Book Reviews

Swami Vivekananda’s Vision of Future Society

Papers from a seminar at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture;

Published by Secretary R M I C , G o l P a r k , K o l k a t a - 700 029. 2014, hardbound, pp. 177+ix. Price not given. T his volume consists of some really thought-provoking scholarly essays on Swami Vivekananda’s vision on an emergingIndiaandhersociety.Thetopicsrange fromSpiritofScientificEnquiry,itsplaceinthe India of the future, the role of the teacher, India’s dutiesandexpectations.Theessaysarediverse–examiningtheroleofwomenincontributingtoa newcultureand,bestofall,examiningtheplace ofelectronicmediaincontemporaryeducation. Theprogressionissignificant;thespeakershave examinedSwamiji’scontributionstothethought ofnot just his own times but his continuing relevanceahundredandfiftyyearslater. Theunderlyingthemeoftheessaysinthe volumeiseducationand,througheducation,the refiningofthecollectivesocialconsciousnessand intelligence, such that humankind transforms itselfintothebestitcanbe. Everysinglepaper proves the axiom that Swamiji’s vision was so spectacularlybroadthatwhileIndiawasitsbase, its trajectory was vast and covered the whole world. This volume is one o f those rare publications which has something in it for everyone interested in a positive, optimistic roadmapforthefutureofIndiaandthroughit thewholeworld.Needlesstosay,itrequiresclose, dedicated reading and reflection and is worth everyminutespentonthosetwoendeavours. ___________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI

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Indian Cultural Unity

Edited by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya

Published by Secretary, RMIC, Gol Park, Kolkata - 700 029. 2014, hardbound, pp. 361+ ix. Price not given.

This scholarly work is the result of a seminar held in the Ramakrishna Institute of Culture on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s 150 th BirthAnniversaryin2013. Thebookconsistsofthirteenessaysspread oversixsessionswhichexamineawiderangeof historical,anthropological,socialandgeographical conditions thatgive a culture its true identity; they focus on the way culture gains richness andacolourallofitsown.Thestartingpointis the reformist movement of 19 th centuryBengal, notably the part played by Raja Rammohan Roy,KeshabChandraSen,SriRamakrishna,and Swami Vivekananda. The mood ofquestioning andframingnewbeliefsystems,acceptingthose which were relevant and disregarding those which had outlived their relevance was very muchintheintellectualatmosphereofthetime. Swami Vivekananda went one step further: ‘I do notbelieveinit(tolerance),’hesaid,‘Ibelievein acceptance. Why should I tolerate? Toleration meansIthinkyouarewrongandIamjustallowing youtolive.’(page65).Thisverynovelapproachhas

been examined alongwith other contemporary philosophies of the time as well as the manner in whichtheseviewswerereflectedintheliterature ofthetime. Anotherimportantthemeexplored,byShri ImtiazAhmed,isaninterestingexaminationof thereligionsexistinginIndia–Hinduism,Islam, BuddhismandJainism–whichco-existedwithout conflictuntilself-interestcreateddifferences.The authorarguesthatthesecannowbeequalisedby usingmoderntechnologytospreadawarenessof misconceptions. Thethirdandfourthessaysarespecificto culturalunityinIndiathrough,paradoxically,its cultural diversity, which is a point of interaction ratherthanseparationasthegoalsofallcultures remainthesame. Thenextsessionisdevotedtotwothemes–ananthropologicalexaminationofculturalunity andthepartplayedbygeographyincreatinga pluralisticsociety. This is ofparticularinterest todaywhenartificialbarriershavebeencreated between urban and rural societies, between theindigenousandtheborrowed,andbetween WesternandEasterninfluences. The topics in the next session are more specific. Choosing one pan-Indian text, the Ramayana, the many ways in which the story has beenhandledandhasevolvedindifferentpartsof North-EastIndia,thespeakershaveshownhow thisstorycanbeinterpretedindifferentways. ThereisanacceptedtrajectoryfortheRamayana –beginninginUttarPradesh,windingitswayto Sri Lanka via Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Kerala.Thesewritingsshowhowthestoriesvary intheirdetailsaccordingtothegreaterorlesser importancegiventothecharacters,inthelocal languages,therebyleadingtotheirexclusionfrom theSanskritisationofreligiousstories.Thisleads ontoartforms,suchasdanceandtheatre, born outofVedicritualsinthenextessay. Thefinalessayinthebookbringsitupto the 20 th centurywiththecontributionsmadeby SikhstothefreedomstruggleandIndia’sculture throughpolity. The bookraises several questions –how do we attempt to defineculture?Isournational identity the amalgamated result of several individualidentitiesrolledintoone,embracingthe differencesratherthanmilitatingagainstthem?Do weneedtolerationoracceptance?Archeological findingshaveprovedthedepthofIndianculture whichcanveryeasilyabsorbdiversity.Thecavesof Ellora, for instance, show the artistic unity of three religions–Hinduism,JainismandBuddhism.The worksofpoetslikeKabirrepresentawide-lens viewofreligioustraditions.SwamiVivekananda was consumed by the fire ofbreaking down barriers. There is copious evidence to show that as a concept, Unity was the cornerstone of Indian culture and civilisation. Swamiji’s contributionsemanatefromhisinterpretationsof SriRamakrishna’sunshakeablefaithinthevalidity ofallreligionsandcultures. Aneruditeexpositionindeed,thisbookisof valuetostudentsandloversofhistory,religion, anthropologyandsociety.Itisnotforthecasual reader as the papers are expert views from every fieldandrequirefocusedreading. ___________________________ PREMA RAGHUNATH, CHENNAI

