Best Swami Vivekananda Books

Swami Vivekananda Books are famous all around the world and are considered to be a prominent mark in the field of philosophy and yoga.

The arguments put forward by Swami Vivekananda in his books are simple and straight forward. These books are easily available in the markets, online portals, and even in the form of an e-book.

Origin and History of Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was born in the year 1863. He was a follower of Sri Ramakrishna, who was a holy man and taught many things to Vivekananda.

He has described the Hindu scriptures and the path-breaking theories of yoga to the world.

After he died, Swami took the vows of a monk and then became Swami Vivekananda.

For 2 years, Swami wandered throughout India and gained spiritual knowledge with the help of many hard experiences.

He saw that India is a very poverty-stricken country and understood the need for religion and the right path for achieving it.

With his knowledge and wisdom, Swami impressed many kings and earned the pride and trust of many people in India.

His teachings helped in developing the understanding of real religion in India and many people became his disciples.

He represented India in the world’s parliament of religions in the year 1893.

Swami Vivekananda died at the age of 39 but before this, he founded the Vedanta Society of New York and tirelessly campaigned for the cause of philosophy that saw god whose cathedral was the human body.

Best Swami Vivekananda Books (e-books)

In this article, we bring for our valuable readers a collection of the best of Swami Vivekananda Books in the form of e-books.

These books can be easily downloaded in the form of PDF by just clicking on the name of the book.

1. Karma Yoga

The Karma yoga is a book which is written by Swami Vivekananda and is based on the lectures which Swami himself delivered in his rented rooms which are present in the city of New York between December 1895 to January 1896.

These classes, which Swami took were free of cost and anyone could have attended it which have been mentioned in Swami Vivekananda Books.

He used to take two classes, one in the morning and another in the evening, and delivered many lectures and handheld numerous classes for 2 years when he was living in America.

As these lectures were free of cost, the friends and supporters of Swami Vivekananda helped him by promoting and advertising for him and finally hiring a professional stenographer.

Stenographer, whose name was Joseph Goodwin became a disciple of Swami in the later stages of his life and followed him to England and then to India.

Goodwin’s transcriptions of the different letters of Swami Vivekananda have formed the basis of the five books.

2. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

The complete works of Swami Vivekananda books have 9 volumes which are written by Swami Vivekananda himself.

The introductory book of this compilation is called Our Master and His Message.

This book was published five years after the death of Swami Vivekananda and quotes that:

 “What Hinduism had needed was the organizing and consolidating of its Idea a rock where she could lie at anchor and an authoritative utterance in which she might recognize yourself what the world had needed was the faith that had no fear of truth and this was given to her in these words and writings of the Swami Vivekananda”.

This compilation majorly comprises of the work which Swami taught between the years 1893 and 19032, till his last breath.

3. Bhakti Yoga

The book, Bhakti yoga is a book that was created in the year 2003 from the earlier edition of the book which was published in the year 1959.

This Swami Vivekananda Books collection was published by Advaita Ashrama in Calcutta and was issued by Celephais Press in England.

The opening of the book is beautifully defined by introducing bhakti and the devotion which one should have.

After 50 pages, Swami has introduced the concept of para bhakti, which in simple terms is Supreme devotion which can only begin with renunciation.

At the end of the book, Vivekananda has explained that all the people begin their journey loving themselves and then, and with ups and downs and little unfair claims, they become selfish.

At the end of the journey, they get the reality check and can see the little self of themselves.

In the end, man can finally understand that love, the lover, and the beloved all are one and a single entity.

The name of the book Bhakti yoga suggests that yoga is for the love for God.

4. Vedanta Philosophy

The Vedanta philosophy is a book that consists of the address by Swami Vivekananda in front of the graduate Philosophical Society of Harvard University on the 25th of March 1896.

This book was published in the year 1901 by the Vedanta Society New York. The book states that:

“Vivekananda has created a high degree of interest in himself and his work. There are indeed few departments of study more attractive than the Hindu thought.

It is a rare pleasure to see a form of belief that to most seem so far away and unreal as the Vedanta system, represented by an actually living and extremely intelligent believer.

The reality of the One is the truth which the East may well teach us, and we owe a debt of gratitude to Vivekananda that he taught this lesson so effectively.”

5. Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga is a wonderful book written by Swami Vivekananda.

It is not a yoga manual but is a compendium of lectures on Raja Yoga which was published by the Baker and Taylor company in New York in the year 1999.

It was digitized by Google from a copy of the book which was available in the Cecil H Green library present in California.

It is explained in the Swami Vivekananda Books that the different orthodox systems of the Indian philosophy have one goal in common, which is Liberation of the soul with the help of perfection.

The method used for this purpose is yoga. This book is available in parts and the first part is composed of various lectures that were delivered to the classes in New York.

The second part of this book is a translation of the aphorisms or the various sutras of Patanjali, in the form of running commentary.

6. Jnana Yoga

Jnana Yoga is a book that is comprised of many lectures given by Swami Vivekananda. These lectures were transcripted by Joseph Goodwin.

These lectures were delivered by Swami in the city of New York and London and Goodwin recorded all these lectures as he was a professional stenographer.

The impact of these lectures was so prominent that Goodwin later became a disciple of Swami Vivekananda.

This book was published in the year 1899 and the major subject covered was Indian philosophy.

Symbolism of Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda has always been considered as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom by the people of India.

His teachings and philosophy are still used and applied daily by almost every person.

He is known for playing a significant role in establishing Indian nationalism in the 19th and 20th centuries. He also harmonized and reinterpreted various aspects of Hinduism.

His philosophies and teachings include various aspects of faith, education, and character building.

He is very famous among the have nots of India as he raised his voice for various social issues that were prevalent in India.

He also played a key role in introducing the concepts of yoga in the western world. He also said that the future of the country only depends on the people who live in the country.

He stated that “man-making is my vision”. And he also quoted that this man making can only be done with the help of religion.

He also spoke a famous line, “to preach and to mankind their divinity and how to make it manifest in every movement of life”.

Conclusion – Download Swami Vivekananda Books

Swami Vivekananda Books are the best source from which one can gain insights about pure knowledge, wisdom, and the beautiful and mesmerizing effects of yoga that one can reap in.

We have covered 6 most famous books of Swami Vivekananda and have also provided the direct download pdf link of the same.

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