Sister Gargi
| Sister Gargi | |
|---|---|
Sister Gargi
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| Born |
Marie Louise Burke June 23, 1912 United States |
| Died | January 20, 2004 (aged 91) San Francisco, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Pravrajika Prajnaprana |
| Occupation | Nun, writer, researcher |
| Known for | Research on Swami Vivekananda |
Sister Gargi (Bengali: [sister ɡaːrɡiː]; June 23, 1912 – January 20, 2004), born Marie Louise Burke, was a writer and an eminent researcher on Swami Vivekananda, and a leading literary figure of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda movement. Sister Gargi was introduced to the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda movement in 1948 by Swami Ashokananda. She is known for her six volume work, Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries. Her New Discoveries are considered as indispensable for Swami Vivekananda research.
Sister Gargi was born as Marie Louise Burke in 1912 in the United States. In 1948, she was introduced to the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda movement by Swami Ashokananda. In 1957, Advaita Ashrama published her biography of Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries in two volumes, well known in the Vedanta circles, and the book was later published in six volumes in 1983—87. She also wrote articles in Vendanta journals.
In 1974 in India, Burke took her vows of Brahmacharya from the Ramakrishna Mission. At that time she was given the monastic name "Gargi" (this name was inspired by Vedic scholar Gargi). In 1983, Burke was awarded the first Vivekananda Award by the Ramakrishna Mission for her research works on Swami Vivekananda. Later she took her final vows of Sannyasa, and was given the name Pravrajika Prajnaprana.
Burke continued writing even in her 90s and continued staying at Vedanta Society of Northern California in San Francisco. She died on January 20, 2004 after suffering from cancer, at the convent of the Vendanta Society in San Francisco.
Sister Gargi was encouraged to write by her teacher, Swami Ashokananda. He asked her to write about Swami Vivekananda, but told her she could write about himself when she was finished with her work on Vivekananda.
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