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These are the soul-stirring lectures delivered by Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religions held at Chicago.
About these lectures, Sister Nivedita, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda, wrote :
'Of the Swami's address before the Parliament of Religions, it may be said that when he began to speak it was of "the religious ideas of the Hindus", but when he ended, Hinduism had been created... it was the religious consicousness of India that spoke through him, the message of his whole people, as determined by their whole past'
No sooner had Swamiji started his first address by calling the audience 'Sisters and Brothers of America' than a great wave of enthusiasm went through the audience. They rose to their feet with shouts of applause, as if they had gone mad. Everyone was cheering, cheering, and cheering. The Swami was bewildered. For two full minutes he attempted to speak, but the wild enthusiasm of the audience would not allow it.
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