Swami Vivekananda: A ReassessmentFor the first time since Swami Vivekananda's famous address to the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago on 11 September 1893, this provocative study seeks to rescue the historical Vivekananda from the celebrated Swamiji of the legend and hagiography. Using a variety of primary and contemporary secondary sources, including eyewitness accounts in English as well as Bengali, Professor Narasingha P. Sil examines Vivekananda's early life and education, his meeting and relationship with his future mentor Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and the circumstances leading to his embracing monastic life. Analyzing Vivekananda's numerous sermons, speeches, conversations, and letters, Sil exposes the Swami's deliberate distortion of facts and purposive misinformation on, and misleading and tendentious interpretation of, aspects of Hindu society and culture. |
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admirers Advaita Advaita Vedanta Akhandananda American ascetic audience Basu Belur Belur Math Bengali Brahmananda Brahmin Brahmo Samaj Calcutta caste Chakravarti Christian Cited confessed culture Dakshineshwar Datta death declared devotees Dhar diary disciple divine Emphasis in original February Ghosh Gospel guru gurubhāi Hindu Hinduism Ibid India Josephine MacLeod Kali Kalikātā Kshatriya lecture letter to Alasinga letter to Josephine letter to Ramakrishnananda LoSV Madras Mary Hale Master Math Mitra monastic name monk Mother nanda Naren Narendra Narendranath never Nivedita's letter November Paramahamsa Parliament of Religions poor preached Prophetic Mission Raja Ramak Ramakrishna Order Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Reminiscences reported reportedly rishna sādhanā samādhi sannyāsī Sanskrit Sara Bull Saradananda scholar sermons Shiva Sister Nivedita social society spiritual Sri Ramakrishna Śruti Swami Vivekananda Swamiji teaching tion told Udbodhan Vedanta Viveka Vivekananda since Chicago Vivekananda's letter West Western woman women World Teacher World's Parliament worship wrote young