Indian Philosophy of Nada and its Vocal Applications by Justice B.S.Raikote Published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 41, U.A. Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi - 110 007 2016, Hardbound, pp.481, Rs.695. G enerally the subject matters of Indian philosophy are logic and epistemology, metaphysics, ethics and religion; these are extensively, analytically and even academically discussedanddescribed.Philosophyoflanguage, philosophyofbeauty, political philosophy, and social philosophy are studied as the offshoots ofclassical Indian philosophical systems. An intellectual investigation ofaesthetics in India becamepopularafterthefamous Natya Sastra ofBharata was published. The textprescribes thegrammarofbeautyintermsofpreceptsand concepts and elucidates the denominations of it innatureandinarts.Laterthemetaphysicians

linked the Supreme Realityviz., Brahman with the aspects of aesthetic enjoyment such as vastu Brahma vada, sabda Brahma vada, nada Brahma vada, and rasa Brahma vada. Of these sabda Brahman is the unmanifestform ofthe transcendentalnadaemanatingfromSiva-Sakti as dhvani or sabda (sound).Theconceptssuch as sthayibhavas (permanent emotions), rasa (aesthetic experience), dhvani (suggestive of specificemotions)arethemanifestedaspectsof joyousenjoyment. SincethebookunderreviewisaPh.Dthesis, JusticeSriRaikotehasjustifiedtheselectedtheme throughout this work from musical, linguistic, aesthetic and mystical perspectives. He opines that the conception of nada emanates from the primordial sound known as Omkara or Pranava. The conception ofnada has exerted a strong influence on Indian culture; the Vedas and the Tantras use it while performing rituals in the form ofpranava sound and music tinged with divinepropensities.Thisbookmainlydealswith theontologicalnatureof dhvani aspromulgated in the upanishads, the six orthodox schools of Indian philosophy, grammatology, tantragamas andmusicology. Since the seers of darsanas in India inquired into the nature of Reality with spiritual intuition, metaphysical conception and logical precision, they seldom evinced keen interest in the analysis ofsabdaornadawhichstandfor‘sound’or‘noise’. Incidentally Nyaya-vaisesika, Mimamsa and Vyakaranastudiedtheimplicationsofsabdain termsofword-meaning,andsentence-meaning; this in turn enabled them to logically ponder deeply about the idea ofreality. However, the basis for word-sentence-meaning is sabda or nadaordhvani.Henceadetailedstudyofthese terms with their denotations and connotations has necessitated the author to highlight the philosophical overtones and he has successfully accomplishedtheassignedtask. The author envisages the notions ofvak, nada and dhvani from the pre-Vedic and the Vedic standpoints along with the conceptions ofrtam,aksara,oromkara,andnadaorPurusa. He succinctly derives the idea ofsabda as an

