Background

Indian society was in the grab of cast hierarchy from the time immemorial. The right for education was limited only to the upper cast[1]. In the case of Vedanta Upanishads seem to be liberal[2]. But the Brahma sutra has apasudradhikarana, which says that sudras are not eligible for the knowledge of Vedanta[3]. Many doubts the authority of apasudradhikarana as it is against the logic of advaita Vedanta[4]. 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 apasudradhikarana[5].

As a theory, advaitavedanta have many merits except it’s discrimination against sudras. From the day of sankara the logic of this discrimination was questioned[6]. 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 life[7]. 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 systems[8]. 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 moksha[9].

It took a long time since Badarayana and Sankara to bring these changes into effect. There were contributions of many traditional teachers. Without 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 Upanishad[10]. The philosophy dealt in Upanishads is Vedanta. Not all the ideas discussed in Upanishads are Vedanta but those, 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 subject[11]. 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 ideology[12].

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 life[13]. 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 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 useful[14].

He presented Vedanta as the best ideology that the modern world required[15]. He admits the Upanishadic and traditional vedantic concept of Brahman. To him it is the only possible idea of god that mind can think of[16]. He said that Brahman, the god of Vedanta has nothing outside himself[17]. 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 him[18]. This echoes the view of mundakopanishad[19].  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  

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 rigid[20].  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 discrimination[21]. By this time social activists like Dr.P.Palpu etc. who had already been realized a fact from their experience that it would be very difficult to make any advance in a highly spiritualised society without a spiritual leader[22]. 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 tradition[24]. 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: Brahman[25].

Practical Vedanta

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-Hinduism[26]. 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 activities[27]. 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. Further, this view takes away everything 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 religion[29]. Even such a stretching is not necessary since Buddhists set up the ever first religious missionary[30]. 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 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.

Notes and references