Relevance of Swami Vivekanada's Political Thought in Present Context

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1 1 Relevance of Swami Vivekanada's Political Thought in Present Context Swami Vivekananda, a patriot monk, is one of the gigantic personalities who made an indelible mark in the history of India. Being a man of original thoughts, he re-modeled the Indian thought-world and worked for the moral and spiritual upliftment not only of the Indians but also of the humanity at large. Being a spiritual man to the core, he had nothing to do with politics and the social reformation movements of the day as he himself has asserted, "I am no politician or political agitator. I care only for the spirit...so you must warn the Calcutta people that no political significance be ever attached falsely to any of my writings or sayings" 1 He further says, "I do not believe in any politics. God and truth are the only politics in the world, everything else is trash" 2, Nevertheless, his ideas came as a thunderbolt that gave impetus to the nationalistic movement in India. His sole object was 'to rouse the country, the sleeping leviathan that has lost all faith in his power and makes no response'. On investigating the cause of the social and political decline of the country, he found that Indians' frittering away their 1 Life of Swami Vivekananda Vol. 1 by his Eastern and Western disciples Ibid p. 454.

2 2 energies in fighting over the trivialities had caused their downfall and the loss of individuality. Despite all this, he has spoken a lot on the question of politics. Although it is not politics in a strict sense as it is being conceived today, yet his political philosophy forms a major part of his thought. He is a visionary and above all have a holistic approach. A cosmic mission emerges in his writings and speeches and political question are not left untouched by him. Secondly, his political thoughts are scattered almost everywhere throughout his writings. For analytical purpose, these have to be gathered first and then re-arranged within certain categories. His political. ideas can be divided into these concepts as given below: 1. Nationalism 2. Patriotism 3. Liberty 4. Equality 5. Rights and duties of citizens 6. Secularism 7. Internationalism/clash of civilization 8. Peaceful co-existence

3 3 Nationalism Vivekananda loved mother India immensely because it was the land where the highest ideals of religion and philosophy had reached their culminating points and deluged the whole world. He lamented that the very land of proverbial wealth and abundant natural resources had been thrown from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of degradation by the foreign rule. He inspired the young men to have faith in themselves and break the shackles that impeded the freedom and development of the country. In fact the Nationalism in Bengal, where it originated first, was inspired by the speeches of Swami Vivekanada. Sri. Aurbindo, Subhash, Bipin Chandra Pal, Tilak, Ghandi and many a other were greatly influenced by the Swamiji. Patriotism His heart bled on seeing the poor, scantily clad countrymen, giving a piteous cry for food. Hence he exhorted the young men to work hard to produce enough to feed the pqpr men. He told the world that India needed not religion. She had enough of religion. She needed food. He wanted the young men to revive the glorious past of India by studying the Sanskrit and ancient culture and re-writing the Indian history because Indian history written by the Britishers did not give the true account of the facts, rather mispresented them. The English education instead of doing any

4 4 good, made them conceited and diffident about the efficacy of the ancient wisdom of sages and saints because the aim of the English education was to produce the useful practical clerk-slaves to run the administration. Vivekananda's patriotism is not a narrow creed based on the hatred of other countries. Rather it is positive and compels the Indians to do away with their laziness, hypocrisy, priest-craft, and the despotism of caste which act as barriers to the multi dimensional progress of the nation and to think of the ways to ameliorate their sorry predicament. Liberty Vivekananda staunchly advocates the idea of liberty. To him liberty is the first condition of growth and well-being. Its absence degrades the man, the race and the nation. But it does not come on its own. It has to be attained by the self- efforts. He advocates the freedom of thought, faith and action. But Vivekananda does not approve the negative concept of freedom which implies the absence of all restraints. His concept of the freedom is the positive one. According to him the freedom of one must not impinge the same right of others. Secondly, his concept of freedom has a spiritual tinge. Freedom, he believes, is an inalienable part of the soul. But due to the illusions and delusions, caused by ignorance, man finds himself in bondages. The sole object of human life is to realize this innate freedom by elevating oneself to a state where one

5 5 becomes detached and remains unaffected by the dualities of life. Ideal physical conditions are conducive to realizing the true freedom. He wants liberty for all, including women. Vivekananda stands for the independence of women. Hence he champions the cause of women education as it alone can bestow emancipation on them. Women must like the lower castes receive Sanskrit education and imbibe the ancient spiritual culture inherent in the ideas of the Rishis. It will make them fearless and only great, fearless women are fit to be the mothers of heroes. He favoured organizing the widows as instructors to the women. He opposed early marriages. The controversy about the Age of the consent Bill grieved him much. Therefore he exhorted the young men to take a bold stand against the diabolical custom. Equality Equality too is important for the development of the country. Vivekananda calls equality the sign of the free. But this too like liberty has to be won through struggle. While championing the cause of equality, we find Vivekananda standing in the group of the socialists. He says, "If there is inequality in nature still there must be equal chance for all. If greater for some and for some less, the weaker should he given more

