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Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda #1
Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 1
This is the 1st volume of 9 volumes that comprise the collected works of Swami Vivekananda. Much of the material was given as lectures during his visits to the West. Of special interest are Swami Vivekananda's Addresses at the World Parliament of Religions given in Chicago on September 11th, 1893. Also included are Karma Yoga and Raja Yoga in addition to a treasure trove of material of various lectures and discourses.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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About the author
Vivekananda
1,643 books1,575 followers"Arise Awake and Stop not til the goal is reached"
Vivekananda left a body of philosophical works (see Vivekananda's complete works). His books (compiled from lectures given around the world) on the four Yogas (Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga) are very influential and still seen as fundamental texts for anyone interested in the Hindu practice of Yoga. His letters are of great literary and spiritual value. He was also considered a very good singer and a poet.By the time of his death, He had composed many songs including his favorite Kali the Mother. He used humor for his teachings and was also an excellent cook. His language is very free flowing. His own Bengali writings stand testimony to the fact that he believed that words - spoken or written - should be for making things easier to understand rather than show off the speaker or writer's knowledge.
Swami Vivekananda [ স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ ] (1863 – 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion.
Born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
Vivekananda left a body of philosophical works (see Vivekananda's complete works). His books (compiled from lectures given around the world) on the four Yogas (Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga) are very influential and still seen as fundamental texts for anyone interested in the Hindu practice of Yoga. His letters are of great literary and spiritual value. He was also considered a very good singer and a poet.By the time of his death, He had composed many songs including his favorite Kali the Mother. He used humor for his teachings and was also an excellent cook. His language is very free flowing. His own Bengali writings stand testimony to the fact that he believed that words - spoken or written - should be for making things easier to understand rather than show off the speaker or writer's knowledge.
Swami Vivekananda [ স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ ] (1863 – 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion.
Born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 26, 2014
A truly awesome book. If anyone has explored, understood and explained religion in a very scientific and logical way, it is Swami Vivekananda. It is impressive to read him because of his unconventional approach that springs from a deep and real understanding of the tenets instead of the desire to make a statement and be different.
This book has changed my perception and understanding of God, religion and the meaning of being religious.
But again, this is not a book to be read and forgotten. Because Sw Vivekananda has explained the tenets in a very simple and scientific way, it is not enough justice if the book is read and forgotten. This is a book to be practiced and therein lies the difficult part.
"Religion is realization and not dogmas, rituals, philosophy or intellectual assent", says Swami Vivekananda and this book is a true testimony and a practical guide towards doing just that.
This book has changed my perception and understanding of God, religion and the meaning of being religious.
But again, this is not a book to be read and forgotten. Because Sw Vivekananda has explained the tenets in a very simple and scientific way, it is not enough justice if the book is read and forgotten. This is a book to be practiced and therein lies the difficult part.
"Religion is realization and not dogmas, rituals, philosophy or intellectual assent", says Swami Vivekananda and this book is a true testimony and a practical guide towards doing just that.
February 14, 2016
This is one of those works that has the power to change one's perspective on the meaning of life. Without preaching or the use of any dogma, Vivekananda provokes the reader and then further drives his beliefs home with the use of amazingly persuasive allusions. It has had a profound effect upon my own view of this living experience, and I believe any open-minded reader would find it equally provocative.
It was a long journey getting through this tome, but each page had me deliberating on my established thoughts and views I had cubby-holed due to a lack of any believable leads. Also, Vivekananda is one of those gifted humans who thinks and writes on the most abstract and nearly impenetrable ideas with poetic beauty and ease, making the most esoteric thoughts and ideas assessable to the invested reader.
Five stars +++
It was a long journey getting through this tome, but each page had me deliberating on my established thoughts and views I had cubby-holed due to a lack of any believable leads. Also, Vivekananda is one of those gifted humans who thinks and writes on the most abstract and nearly impenetrable ideas with poetic beauty and ease, making the most esoteric thoughts and ideas assessable to the invested reader.
Five stars +++
May 29, 2024
The answer to my question what Buddhism and Jainism did to Hindus was answered in this book.
I had always thought the jain and buddhism panth (part of Hindu dharm) has made Hindus coward. The very existence of these panths has made the journey of an individual internal and swayed the whole generation from externally contributing to the society en masse.
The disjointed panths did not get adapted in the Hindu philosophy due to the vindictive nature of invaders who destroyed the philosophical instutions (pathshala (village schools)) and killed of the Hindu thought mind.. The Hindus were disconnected with their philosophy and now were more surface external hindu.
I have missed my time by not reading this earlier in my life. Now that I started reading Vivekanand ji I understand more. I am humbled to understand our dharm more.
Book #27 series Indic books
I had always thought the jain and buddhism panth (part of Hindu dharm) has made Hindus coward. The very existence of these panths has made the journey of an individual internal and swayed the whole generation from externally contributing to the society en masse.
The disjointed panths did not get adapted in the Hindu philosophy due to the vindictive nature of invaders who destroyed the philosophical instutions (pathshala (village schools)) and killed of the Hindu thought mind.. The Hindus were disconnected with their philosophy and now were more surface external hindu.
I have missed my time by not reading this earlier in my life. Now that I started reading Vivekanand ji I understand more. I am humbled to understand our dharm more.
