PRACTICAL VEDANTA

Dr.G.Narayanan

Practical Vedanta or neo-Vedanta is considered as the philosophy of contemporary Hinduism.

It has been taken as an outcome of the Hindu renaissance movements of 19th and 20th

centuries. There is a general tendency to treat these developments as a result of modern

educational system introduced by the British government and the activities of Christian

missionaries. To post colonialists neo Vedanta is a hybrid system as it reflects the moral,

political and social values of Euro-Christian culture. The views of two influential vedantins

of modern era, swami Vivekananda and Sri Narayana Guru have been considered here to

evaluate this argument. One of them, Vivekananda had the opportunity for modern education

and the other, Narayana Guru, had his education in the traditional system. Though they

belong to the extreme north and south of Indian subcontinent, there views and ideology had

similarities. Both were champions of practical Vedanta. Hence their ideology and activity

make a suitable case for analyzing the argument of western influence in Hindu renaissance

movement.

Background

Indian society was in the grab of cast hierarchy from the time immemorial. The right for

education was limited only to the upper cast1. In the case of Vedanta Upanishads seem to be

liberal2. But the Brahma sutra has apasudradhikarana, which says that sudras are not eligible

for the knowledge of Vedanta3. Many doubts the authority of apasudradhikarana as it is

against the logic of advaita Vedanta4. The arguments to prove it, as an interpolation cannot be

substantiated since all the editions of Brahma sutra carry apasudradhikarana and all the

traditional commentaters had commented on them. Neither of them had any doubt about the

legitimacy of apasudradhikarana5.

As a theory, advaitavedanta have many merits except it’s discrimination against

sudras. From the day of sankara the logic of this discrimination was questioned6. Though

discriminatory and highly technical in character and content advaita Vedanta become popular

in India. Even an illiterate village grandmother may talk about brahman futility of worldly

affairs, maya or moksha. It is the result of bhakti movement. Bhakti movement brought doun

to earth the wisdom and values of Vedas and Upanishads through the devotional literature

composed in regional language. These renderings presented the ideology of Vedanta in a new

colour that anybody can easily understand and follow them in his life7. This was the first step

towards popular practical Vedanta.

On traditional side a development in this direction was started with great Ramanuja.

Actually Visishtadvaita and Dvaita are monistic systems8. Adhyatmaramayana and

bhagavatapurana presented the non-dualism of advaita Vedanta in the background of bhakti.

This marks a great shift great shift in the emphasis of Vedanta that the pre eminence of

knowledge was replaced with bhakti as the means of moksha9.

It took a long time since Badarayana and Sankara to bring these changes into effect. There

were contributions of many traditional teachers. With out changing the basic ideology they

added new dimensions. The contributions of great sages like Ramakrishna paramahamsa,

Vivekananda, Narayanaguru, Ramanamaharshi etc had great impact in this regard.

Scope and limits of traditional advaita Vedanta as a social theory

The technical meaning of Vedanta is Upanishad10. The philosophy dealt in

Upanishads is Vedanta. Not all the ideas discussed in Upanishads are Vedanta but those,

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which deal with Brahman and atman. These ideas were not systematic and the attempts to

organize them lead to the composition of Brahma sutra by Badarayana. In this book

Badarayana mentions his predecessors and contemporary thinkers on the subject11. The

process of synthesizing was continued in the later commentary literature, which resulted in

the origin of different Vedanta schools. Among these systems the advaitavedanta received

wider recognition than other systems. Modern Indian social reformers, who sought an

indigenous ideology to back their attempts, found the logic of advaitavedanta as the suitable

ideology12.

The hurdles that advaitavedanta faced was its fundamental character and complex

metaphysics. The well-known dictum that Brahman alone is real, universe is unreal and

individual self is Brahman reflects the metaphysical standpoint of advaitavedanta. This could

not be understood easily since it was against the general experience and reasoning of

common people.

Traditional Vedanta follows doctrine of karma to explain complex social conditions.

It also advocated samnyasa, which was withdrawal from active social life13. To change

traditional Vedanta for the needs of modern man both these concepts should be reinterpreted.

Since the caste hierarchy was built upon varna system and varna in turn was on the doctrine

of karma and rebirth. Quashing the karma- rebirth equation can demolish the legitimacy of

entire varna system and cast hierarchy. New teachers brought it into practice. The concept of

nishkamakarma was used to ensure the participation of monks in voluntary social service.

Vedanta of Vivekananda

Vivekananda had the opportunity for modern English education. His acquaintance

with his mentor master Sri Ramakrishna paramahamsa forced him to propagate the universal

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values of his virtuous tradition. He was aware of the necessity of refreshing traditional values

for the requirements of modern times. Reviving the Hindu society immersed in darkness and

age-old customs was the need of the hour. He used advaitavedanta as his ideology to meet

these ends. At the same time he excluded nothing from the virtuous tradition that he found

useful14.

