Book Title: World of Philosophy
Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan
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the notion of chaturvarnya. He emphatically stated that it is obligatory on everyone to serve the poor, the needy & especially obligatory to educate untouchables. He declared that the truth sarva khalu idam brahma can be realized only if it is practiced in the empirical plane. This social dimension of religion was emphasizing the path of action, selfless action & was also assuming final freedom. It was a step, bold step taken by him in reinterpreting the Truth to enable society to realize it.
The two religions pravhtti & nivhtti in Saìkarä can be said to form a unity by pravḥtti merging into nivḥtti through cittashuddhi becoming bhramajiäna; a stage going beyond any duality or plurality. It is this stage which is described by Saikarä more in negative terms as nivhtti.
Even Vivekananda maintained the Unity of pravhtti & nivhtti. But it was through placing pravḥtti on the high pedestal of Divinity & not by creating an impression that pravḥtti is of secondary importance. This is the way of transcending all sectarianism. He wrote, 'The watch word of all wellbeing, of all moral good is not 'I' but 'Thou'. Who cares whether there is a heaven or a hell, who cares if there is a soul or not? Here is the world & it is full of misery. Go out it as Buddha did & struggle to lessen it or die in the attempt. Forget yourselves; this is the first lesson to be learnt, whether you are a theist or an atheist, whether you are an agnostic or a Vedantist, a Christian or a Mohammedan'. (II.353)34
The paper can be concluded by putting this idea of unity transcending the religious sects as follows: "We want to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonizing the Vedas, the Bible & the Koran. Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of The Religion which is Oneness, so that each may choose the path that suits him best'. (6.416)36 No Book
Author
Page No . 1. Gétä Bhashya of Saìkarä CV Ramchandra lyer P2 Ibid
P584-585 Ibid
P573
Ibid
P5
Ibid
P193
Gétä Shastra
P6
P70
Ibid Gétä Bhashya of Śaikara
8.
P120
Ibid
P77
305