evolute of akasa and develops its application in all the mahabhutas as explained by the Samkhya-Yoga system. Nyaya-Vaisesika builds up the philosophical system from atomism, and nadaisaquality(guna)ofakasa(ether)which is an extensive atom – phenomenal theory of sound.Nadaisaneternalsubstance(dravya)— transcendental theory ofsound—according to MimamsaandVedanta. Tantragama subscribes to the vibration theoryofsound, accordingto which nada is a phenomenal activity (kriya or spanda) being the manifestationofcosmicenergy. Positivistic theory ofsound has been propounded by the grammatical system which holds that nada is anartificialsoundproducedbyvaikharidhvani ofvocal chords. The musicologistdevelops the transcendental theory of sound which states thatnadaisthemanifestationofcosmicenergy (orkundalinishaktiinthebody)intheformof vocal sound. The nastika darsanas known as Carvaka, Jainism and Buddhism promote the materialistictheoryofsoundsincenadaorsabda is ‘mode’, a ‘form’, a ‘quality’ or a ‘potential force’ ofmatter. All the above mentioned theories have been critically evaluated by the author which actreveals notonly his academic acumen but alsohisstabilityinintellectualpursuits.Inthe chapter on the vocal applications of the accepted theoriesofnadahenarratestheVedic(arcika), musical, aesthetic and spiritual applications with logical convictionandscientificexplanation. In theconclusionhedevelopsadistinctionbetween ‘transcendentalnada’and‘phenomenalnada’. Undoubtedly this work opens the new vistasofphilosophicalinvestigationintoanovel subject-matter which will certainly satisfy the intellectual quest of the common readers and also nourish the mental vigour of research scholars. The authordeserves appreciation for his deep erudition, accumulation of relevant facts, andscholarlypresentationofthe entire gamut of the chosen theme with ample illustrations, accurate references, appropriate citations, critical evaluation,andclinchingargumentation. _____________________PROF. R. GOPALAKRISHNAN, CHENNAI

PROF. SUDHA SHASTRI

Asagenerationgrowsolder,itis not unusual for elderly men and women to bemoan the dilutionofvaluesintheyoungergenerations. Disciplineisprobablythemostcommonvalue whichisseenashighlycompromised. Discipline,whichmeans‘tobedisciplined’ inone’sthoughts,actionsandhabits–isthe sourceofallothervalues.LetusrecallSwami Vivekanandawhomemorablydeclared:‘Mind you,thereisnovalueinlearning.Youareall mistaken in learning. The only value of knowledge is in the strengthening, the disciplining,ofthemind.’ Whatthismeansisthatdisciplineisthe motherandfatherofallknowledge.Itmaybe true that one needs to know addition and subtraction, multiplication and division to learn Mathematics; or the alphabet, vocabularyandgrammartolearnalanguage anditsliterature.Butitisimpossibletolearn evennumbersandletterswithouttheaidof discipline.Itisthefoundationofanylearning, progressandachievement.

Like everything else, the best and quickest way to learn discipline is in childhood. The child’s mind is fresh, uncluttered,andhasgreatassimilationpower becauseitabsorbsideaswithoutdoubtand distraction. Hence, discipline as a value shouldbeinculcatedinchildhood.Schools,no less than parents, have an integral role in teachingchildrentobedisciplined.Waysof inculcatingdisciplinemaydifferfromparent toparent,andteachertoteacher.Thereisno one correct way. Depending on a child’s temperament and circumstances, the parent orteacherneedstofindawaythatwillwork. Insomecontexts,thefearofbeingpunished may teach a particularly obstinate child to learn to be disciplined. Pressure, however, shouldbeusedasthelastresource.Foritisa clichéworthrememberingthatwelearnour lessonsbestwhenwearetaughtwithlove.

Discipline by example Discipline, on the face of it, seems to call for severity and strictness. How does one ensure that a child remains disciplined if it hasnofearofconsequences?Itisaprevalent beliefthatfearisasuccessfultooltoimpose anunpleasantlearningexperience.Andtoa child,whosenaturalinstinctistobecarefree andplayful,havingtoobeyrestrictingrules canbeunpleasantindeed.Thisbeliefhowever may need to be revised in today’s liberal times. In fact, the best and longest lasting lessonsarethosetaughtbyexample.

