PHILOSPHY OF SWAMI VIEKANANDA

 

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was a comprehensive personality. He had a mysterious personality and consciousness. He had a great knowledge about Hinduism, European philosophy and elements of modern science.

PHILOSOPHY AND POLITICAL CREATIVISM

Vivekananda was a spiritualist. He like Dayananda and Gandhi believed in India’s message to west. The source of philosophy of Vivekananda are threefold

1.       The great Vedic and Vedanta tradition. Vivekananda inspire from the work of Ramanuja and Madhava, Vallabha and Nimbarka. He is said to to have gone through the eleven volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britanica. He had deep knowledge not only the literature of Hinduism but also of western thoughts from Plato to Spencer. He had full understanding about western scientific achievement.

2.       A powerful source of Vivekananda’s philosophy was his contact with Ramakrishna (1836-1886) one of the greatest saints and mystics of modern India.

3.       Main source of Vivekananda’s philosophy was his own experience of life.

He was the great interpreter of Vedantic philosophy in modern times. He was the first Hindu who made great effort to realize Hindu religion and philosophy to world. He was not political philosopher like Hobbes, Rousseau, Green. He doesn’t enter into analytical study of the concept of political thought nor political process and behavior. But he has a place in the modern Indian Political Thought for their teachings and personality of had great influence on the nationalist movement in Bengal. He was a great patriot and a vision of the unity of the country. Firstly, he taught the concept of spiritual freedom and then this connected with political freedom.

He had preached the practice of Karm yoga. He mainly interpreted selfless social and political service for mother land as an example of Karm yoga. Vivekananda didn’t openly challenge British imperialism. But he given us some ideas regarding the evolution of Indian society. So indirectly he wants neutralization from foreign yoke.

 

PHILOSOPHY OF NEW VEDANTA

Vedanta philosophy believed that God is real and material world is unreal. Vivekananda also believed in it. But he adds three other points in this philosophy. Human came into existence for absorption their soul with God which could be achieved with the help of true knowledge and this is called liberation

1.       He believed in oneness of God and individual. He gives also importance to individual with God.

2.       He said that individual’s work is not only chanting for God to liberate themselves but stood for selfless action in the service of humanity. Hence service of man should be treated as service of God.

3.       He in New Vedanta believed in the principle of universal tolerance. He said different religious faiths were different paths but their goal will be liberation or connect with God. So, we should have tolerance for different religion.

SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY

Vivekananda was inspired by the ideal of social harmony and synthesis in the theory of Verna system of ancient India. He believed in cate system. The basic point is not to impose unequal treatment with any caste but to help everybody in attaining the status of a true Brahman. He believed in Advaita Vedanta. Vivekananda encourages the concept of spiritual equality. He stated that all men are equal and equally entitled to spiritual wisdom.

Vivekananda discourage the concept of untouchability and said it the meaningless cult of the society. He wanted instead the positive cultivation of the religious spirit of self-realization and good of the community.

Vivekananda like Aristotle was a believer in moderation with regard to social change. Social customs are the result of arrangement of society for self-preservation. But when these customs become the cause of exploitation then it would be better to move in modernity and re arrange society.