Book #27 series Indic books
January 1, 2016
This is the first book of Swami Vivekananda's complete works. This is no less than a work of a PhD. He doesn't just preach in the terms of philosophy, he quotes them with physical, meta physical, scientific reasoning, he discusses it with objectivity and proves them with the support of facts like our maths theorems.. he talks about infinity, abstractness, void, energy, matter, mind and the coherence between them. This is eye opener...he knows the history of the topic, every topic he chooses to discuss about, he takes you on a tour from its origin, into its steps of evolution ...the various forms it took... but he doesn't force you to accept anything blindly..he leaves you to try it out. In this first book he barely scratches the surface of religion and its universal nature.. he traces out the patterns between Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrian thought processes.. their ways of life and beliefs. He introduces you to some of the concepts of Vedas and Upanishads and various techniques adopted by them. Irrespective of what religion, caste, race or belief you belong, this book will give you an insight to the world of religions and will take you through an exhilarating journey on the conquest of mastering the self and the divinity within each of us.
July 24, 2016
In addition to Swami's works, this book also gives some insight into the society at that time, both in the US and India. There are few lists of expenses kept by Swami, copy of handwritten letter, fees collected from various lectures, swami's letter to King of Khatri to provide funds for buiding a house to his aging mother etc. makes the reading much more interesting.
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August 1, 2021timeless, interesting ideas
July 10, 2018
truth told
August 9, 2017
Why read, to clear the darkness, to understand the concept of karma yoga, raja yoga, religion, vedas, upnishads, basic understanding of a human being, how prana works, how you are connected with each end everyhing in this world, how there is only one thing in this world, how one should treat any being as GOD and many more, to see divinity in you, to remove the darkness of ignorance from within you.
February 19, 2015
want to Read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2015
Bold and beautiful !
June 15, 2018
it's one of the excellent book, to explain the religion, human nature and self control !
May 9, 2018
High recommend everyone to read.
January 1, 2025
Vivekananda uses his peak powers of eloquence to bring forth the ideas of ancient Hindu philosophy in a clear, concise and as logical manner as one can. The ideas of potential divinity in one's own self and the fundamental truth based on one's own personal experiences, rather than dogmas and principles, were the most revealing to me. Given the nature of the topic, the prose at times can feel too abstract and metaphors too wide to grasp easily, and I did struggle at times in my reading. But then I am well aware it needs a whole lot more than just one casual reading to internalise the teachings in the book, and that, nonetheless this book served as the perfect gateway to the ancient Vedic and Hindu literature which had piqued my interest all these years, and might be one of the many steps to take in this world.
October 20, 2021
I have the benefit of 121 years of scientific advances which Swami Vivekananda did not, and because of that I occasionally encountered passages which likely were profound in 1900 but which have since fallen out of favor or even been disproven outright. That being said, this book, or this collection of speeches and writings, affirmed a life changing realization I had a few years ago, and in many instances illuminated vagueries in my self-understanding and will certainly continue to propel me toward further development on my own spiritual path.
April 7, 2022
This book is a collection of Swami Vivekananda's thoughts and belief system. It also has references to various speeches that he had given abroad. He has beautifully explained about the philosophy of Hinduism. From what life is, to what the real purpose of life is, every explanation has just been an eyeopener, that could help one lead a life more meaningfully.
February 18, 2023
Swami Vivekananda's intellect and tolerance are apparent in the first volume of his collected works. There is much in his writing that any individual or society would benefit from. But mixed in with profound insight are outlandish propositions that are assumed to be true without apparent reasoning.
August 17, 2018
If one reads this book with a welcoming mind, it may prove self-liberating. I also found immense pleasure in discovering the storehouse of ancient ideas it alludes. It surprised me that such elaborate thinking existed so long ago.
July 16, 2019
Best book I have read in this life :)
If anyone asks me for 1 book that can change their lives, I would recommend them to read 9
The Complete Works Of Swami Vivekananda: Vol 1 to 9
and you can leave every other book aside.
If anyone asks me for 1 book that can change their lives, I would recommend them to read 9
The Complete Works Of Swami Vivekananda: Vol 1 to 9
and you can leave every other book aside.
May 6, 2020
Bow to the world's greatest sage Swami Vivekanand Ji. Best book I have ever read. A must read for anyone who is tired of life or need a way in life. Must read. Don't doubt that whether it is a waste of money , just buy and read it.
June 12, 2025
Hinduism is about loving good and being one with god - and that is it
And if enjoying the consciousness of one physical body is happiness, then being in one more than one body should be more happiness- and therefore universal consciousness should be a lot more happiness
Too dry - did not finish
And if enjoying the consciousness of one physical body is happiness, then being in one more than one body should be more happiness- and therefore universal consciousness should be a lot more happiness
Too dry - did not finish
October 23, 2018
only for strong minded people
April 5, 2019
An amazing read. So much of intricacies related to yoga and life.
May 17, 2019
Great review of Advaita Vedanta.
December 1, 2019
Solid energetic food for the human spirit. Some conservative or non factual opinions on Hinduism and other religions.
September 15, 2020
The book that changed my life
January 13, 2021
Required reading
November 7, 2024
A must read for every human being.
November 11, 2025
The most of my life, I have been lost, spiritually. Throuh this book, Vivekanand directly spoke to me, in a thunderous voice, only a dead can ignore. I am excited to read the next book in the series.
August 13, 2023
Good book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews