Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2022 February 26

Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

February 26

Swami Vivekananda

The 19th century swami who influenced Rockefeller, Tesla and J.D. Salinger- https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/spiritofthings/4946512

What Did J.D. Salinger, Leo Tolstoy, and Sarah Bernhardt Have in Common? -https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303404704577305581227233656

I have seen that most Europeans never heard of him, but above two articles are written as if he is very popular even among popular people. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 42.105.101.24 (talk) 08:42, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

What is your question? Do you have a question about Swami Vivekananda? Have you read the article about him? Popularity is subjective and varies from one country or culture to another, so it is rather meaningless to Wikipedia. See WP:POPULARITY.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 11:30, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

Did Nicola Tesla and Leo Tolstoy really got influenced by Swami Vivekananda?–Preceding unsigned comment added by 42.105.101.24 (talk) 14:27, 26 February 2022

Quite possibly. They were educated men and the writings of Vivekananda are very well known (and popular) in the West. He also toured Europe and America more than once. I see no reason to doubt those sources. By the way, I moved your response to the correct place in the conversation. Please add comments in order.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 16:25, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

The John D. Rockefeller story supposedly came from Emma Calvé and is found in Burke, M. L. (1958). Swami Vivekananda in America New Discoveries. Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama. pp. 112–4.

While it looks fairly well documented that Tesla met Vivekananda, the "evidence" everyone seems to be providing for an influence and all i can find for Ann Louise Bardach's ...Tesla would cite the monk's contributions in his pioneering research of electricity. is Tesla, Nikola (July 6, 1930). "Man's Greatest Achievement". New York American. fiveby(zero) 07:58, 27 February 2022 (UTC)

Sarah Bernhardt and Nicolas Tesla are mentioned on page 380 of the second volume of The Life of the Swami Vivekananda, published in 1914. According to this source, Tesla admitted the superiority of the cosmological theory espoused by the Swami. Reportedly, the three met on February 13, 1896, at a dinner party after one of Bernhardt's performances. The latter source reveals that Tesla took a vow of chastity influenced in part by the Swami's preaching, and that he specifically referred to the idea of the eternal nature of existence and related concepts in his later writings. We need to dig up these references to see how deep the influence was, but that there was some influence is evident.  --Lambiam 08:51, 27 February 2022 (UTC)

This and this from the Nikola Tesla article. The Routledge source is certainly the best i've seen and does provide a Tesla to Vivekananda letter suggesting a meeting, but overall quite a bit different in tone and conclusions from others.

Unfortunately, there is no record of this meeting and Vivekananda scholars opine that the meeting never took place. Vivekananda's disappointment at the failure of this marriage between Vedantic cosmology and modern science is clear in his later in his later lecture in Lahore...."

I would expect a mention of any later reference in Tesla's writing from this source. Somehow i got a full preview, but can't seem to link to other than snippet view.fiveby(zero) 20:05, 27 February 2022 (UTC):::

This gave me a page view.  --Lambiam 09:16, 28 February 2022 (UTC)

Corippe, La Johannide

Hi Folks!! Is this cite here from a draft i'm working at Draft:Battle of Cillium (544)

• Corippe (1900). La Johannide (in French). Tunis: Tunisian Review.

the same as this: https://archive.org/details/CorippusTheIohannis1/page/n1/mode/2up

I'm trying to find an english version of Corippe, La Johannide. scope_creep^Talk 15:15, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

The book at archive.org contains an English translation (by George W. Shea) of all eight books making up the Iohannis, starting at page 63. It is the second item in the section Corippus § Editions. I have not looked at the other book, but it is apparently a French translation.  --Lambiam 20:18, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

Hi @Lambiam: That look like it. Great result. Thanks. scope_creep^Talk 10:49, 3 March 2022 (UTC)