ABSTRACT

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.

chapter 1|18 pages

The Childhood of a Yogi

chapter 2|14 pages

Early Struggles and Schooldays

chapter 3|16 pages

Spiritual Emancipation

chapter 4|15 pages

Early Life at the Ashram

chapter 5|21 pages

The Creation of the Sangha

chapter 6|16 pages

The Holy Places

chapter 7|23 pages

Hindu Unity and the Dharma State

chapter 8|26 pages

The Dimensions of the Acharya’s Faith

chapter 9|22 pages

Last Days and Retrospect