Vivekananda and the Question of the Other (2025)

Vivekananda The Philosopher of Freedom

Comment: India's Development Projects, or Hinduism, a Love Story

Human Geography

Martin J. Haigh's India Abroad is ill-informed and misleading in multiple ways. It presents a romanticized view of ‘Indian’ culture and, what the author calls, Hindu or Hinduism. The article represents misreading of post-colonial praxis, and in turn, post-colonial comradery. Post-colonialism, as an intellectual movement, examines the impact of colonialism on the cultures of colonizing and colonized people. Post-colonialists, sometimes drawing upon Marxian traditions, have mapped exploitative and dependent relations between the metropolitan and colonial societies (Gregory et al. 2009, Blaut 1993). Post-colonial theorists tend to be sensitive to the political implications of the ways the history and cultures of colonial societies are represented. And I bring up post-colonial theory precisely because this post-colonial call to sensitivity, that the author highlights by citing Kumar (2005) has morphed into romanticization and celebration of this category called Hindu, and in turn In...

India's Development Projects, or Hinduism, a Love Story

Human Geography: A New Radical Journal, 2018

Martin J. Haigh's India Abroad is ill-informed and misleading in multiple ways. It presents a romanticized view of 'Indian' culture and, what the author calls, Hindu or Hinduism. The article represents misreading of post-colonial praxis, and in turn, post-colonial comradery. Post-colonialism, as an intellectual movement, examines the impact of colonialism on the cultures of colonizing and colonized people. Post-colonialists, sometimes drawing upon Marxian traditions, have mapped exploitative and dependent relations between the metropolitan and colonial societies . Postcolonial theorists tend to be sensitive to the political implications of the ways the history and cultures of colonial societies are represented. And I bring up postcolonial theory precisely because this post-colonial call to sensitivity, that the author highlights by citing has morphed into romanticization and celebration of this category called Hindu, and in turn India, in very problematic ways. In what follows, I highlight how the author's attraction to cultural relativism obfuscates social contradictions and a history of exploitation in India.

SUBALTERN MOVEMENTS: INSIGHTS FOR INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE

On Swami Vivekananda and Caste Prejudice: Ethical Implications of the Experience of Non-Duality (2024)

Religions, 2024

The well-known modern Hindu reformer and pioneer of Vedānta in the West, Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), based his ethical vision on mysticism: specifically, on the direct experience of non-duality and the ultimate unity and organic interconnectedness of all beings. This paper will explore the implications of this experientially based ethos for caste prejudice. Caste remains a hot-button issue in India to the present day and was no less so in the time of Swami Vivekananda. This system of social organization is rightly criticized by social justice advocates for the inequities it enshrines and enforces in Indian society. Because it has historically been justified by reference to Hindu textual sources—specifically such Dharma Śāstras as the Manusmṛti—prejudice based on caste, or casteism, has frequently been depicted, especially by critics of Hinduism, as essential or inherent to Hindu traditions. The implication of this identification of caste with Hinduism, and caste with social injustice, is that Hinduism is an intrinsically wicked and unjust religion. Such simplistic equations fail to consider the extent to which caste prejudice has been condemned by authoritative Hindu teachers, not least, by Swami Vivekananda himself. It is thus important to rearticulate Swami Vivekananda’s rejection of caste prejudice—and indeed, of all prejudice—based on Advaita Vedānta both to make the case against such prejudice in today’s world and to address criticisms of Hinduism as inherently or essentially casteist. Finally, it will be noted that Vivekananda’s criticisms of caste anticipate those of a contemporary anti-casteist voice from the Advaita tradition: that of Hindu theologian Anantanand Rambachan, who has also argued against prejudices of various kinds, including caste prejudice, based on Advaita Vedānta.

Scientific Hinduism Book 2 Brahminical (caste) Hinduism: a system of institutionalised oppression

Swamiji's message at the Parliament of Religions -its implications

An analysis of Swami Vivekananda's ideas on Hinduism vis-a-vis historical developments including the rise of Hindutva. What were the implications of the message that Swami Vivekananda delivered at the Chicago Parliament of Religions 125 years ago?

