The Saga of A Great Soul - Life and Work of Swami Shivananda
Swami Vividishananda
Swami Shivananda was a monk of such sublime spiritual realizations that Swami Vivekananda called him Mahapurush, a Great Soul. He was the second President of the Ramakrishna Order. Many observations and reminiscences by Swami Shivananda himself are included in this biography written by one who was long associated with him. Foreword by Christopher Isherwood.
Those who have succeeded in attaching or detaching their minds at will have succeeded in Pratyahara, which means gathering towards, checking the outgoing powers of the mind, freeing it from the thralldom of the senses. When we can do this, we shall really possess character; then alone we shall have taken a long step towards freedom. Before that, we are mere machines.
-Swami Vivekananda