This book is a collection of six lectures culled from the first volume of the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. As the title suggests, it chiefly deals with the Vedanta philosophy and its different aspects, including Vedanta as a factor in civilization, influence of Vedanta, place of privilege in this philosophy, and the different steps in the march towards the highest Vedantic vision. An important book for all the students of Vedanta eager to learn the different implications and aspects of this philosophy in brief.
The important thing is how much less you think of the body, of yourself as matter -- as dead, dull, insentient matter; how much more you think of yourself as shining immortal being. The more you think of yourself as spirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely free from matter, body and senses. This is the intense desire to be free.
-Swami Vivekananda