Chattampi Swamikal and the Deconstruction of the Malayala Sudra Contradictions of Hindu Revisionist Theology in 19th-century Kerala

In N. Mannathukkaren (Ed.), Hindu nationalism in South India: The rise of saffron in Kerala (pp. 89-122). Routledge, 2024

Rethinking Neo-Vedānta: Swami Vivekananda and the Selective Historiography of Advaita Vedānta

Delivered in 2013 at the AAR. This paper problematizes the prevalent model of studying the “Neo-Vedānta” of Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) principally in terms of an influx of Western ideas and nationalism. In particular, I demonstrate how scholarly constructions of “Neo-Vedānta” consistently appeal to a high culture, staticized understanding of “traditional” Advaita Vedānta as the alterity for locating Vivekananda’s “neo” or new teachings. In doing so, such studies ignore the diverse medieval and early modern developments in advaitic and Advaita Vedāntic traditions which were well-known to Vivekananda and other “Neo-Vedāntins”. Redressing this discursive imbalance, I propose that close attention to the way in which Swami Vivekananda drew from Indic texts opens up a wider frame for understanding the swami and the genealogy of his cosmopolitan theology.

Political Thought: Indian and Western

Book, 2022

Kautilya is a very famous ancient philosopher who is always known as in the name of Chanakya and Vishnugupata. Although he belonged to 4 th Century BC, but his philosophy of governance of state is still followed by the modern political rulers. He possessed very rare qualities in the field of Indian social, political, military and economy. Due to his intelligence and farsighted knowledge he could able to make Chandragupta Maurya as the great emperor and thereby proved himself as the great nation builder. Chanakya never supported an autocrat ruler rather he always advised the ruler to govern the state in ethical and moral principles while delivering justice to the people. It is very often described that Chanakya was just like Indian Machiavelli particularly in the 20 th Century when India got independence. This statement was also supported by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minster of India, who categorically mentioned in his "Discovery of India" and argued that a lot of Kautilya's thought are based on the philosophy of realism and it is highly appropriate to modern nation also. In this context, the main purpose of this article is to explore and critically analyse the genius of Kautilya and try to understand the contemporary relevance of his ideas. Kautilya was a Brahmin. There is no unanimity among the scholars regarding the period of birth of Kautilya. However, it is mostly believed that Kautilya was born in Takshila which is now in Pakistan. It is also seen that most scholars believe that Kautilya lived in between 400 B.C. to 320 B.C. The father of Kautilya was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and in affection he gave the name of his son as Vishnugupta. It is also said that though he belonged to "Kutala"

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S VISION OF INDIA'S PROGRESS AND CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL REALITIES

The paper discusses Swami Vivekananda's vision of how India should progress .On his 150 th birth anniversary, the author discusses Vivekananda's ideals propagated in the late 19th century and compares this with contemporary social realities in 21st century India.

India's Untouchables: Still Awaiting Equality

South Asian Journal of Religion and Philosophy, 2023

This article considers the history and current situation of the Dalits of India, also known as the Untouchables. A range of primary source material is consulted, including Hindu sacred scripture that defines the caste system, writings by Indian leaders who advocated on behalf of social equality, constitutional documentation, and census data. This research shows that, although there has been much progress towards breaking down India's caste system and achieving a greater degree of social equality, much remains to be done. This is especially the case in India's rural regions where caste distinctions endure. The article also considers caste among the Hindus of Bali, showing that Indonesia's Hindus are free of the worst kinds of caste discrimination that remain a problem in India.

Vivekananda's Non-Dual Ethics in the History of Vedanta

Swami Vivekananda: New Reflections on His Life, Legacy, and Influence (edited by Rita D. Sherma and James McHugh), 2016

Non-Dual Belonging: Conversion, Sanskritization and the Dissolution of the Multiple in Advaita Missionary Movements

In this essay, I explore the theology of conversion and religious belonging that emerges from the teachings of several contemporary missionary traditions associated with the non-dual tradition of Advaita Vedānta. In the first section, I draw a contrast between two broad frameworks within which to understand a transformation of religious belonging: “conversion-over” and “conversion-up.” In the second section, I return to Mathew’s notion of Sanskritization as a resource for understanding the dynamics of belonging in these traditions. These traditions, I contend, do advance a specific form of religious belonging – albeit one that implies the sublation of rival points of view rather than their explicit exclusion.

