Nature and Destiny of Man in 20th Century Indian Philosophy

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This work explores the perspectives of notable Indian thinkers from the 20th century on the nature and destiny of humans, focusing on a philosophical approach. approach. Rather than inventing new metaphysical systems, these thinkers have revitalized classical Indian thought. While they align with the Upanishadic view on human nature, they make valuable contributions regarding human existence, social relationships, and ultimate purpose. They stress the importance of realizing one's immortal self and unity with the divine, alongside holistic development in secular life. They argue that human fulfillment involves not just personal liberation but also societal emancipation across social, political, economic, cultural, and spiritual realms. Recognizing the contemporary world's materialistic influence, they advocate for a return to spiritual values to counteract insecurity and promote individual and collective well-being through embracing inner divinity, spiritual freedom, and compassion for all humanity.

Dr. Nilima Sharma, a Professor of Philosophy, specializes in the nature and destiny of humans as perceived by 20th-century Indian thinkers. Her work emphasizes the revival of classical Indian thought rather than the creation of new metaphysical systems. She highlights the importance of understanding human existence, social relationships, and the ultimate purpose of life. Dr. Sharma's research underscores the need for individuals to realize their immortal self and unity with the divine, while also advocating for holistic development in secular life. She argues that human fulfillment entails personal liberation as well as societal emancipation across various realms. Dr. Sharma's work aims to guide individuals towards a spiritual path, promoting inner divinity, spiritual freedom, and compassion for all humanity.

In the present work, an attempt has been made to present the problem of nature and destiny of men as envisaged by the outstanding Indian thinkers of the twentieth century. The pro- blan is approached from a purely philosophical point of view. The contemporary Indian philosophers have generally not tried to create new and novel metaphysical systems. They hare largely concentrated their attention a giving a new meaning and re- orientation to classical Indian thought. But they show deep interest in the problem of man and his destiny. They do not make any significant and original contributions in understanding the nature of man and the structure of human personality. In this respect, they essentially follow the Upanisadic view of me. But they have made certain significant and important contributions in the understanding of men's situation, his relationship with society and his ultimate destiny, as we have tried to show in the course of the present thesis. They hold fast to the ancient Indian view that it is of supreme importance to man to realise his eternal, immortal, blissful self and his unity with the Divine. But they also emphasise the necessity of man's allround development in the different fields of secular life. They contend that the fulfilment of man's destiny does not lie only in the attainment of his liberation from the cycle of birth and death and his realisation of his eternal self and his unity with the divine but also in social salvation. The society as a whole has to attain freedom in the social, political, economic, cultural and spiritual sense. They show deep awareness of the fact that humanity to-day is passing through a critical period of its history. Materialistic attitude towards life is clouding men's spiritual vision. The adoption of materialistic attitude makes man ignore the real values of his life. The result is that man to-day feels Insecure. The Indian thinkers seem to be acutely conscious of man's present situation and try to show him the way out of his insecurity that threatens his individual and collective life. This way essentially lies in the realisation of his inner divinity and spiritual freedom and in the cultivation of love and fellow feeling for the whole of humanity.