Contest Philosophy

The Power of Love is a restatement of Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts on Indian women presented by Swami Ranganathananda in his classic booklet, Our Women. Some aspects of that work have been expanded, some redefi ned, and some have been refocused to address the concerns of modern day women.

When discussing and elucidating concepts, historical examples go a long way in imprinting them on the readers’ minds. Through unparalleled stories of our ancient Indian women, Swamiji placed before the Indian consciousness a glorious image of the ideal woman. In his uniquely powerful and charismatic way, he held that shiny example for our women to follow.

There is a great need today to reemphasize Swamiji’s ideas on Indian womanhood and its tremendous potential for the advancement of the country. His instructions to women do take into account the active participation of the men in their lives. Says he, “Mere begetting of children does not make a father, a great many responsibilities have to be taken upon one’s shoulders as well.” The detailed discussion in the chapter on marriage, which focuses on the enduring relationships between the spouses such that an ideal conjugal relationship is fostered, is totally relevant to this day and age. Stories of ideal couples like Rama and Sita, Savitri and Satyavan, and Nala and Damayanti have been added, along with the ‘modern’ couple Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi. It should be highlighted that, ifthe marriage in the fi rst place is rooted in sound principles, the word ‘divorce’ will have no place in the lexicon of family life. References to Swami Vivekananda take one of two variant forms: “Swami Vivekananda” where the name occurs initially or after a relatively long interval, and “Swamiji” when standing alone or when referring to an immediately preceding reference. The methodology employed in the booklet is to devote a chapter to each of the main themes, with subheads within each chapter for ease of use. It is our hope that this book would generate suffi cient interest in the readers to explore further the lives of Swami Vivekananda and Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and their relevance today. Such a study, along with an understanding of their messages, would benefi t them immensely.

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