6 6 chance than the strong" 3. He wants to do away with all economic disparities but not through violent means. Instead, by appealing to the hearts of the rich and by convincing them that the wealth collected from them would be utilized for the benefit of their own brethren, an idea later on developed by Vinoba Bhave in the Sarvodaya Movement. He is concerned with equality at the social level too. He loathes the caste-ridden society and also the books preaching the infliction of punishment on a Chandala if he happens to hear or read the vedas. He says, "India's doom was sealed the very day when they invented the word Mlechcha and stopped from communion with others" 4 Vivekananda opines that all beings are the fragments of the Supreme Being. The same divinity is immanent in all. Hence to practise or preach non-touchism is a sin against God Himself. Instead the upper classes and castes should help the lower ones to bring at par with them. They should help the weakers in demanding their rights and privileges. Rights and duties of citizens Vivekananda is a staunch advocate of the rights of the citizens. He wants the rights of liberty, equality, education, faith, belief and worship 3 'Vivekananda on National Reconstruction1 issued on behalf of Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Community Development and Co-operation, Govt. of India, p-1. 4 Life of Swami Viveknanda, Vol. 1 by his Eastern and Western disciples, p. 420.

7 7 for all human beings. These are the rights, says he, which are conductive to the moral good of men. Without these, men are hardly human as it would not be possible for them to realize the maximum possible development in their absence. He also lays emphasis on the performance of one's duties. Devotion to one's duty or work is the proper worship of God since it leads to the purification of hearts and eventually prepares man for the vision of God. Hence no one's duty or work should be slighted. A man should not be judged by the nature of his work but by the way he does it A good manual labour is much better than a professor who talks nonsense. Vivekananda here is more democratic than Plato who though talks of the division of work according to the natural instincts of man, yet divides them into the men of silver and iron. But Swami Vivekananda treats all men as equal, having the potential to be good and great. He believes that to educate his fellow countrymen is the first and foremost duty of an enlightened citizen. He holds that every man is a traitor who having been educated at the expense of his poor countrymen, pays not the least heed to them. He wants the citizen to spread an education which produces men with original ideas, open the book of their hearts and awaken the inner teacher. In short, an education which is man-making and character-building. It must help men in manifesting the best in them.

8 8 Besides, he wants the enlightened citizens to spread the ideals of equality, liberty, preservation of high ideals of religion and to do away with the diabolical customs, to root out the evils of tyranny, priescraft and national disorganization. Swami Vivakananda being a feminist, was deeply concerned with the welfare of the women. He believed that only that nation can be great which respects the women and provides opportunities for their multidimensional development. He often quoted Manu Smiriti's saying that 'Where women are respected, there gods delight and where they are not, there all works and efforts come to naught1. Therefore he wants to bestow the equality on women too. He praises Buddha who gave equal place to women in religion. To him, it is the treatment of the women which is the real measurement of the progress of a nation. In some citystates of the Greece, women enjoyed perfect equality with their men counterparts, so they reached the acme of progress. Secularism Swami Vivekananda is perfectly secular in his religious outlook. He is against bigotry as it lowers man. He says that all religions are equally good and true. They are all different paths to reach God. Hence all religions-taoists, Confucianists, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Mohmmedones, Christians, Zoroastrians are equally reverend to him as

9 9 they all worship the same Almighty. Hence all quarrels and differences in the name of religion are false. All religions have certain common grounds, the life- giving common principles based on morality. Therefore we must seek the unification of all religions. Religion being the life-blood of India, any quarrel in the name of religion will make the national body weak. He does not want fusion of religion with the manipulating politics. Keeping this in view, R. K. Mission is strictly keeping aloof from politics till this day. Nevertheless, he makes the religion as the basis of nationalism. To him, religion is strength and the life-force of India. Indians have degenerated as they have become oblivious of the sublime religious and spiritual ideals of the ancient sages. In fact Vivekanada is the father of religious nationalism which was introduced by Sri. Aurbindo much later. He believes that religious teachings must be constructive and not destructive. Swami Vivekananda advocates the practical religion which consists not in preaching the high and well-spun philosophy but in serving the weak, poor and the miserable. Being a rationalist he asserts that only the things which can be tested on the touchstone of Reason, should be accepted. He decries all superstitions, tyranny and priest-craft in the name of religion. He finds a close relation between the Science and Religion. According to him there

