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RECENT VEDANTA LITERATURE
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vaka. It is always included among the schools of Indian philosophy, but if this school ever had any members, their works and names have been long lost. But Damle defends it as a reasonable attempt "to explain everything by reference to natural or nonspiritual processes” (p. 178). Criticizing the one-sided en thusiasm of contemporary idealists, he says, “There is at least equal truth and much greater need for emphasizing the distinctive and characteristic contribution made towards realism and materialism and for encouraging the young modern students of Indian Philosophy to aspire to the dizzy heights" of this speculation (p. 178). Materialism and sensationalism cannot be refuted, and even if they cannot be proved they still have value for the logical rigor which disciplines the intellect and purges it of idealistic excesses. The first steps in a future development of Indian philosophy, Damle maintains, should be "through the revival and constructive exposition of non-monistic and non-idealistic systems of thought” (p. 198).
It is often said that Indian philosophies and religions differ from Western ones in their mutual tolerance. This notion is quickly dispelled by an acquaintance with Indian philosophy, which yields to none in acuteness of polemical controversy. Professor Damle, however, seems to fit the supposed pattern. For this reason he is far from typical of Indian philosophers. I would not consider his book a natural introduction to Indian thought, or recommend it for that purpose. But I would consider it a good book of philosophy, and recommend it for its unprejudiced appreciation and dispassionate discussion of many views which are usually either defended or rejected as exclusively right or wrong.
This selective review of recent Vedanta literature is in no way comprehensive. Obviously limited to books with which I happen to be acquainted, it is also deliberately limited to books in the Vedanta tradition, which is only one of the philosophical schools of India, to relatively short books, and to books which in my opinion are of special philosophical value. Its purpose is to show that Indian philosophy is not exclusively ancient and me
18 Important longer works by Swami Nikhilananda, K. C. Bhattacharya, and R.B. Chaudhury have been mentioned above.
