D K Pandita
‘Nothing makes us so cruel as religion, and nothing makes us so tender as religion’. This has been in the past, and will also, in all probability, be so in future Great Souls, who first felt these great ideas in their hearts, manufactured these words; and at that time many understood their meaning. In the present context the ignorant people have taken up those words to play with them and made religion a mere play upon words, and no a thing to be carried into practice. In 21st century, due to globalisation and communication revolution, the whole world is becoming ‘smaller and borderless’ this policy of ‘give and take’ dominance of materialism has demands urgent attention of the world is to survive. Horizontal and vertical divisions in society on all conceivable lines made the lives of common people miserable. Spirituality has fallen to low ebb the dominance of West on East which has changed the lifestyle of the people and the result led to the present socio economic and political conditions. The only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian one, i.e. ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumba’ as it makes human, ‘to know and love’ each other; for to know who truly we are is to love all.
One of the most significant contributions in this direction was, that of Swami Vivekananda to the modern world is his interpretation of religion as a universal experience of transcendent reality, common to all humanity. Swamiji met the challenge of modern science by showing that religion is as scientific as science itself; religion is the ‘science of consciousness’. As such, religion and science are not contradictory to each other but are complementary. This universal conception frees religion from the hold of superstitions, dogmatism, priestcraft and intolerance, and makes religion the highest and noblest pursuit, the pursuit of supreme Freedom, supreme Knowledge, supreme Happiness.
Another great contribution of Swami Vivekananda was to build a bridge between Indian culture and Western culture. He did it by interpreting Hindu scriptures and philosophy and the Hindu way of life and institutions to the Western people in an idiom which they could understand. He made the Western people realize that they had to learn much from Indian spirituality for their own well-being. He showed that, in spite of her present economic backwardness, India had a great contribution to make to world culture. In this way he was instrumental in ending India’s cultural isolation from the rest of the world. He was India’s first great cultural ambassador to the West.
On the other hand, Swamiji’s interpretation of ancient Hindu scriptures, philosophy, institutions, etc prepared the mind of Indians to accept and apply in practical life two best elements of Western culture, namely science and technology and humanism. Swamiji has taught Indians how to master Western science and technology and at the same time develop spiritually. Swamiji has also taught Indians how to adapt Western humanism (especially the ideas of individual freedom, social equality and justice and respect for women) to Indian ethos, which were adopted by its constitutional designers during its independence era.
Swamiji’s aim was ‘to lead India and the entire mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonising the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran. Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of THE RELIGION, which is Oneness, so that each may choose that path that suits him best. What exactly does Swamiji mean by ‘Indian spirituality’ and how is it capable of unifying, energising and pacifying the world at large and India in particular. Incidentally, ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hinduism’, strictly speaking, does not denote any religion. These names were given by foreigners to denote the land and its people. Bharat, the original name by which this land was known, has the longest, unbroken history. It was the sacred and divine Motherland to her inhabitants. The Eternal Dharma was Her soul, which like the golden inner thread joining the pearls of a necklace, gave unity and a sense of national consciousness right from the Vedic times. This was quite unlike the artificial, open, political and administrative unity of European nations. The best and the noblest expression of the Eternal Dharma was Advaita Vedanta, which is an all comprehensive, all-inclusive and universal way of life, embodying the immutable moral, ethical and spiritual truths governing the lives of all beings and the universe they reside in, realised by the Rishis of yore and verified and found true by subsequent earnest seekers down to the present age. It postulates potential divinity of the soul, unity of existence and harmony of all religions. It does not depend on doctrines or dogmas or rituals or books, but is rooted in realisation, in ‘being and becoming’, and as such scientific, universal and all encompassing.
The principles of unity in diversity and secularism in its noblest sense are ingrained in its adherents. By its very nature it admits no privileges or discriminations of any kind. Vedic hymns like ‘ekam sat, vipra bahuda vadanti ‘(Reality is one, but sages call it by various names), ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ (All the world is one family), ‘As many faiths, so many paths’ etc. are articles of faith in it. It also boldly declares that the aim of spiritual realisation is not merely achieving one’s own salvation, but achieving the good of mankind in general and thus has a positive social and humanitarian implication. No country in the world can boast of such an all-absorbing, all-accommodating and all-inclusive cultural heritage which, surprisingly enough, predates all other living cultures and religions and hence Swamiji calls it the ‘mother of all religions’ in his Chicago Address.
Modern scientific discoveries vindicate the truth of Vedanta that we are all inter-connected at a deeper level and that consciousness is the substratum of all. The fact that we are all basically the same leads to universal love, from which would come fearlessness and strength.
As we move towards the deeper dimensions within, the Soul begins to arise, gaining infinite power, purity and ‘everything that is excellent’, which, when acting on matter brings about material development, acting on intellect results in intellectual expansion and finally acting on itself attains the fulfilment of all human possibilities, making man a veritable God.
It thus fulfils the yearning of man to be free. From personal freedom (i.e. freedom from senses and passions), it moves to social or political freedom (freedom from domination by others) and ultimately to freedom total, complete emancipation or Mukti. In his speech ‘Is Vedanta the Future Religion of the World?’ at San Francisco in 1900, Swamiji asserted that the time had come to cast off ‘the kindergartens of religion and make vivid and powerful the true religion, the Vedanta, the worship of the spirit by the spirit if mankind is to survive.’ It is ‘the religion of strength’, as Swamiji calls it, the most dynamic force and the true and lasting basis of human solidarity, let all humans beings become the ambassador of his teaching, we celebrate Swamiji’s birthday as the ‘National Youth Day’. To accept all religions are equally true and valid is the only way out of the dangers of religious fanaticism, and consequent violence and terror which are now posing a grave threat to the world.
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