author
Swami Abhedananda
1866–1939
A close disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, this influential monk helped introduce Vedanta and yoga to Western audiences while writing widely on philosophy and spiritual practice. His life bridges late 19th-century Indian spirituality and the early global spread of modern Vedanta.
1 Audiobook
Five Lectures on Reincarnation
by Swami Abhedananda
About the author
Born Kaliprasad Chandra in Kolkata in 1866, he was drawn to spiritual life from a young age and became a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. After Ramakrishna's death, he joined the early monastic brotherhood that also included Swami Vivekananda, taking the name Swami Abhedananda.
He became one of the best-known teachers of Vedanta in the West. At Vivekananda's request, he went to the United States in the late 1890s and led the Vedanta Society of New York, giving lectures and writing books that presented Vedanta, yoga, and Indian philosophy to new readers.
Later he returned to India and continued teaching, writing, and guiding spiritual seekers. He is also remembered as the founder of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Math, and his works remain part of the wider Ramakrishna-Vedanta tradition.