Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda born as born Narendranath Datta in Calcutta in 1863 is considered to be a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. He is considered as one of the most influential people of modern India and Hinduism.
Raja Yoga is a book by Swami Vivekananda about “Raja Yoga”, his interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The book was published in July 1896. It became an instant success and was highly influential in the global understanding of yoga.
Raja Yoga contains transcripts of lectures by Swami Vivekananda & his interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and his commentaries. It presents Vivekananda’s understanding and interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, “and a selection of Hatha yoga teachings on the basis of the beliefs that he shared with his students.
Swami Vivekananda’s other notable literary works include Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga.
Latest Posts on Swami Vivekananda
Latest on Swami Vivekananda
Narendranath Datta to Swami Vivekananda: The Transformative Journey under the Mentorship of Ramakrishna Paramhansa
In “The Transformative Journey of Narendranath Datta: From Seeker to Swami Vivekananda”, we explore the life of one of India’s most influential spiritual leaders, and how the mentorship of Ramakrishna Paramhansa played a crucial role…
The Raja and the Swami: A Story of Rationality and Spirituality
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there lived a Raja who was known for his intelligence and rationality. He was a man who believed in facts and figures, and scoffed at the…
Bhakti Yoga 2: Philosophy of Ishvara – Swami Vivekananda
This is the 2nd chapter of the series on Bhakti Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. Bhakti Yoga is one of the key literary works by Swami Vivekananda, where he has discussed the path of devotion (bhakti) in detail. Who…
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Key Literary Works by Swami Vivekananda
Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga is Swami Vivekananda‘s interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. It has been a seminal work on Yoga and has helped spread the ancient knowledge of Yoga.
The book is comprised of multiple chapters, which introduce the practice of yoga, and then subsequently explain the sutras (aphorisms) by Patanjali. At its core Raja Yoga has 4 chapters, which explain the 195 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
All articles on Raja Yoga – Swami Vivekananda
Independence – Swami Vivekananda
This is the last and final part of the series by Swami Vivekananda from his work – Raja Yoga. The work of Raja Yoga is essentially an explanation of the Yoga Sutras (aphorisms) by Patanjali.…
Read more on World Yoga ForumMystic Powers Of The Yogi – Swami Vivekananda
We have now come to the chapter in which the Mystic Powers of the Yogi have been described. This is the 3rd part of the Yoga Sutras (aphorisms) of Patanjali as explained by Swami Vivekananda.…
Read more on World Yoga ForumConcentration: Its Practice – Swami Vivekananda
The practice of concentration is the second part in Swami Vivekananda’s Raja Yoga and a continuation of the first part, which describes the spiritual uses of concentration. The first part has the first 51 sutras…
Read more on World Yoga ForumConcentration: It’s Spiritual Uses
This post is from Swami Vivekananda’s Raja Yoga and includes the first segment of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras interpreted and translated by Swami Vivekananda. This chapter from Raja Yoga essentially lists the first 51 Yoga Sutras…
Read more on World Yoga ForumGoing Back To The Absolute – Swami Vivekananda
The theory of eternal progression is untenable, for destruction is the goal of everything earthly. All our struggles and hopes and fears and joys, what will they lead to? We shall all end in death.…
Read more on World Yoga ForumWhy Should You Never Hate & the Importance of Love – SwamiVivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga discusses the nature of creation and beautifully describes the positive effects of love and the problem with hate. This is an excerpt from one of the chapters. It…
Read more on World Yoga ForumRaja Yoga in Brief by Swami Vivekananda
The following is a summary of Raja-Yoga freely translated from the Kurma-Purana by Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga. The fire of Yoga burns the cage of sin that is around a man. Knowledge…
Read more on World Yoga ForumSuperconsciousness Explained by Swami Vivekananda
Superconsciousness and a means to achieve it have been beautifully explained by Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga. We see, as human beings, that all our knowledge which is called rational is referred to…
Read more on World Yoga ForumDharana Basics by Swami Vivekananda
After you have practised Pratyahara for a time, take the next step, the Dharana, holding the mind to certain points. What is meant by holding the mind to certain points? Forcing the mind to feel…
Read more on World Yoga ForumPratyahara Basics – Withdrawal of Senses by Swami Vivekananda
You know how perceptions come. First of all there are the external instruments, then the internal organs acting in the body through the brain centres, and there is the mind. When these come together and…
Read more on World Yoga ForumThe Monkey Mind – Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in his classic Raja Yoga compares the mind to a mad monkey. There was a monkey, restless by his own nature, as all monkeys are. As if that were not enough some one…
Read more on World Yoga ForumPranayama Exercises and Rising of Kundalini – Swami Vivekananda
The exercises in Pranayama have been detailed out in the chapter titled The Control Of The Psychic Prana in the book Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. We have seen that the first step, according to…
Read more on World Yoga ForumBhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga, also called the bhakti marga or the path of devotion is a spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity. It is one of the three paths in Hinduism which lead to Moksha (salvation), the other paths being Jnana yoga and Karma yoga. It has been discussed in detail by the Bhagvad Gita.
Bhakti Yoga is one of the key literary works by Swami Vivekananda, where he has discussed the path of devotion (bhakti) in detail.
The Lunar Eclipse of March 2026 – Mayhem in Aquarius
The lunar eclipse of March 2026 is causing massive unrest around the world. This includes US attack on Iran, retaliation by Iran, regime change, and also rapid rise in AI. Aquarius as a zodiac sign represents innovation, scientific thinking, masses. It’s an air element sign and also represents the original sign of wish fulfillment. The eclipse of March 2026 will happen with Moon in Leo. Leo represents authority, government, and the state. Between the solar and lunar eclipse, we’ve seen a period that will create a regime change. It also shows a period where there will be a major uprising…
Janmashtami: Embracing Lord Krishna’s Story of Love, Joy, and Transformation
The following excerpts from a book on Bhagvata introduced me to the world of Lord Krishna. It introduced me to the boundless love and wisdom of Lord Krishna. Whether you’re a devout follower or just curious, this journey is one you cannot miss. – Terrified, the child refused to leave the womb, resisting all attempts to push and pull him out. Then, realizing he was the source of his mother’s pain, the child slipped out of her body one night, while she slept. Without a whimper, without touching the earth, without turning back, he silently rose towards the starry skies.…
World Yoga Forum Hits an All-Time Record
I started the World Yoga Forum to share the ancient teachings and practices of yoga in a clear and organized way, making it easier to understand. Along the way, I met a few passionate yoga experts, and together we created one of India’s largest repositories of yoga poses, and teachings of Yoga (there’s still a lot more to be done). In the past two months, I’m beyond excited to share that worldyogaforum has received an overwhelming amount of love and support. 3x Growth Our traffic has seen a remarkable 3x growth month over month! (All of this organically) This wouldn’t…