Among the many biographies of Swami Vivekananda, the present book has a place of special importance, as it is a historical review of the great life and contribution of the great Swami by one whose scrutiny of facts, analysis of events, and unbiased search for truth won him a place of honour among the eminent historians of the twentieth century. The author has deliberately avoided discussions on mystic experiences and philosophical ideas of the Swami and has portrayed him purely on historical lines.
Those who die, merely suffering the woes of life like cats and dogs, are they human beings? The worthy are those who, even when agitated by the sharp interaction of pleasure and pain, are discriminating and, knowing them to be of an evanescent nature, become passionately devoted to the Atman. This is all the difference between human beings and animals.
-Swami Vivekananda