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU ON STATE BUILDING, SECULARISM

2022

Genesis and Salient Features of Modern Indian Political Thought COURSE INTRODUCTION The term 'modern' may have different interpretations which make it difficult to exactly trace the date of origin of modern Indian political thought. However, it can be said that it generally covers the 18 th , 19 th and 20 th century. Bidyut Chakrabarty and Rajendra Kumar Pandey (2009) in their book, Modern Indian Political Thought: Text and Context have argued that modern Indian political thought involves three related issues of 'nation', 'nationalism' and 'national identity'. Needless to say, these themes were missing in the writings of ancient Indian political thinkers. Broadly, modern Indian thought can be divided into two phases. The first phase was of 'Social Reform'. Thinkers of this phase were more concerned with the internal regeneration of indigenous society. The second phase, more complex and textured in many ways, is the phase that we can designate as the nationalist phase. The concerns in this phase shift more decisively to issues of politics and power, and of freedom from colonial rule. It is important to remember that what we are calling the 'nationalist phase' is merely a shorthand expression, for there were precisely in this period, many more tendencies and currents that cannot simply be subsumed under the rubric of 'nationalism'. At the very least, there are important currents like the Muslim and the Dalit that mark the intellectual and political 'search for the Self' in this period. According to Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, modern Indian political thought could be seen as Indian response, resistance and mobilisation of the Indian tradition to British colonial conquest of India. Through the spirit of renaissance, there was an attempt to adapt to the Western modernity in a positive way while through revivalism, Indian tradition tried to respond to British colonialism by reaction and resistance (Himanshu Roy and M P Singh, 2017). It can be highlighted that the enlightenment that started in Europe in the 18 th century did lead to voices which justified superiority of the Europeans over the other civilisations. Modern Indian political thinkers not only sought to infuse pride in Indians by highlighting its rich cultural heritage, but some also tried to critique the Western civilisation. Gandhi's critique of Western civilisation as one which lacked moral and spiritual dimensions, is a case in point. This course covers some of the important thinkers from modern Indian political thought. It is divided in five blocks. Block 1 introduces modern Indian political thought with one unit, Genesis and Salient Features of Modern Indian Political Thought. Block 2 deals with the encounter with modernity and the question of reforms. It covers ideas of Rammohan Roy and Pandita Ramabai. Block 3 highlights Vivekananda's and Gandhi's ideas on tradition. Block 4 highlights imaginaries of the nation and the world through thinkers like Ambedkar, Tagore, Nehru, Lohiya and M N Roy. Iqbal's and Savarkar's views about community and nation find a mention in Block 5.

SPECIAL ARTICLE Radical Religious Poetry in Colonial Orissa

The "Ideal Society" as Envisaged by Swami Vivekananda

HISTORY OF UNIVERSAL RELIGION - INTRODUCTION

Swami Vivekananda's History of Universal Religion and Its Potential for Global Conciliation , 2020

In his own words Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) gives us this history of Vedanta from prehistoric times to the beginning of the twentieth century, when it was opening out to a universal worldview embracing the validity and important contributions of all traditions. Vivekananda highlights the deeply subjective nature of Vedanta, in which God is not "out there", but to be found in the depths of all souls. We learn about the social and philosophical structures that supported that inner discovery, as well as the self-transformative practices that promoted it and helped it to evolve over time. We see how this tradition adjusted to a thousand years of invasion and imperial domination from the West, with its belief in an extra-cosmic God and deep distrust of the subjectivity of Vedanta. From his training with Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) Vivekananda speaks from vijnana, a level of consciousness that integrates the subjectivity of Vedanta with the objectivity of the West so that finally there is the possibility of conciliation between the two--and, indeed, between all world traditions.

Violence, religion, and masculinism in contemporary India: an analysis of the writings of Vivekananda, Golwalkar, and Gandhi

2019

This thesis enquires into the process of normalisation of violent masculinity and masculinism in India through the use of religion. Masculinism is defined as the presence of excessive masculine values, malecentred view of social relationships and symbolisation of masculine hegemony (Kriesky 2014). This thesis shows the pervasive existence of masculinism across the Indian political spectrum through analysis of the major works of three leaders from different ideological positions – Swami Vivekananda, M. S. Golwalkar, and M. K. Gandhi. These three leaders had very different visions of the future of India; however, this thesis found recurrent connections between masculinity and violence in the works of all three. This link is shown to have been bolstered in the works of all three – even in the ‘non-violent’ teachings of Gandhi – through the use of religion. Religious texts like the Bhagavad Gita, and ideas like karma, dharma, and karma yoga are used to link ideas of masculinity with str...

Hindus and Christians for 2000 Years

Global Missiology English, 2010