SOURCE: "Philosophical Ideas of Swami Vivekananda," in Aspects of Indian Writing in English: Essays in Honour of Professor K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar, edited by M. K. Naik, Macmillan Company of India Limited, 1979, pp. 294-304.

In the following essay, Sastri delineates a number of themes, ranging from education to rebirth, in Vivekananda's work, and examines his views on Buddhism and the ideas of Western philosophers.

Swami Vivekananda's lectures, letters, and writings reveal not the dry intellect of a thinker, but the outpourings of a heart, the spontaneous outburst of a heart deeply stirred. The system of thought expressed here is more practical and human. Underlying this is his profound sense of gratitude to his Master along with his fervent devotion to his earthly mother and the Divine Mother. Above all, there is the magnificent artist at work handling the language with superb skill.

Swamiji's thought is oriented to the...