World of Philosophy

SR No.: 007005
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
Publication Year: 2011
Total Pages: 1002
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 30 MB

Page 438

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S CONCEPT OF UNIVERSAL RELIGION
- Dr. H.L.CHANDRASHEKARA
I take this opportunity to extend my deep thankfulness to Acharya Prof. Dr. Yajneshwar S. Shastri Felicitation Volume Committee, for giving me a privilege to contribute this small article on the occasion of Prof. Y.S. Shastri's felicitation. Acharya Prof. Shastri is known for his deep scholarship both in eastern and western philosophy and also his broad mindedness and benevolence, a very rare blend to watch these days. Hence I express my immense gratitude to the committee for involving me in whatever minute way the great job of felicitating Acharya Prof. Y.S. Shastri.
The paper is a humble attempt to bring out Swamy Vivekananda's views on religion. The problem is highly intricate one in the wake of unsavoury incidents happening in the name of religion. Hence a modern man sees irrelevancy in the very religion itself and for him religion is the other word for superstition and irrationality leading to all sorts of social conflicts. Swamiji himself is aware of the problem. According to him no other human motive has deluged the world with blood so much as religion. Similarly no other force has influenced humanity as religion has done. Hence the question is whether we should totally discard religion itself. Or is it possible for us to totally do away with religion? Swamiji's answer to this question is in the negative. According to him religion is so much deeply rooted in man as he cannot discard it all of a sudden. To expect one to give up religion is as good as expecting Ganges to return to its origin and flow in a new path. Both are impossible. Swamiji says, "For good or bad the ideal of Dharma has been flowing in our country continuously from time immemorial. It has pervaded our blood and environment and is vibrating in our nerves".
Now if one cannot do away with religion, this obviously leads to another question as to what religion is and as to what form of it is needed to man. Swamiji views religion in two ways viz. religion as an end and religion. as means. That means according to him religion is both Sadhya and Sadhana. By religion as end he means the Supreme experience or the highest realization of oneself as identical with Supreme self. In short, according to Swamiji Religion is Realization.
By religion as means, Swamiji means different paths or sects leading to self-realisation. According to Swamiji there cannot be any single path to self-realisation and any attempt to bring the entire humanity to one sect would be futile. Because one cannot think in the same way as other does. If it were so, there would be no new thought at all. Motion is produced only when two or more forces come into collision. Whirls and eddies occur only in a living stream and not in stagnant water. Similarly it is clash of different thoughts that awakes new thought.
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