Published in 2022 by Harvard University Press.
Suzanne Newcombe and Agi Wittich
In her researched biography Guru to the World: The Life of Swami Vivekananda, historian Ruth Harris provides a nuanced portrait of the monk who introduced yoga and Vedanta philosophy to the West in the late 19th century. Avoiding hagiography and iconoclasm, Harris insightfully chronicles how supportive networks of followers enabled Vivekananda’s rise to celebrity guru status, complicating notions of Eastern passivity and Western dominance in transnational spiritual exchanges. While addressing controversies surrounding Vivekananda’s views on gender and nationalism, Harris contends his legacy remains ambiguous, arguing that relationships and emotional dynamics were more definitive in his life than political ideologies or religious doctrines.
In the Indian diaspora, he is eulogized as “One of the greatest Indians of the last millennium” and a “true rock star,” the first to tell the “civilizational story of India” to an ignorant West, wrongly inclined in those times to view itself as the personification of modernity.”
In the biography Guru to the World: The Life of Swami Vivekananda, Ruth Harris provides a comprehensive and discerning account of Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu monk renowned for introducing yoga and Vedanta philosophy to the Western world during the late 19th century. Harris skillfully traces Vivekananda’s journey from his upbringing in Calcutta to his notable 1893 address at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, followed by extensive tours across America and Europe.
Eschewing hagiography and iconoclasm, Harris offers an insightful portrayal of the monk, delicately navigating the fine line between criticism and reverence. She delineates how Vivekananda, despite a brief career, catalyzed transformative changes that continue to influence religion today. Sympathetic yet balanced, Harris addresses the more contentious aspects of Vivekananda’s life, including his stance on gender roles and his simultaneous calls for Hindu solidarity and religious universalism against British rule.
Harris contends that while Hindu nationalism has sometimes appropriated Vivekananda’s legacy problematically, his association with such political views remains ambiguous. The biography’s notable strength lies in its emphasis on relationships over ideas in explaining Vivekananda and his legacy. Harris illustrates in detail how Vivekananda’s thoughts and mission were shaped by diverse influences, ranging from his guru Ramakrishna to Western esotericism, science, and anti-colonial nationalism.
In particular, the author underscores the pivotal role played by supportive networks, particularly financially independent Western women such as Sara Bull, Josephine MacLeod, Mary Hale, and Olea Vaughan. As detailed by Harris, these individuals were instrumental in organizing speaking engagements, publishing works, sustaining organizations, and elevating Vivekananda to celebrity guru status. This aspect challenges prevailing assumptions about Eastern passivity and Western dominance, offering a nuanced perspective on the global dissemination of religious ideas.
In presenting a well-balanced portrait, Harris avoids vilification and adoration, revealing Vivekananda as a complex figure embedded in a web of supportive relationships. For those interested in modern transnational religious history, “Guru to the World” is essential. It sheds light on how this monk’s brief career impacted Eastern and Western understandings of spirituality. Harris’s informative study demonstrates how Vivekananda’s influence continues reverberating through religious landscapes today.