Born Narendranath Datta (1863-1902) in Calcutta, capital of British India, Swami Vivekananda belonged to a traditional aristocratic Bengali Kayastha family. Spiritual from an early age, Vivekananda was fascinated by wandering monks and used to practise meditation. He met Ramakrishna in around 1882. It came about as a life-changing experience for him and he eventually became his notable disciple. After Ramakrishna’s death, Vivekananda, along with other disciples, set up the Ramakrishna Math at Baranagar. In December 1886, they all took monastic vows. It was then that he took the name ‘Swami Vivekananda’. He played a major role in introducing yoga and the Vedanta philosophies to the West. It is because of him that Hinduism gained the status of a major world religion. His birthday is observed as the National Youth Day in India and the day he delivered his famous speech at the Parliament of World Religions, September 11, is commemorated as the World Brotherhood Day. --This text refers to the paperback edition.