Thehighestexampleforsuchteachingis perhaps what the four children of Guru GobindSinghimbibedfromtheirfather,and

other family members. Betrayed by Aurangzeb’s false promise, Baba Ajit Singh andBabaJujharSingh,thetwoeldestsonsof theGuru,gaveuptheirlivesonthebattlefield fightingagainstheavyodds.Theywerejust18 and 14 years old, but had imbibed their father’s heroic faith in justice and God. Baba FatehSinghandBabaZorawar Singh, the younger sons displayedevengreaterheroism. Betrayedbyagreedyex-servant, theystoodfirminthefaceofthe Mughalgovernor’stemptationstoconvertto Islamorfacedeath.Callingtomemorytheir grandfatherGuruTegBahadurwhoembraced death to conversion, the two boys stood in prayerastheywerewalledinalivetodie.The twobrotherswerejust9and6yearsold. Teachingbyexampleisinvaluableandthe mostelevatedformofteaching.Italsomakesan interestingpointaboutdiscipline:disciplineis essentiallyself-discipline.Itissomethingthat comesfromwithinanindividual.Afterafew initialexternallessons,itcanbeinternalized onlythroughself-teaching. Whenweobservediscipline,weareboth learning as well as teaching ourselves. Discipline is not information or knowledge whichcanbeobtainedfromoutside.Itisan innercapacitythatwedevelopbytrainingour mind to think and do the right thing. In childhood we need parents and teachers to tell uswhatisrightandwrong,andwheretosow discipline.Butthereafter,asmoralandsocial adults, we understand intuitively where our behaviorneedstobedisciplined. Discipline and Time

Discipline is also associated with timelinessandpunctuality.Tobedisciplinedis tobeawareofthevalueoftime.Time’sarrow movesinonlyonedirection.Itisirreversible. Timelost,islostforever.Shakespearefamously declares through King Richard in his play Richard II, that ‘I wasted time, and now doth timewasteme.’ Learning to respect time and obey its demandsisthebestwaytoinculcatediscipline in oneself. During school assembliesformorningprayers, the school authorities are very particular about students not beingevenaminutelate,because these assemblies are as much aboutdisciplineinpunctualityas aboutprayingtoGod. A Positive Value

There is a pressing need to associate disciplinedbehaviorwithpositivevaluesinour countrytoday.Standingattrafficsignals,how oftenwefindvehiclesdrivenbyeducatedmen andwomenhaltrightoverpedestrianstripes! Jumping queues with impunity is also a commonsight.Thisdisregardforrules,even afterhavingthebenefitofeducation,seemsto arise from a false equation of indiscipline with power!Insteadoffeelingashamed,suchpeople takeprideinafalsesenseoffreedom.Theyfail to understand that freedom is always associatedwithresponsibility. To be disciplined i s to accept accountability.Howlackofdisciplinecanresult inacounter-intuitivebehaviourisrevealedina real life incident. A middle-aged lady had parkedhercaroutsidehergate.Herteenage neighbourtookhiscaroutinsuchahurrythat hedentedhercar.Whentheladyrushedout and seeing the damage to her car became agitated, the teenagerinstead ofapologizing becameoffensiveandrudelyquestionedwhy she was making such a fuss about a small matter.Hisindisciplineindriving,ledtoother characterflawslikedisrespect,dishonesty,and arrogance. We need to recognize that being disciplinedisnotaboutlosingone’sfreedom, ‘Independence means voluntary restraints and discipline, voluntary acceptance of the rule of law.’

butaboutmanifestingself-controlandpower intherealsense.Poweroveroneselfandone’s lesser instincts is more difficult to achieve than power over others, and hence the former sortofpowerissomethingtotakepridein.To beabletocontrolone’swordsanddeedsis thehallmarkofaleader.

