| Marie Louise Burke | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1911 USA [1] |
| Died | 2004 |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Sister Gargi |
| Occupation | Nun, Writer, Researcher |
| Known for | Research on Swami Vivekananda. |
Sister Gargi (listen: ); (1911–2004) born Marie Louise Burke was an eminent researcher on Swami Vivekananda.[2] Burke is known for her six volume work, Swami Vivekananda in the West: New Discoveries.[3]
Burke was initiated into the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda movement in 1948 by Swami Ashokananda, the then abbot of the Vedanta Society of Northern California in San Francisco.[3] Burke took her first vows in India from the Ramakrishna Order in 1974 and was given the monastic name "Gargi" after the Vedic scholar in recognition of her brilliant accomplishments as researcher and writer. In 1983, the first Vivekananda Award was given by the Ramakrishna Mission for her research on Vivekananda.[3] Later on, she took her final vows of sannyasa and was given the name Pravrajika Prajnaprana.[2]