He presented Vedanta as the best ideology that the modern world required15. He

admits the Upanishadic and traditional vedantic concept of Brahman. To him it is the only

possible idea of god that mind can think of16. He said that Brahman, the god of Vedanta has

nothing outside himself17. Following advaita doctrine of non difference of Jiva from

Brahman, he observes, that every teacher should be helpful, not by condemning men but by

helping him to call forth the divinity that is within him18. This echoes the view of

mundakopanishad19. Vivekananda’s articulation makes it mandatory to a teacher to lead his

followers to recognize the divinity inherent in them.

The life of Vivekananda itself proves that his ideology was absolutely practical. The

formation of Ramakrishna mission and its activities at different levels and places along with

propagation of universal values of Vedanta were novel to orthodox Hindus. Since the day of

Buddha organized monastic sects existed in India. They had undertaken charitable activities.

There was another monastic sect established by Sankaracharya. His four monasteries were

exclusively engaged in the propagation of Vedic learning and Vedanta. Perfectly integrating

both these streams, Vivekananda established Ramakrishna mission.

Sri Narayanaguru

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Sri Narayanaguru (1856-1928) was born in Kerala. He belonged to ezhava

community, a backward class community of Kerala. He was brought up and educated in the

traditional line. He had good command over Sanskrit, Tamil and Malayalam.

The social condition that was prevailing at his time in Kerala was not different from

elsewhere India. But the discrimination in the name of cast was more rigid20. The installation

and consecration of sivaliga at Aruvippuram in1888 (1063 M.E), in the banks of river

Neyyar, was the commencement of his challenge against the custodians of discrimination21.

By this time social activists like Dr.P.Palpu etc. who had already been realized a fact from

there experience that it would be very difficult to make any advance in a highly spiritualised

society without a spiritual leader22. Their association with Guru brought sweeping changes in

the life backward class people in general and Ezhavas in purtikular inkerala society.

Though educated in the traditional way guru was aware of the importance of modern

education especially technical education. Under his patronage S.N.D.P Yogam was

constituted in the ear of 1903. This organization following the instructions of guru established

educational institutions and hospitals. He also established temples across Kerala where priests

were non-Brahmins. His activities disturbed the caste system at its very roots. In his short

treatise ‘jatinirnaya’ he defined humanity as the mark of humankinds like cow ness etc. to

animals. This is the truth. But those immersed in the illusion of caste does not see this truth 23.

He forced the lower caste people to give up their traditional beliefs and practices of worship.

He reformed many social customs like marriage, funeral rite etc. In fact he was initiating

them to the sanctum sanctorum of Vedic tradition24. The proclamation one caste, one religion,

one god for mankind reflects his universal vision. He realized the importance of knowledge

in new world order. To him knowledge itself was the ultimate reality: Brahman25.

Practical Vedanta

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Practical Vedanta accepts the fundamental metaphysics of advaita Vedanta. At the

same time practical vedantins has transformed the entire system in to a new one, which is a

powerful social theory like Marxism. Practical vedantins integrated the virtuous and universal

ideals found in different Indian systems of thought and tradition to give a universal character

to advaitavedanta. Thus the new movements resulted in the total reconstruction of

advaitavedanta without demolishing its metaphysical foundation.

Usually practical Vedanta is treated along with neo-Hinduism26. Neo-Vedanta

is its synonym. The argument is that the idea of missionary activity was alien to traditional

Hinduism. In a society where caste hierarchy dominates, the subtle concepts like equality etc.

do not have any role. As a result of modern education implemented by the British rule and

Christian missionaries, Indian aristocratic youth acquainted with modern European concepts

like democracy, equality etc. These enlighten youth, in order to establish their identity on par

with the Europeans, looked back into their own tradition for similar values, and to find a

suitable ideology to place before the world, which can make them feel proud. They found the

logic of equality in the teachings of Vedanta and used the same for social and religious

reformation. For this they reformed the Vedanta to include charity activities27. Hence neo-

Vedanta is a hybrid concept as it being a perfect blend of traditional knowledge of Vedanta as

well as modern Euro- Christian culture.

“Colonial ‘hybridity’ in this particular sense is a strategy premised on cultural purity and aimed at stabilizing status quo. In practice, it did not necessarily work in that way: anti colonial movements and individuals often drew upon western ideas and vocabularies to challenge colonial rule. Indeed they often hybridized what they borrowed by juxtaposing it with indigenous ideas, reading it through their own interpretative lens and even using it to assert cultural alterity or incist on an unbridgeable difference between colonizer and colonized.”28

An argument like this should be handled carefully. This argument emphasizes a view

that Indians had a glorious past and it was inert and inactive till the interference of Euro-

Christian power. This denies Indians their tradition and alienates them from their tradition.

