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I know that Vivekananda is confused during early days. But, I am honestly feeling that he is not fully realised later or by the time of Chicago speech also. This opinion, of me, may be due to my ignorance. There may be some strong reason that I am unaware of.

For suppose you can consider the words of Vivekanda on Max Muller

The visit was really a revelation to me......

It was neither the philologist nor the scholar that I saw, but a soul that is every day realising its oneness with the Brahman, a heart that is every moment expanding to reach oneness with the Universal......

And what love he bears towards India! I wish I had a hundredth part of that love for my own motherland! Endued .....

Max Müller is a Vedantist of Vedantists. He has, indeed, caught the real soul of the melody of the Vedanta, in the midst of all its settings of harmonies and discords — the one light that lightens the sects and creeds of the world, the Vedanta, the one principle of which all religions are only applications ........... Is it a wonder that this Western sage does study and appreciate every new star in the firmament of Indian thought, before even the Indians themselves realise its magnitude?

and the intention of Max Muller is clearly faulty by his own letters.

It is evident, atleast for me, that Vivekananda praised just for the sake of praising.

Why does Hindu community considered Vivekananda as an authentic personality keeping aside these discrepancies?

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    Request for down-voters: Please comment the reason for down-voting if possible.
    – hanugm
    Sep 7, 2021 at 2:26
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    Sounds more like a debate than a question. Besides, we are only interested in his preachings on vedas and sanatan, not other things. For these his thoughts have direct backing of vedas , gita etc. He's mere translator in his own words. He didn't start a new field of Sanatan.
    – sbharti
    Sep 7, 2021 at 3:07
  • @sbharti do you mean that Vivekananda is considered authentic only if he talks about Scriptures and from scriptures. Else he is like any other person?
    – hanugm
    Sep 7, 2021 at 5:23
  • @sbharti but my intention is not to start a debate. This question has been disturbing me for so many days.
    – hanugm
    Sep 7, 2021 at 5:23
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    @hanugm initially Max Muller may have come with a bad intention. But as more and more he studied Hinduism and Vedas he was taken by it and he himself fell in deep awe and appreciation, where his soul was slowly moving towards God. Do you know how many Vedas have been read and translated by Max Muller, do you think all that reading will leave no effect?? will leave a man unchanged??
    – user22253
    Sep 7, 2021 at 7:49

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Great souls like Swami Vivekananda will very rarely publicly criticize others. They will praise the good points of another person in public. You can't judge a Vivekananda by our yardstick.

No public criticism of others

Even after knowing the defects of others, one should not proclaim them to others – this is another passage in the Sruti.

Linga Purana I.8.14

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    But, in the passage, Vivekananda told that Max Muller is a foremost vedantist and also a Jivan Muktha. Are they true?
    – hanugm
    Sep 7, 2021 at 6:23
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    No, of course it is not literally true. Vivekananda was being polite to his host. I am sure even MM did not take such hyperbole seriously. Vivekananda knew that in 1900 England almost no one had any sympathy for Hinduism. MM also had no sympathy. Nevertheless his translations are not doctored ones. He was a honest translator. I can not say that of many modern Indologists. What would Vivekananda gain by annoying MM? MM whatever his intention ultimately did not do any damage to Hindus.
    – Pradip Gangopadhyay
    Sep 7, 2021 at 11:31

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