Swami Akhandananda took to heart the message of Swami Vivekananda that all souls are potentially divine and we must worship God by serving the needy. The book contains an absorbing account of the Swami?s adventurous wanderings in the holy Himalayas and pioneering relief work in famine-gripped villages. He set the pattern for all the relief and rehabilitation services rendered by the Ramakrishna Mission in later years.
The greatest help to spiritual life is meditation. In meditation we divest ourselves of all material conditions and feel our divine nature. We do not depend upon any external help in meditation. The touch of the soul can paint the brightest color even in the dingiest places; it can cast a fragrance over the vilest thing; it can make the wicked divine--and all enmity, all selfishness is effaced.
-Swami Vivekananda