Vivekananda and Bankim Chandra on Religion (An Old and Rare Book)

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Dr Sucharita Dey, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Philosophy, B. Barooah College, Guwahati has a brilliant academic career. Stood first class first in the post-graduate level of Gauhati University in 1991 and was awarded the university gold medal Started her career in the field of teaching as a lecturer at Nowgong College (1992-95). She has already earned admiration from the students for her competence in teaching.

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838-94) are two major forces of Hindu Renaissance in the nineteenth century India. The Swami is better known for his hectic, though short, missionary life. He symbolizes the young, dynamic and spiritual India. Bankim Chandra is better known for his wonderful novels. For the general people, if Bankim Chandra is more known for the slogan and the song 'Bande Mataram' Vivekananda is more known for his Chicago Address. But both of them are gifted philosophers, deeply religious, Western educated and above all, original thinkers. Bankim Chandra is the senior of the two. From the birth of Vivekananda to the death of Bankim Chandra, they were contemporary for 31 years. However, of the nine active life of Vivekananda (after giving up his earlier name Naren), they were contemporary for just a year. He did not begin writing then. Therefore, it is unlikely that Vivekananda had any impact on Bankim Chandra. But Bankim Chandra's books could have been read by Vivekananda.

Vivekananda is a practical Vedantin. He believes in the unity of the ultimate Reality, its identity with the self and immediate awareness as the only means to one's spiritual awakening. Science, philosophy etc. are only partial truths. They can never be adequate channels of expression for the transcendent Reality. Thorefore, from the ultimate standpoint, everything is an appearance. Only Brahman is finally real and It can be realized by aparoksanubhuti (immediate awareness). No reasoning, no books, can show us God. He is to be realized by superconscious perception. Vedanta teaches that.

Self is formless. All happiness and misery are inextricably connected with the senses and body is necessary to experience these. The higher the body, the higher the standard of virtue, even unto the so-called Gods and Goddesses; but all have bodies. As long as there is a body, there must be pleasure and pain; only when one has got rid of the body, after due wisdom and burning away of the prarabdhakarma, that true salvation (videhamukti) can come, though salvation is instantaneous with wisdom (sadyomukti).

Vivekananda is one of the greatest Advaitins. For him Vedanta is the foundation of every Religion. The significant tenets of such Religious Philosophy are: (I) Unity of existence and (II) Essential unity of every Religion. Bankim Chandra on the other hand, is a religious scientist. He examines Hinduism and Hindu Religion for the interest of intellectual satisfaction. Moreover he identifies the value of Science and Dharma from the sociological standpoint. Just as Science elevates social life of people so also Dharma. Hence for Bankim Chandra propagation of religious beliefs and practices are necessary for the progress of society from the scientific perspective. Both Swami Vivekananda (12th January, 18634th July 1902) and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (26th June 1838-8th April 1894) are the creative genius of modern, Bengal. Their unique thinking emerged owed to the influence of independent and free thinking of Europe, western education and culture of the second half of the eighteenth century. Vivekananda, a committed theologian overrides the principles, that (a) Religion is mere intellectual analysis and (b) Religion is possible within the sense plane. For him Religion is realization and belongs to the supersensuous plane. Religion is a vision and inspiration of the Reality from within. Bankim Chandra's Religious Philosophy is a venturesome attempt to explore the necessity of Dharma from the natural standpoint. He justifies Hindu Religion as against the attitude, which tried to discard Hindu idola- try totally. He espouses the alternative to save Hindu Religion and to make it free from conventional beliefs, so that it can help in elevation of human society consciously. It is only after exploring the core the true religiosity of the Hindu Religion can be arrived at.

A mighty tree produces a beautiful ripe fruit. That fruit falls on the ground, it decays and rots, and out of that decay springs the root and the future tree, perhaps mightier than the first one. This period of decay through which we have passed was all the more necessary. Out of this decay is coming the India of the future, it is sprouting, its first leaves are already out, and a mighty, gigantic tree, the Urdhvamula, is here, already beginning to appear, and it is about that I am going to speak to you.

Vivekananda.

Every human civilization has a unifying force of unity. This force is understood in Indian context as 'Dharma' while in Western context, as Religion. Both 'Dharma' and Religion' assume important roles being the foundation of human civilization. Religion is the direct experience of reality gathered after the a-posterior theory of knowledge. Dharma¹ also aims at Eudaemonism or Perfectionism i.e. the realization of the self or the infinite in man. (atmanam viddhi). Man's Dharma is to become the infinite that he already is in potency. Religion in its initial stage is concerned with the religious life, doctrines, creeds, and the like but finally transcends every empirical necessity and limitation. People having concern of the 'Eternal Spirit', realize that Religion is not fanaticism. "Existence is not a predicate. It is not definable but given. What is given in religion is too subtle and too complex to be expressed in logical propositions...." 2

Early nineteenth century faced an unprecedented rise of evils and social disorders in the name of Religion in India. As history reveals from time immemorial that celebrities often have dominated the social order when curse appears in the sphere of human thinking. So, too happened in the Indian culture. Celebrities, like Raja Ram Mohun Roy, the intellectual and Debendranath the privileged few. But their deliberations on the Vedanta could not do much to re-orient and re-establish the lost faith in Religion in the minds of the 'so-called educated sons' of India.

With the trend to revive and re-orient Hinduism there appeared at this juncture the philosophy of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He, for the first time, claimed with certainty that Religion is direct realization of the 'Eternal Truth'. "Thus he became a living verification of the fact-new to the world-that all religions, if practiced earnestly, lead to the Godhead. Once again this significant religious approach struck the Hindu Religion at its root that ultimately led Naren to follow his promised destination to know God directly and in this life itself. By interpreting that Religion is possible only in the supersensuous plane, Vivekananda puts Religion on a secure foundation, universally acceptable to all minds. Like Rudolf Otto, Vivekananda too tried to assure the religious believers of their beliefs and cautioned the disbelievers not to destroy but to assimilate, help and not to fight to evoke a consistent Universal Religion. "I only preach what is good for universal humanity." That the Vedas are the only exponent of the Universal Religion is the view of Vivekananda.