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This is the fascinating biography, first published in 1985, of the remarkable Bengali religious leader Swami Pranavananda who lived in the turbulent years of the early twentieth century. The story of his life has to some extent been eclipsed by the struggle for Indian independence, but his extraordinary personal qualities, his determined asceticism, his high ideals of social service and commitment to Hindu solidarity all serve to set him apart from his contemporaries and entitle him to be better known by political and religious historians of the period.
List of contents
1. The Childhood of a Yogi 2. Early Struggles and Schooldays 3. Spiritual Emancipation 4. Early Life at the Ashram 5. The Creation of the Sangha 6. The Holy Places 7. Hindu Unity and the Dharma State 8. The Dimensions of the Acharya’s Faith 9. Last Days and Retrospect
About the author
Roderick Ninian Smart was a Scottish writer and university educator. He was a pioneer in the field of secular religious studies. In 1967 he established the first department of religious studies in the United Kingdom at the new University of Lancaster where he was also Pro-Vice-Chancellor, having already chaired one of the largest and most prestigious departments of theology in Britain at the University of Birmingham.
Summary
This is the fascinating biography, first published in 1985, of the remarkable Bengali religious leader Swami Pranavananda who lived in the turbulent years of the early twentieth century.
