisation of his dream of Ramarajya. “It is a dream that may never be realized. I find happiness in living in that dreamland, ever trying to realize it in the quickest way.” (The Hindu, June 12, 1945)

His pragmatic approach can be gauged from the fact that he did not aim at becoming consistent in his views, but was open to new ideas based on experiences in life. “When anybody finds any inconsistency between any two writings of mine, if he has still faith in my sanity, he would do well to choose the latter of the two on the same subject,” he said. (Harijan, April 29, 1933)
Besides, Gandhi was not like some of his contemporaries, who too were using religion in their respective struggles for independence. What set him apart was the fact that while others highlighted worldly interests of religious communities—which created hatred and jealousy, he introduced tenets of various religions in politics with a vision that was broad enough to respect the needs of all communities. Religion, he said, in its broadest sense governs all departments of life, including politics. (Madras Mail, December 22, 1933)

Unfortunately, it is the misuse of religion that we see in politics of the day, and not the use of virtues found in religion.

1. Spero News online, February 1, 2008

Vishal Arora writes for CBCI and appears here with permission.