Discipline and Indian freedom movement

Ashiningexample ofdiscipline in our national history, is the manner in which we sent out the colonial rulers, not through militaryforce,butbytheimmeasurablepower of self-discipline that thousands of Indians manifested with the mantra ofSatyagraha. MahatmaGandhideclared:‘Therewill have to berigidandirondisciplinebeforeweachieve anything great and enduring, and that discipline will not come by mere academic argumentandappealtoreasonandlogic.’More pointedly, he said, ‘Independence means voluntary restraints and discipline, voluntary acceptanceoftheruleoflaw.’ Discipline arising from self-restraint is integral to social harmony and all-inclusive development.Thesooneroursociety,especially our children and youth, learn to associate discipline with affirmative values like selfesteem,andnationalresponsibility,themore promisingwillbeourfuture.

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devoteesnottobeone-sided: form,formless andmanymorepossibilitiesexist.Putnolimit toGod. Let us consider the construction of a dining hall. First there is the thought of construction:ithasnoformandyetthoughts do take shape inthemind! Thenthereisthe diagrammaticorwrittenrepresentationinthe blue print orwrite-up.Thisisamoreformed presentationoftheformlessthought,andyet far away from the actual building which requiresestimationandthelengthyprocessof construction.Ateachstagetheformlesswas progressingtotheformed.AsHindusputit,it isthought-word-deed.Andyet,itisonlyinthe deedstage thatone cancall itafunctioning dininghall. Imagineasatellitethrownintospace;it plunges back to the earth; or it flies away from the earth’s orbit; or it revolves around the earth. At just a particular velocity and radius o f the orbit, the satellite is geo-stationary. Itis justlike that: standingatthetopofthecliffandseeingnota

trace of water on the one side and the river on the otherside. Itis beingbeyond all bhavas (moods)andarich,varietyofmoodsforpeople of various temperaments: bhava-atita and bhava-sagara. What is in between is Bhavamukha.

Who is a real guru? A realGuruisonewhoisbornfrom time to time as a repository of spiritual force which he transmits tofuturegenerationsthroughsuccessivelinks ofGuruandShishya(disciple).Thecurrentof thisspirit-forcechangesitscoursefromtimeto time,justasamightystreamofwateropensup anewchannelandleavestheoldoneforgood. Thusitisseenthatoldsectsofreligiongrow lifeless in the course of time, and new sects arisewiththefireoflifeinthem.Menwhoare truly wise commit themselves to the mercy of thatparticularsectthroughwhichthecurrent oflifeflows.Oldformsofreligionarelikethe skeletonsofoncemightyanimals,preservedin museums.Theyshouldberegardedwithdue honour.Theycannotsatisfythetruecravingsof thesoulfortheHighest,justasadeadmangotreecannotsatisfythecravingsofamanfor lusciousmangoes.

Theonethingnecessaryistobestripped of our vanities—the sense that we possess any spiritual wisdom— and to surrender ourselves completelytotheguidanceofourGuru.The Guru only knows what will lead us towards perfection.Wearequiteblindtoit.Wedonot knowanything.Thissortofhumilitywillopen thedoorofourheartforspiritualtruths.Truth willnevercomeintoourmindssolongasthere willremainthefaintestshadowofAhamkara (egotism).Allofyoushouldtrytorootoutthis devilfromyourheart.Completeself-surrender istheonlywaytospiritualillumination.

The need of guru Everysoulisdestinedtobeperfect,and everybeing,intheend,willattainthestateof perfection.Whateverwearenowistheresult ofour acts and thoughts in the past; and whateverweshallbeinthefuturewillbethe resultofwhatwethinkanddonow.Butthis,

The Guru Selections from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda the shaping ofour own destinies, does not precludeourreceivinghelpfromoutside;nay, in the vast majority of cases such help is absolutelynecessary.Whenitcomes,thehigher powers and possibilities of the soul are quickened,spirituallifeisawakened,growthis animated,andmanbecomesholyandperfectin theend. This quickening impulse cannot be derivedfrombooks.Thesoulcanonlyreceive impulsesfromanothersoul,andfromnothing else.Wemaystudybooksallourlives,wemay becomeveryintellectual,butintheendwefind thatwehavenotdevelopedatallspiritually.It is not true that a high order ofintellectual developmentalwaysgoeshandinhandwitha proportionate development of the spiritual side inMan.Instudyingbookswearesometimes deludedintothinkingthattherebywearebeing spirituallyhelped;butifweanalysetheeffect ofthestudyofbooksonourselves,weshallfind that at the utmost it is only our intellect that derivesprofitfromsuchstudies,andnotour inner spirit. This inadequacy of books to quicken spiritual growth is the reason why, althoughalmosteveryoneofuscan speak most

