Swami Vivekananda
Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda
Recalling the Swami’s lecture on the Bhagavadgita sometime in 1895, she was quoted as saying, later: "I saw with these very eyes (she pointed to her own eyes) Krishna himself standing there and preaching the Gita. That was my first wonderful vision. I stared and stared. . . .I saw only the f
Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda
"In the beginning crowds of people flocked to his lectures. But they were not of the kind that a teacher of religion would be pleased to have for his auditors. They consisted partly of curiosity-seekers who were more interested in the personality of the preacher than in what he had to prea
Mrs. Mary C. Funke
February l4th, 1894, stands out in my memory as a day apart, a sacred, holy day; for it was then that I first saw the form and listened to the voice of that great soul, that spiritual giant, the Swami Vivekananda, who, two years later, to my great joy and never-ceasing wonder, accepted me as
Cornelia Conger
Cornelia Conger, was the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Lyons, the Swami’s first hosts in Chicago in September 1893. She was six years old when she met the Swami and wrote of him in part:
Annie Besant
A striking figure, clad in yellow and orange, shining like the sun of India in the midst of the heavy atmosphere of Chicago, a lion head, piercing eyes, mobile lips, movements swift and abrupt –– such was my first impression of Swami Vivekananda, as I met him in one of the rooms set apart fo
VENGEANCE OF HISTORY
[At the end of August 1893, Swami Vivekananda stayed at Annisquam at the house of Prof. J. H. Wright. So astonishing a sight did Swamiji present in this quiet little New England village that speculations set in at once as to who this majestic and colourful figure might be. From where had he come
Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda
Vaikunthanath Sanyal, one of the householder disciples of Ramakrishna, visited the Master at Dakshineswar. He recalled: "The Master was that day full of praise for Narendranath. Talking about him made him so desirous of seeing him that he was completely overwhelmed, and could no longer control h
Swami Turiyananda on Vivekananda
Sri Ramakrishna did not allow everybody to practice the nondual aspect of meditation. What good is it to proclaim that you are one with the Absolute unless the universe has vanished from your consciousness? Sri Ramakrishna used to say: ‘You may say that there is no thorn, but put your hand out—t
Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda
Swami Saradananda wrote of Bhubaneswari and the period of time following her husband’s death in February 1884: Fallen on bad days after her husband's death, she was put on her mettle and showed wonderful patience, calmness, frugality and adaptability to sudden change of circumstances. She who was
Brajendranath Seal
Swami Vivekananda’s classmate, Dr. Brajendranath Seal, wrote in an article published in the Prabuddha Bharata (April 1907; reprinted Brahmavadin, May, 1907):
Triumphant return to India
India is a rotten corpse inside and outside. We shall revive it by the blessings of Shri Maharaj. (Letter to Ramakrishnananda 25th February, 1898 .)
The Swami on Himself
When I first came to America , they ill-treated me if I had not trousers on. Next I was forced to wear cuffs and collars, else they would not touch me etc., etc. They thought me awfully funny if I did not eat what they offered etc., etc. . .