Audiobooks by Swami Nikhilananda

Vivekananda: A Biography

"“It may be that I shall find it good to get outside my body — to cast it off like a worn-out garment. But I shall not cease to work. I shall inspire men everywhere, until the world shall know that it is one with God.” — Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a well-known religious figure in America, is cherished with respect and affection by an ever increasing number of readers of his books. His genius was revealed to the world at large in the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, where he indicated India’s rightful place in the spiritual map of the world. The first cultural ambassador of his motherland to the West, and the builder of the spiritual bridge connecting the two hemispheres, Vivekananda dreamed of One World based upon a synthesis of religion and science and a knowledge of the solidarity of humankind. In his utterances, the souls of East and West, the one oppressed by the tyranny of society and the other by the dead weight of secularism, found the way to freedom. Spiritual freedom was the central message of Swami Vivekananda. This biography by Swami Nikhilananda, revealing the life and message of a great World Teacher, is inspiring to hear."

Swami Nikhilananda (Author), Paul Bazely (Narrator)

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The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

"Sri Ramakrishna is revered in India and the West as a prophet belonging to the spiritual line of Krishna, Buddha, and Christ. Seekers of all religions will find in this book courage and faith, hope and illumination. You will feel God to be very real and within reach. Listen to Sri Ramakrishna’s conversations, and be in the company of a great soul. Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) had a passionate yearning for the vision of God. At the age of sixteen he went to Calcutta, but was disappointed by the materialistic ideals of the people of the great city. Refusing to direct his attention to secular studies, he became a priest in the Dakshineswar temple, where God is worshipped as the Divine Mother of the Universe. By his intense prayer and longing, and through a series of unprecedented spiritual practices, he obtained the vision of God. Through the various systems of Hinduism and the religions of Christianity and Islam, Ramakrishna always reached the same goal of God-consciousness, and said, “As so many faiths, so many paths” – the basis of interfaith harmony today. There came to him all kinds of people, men and women, young and old, educated and illiterate, agnostic and orthodox, who asked him questions about spiritual life and accepted his words as true. Ramakrishna’s love for all people knew no barriers of race, color, or culture, and he spoke freely to everyone who sought his counsel and blessings without expecting anything in return. This audiobook, read by Paul Bazely, brings to life the words of a great prophet and God-man. This audiobook contains a short biography of Sri Ramakrishna, which is also published separately as an audiobook under the title “Sri Ramakrishna, A Biography,” by Swami Nikhilananda."

Swami Nikhilananda (Author), Paul Bazely (Narrator)

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Sri Ramakrishna: A Biography

"The biography of Sri Ramakrishna is the story of an intense search for God. Sri Ramakrishna was not satisfied until he realized God to be real with every fiber of his being. He ultimately saw God more intensely than he saw the world. Sri Ramakrishna talked with God as a young child speaks to the mother throughout the day. In him, there was only the thought of God, and he saw God everywhere and in everything. The Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland described Sri Ramakrishna’s life as the fulfillment of the spiritual aspirations of three hundred million Hindus for the last two thousand years. Mahatma Gandhi said, “No one can read the story of his life without being convinced that God alone is real and all else is illusion.” Swami Nikhilananda was a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, the wife and spiritual companion of Sri Ramakrishna. He was a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India, and founder in 1933 of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York. As a gifted speaker, he taught classes and spoke on spiritual life and the harmony of religions in New York until his passing away in 1973. He was a beloved teacher to many spiritual aspirants, and also to students of philosophy, history, and religion. Nikhilananda had the rare privilege of intimately associating with many of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. His translations of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and his biographies of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda, are considered modern classics of spiritual literature."

Swami Nikhilananda (Author), Paul Bazely (Narrator)

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