Preface 'Vivekananda on the Vedas' (1)

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SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON THE VEDAS AND UPANISADSby Sister Gayatriprana(Part I)PREFACEAfter fourteen years of continuous work, the compilation,Swami Vivekananda on the Vedas and Upanisads, is nowready to come to the light of day. It began, partially as aresponse to the current confusion over the coherency ofSwami Vivekananda’s Neo-Vedanta and partially as asearch for the essence of his message to contemporaryhumanity. As time went by, the volume of the work anda certain compelling pattern of inner organization built upa critical mass and momentum which swept the projectforward to its present state of completion. A number ofloose ends remain untied, however. Perhaps that is agood thing, for it provides opportunities for readers tomake contributions and additions to the overall body ofthe work.The invaluable nucleus for this work is Swami Yogeshananda’sSwami Vivekananda Quotes the Upanishads, an unpublishedcompilation made from the Complete Works in 1960, beforemuch material now available appeared in the public domain.The swami’s work did not include the classical four mahavakyas,which have been researched and included in this compilationalong with some other major mantras such as Saccidananda.I am very much indebted to Swami Yogeshananda’s pioneering work.I sincerely hope that, by bringing this material to light on theInternet we shall, on the one hand, receive feedback fromreaders everywhere, improving and strengthening the work;and, on the other, will take a step towards establishing theHimalayan majesty of the Vedanta, particularly in its modernincarnation of the Neo-Vedanta of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda.(to be continued...)