Swami Vivekananda, 1863-1902, Indian philosopher and religious leader.

This book explores the social philosophy of Swami Vivekananda from various aspects of his life and work. An attempt is made to present his inner spirit of social service to the mankind through the practical teachings of Vedanta and mass awakening activities. Providing rich insights into the social life of Swami Vivekananda, it describes in detail his philosophy of humanism. Also, it presents a critical appraisal of the Swami as a social reformer and mass educator. This work is based on the Vedantic idea of universal oneness with the motto of 'Service to man is service to God.'

With historical-critical analysis and dialogical even-handedness, the essays of this book re-assess the life and legacy of Swami Vivekananda, forged at a time of colonial suppression, from the vantage point of socially-engaged religion at a time of global dislocations and international inequities. Due to the complexity of Vivekananda as a historical figure on the cusp of late modernity with its vast transformations, few works offer a contemporary, multi-vocal, nuanced, academic examination of his liberative vision and legacy in the way that this volume does. It brings together North American, European, British, and Indian scholars associated with a broad array of humanistic disciplines towards critical-constructive, contextually-sensitive reflections on one of the most important thinkers and theologians of the modern era.

This book explores the social philosophy of Swami Vivekananda from various aspects of his life and work. An attempt is made to present his inner spirit of social service to the mankind through the practical teachings of Vedanta and mass awakening activities. Providing rich insights into the social life of Swami Vivekananda, it describes in detail his philosophy of humanism. Also, it presents a critical appraisal of the Swami as a social reformer and mass educator. This work is based on the Vedantic idea of universal oneness with the motto of 'Service to man is service to God.'

Among the galaxy of scholars, Swami Vivekananda stands out as a majestic tower of light who has given a new tempo to the building up of a new sense of nationalism in modern India. The uniqueness of Vivekananda was his endeavour to translate every ounce of Vedanta into a social living and was never a cold theoretician or an abstract metaphysician. He was aware that India's life is governed by her sovereign sense of the infnite and inclusiveness which nourished her national life and India has been a spiritual strength for her people, implanting the seeds that have continuously sprouted and flowered in her art, literature, religion, philosophy, science and politics. It is a civilization that should be seen, not as a closed system or as a finished product, but as a dynamic and unfolding process. Whatever the differences, India's spiritual heritage should be recognized as the focal point and to be appropriated in the conception of a new resurgent India. Regrettably, what we had been glorifying as the central value of this culture and civilization is disorientated today due to the brutal exhibition of barbarous instincts which were exhibited through the rivalry between religious groups. What is being experienced is the loss of inherited values and our inability in reinventing new values. By virtue of its characteristic pluralism and its continuously evolving synthesis, India represents a nation which is continuously unfolding its civilizational potentialities. In making of such an Indian ethos, the foundational ideal which has been the basis of Indian culture and civilization is the concept of Dharma and Vivekananda was able to comprehend and articulate the relation between morality (dharma) and human affairs which are the concerns of practical Vedanta.