"This latest edition does not alter the work of Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood at all; but by providing the original verse numbers of the source text, it makes this translation of even greater value for students and scholars than it already was."

- Jeffery Long, Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies, 
Author of Hinduism in America

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Remembering Sri Sarada Devi's Disciple: 
Swami Aseshananda as We Knew Him

Now available to read online with newly added reminiscences.

"Esther Warkov has rendered a signal service to the Ramakrishna Vedanta community, not only in America but worldwide, by assembling more than 60 remembrances of one of the great swamis of the second generation of our movement – those who knew Sri Sarada Devi and the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. We in America are indeed fortunate that so many of these monks were sent here to give spiritual guidance. They have been a living link to the founders of the movement. "

John Schlenck, American Vedantist, Spring 2010
Read the Entire Review

To add a reminiscence contact Esther Warkov ( esther_warkov@comcast.net )

Since the original printing in American Vedantist, this article has been further researched and rewritten. Here are the first arguably Ready for Prime Time chapters:

1. Backstory (8/16/2021)
2. Swami Prabhavananda (4/8/2022)
3. The Monastery, Part 1  (5/8/2022) Appendix: The CinderElla Corbin Story
4. The Monastery, Part 2 (12/21/2021)
5. The Monastery, Part 3 - The Song of God (3/22/2022)
6. Post-Monastery: Lifestyle as a Lay Devotee (3/9/2022)
7. The Writer & Vedanta (4/7/2022)
8. The Novelist & Vedanta Appendix: For Your Consideration: Jean Valjean (1/16/2023)
9. A Passage from India (1/26/2023)

Picture: "Christopher Isherwood (left) & Swami Prabhavananda (right) in the Green House Living Room: Copyright Vedanta Society of Southern California All rights reserved, 

Research by Gopal Stavig

Ramakrishna-Vedanta in Southern California:
From Swami Vivekananda to the Present [2017]
by Gopal Stavig

Swami Vivekananda and Others on Religious Philosophy

Sri Ramakrishna and Western Thought

Swami Vivekananda on Religious, Ethical, and Psychological Practices

Swami Vivekananda in a Social-Historical Perspective  

My Master, Swami Brahmananda
Reminiscences by Swami Prabhavananda
Culled from Lectures Transcribed by Swami Krishnananda
Edited by Gopal Stavig

Swami Vivekananda and Liberation Theology 
by Gopal Stavig, Bulletin of the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture (Nov-Dec. 2009), pp. 509-15, 556-59

3 Articles

It is well-known that there are many similarities between the Babylonian and Hebrew creation and flood stories found in the Old Testament. What has been overlooked in over a century of Bible research is that the Indian creation and flood narratives are as close to those of the Babylonian as are the Hebrews (see “Historical Contacts Between Ancient India and Babylon”*); and the Indian creation and flood stories are as similar to the Hebrews as are the Babylonian (see “India and the Biblical Old Testament”**). Since the historical records are incomplete, it is difficult to prove which of these three ancient civilizations had these stories first. - Gopal Stavig, 2015

*Historical Contacts between Ancient India and Babylon 
by Gopal Stavig, Journal of Indian History (Platinum Jubilee Volume) (2001), pp. 1-16

**India and the Biblical Old Testament
by Gopal Stavig, Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute 80 (1999), pp. 77-94

Historical Contacts Between India and Egypt Before 300 A.D. 
By Gopal Stavig, Journal of Indian History (1989-92), pp. 1-22

(Painting above of Hollywood Temple by Swami Tadatmananda.)

LINK: Reminiscences of Swami Prabuddhananda 

Volume 1
Volume 2
List of Contributors

NEW An excerpt from Enlightenment Town: Finding Spiritual Awakening in a Most Improbable Place by Jeffery Paine

The protagonist of Enlightenment Town is Crestone Colorado, a remote Rocky Mountain hamlet that hosts numerous religious centers, a disproportionately large number per capita, that co-exist harmoniously, even reinforcing one another. 

(Read excerpt)

From American Vedantist
The History and Impact of the Swami Prabhavananda – Christopher Isherwood Bhagavad Gita Translation

J.D. Salinger & Vedanta 
an article from American Vedantist 

NOT AFFILIATED WITH VEDANTA WRITINGS.com
Kali's Child Revisited or 
Didn't Anyone Check the Documentation?

This 173 page article by Swami Tyagananda and Pravrajika Vrajaprana of the Ramakrishna Order is a precursor to a more extensive book, Interpreting Ramakrishna: Kâlî's Child Revisited, coming this fall, that examines the accuracy of J. Kripal's assertions laid out in his book Kali's Child.  Swami Tyagananda is the head of the Vedanta Society of Boston and the Hindu Chaplain at MIT. Pravrajika Vrajaprana is a member of the Santa Barbara Vedanta Convent. 

Review: Interpreting Ramakrishna: Kali’s Child Revisited  (by Swami Tyagananda & Pravrajika Vrajaprana)
A Review by William Page, an article from American Vedantist 

For the Historic Record  by Jon Monday
Research of Swami Vivekananda's visit to the West, published by American Vedantist Vol. 3, No. 3, Fall 1997

Additional Vedanta media can be found at Vedanta Press
Contact Us: jon@mondaymedia.org

Opinions expressed on this site are those of the authors. 3/1/2022