Swami Vivekananda was a Hindu monk and philosopher who introduced Vedanta and Yoga to mainstream American audiences. His address at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago established him as one of the first global ambassadors of Hindu thought. In 1894, he founded the Vedanta Society of New York, the first permanent Hindu organization in the United States. Through his lectures and writings, Vivekananda reshaped American perceptions of Hinduism, presenting it as a universal philosophy grounded in religious tolerance, spiritual inquiry, and service.