10 10 is no conflict between the two. Rather science has made the foundation of religion strong. Both deals with the same. What the Metphysicist calls the 'Being1, the physicist calls the 'Matter'. Internationalism/Clash of Civilization Swami Vivekananda's religious views are broad enough to unify all major religions as they differ only in forms and not in essence. He opines that all religions must assimilate the spirit of others while holding to their beliefs and preserving their individuality. This is the law of growth. He talks not only of the unification of religions but also of the two different cultures of the East and West. East stands in the need of Science and Technology of the West while the West needs the Spiritual assistance of the East. India has to learn from West the conquest of external nature and Europe has to learn from India the conquest of the internal nature. The union of the two is sine-qua-non to realize freedom. Such a union of the East and West will lead to an ideal state in which there will be neither Indians nor Europeans but only an ideal humanity which has conquered all natures external as well as internal. It makes Swami Vivekananda a cosmopolitan. He says,

11 11 "I belong as much to the world, as to India, no humbug about that...what country has any special claim on me? Am I only a nation's slave?...". 5 Major Questions The present research work intends to concentrate on the relevance of Vivekananda's teachings in the present scenario. An attempt will be made to solve the national and International problems in accordance with the Philosophy of Vivekananda. The methodology would be deductive. To conclude the following question would be answer. 1. Why is there so much fanaticism and violence in the name of politics? 2. How the problem of fundamentalism can be solved? 3. How can politics be made purely secular? Relation between Religion and Politics will be dealt with. 4. How can the modern educational system be made value based, a time when wisdom has degenerated into knowledge and knowledge into information? 5. How can the world be made a harmonious group of nations, helping one another and striving to realize the true freedom? 5 By his Eastern and Western disciples: 'The life of Swami Vivekananda1 Vol. 1, p. 453.

12 12 These major questions may prove the hypotheses like (1) Vivakananda's Political thoughts are relevant for socio-political stability and in nation building? (2) His thoughts are relevant to global peace and integration? Relevance of the study These are several aspects which remain untouched in the researches that have been conducted so far. It is an attempt to fill the existing gap. Moreover in the present day situation when the world faces a moral collapse, politics has been reduced to the level of a lucrative profession and the common man bereft of the human rights, stands neglected. Bigotry, superstitions and petty quarrels are being made in the name of religion. The study becomes all the more relevant as it sees the problems in their right and deeper perspectives and provides a rational solution to them as well. The study would be carried out with the help of following tentative chapterisation:- 1. Historical Background 2. Review of relevant Literature and Methodology 3. Vivekananda's views on socio-religious issues 4. Vivekananda's political philosophy a. Equality

13 13 b. Liberty c. Women's Emancipation d. On caste politics e. Secularism 5. Vivekananda's ideas on nationalism 6. Internationalism as the ultimate goal of Vivekananda's nationalism 7. A critical evaluation of Vivekananda's political thoughts as a catalyst for social and National Integration. 8. Bibliography

14 14 Bibliography 1. By his Eastern and Western disciple The Life of Swami Vivekananda1, Vol. I, published by Swami Pavitrananda, Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati, Almora, Himalayas, Remain Rolland The Life of Vivekananda And the Universal Gospel1 published by Swami Mumukshananda, President, Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati, Champawat, Himalayas 'Vivekananda on National Reconstruction', published by the director, publication division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, Patiala House, New Delhi-1, Complete works of Swami Vivekananda Volume VII, published by Swami Vireswarananda, Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati, Almora, Complete works of Swami Vivekanada Volume VIII, published by Swami Vogeshwarananda, Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati, Almora, Himalayas, Lectures from Colombo to Almora, pub. by Swami Gambhirananda, President, Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati Almora, Himalayas, Letters of Swami Vivekananda, pub. by Swami Gambhirananda, President, Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati Almora, Himalayas, 1960.

15 15 8. V.P. Verma, 'Modern Indian Political Thought' pub. by Laxmi Narain Agarwal, Educational publishers, Agra-3,1995 & Swami Vivekananda and the Buddha-II, Published in Prabhuddha Bharata, June Swami Vivekananda a Birthday homage Prabhuddha Bharata, Feb 'Swami Vivekananda and the Future of India' by Swami Ranganathnanda published by Swami Suddhasatwananda, R.K. mission, N. Delhi.

WHY THE NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY IS VIVEKANANDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY?

WHY THE NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY IS VIVEKANANDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY? Purpose is to honour the legacy of Swami Vivekananda, he was not only a social reformer, but also the educator, a great Vedanta s,