wonderfully on spiritual matters, when it comes to action and the living of a truly spiritual life, we find ourselves so awfully deficient. To quicken the spirit, the impulse mustcomefromanothersoul.

Thepersonfromwhosesoulsuchimpulse comes is called the Guru—the teacher; and the person to whose soul the impulse is conveyed iscalledtheShishya—thestudent.Toconvey suchanimpulsetoanysoul,inthefirstplace, the soul from which it proceeds must possess the power oftransmitting it, as it were to another; and in the second place, the soul to whichitistransmittedmustbefittoreceiveit. Theseedmustbealivingseed,andthefield mustbereadyploughed;andwhenboththese conditionsarefulfilled,awonderfulgrowthof genuinereligiontakesplace.“Thetruepreacher ofreligionhastobeofwonderfulcapabilities, and clevershall his hearerbe”—आश्र्चर्यो वक्ता कुशलोऽस्य लब्धा; and when both ofthese are really wonderful and extraordinary, then will a splendid spiritual awakening result, and not otherwise.Suchalonearetherealteachers,and such alone are also the real students, the real aspirants. All others are only playing with spirituality. They have just a little curiosity awakened, just a little intellectual aspiration kindledinthem,butaremerelystandingonthe outwardfringeofthehorizonofreligion.There isnodoubtsomevalueeveninthat,asitmayin courseoftimeresultintheawakeningofareal thirstforreligion;anditisamysteriouslawof naturethatassoonasthefieldisready,the seed must and does come; as soon as the soul earnestly desires to have religion, the transmitterofthereligiousforce must and does appeartohelpthatsoul.Whenthepowerthat attractsthelightofreligioninthereceivingsoul isfullandstrong,thepowerwhichanswersto thatattractionandsendsinlightdoescomeas amatterofcourse. Thereare,however,certaingreatdangers intheway.Thereis,forinstance,thedangerto the receiving soul o f its mistaking momentary emotions for real religious yearning. We may study that in ourselves. Many a time in our lives, somebody dies whom we loved; we receive a blow; we feel that the world is slipping between our fingers; that we want something surer and higher, and that we must become religious. In a few days that wave of feeling has passed away, and we are left stranded just wherewewerebefore.Weareallofusoften mistakingsuch impulses forreal thirstafter religion; but as long as these momentary emotions are thus mistaken, that continuous, real craving ofthe soul for religion will not come,andweshallnotfindthetruetransmitter ofspiritualityintoournature.Sowheneverwe are tempted to complain of our search after the truth thatwe desire so much, proving vain, insteadofsocomplaining,ourfirstdutyought to be to look into our own souls and find whetherthecravingintheheartisreal.Thenin the vast majority of cases it would be discoveredthatwewerenotfitforreceivingthe truth, that there was no real thirst for spirituality.

Therearestillgreaterdangersinregard to the transmitter,theGuru.Therearemany who,thoughimmersedinignorance,yet,inthe pride of their hearts, fancy they know everything,andnotonlydonotstopthere,but offer to take others on their shoulders; and thustheblindleadingtheblind,bothfallinto the ditch. अविद्यायामन्तरे वर्त मानाः स्वयंधीराः पण्डितम्मन्यमानाः। दन्द्रम्यमाणाः परियन्ति मूढा अन्धेनैव नीयमाना यथान्धाः ।।—“Foolsdwellingindarkness, wise in their own conceit, and puffed up with vainknowledge,goroundandroundstaggering toandfro,likeblindmenledbytheblind.”— (KathaUp., I.ii.5). The world is full ofthese. Everyonewantstobeateacher,everybeggar wantstomakeagiftofamilliondollars!Justas these beggars are ridiculous, so are these teachers.