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Further, this view takes away every thing that came out of the traditional wisdom to the

domain of Euro–Christian culture.

The views of Vivekananda and Narayana Guru have given above. Vivekananda was a

youth educated in the modern European environment. Yet, he was a product of his tradition.

The traditional idea of nishkamakarma was enough to substantiate the acceptance of charity

activities in Hindu religion29. Even such a stretching is not necessary since Buddhists set up

the ever first religious missionary30. Charity activities were part of Buddhist monastic life.

Narayanaguru was a master of traditional wisdom. He had the right insight about the

society and the real intensions of the composers of traditional lore. He use d his ability to

uplift his fellowmen from their slave like conditions to proud human beings. He argued them

to get organize and become powerful. Only after his challenge towards the fundamental

Hindus, leaders like Dr.Palpu etc approached him and decided to utilize his abilities. Neither

in him nor in his philosophy one can see the taints of Anglo Christian hybrid culture.

A perusal of the views of both these saint social leaders, we can observe an adherence

on ethics. Buddhists and Jains had given greater emphasis on moral values. Among orthodox

philosophical systems yoga system of Patanjali emphasized the importance of disciplined

personal life. Yama, niyama and nishkama karma were acceptable to all of them. But their

application was limited to the daily life of a person. In the interpretations of Guru and

Vivekananda these concepts gained a wider scope. The result was practical Vedanta.

Practical Vedanta is not a new system of thought. But its vision and emphasis has

changed much. Reinterpretation of the concept of samnyasa and the emphasis lied on the

ethical values opened space for charitable and missionary activities. To practical Vedanta

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samnyasa is not the withdrawal from social life; instead, it is one’s total submission and

voluntary dedication for social service.

Conclusion.

To post colonialists all the intellectual and social developments that depend on

tradition, in a once colonized territory, are hybrids. It denies them their identity and

indigenous tradition. The normal and gradual development of an Indian philosophical system

into a powerful social ideology that brought qualitative changes, a cultural revolution in real

terms and time, was also hybrid to them. This is cultural colonialism or intellectual

colonialism. Practical Vedanta is an independent development of advaita Vedanta.

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Notes and references

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1. Manusmrti 10.1/10.42. Chandogyopanishad IV-2; IV-43. Brahmasutra I. Iii. 34-384 . V.Panoly, Adi Sankara’s vision of reality, the Mathrubhumi printing & publishing Co.Ltd,

Calicut, 1999, pp 301-3025. Sribhashya, Ramanuja 6 . Ibid. Ramanuja criticizes Sankara for allowing sudras to study Bramamimamsa. 7 Adhyatmaramayana 1.1.46-498 B.N.K Sharma. History of the Dvaita school of Vedanta and its literature, (S.E),Motilal Banarsi

Dass publishers, Delhi. 1981.p.59 Even sankara agrees with this to an extent. Vide vivekacudamony.

10 Sadanandayati, vedantasara Ed.Swami Nikhilananda, advaita shrama, culcatta. 1997.p.211 Radhakrishnan.S, Indian philosophy,Oxford university press, Oxford, vol.2, 1996, p.44312 Richard king. Orientalism and Indian Religion, Oxford university press,

1999: p. 134 13 Swami Gambhirananda,Tr, Eight Upanishads, Sankarabhashya on Aitareyopanishad, advaita

Ashrama, Kolkatta, 2003, vol.2, p. 11. 14 Richard King. P.13715 Vivekananda, complete works, vol. 2, advaita ashrama, kolkata, p.113-114 16 Ibid vol.1, p.33417 Ibid .p. 37418 Swami vivekananda , Vedanta voice of Freedom, Ed.Swami Chetananada, Advaita ashrama,

Calcutta,1998.p.58.19 Mundakopanishad I .ii. 12-1320 Vivekananda, complete works, vol.3 p. 294-29521 K.A.Kunjakkan, Sree Narayana Guru, published by the author, Thiruvananthapuram, 2005;

p.3322 Ibid p.4123 Nataraja Guru, The word of the Guru, D.K Print world, New Delhi, 2003,p. 279.24 Vivekananda too shared this view. Vide. Complete works, vol.3, p. 29525 One of his books is arivu in which following advaita view he equated knowledge with

Brahman. To him knowledge is the tool for liberation both social and spiritual. 26 Wilhelm Halbfas, India and Europe, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi,

1990; p. 239 27 Ibid. 217-21828 Amia Loomba , colonialism/ post colonialism,routledge, new York, 1998,p. 174 29 Kenneth.w.jones, two sanatana dharma leaders and swami Vivekananda: a comparison, in

swami Vivekananda And the modernization of Hinduism, ed. William Radice, oxford university press, delhi, 1998, p.243.

30 Vivekananda, complete works, vol.5, p. 191.