________________
Philosophy of Dr. Radiakrishnan
115
takes place total conversion of a human personality into the divine personality. The entire human personality reacts to the felt experience of God. It is that divine unity, that experience of Oneness with God, controls his lower nature, viz., body, life, mind and consciousness. Dr. Radhakrishnan observes : “It cleanses all parts of our inward being and brings about a rebirth of the soul, a redemption of loyalties and a remaking of our personalities. Life puts on immortality and the whole being of man becomes intenser."29
But Dr. Radhakrishnan denies the possibility of an individual's salvation prior to cosmic salvation. However enlightened and spiritualised a self may be, it falls short of perfection in an undivine universe. Unless the environment is pure, no human being can ever be pure. A perfect alone can give birth to a perfect individual. The salvation of a human being is possible only when the cosmic salvation takes place. The individual salvation and cosmic salvation occur simultaneously. The pursuit of God realisation may start in an individual but it must end in fellowship. “In a true sense, the ideal individual and the perfect community arise together."30 So long the cosmic process continues, the mystics engage themselves in purification of the sinful and ignorant selves. When all selves obtain communion and oneness with God, when all become prophets and seers, the world realises its destiny.
In trying to give an account of the nature of the soul, Dr. Radhakrishnan leans heavily on the Indian tradition. Hence, concepts like Karma, freedom, rebirth etc. become important in his Philosophy of man also. Let us put an eye on his views briefly, with regard to these concepts.
The Law of Karma
The two features of nature : (i) connection with the past and (ii) creation with the future, are present in the human level also. The connection with the past is denoted by the word Karma'. Human life is an organic whole where each successive phase grows out of what has grown before. We are what we are on account of our affinity with the
