Reviews of Swami Vivekananda’s Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism (Oxford University Press, 2022)

Patrick Horn's Review of Swami Vivekananda's Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism in Reading Religion

Reading Religion (AAR), 2023

"Swami Medhananda’s vigorous interpretations represent a new era in the academic study of Vedanta and appraisal of Vivekananda’s legacy. Though Medhananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order founded by Vivekananda, the book is neither hagiographic nor polemical. Medhananda’s critical scrutiny moves the distorted and denigrating assumptions that have prevailed in the field into more profound and nuanced categories. The insights he extracts from the persuasive examination of a wide range of topics and sources have far-reaching implications beyond the religious studies department. His rigorous and unbiased approach invites interdisciplinary dialogue across various fields and society."

Anantanand Rambachan's Review of Swami Vivekananda's Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism in Philosophy East and West

Philosophy East and West, 2023

J.M. Fritzman's Review of Swami Vivekananda's Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism in CHOICE

CHOICE, 2023

"In this important book, Swami Medhananda (Ayon Maharaj) shows that Vivekananda made significant and original contributions, critically engaging both Western and Indian thinkers to develop and further articulate the integral Vedānta of his guru, Sri Ramakrishna (1836–86). Bringing Vivekananda into conversation with contemporary philosophers, Medhananda also demonstrates that Vivekananda makes vital contributions to current philosophical debates."

Jeffery D. Long's Review of Swami Vivekananda's Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism in Samvit

Samvit, 2023

"Swami Medhananda’s most recent book promises to revolutionize the study of the thought of Swami Vivekananda. In this volume, Medhananda, among other things, argues that Swami Vivekananda, like his revered guru, Sri Ramakrishna, was a highly original thinker who did not simply re-state Advaita Vedānta, but put forth a radically new model of religious pluralism whose implications are not yet fully grasped or appreciated by philosophers of religion today...[I]t is noteworthy that, considering how long Swami Vivekananda has been the topic of studies carried out both within and outside of the Vedānta tradition, Swami Medhananda’s is the first which has been attentive to the chronology of Swami Vivekananda’s writings and lectures. When these materials are viewed chronologically, one can see an unfolding of Swami Vivekananda’s thought in a way that is not otherwise possible."

-- Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College

Peter Forrest's Review of Swami Vivekananda's Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism in International Journal for Philosophy of Religion

International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 2023

"In his lucid and accessible book, Swami Medhananda expounds Vivekananda’s philosophy, locating it in both the Indian and Western intellectual debates, and establishing his originality and enduring relevance....Medhananda is a meticulous scholar, engaging not merely with those in the canon, such as Kant and John Stuart Mill, but many other philosophers, such as William Hamilton and Herbert Spencer, who are not as widely read as they should be....Medhananda exhibits Vivekananda as an original epistemologist anticipating later trends....In the last section...Medhananda makes a good case that contemporary epistemologists of religion should take note of Vivekananda’s contributions....Medhananda has done an excellent job presenting the thought of Vivekananda and locating it in the debates of both his Indian and British contemporaries. Even when his philosophy is open to objection it is original and thought-provoking."

-- Peter Forrest, University of New England, Australia

Raag Yadava's Review of Swami Vivekananda's Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism in Mother India

Mother India, 2024

"Swami Vivekananda’s Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism, published by the Oxford University Press, is the first in-depth academic examination of Swami Vivekananda’s philosophical views in conversation with modern analytic philosophy. Swami Medhananda marries a rigorous textual study of Swami Vivekananda’s Collected Works with a philosophical imagination that puts him in conversation with cutting-edge philosophers to generate an analytically-grounded defense of Vedantic principles. In this way, Swami Vivekananda becomes the philosophical playground for a cross-cultural dialogue, leading to a rearticulation of his philosophy — neither as a dull reflection of Sri Ramakrishna’s views (discussed in the author’s previous work Infinite Paths to Infinite Reality), nor as a ‘Neo-Vedantin’ uncritically influenced by Western outlooks....In sum, the book combines a comprehensive and elegant analysis of scholars from various fields — traditional Vedantic schools, Nyaya and Samkhya, and modern philosophy of religion and philosophy of mind — to give us a sophisticated yet accessible insight into core questions of spiritual thought and practice, covering ground that would otherwise take us years to trod. Swami Medhananda has done a great service, for which we must be grateful."

Pratap Bhanu Mehta's Review of Swami Vivekananda's Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism in The Indian Express

The Indian Express, 2023

"Swami Medhananda has produced, not simply the best book on Vivekananda, one unlikely to be surpassed. It is also the best book on modern Hindu thought and religious thought more generally. Swami Vivekananda’s Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism is a marvel of philosophical brilliance and erudition."

George Adams's Review of Swami Vivekananda's Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism in Nova Religio

Nova Religio, 2024

"Swami Vivekananda’s Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism, by Swami Medhananda, is an attempt to correct the popular pigeonholing of Vivekananda into his role as a popularizer of Hindu Neo-Vedānta by presenting the full body of his work as a philosopher whose thought deserves serious consideration....Medhananda employs a sophisticated theological and philosophical analysis that carefully chronicles the evolution of Vivekananda’s thought from his early tutelage under the mystic Ramakrishna through his evolving understanding of Vedānta and nondualism, culminating in what Medhananda calls Vivekananda’s 'Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism'....Medhananda...does a superb job of mapping out the evolution of Vivekananda’s Vedāntic philosophy and its relationship to the different schools of Vedānta....In short, Medhananda’s Swami Vivekananda’s Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism is an exceptional combination of scholarship, philosophical acumen, and cross-cultural philosophical sensitivity, which finally presents an appreciative account of Vivekananda as a representative of Hindu philosophy at its finest."