Swami Vivekananda in a Social-Historical Perspective

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Swami Vivekananda in a Social-Historical Perspective
by Gopal Stavig

DEDICATION

Dedicated to my guru Swami Prabhavananda (1893-1976). Without his sublime spiritual influence these books would never have been written.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Historical Background and the Western Indologists

1. Swami Vivekananda’s Four Classes (Castes) Theory of History

2. The Rise of the Western Capitalist (Vaishya) Class and Its Impact on India

3. The Beginning of the Study of Modern Indology in the Eighteenth Century

4. Nineteenth Century British Indology

5. Nineteenth Century German Indology and Russian Indology in the Early Twentieth Century

6. Nineteenth Century American Interest in India

II. Swami Vivekananda and the Neo-Hindu Response

1. The Nineteenth Century Hindu Movement in India: a. Raja Rammohan Roy, b. Jeremy Bentham, Governor-General William Bentinck, and Lord Thomas Macaulay c. Debendranath Tagore, d. Arumuga (Arumuka) Navalar, e. Chandra Vidyasagar, f. Pundit Iswar Dayananda Saraswati, g. Keshab Sen, h. Bankim Chatterji, i. Indian National Congress, j. Contemporary China

2. Swami Vivekananda and the Historical Situation

3. Swami Vivekananda's Response

III. Swami Vivekananda's Personal Characteristics

1. His Background in Brief

2. Descriptions of Swami Vivekananda by Westerners Who Knew Him

3. Evaluations of Swami Vivekananda as a Teacher by Westerners Who Heard Him Speak

4. Additional Personal Characteristics

5. Swami Vivekananda and the Apostle Paul

IV. Philosophical and Religious Objectives

1. Vivekananda and the Unity of Indian Philosophy

2. Religion in General

3. Types of Religions

4. The Unity of Hinduism

5. The Great Tradition and Little Tradition in India

6. Founding and Development of the Ramakrishna Mission and Math

V. Social Philosophy

1. Social Ideals and National Dharma

2. Implications of Vivekananda's Theory of National Dharma

3. Humanitarian Work

4. More Specific Humanitarian Objectives

5. Hinduism and Modern Industrial Society

6. The Philosophy of Non-Violence (Ahimsa)

7. Tributes Swami Vivekananda from India’s Most Exemplary Political Leaders

VI. Historical Discoveries and Events

1. India's Contact with Sumer and Babylon

2. Ancient Egypt

3. Indian and Euro-Asian Deities with Similar Names and Functions

4. The Aryan Invasion Myth

5. The Pentateuch (the First Five Books of the Bible)

6. The Teachings of Moses (Moshe) and Manu (Manush)

7. Indian Buddhist Influence on the Therapeutae Order and Early Christianity

8. Indian Buddhist and Christian Scriptural Similarities

9. Math and Science

10. Hindu Influence on Islamic Theology

11. Historiography

VII. The Ramakrishna Order and the Future of Humanity

1. Swami Vivekananda in the West

2. Spiritualizing the World

3. Obstacles in the Way

4. The Crises of Our Age

5. The Future of World Civilization

6. Revival of the Philosophy of Religion Beginning in the 1960s

VIII. Sister Nivedita - Published in Prabuddha Bharata (Jan. 2017)

IX. Baba Premananda Bharati - Published in Vedanta Kesari (Feb-March 2016)

X. Scriptural Relation Between the Rig and Atharva Veda and the Bible

XI. India in Russian Thought

XII. Russian Advaitic and Vishistadvaitic Philosophy

XIII. The Supreme Atman of Shankara’s Advaita and the Absolute Essence in the Philosophy of Ibn al-‘Arabi

XIV. How Many Systems of Indian Philosophy Are There?

XV. Modern Thought and the First Three Chakras of Indian Psychology

XVI. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Appreciation of India in His Own Words

XVII. Henry David Thoreau's Appreciation of India in His Own Words

XVIII. Origen and Indian Thought

XIX. Plotinus and Indian Philosophy