ABSTRACT
For in some measure Indian and European concepts of the aim and nature of philosophy diverge. By and large, the Indian tradition conceives philosophy as being in close relation to religion and the pursuit of spiritual release. Swami Vivekananda appealed to a number of considerations drawn partly from traditional Indian metaphysics. Since such metaphysical reflections on the part of Swami Vivekananda subserved the general aim of expounding a doctrinal scheme that could form the basis of a universal faith for both East and West, it is useful to turn to examine his views on the nature of religion. Swami Vivekananda further argued that the philosophical element was fundamental. It was therefore necessary for Swami Vivekananda to supplement his approach to philosophical and religious problems through the deliverances of personal experience by an appeal to what in the West has been called 'natural theology'.
