Swami Vivekananda in London

Swami Vivekananda visited London a number of times between 1895 and 1899. His sojourns there, as always, were significant and eventful. It was, for example, in November 1895 that Margaret Elizabeth Noble had her first fateful encounter with Swamiji. Her life was never the same—she eventually moved to India, was initiated and given the name Sister Nivedita.

Swami Vivekananda’s brother, Mahendranath, lived with him for much of his time in England in 1895 and 1896, and he reports the events and remarks surrounding Swami Vivekananda and his close associates. The book is valuable, not only for what it gives us of Swami Vivekananda's daily life, but also for the light it throws on the lives of Swami Saradananda and J.J. Goodwin.

The original Bengali edition of the book, published in 1937, included Mahendranath’s abundant observations and theories regarding the teachings Swamiji gave in London. Swami Yogeshananda has elected to omit these observations from his translation, thus focusing on Swami Vivekananda himself and those around him. A few black and white photographs are included.