Reading list

Ramakrishna and Vivekananda

The saint of Dakshineswar and the disciple who carried his teaching to the world: devotion, Vedānta and the harmony of religions.

Beginning. 8 steps

Ramakrishna

Author
Ramakrishna
His life at Dakshineswar, his many disciplines, and his teaching on God with and without form.
Text
The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna, tr. Swami Nikhilananda, 1942
Read a few conversations at a time, as M. recorded them, day by day.
Text
Ramakrishna: His Life and Sayings
Friedrich Max Müller, 1898
How Ramakrishna was first presented to Western readers, by Max Müller in 1898.
Concept
Harmony of religions
The teaching that the religions are many paths to one God, and its critics.

Author
Swami Vivekananda
The disciple who became the voice of Vedānta in the West and founded the Mission.
Text
The World’s Parliament of Religions
Swami Vivekananda, 1893
The Chicago addresses of 1893, read with the other speeches of that Parliament.
Text
Karma-Yoga
Swami Vivekananda, 1896
Work without attachment as a path in its own right, and as service.
Text
Jñāna-Yoga
Swami Vivekananda
The lectures on Advaita, his account of where all the paths lead.

Cite this entry

Chicago (bibliography): “Ramakrishna and Vivekananda.” Reading list. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/ramakrishna-and-vivekananda.
Chicago (note): “Ramakrishna and Vivekananda,” reading list, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/ramakrishna-and-vivekananda.
MLA: “Ramakrishna and Vivekananda.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/ramakrishna-and-vivekananda.
BibTeX: @misc{reading-lists-ramakrishna-and-vivekananda, title = {{Ramakrishna and Vivekananda}}, howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society}, note = {Reading list. Last modified November 7, 2026}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/ramakrishna-and-vivekananda} }