The Swahananda Prizes for Short Story

The Swahananda Prizes for Short Story is a new short story competition. Our online journal, American Vedantist, is the sponsor; members of our Editorial Board will serve as judges. Entries must be received no later than Saturday, October 27, 2018. We will choose six winning stories, which will be published in late January 2019 (AV #76). To understand what we’re looking for, please read the accompanying note, What’s a “Spiritual” Story?

Swami Swahananda and His Love for Books

by Amrita M. Salm, Ph.D.

Even as a young boy, Swami Swahananda showed a love for books. At the age of eleven he began attending the Habiganj Ramakrishna Mission (formerly India; now Bangladesh). The swami often referred to the fact that within three months of daily attendance he had become the “librarian” and had read every book in their library.

Swami Swahananda: 1921-2012

by Ann Louise Bardach

Swami Swahananda, the senior most Vedanta monk in the United States, passed away on October 19 at the age of 91. As the head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California for 36 years, Swahananda was a frequent visitor and a popular lecturer at the Santa Barbara center on Ladera Lane. As the head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California for 36 years….

Sri Ramakrishna – English Lessons

by Dhruva

With a fresh English translation of Bengali from M.’s Kathamrita, the English words as spoken by Sri Ramakrishna are in CAPITAL LETTERS.  His actual rustic pronunciation of certain words is in parentheses.   The number reflects how often M. records Sri Ramakrishna saying a particular English word in the Kathamrita.

The Hidden History of Vedanta in the West

by Patrick Horn

The Vaidika Dharma influenced western philosophy and religion long before Swami Vivekananda received a standing ovation at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893. There is evidence for inspiration from India in ancient Greek thought, innovative adoption by European Gnostics and secret societies, and …

The Roots of Vedanta in America

by Ruth Small, Ph.D.

In the early fall of 1893, when an obscure Swami from Calcutta, India stood up to address the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago, America had already experienced a rich variety of encounters with India’s land and culture.  For nearly 200 years prior to the Indian Swami’s presentation before the American public, impressions of India were …

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