In the pages of this book one comes across a brilliant exposition of the philosophy of Vedanta and its practice through the method of enquiry and discrimination. These lectures were delivered by Swami Vivekananda at London and New York. The great Swami's exposition of a subject so abstruse in a style which makes its comprehension easy even for an ordinary man is nothing short of a miracle in English language. One of the best books dealing with the path of discrimination for attaining the summum bonum of human life and hence very important, not only for the seekers of truth, but also for the academicians and students of Vedanta.
That which is nearest is least observed. The Atman is the nearest of the near, therefore a careless and unsteady mind gets no clue to the Atman. But one who is alert, calm, self-restrained, and discriminating, ignores the external world and, diving more and more into the inner world, realizes the glory of the Atman and becomes great.
-Swami Vivekananda