I am a voice without a Form. . . .thoughts of Swami Vivekananda

Reading I am a Voice Without a Form, has been a very inspiring experience.

What a beautiful message to the religions from swami Vivekananda, “my name should not be made prominent.It is my ideas that I want to be realized. ”let us do that and Almighty will bless our Societies.

From the Jacket

To put the Hindu ideas into English and then make out of dry philosophy and intricate mythology and queer startling psychology, a religion which shall be easy, simple, popular, and at the same time meet the requirements of the highest minds-is a task only those can understand who have attempted it. The dry, abstract Advaita must become living- poetic-in everyday life; out of hopelessly intricate mythology must come concrete moral forms; and out of bewildering Yogi-ism must come the most scientific and practical psychology-and all this must be put in a form so that a child may grasp it. That is my life's work.

The paragon of all monistic systems is the Vedanta philosophy of Hindostan, and the paragon of Vedantists was Swami Vivekananda who visited our land some years ago… I have just been reading some of Vivekananda's addressed in England, which I had not seen. That man is simply a wonder for oratorical power.. The Swami is an honour to humanity in any case.

Rooted in the past and full of pride in India's prestige, Vivekananda was yet modern in his approach to life's problems and was a king of bridge between the past of Indian and her present. He came as a tonic to the depressed and demoralized Hindu mind and gave it self reliance and some roots in the past.

Jawaharlal Nehru
Indian Statesman and the first prime minister of India.

The Voice of Vivekananda is as vibrant as his radiant Form. The thoughts of this Prophet of modern spiritual renaissance are more relevant today than ever before. His electrifying message of the divinity of man, of peace and harmony emerging from the realized and relizable Truths of Vedanta, uniting mankind with the silken thread of shared faith, is no longer the luxury of a few blessed souls, but is a sheer necessity for the survival of humanity itself.

Hence the need for this book. It presents, in a reader- friendly way, the core of Swamiji's thoughts, arranged to captivate and appeal to both the young and the not so young. Anyone who is concerned with the achievement of complete well-being for all, will find here orientations that make that goal achievable. We live in a world apparently torn by divisive tendencies of various forms: political, ideological encounters, social inequal ities and rigidities, and above all, economic inequalities of an explosive potential.

To us who feel the pinch of these paradoxes, Swamiji speaks in a manner which imparts noble thoughts and impels us by practical strategies that concretize, actual ize those thoughts. It is not an arm-chair Vedanta that Swamiji expounds; it is the core of all spirituality which balances the urge for secular development and the quest for manifesting our inner potential which orients that development.

This selection is diligently made to reflect both these wings of Swamiji's thought: material progress and ethical, spiritual orientations. The range of areas covered is comprehensive and this compact volume addresses the ideals that Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition always stood for: a blending of work and worship, of service and spirituality. Whether it is the secret of work or the subtleties of yoga and meditation, or education and service, or science and spirituality, we find here practical suggestions for what Swami Ranganathanandaji called "Total Human Development."

Swamiji personified the finest art and science of living. He was, naturally, not only a great lover of art but himself a gifted artist. While his singing enthralled and enchanted Sri Ramakrishna himself, he also designed the temple for him at Belur Math, which is indeed, an exquisite, architectural tribute to his Great Master. Swamiji also designed the suggestive emblem of the Ramakrishna Order. All these inspired the design of this book; it presents paintings and art work to heighten Swamiji's inspiring words. The visual texts and the vibrant words contribute, we hope, to the enriched enjoyment of the reader.

We are extremely grateful to the Honourable President of India, His Excellency, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who has enriched the intrinsic value of the book by his inspiring "Message". A most distinguished scientist, he combines in his personality the rigour and discipline of a scientist with a burning zeal to transform the face of India into a nation that blends the East and the West without privileging either. His irrepressible dynamism and far-ranging vision are, in fact, qualities embodied in Swamiji himself. Hence the authenticity and immediacy of his Message. We thank him for this gesture of goodwill and appreciation of what we tried to do in designing the book.

We are grateful to Swami Srikantananda, for conceiving the idea of and giving a concrete shape to this volume. His selection presents the quintessence of Swamiji's message. We are also thankful to Sri P. Purushottam Karant, a gifted artist and an ardent devotee who provided appropriate and pleasingly elegant paintings which make the ideas acquire sharp focus.

Kalajyothi Process Pvt. Ltd., as usual, did a marvelous job in Designing and Printing - our thanks to them.