The Indispensable Vivekananda: An Anthology for Our Times

A hundred years after Swami Vivekananda’s essays, oratory, and philosophical writings offered substantial modifications and refinements to modern Hinduism, the Swami remains a key figure in any proper understanding of the religion of India’s largest majority. The present anthology, which showcases, those aspects of Vivekananda that seem indispensable even today, consists to two halves: an Introduction by the editor, followed by selection from the core of the Swami’s oeuvre. In his Introduction, the editor provides, first, an overview of the life and work of the Swami; and second, a critical appraisal of Vivekananda’s social and philosophical ideas, Wherever possible and relevant, these ideas are situated within the general spectrum of neo-Hindu thought. The Introduction also critically evaluates the legacy of Vivekananda in contemporary India. The second section, comprising readings, is divided into four parts, each containing Vivekananda’s writings which deal with ‘Contemporary Indian and Her Problems’, Religion and the Human Revolution’, ‘Vedanta and the Future of Mankind’, and ‘The Spiritual Ends of Man’, A List of suggested readings concludes the book.