by Frank Parlato Jr. editor Vivekananda.net

For purposes of vivekananda.net we have divided comments made by various people about Vivekananda into three categories:

1. Reminiscences are entirely incidental and biographical in nature and authored only by eye witnesses to the events. They can be related by hostile witnesses as well as from ardent devotees.

2.Tributes differ from reminiscences since there is, generally, no relating of incidents in Vivekananda’s life.
They are in the nature of positive praise. Tributes herein are divided into two categories:

A. Those who knew the Swami personally, regardless of their prestige or renown. Their praise, collectively, has biographical value in helping to assess the impact Vivekananda had on a wide variety of people who knew him – and who each had varying motives for making their tribute.

B. People who did not meet the Swami – but who have had a substantial commitment to the Swami, and his works, primarily monks of his order – and who have achieved a certain degree of established reputation as such – and obviously are not expected to be critical in their assessments of the Swami. This too has value since it helps us assess the varying types of minds that became attracted to the Swami after his death, and the reasons that impel men to devote their lives to the Swami’s name and work.