January 27, 2013

Narmada Shankar, Golwalkar, Ernest Holmes, and Joshua Ramey

Sri Aurobindo Complex Trust: Talk on “The Hour of God” by Alok Pandey, Sri Aurobindo Mark, J.P. Nagar I Phase, 9.30 a.m.

Today we start our book even on Joshua Ramey’s recent The Hermetic Deleuze: Philosophy and Spiritual Ordeal… A debate over the legacy of Deleuze’s philosophy has raged ever since the publication of Badiou’s polemic Deleuze: The Clamour of Being which aligned Deleuze’s philosophy with a spiritualist philosophy of the One. This assault on Deleuze for not being a sufficiently orthodox materialist continued with the publication of Žižek’s Organs without Bodies: On Deleuze and Consequences, which is pretty much a travesty of scholarship and misreading, and Peter Hallward’s Out of this World: Deleuze and the Philosophy of Creation, which was a more scholarly and considered extension of Badiou’s polemic. The results of these texts were in some ways comical.
Clownish political posturing about who is more revolutionary and ridiculous declarations about Deleuze’s complicity with neoliberalism based off of who saw what kind of person reading his books on the subway (as Žižek claims that businessmen love reading Deleuze). While some of this work is interesting and the charges should be taken seriously — after all it is disturbing that Israeli generals have used principles gleaned from A Thousand Pleateaus in their control and murder of Palestinian bodies — they ignore the warnings that Deleuze (with and without Guattari) made concerning the very possibility of such ideas being turned to reactionary means. If Deleuze is correct, there is no essence, no necessary tendency, of an idea that will allow us to know in advance all the forms it can take.
This brocialist clowning has certainly dominated the discussion of Deleuze in leftwing theory. But there has been another line of inquiry developing partially in response to these polemics and partially as something that came before them. That is, the so-called “spiritualist” elements (Ramey prefers “hermetic” for important reasons) of Deleuze were evident long before Badiou cast the term as a slur. Philip Goodchild’s early and unjustly neglected work Gilles Deleuze and the Question of Philosophy made the case for a philosophy more profoundly concerned with the transformation and intensification of life than a simple description of the way things are…
Ramey’s summary of the hermetic tradition is incredible and means that readers who only consider contemporary philosophy will be exposed to a tradition often ignored today or unjustly appropriated by reactionary elements. Alongside the discussions of art and subjectivity in Deleuze’s philosophy, Ramey gives us a philosophy of transformation, a kind of naturalism beyond the slavish and pious devotion to nature we find in contemporary naturalism, and a kind of humanism beyond the idiocies of a humanism that confuses the particular for the universal.

Centers for Spiritual Living minister Mark Gilbert looks through 60 years of articles on the topic of evolution from the pages of Science of Mind magazine. The quest--to see if they offer any trends that may give us a clue as to where the evolution of our consciousness may be headed. Ideas and concepts from Ernest Holmes, Ken Wilber, Sri Aurobindo, Spiral Dynamics and more.

Our individual nature and action represents a certain “uniqueness” within a larger framework of conformity to our “type” as a member of a species. Every species has what we may call a “typal” nature that provides a framework for the potentialities and development of each individual within that species. Thus, an ant will be seen to act in a way characteristic to ants, and this will be different than the way that a dog will act, although all dogs will act in a manner consistent with “dog-nature”. Similarly all human beings share the basic characteristics of “human-nature”.
Within this basic framework, however, individual human beings can express variances that provide an individuality to their representation of the human species. The individual human being also embodies a soul which partakes of Divine Nature. It is therefore the interaction of these three elements, the typal, the individual and the divine, that provides us the unique expression we recognize as a unique human being. The concept of Swabhava expresses this idea that there is a “way of being” that is characteristic of each species and for each individual within the typal framework.

Sri Aurobindo’s epic Savitri was written in three parts containing twelve Books. Part One was first published in September 1950, before his withdrawal in December that year; Part Two and Part Three came out as a single volume a few months later, in 1951. We are now publishing this 1950-1951 Edition of Savitri in a suitable format with section and sentence indexing. It is felt that this Savitri Digital-friendly Edition will prove much useful for various types of mobile or other new digital devices as it will enable referencing and navigation in a quick and convenient way.

You must know the works of Sri Aurobindo and Mother is huge and voluminous and you cant expect readers to always quote when they want to engage in a dialectic.

Why was Subhas Chandra Bose struggling among the also-rans in the Bengal Republic Day tableau?  Swami Vivekananda, understandably, had pride of place.  But it might have been better to keep Bose out of the jumble rather than literally reduce his stature… Subhas Bose's contribution  to the formation of a Republic of India was no  less than that of the very greatest of our founding fathers. Bose proved in practice was an Indian secular state would be… Perhaps India can survive without Bose. But such amnesia will only diminish  India.  

Gandhi was discredited by his non-resistance against the Partition and its attendant calamities. The Hindu movement had been proven right and had the wind in the sails. The assassination changed all that completely: the grip on society by Jawaharlal Nehru and his secularism was enormously strengthened while the Hindu movement was marginalized and thrown back for decades…
I have already remarked that many Hindu initiatives are seeing the light of day without any RSS affiliation. That counts for those disappointed with the weak-kneed policies of the RSS, or with its anti-intellectual inclination, or with its appeasement of the non-Hindus; but it may also take the form of nuclei of militants who want “direct action”.

Attempts at appropriation
Frontline - Jan 22, 2013 Volume 30 - Issue 02 :: Jan. 26-Feb. 08, 2013
What is Hindutva’s connection with Vivekananda? K.B. Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, constructed the ideology of the Hindu Rashtra on V.D. Savarkar’s concept of Hindutva and was under the direct influence of other Maharashtrian Hindu leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and B.S. Moonje. At the same time, he was also inspired by the political Hinduism of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Aurobindo Ghosh during his student days in Calcutta (now Kolkata). However, as an avowed political activist, he preferred not to dabble much in the domain of religion; thus, Vivekananda’s Hinduism was peripheral to his politics. On the contrary, his successor, M.S. Golwalkar, who was more inward-looking and inclined to spiritualism, showed more interest in the goal of personal salvation ( moksha) prior to his joining the RSS. This urge persisted; in 1936 he abandoned his RSS work in Nagpur and left for Bengal to join the Ramkrishna Ashram at Sargachhi. Here he was initiated by Swami Akhandananda, one of the direct disciples of Ramakrishna, who had been the most active supporter of Vivekananda’s ideal of service. Swami Akhandananda died within a short period after Golwalkar’s arrival; before his death, he reportedly advised Golwalkar to go back to the RSS.
Though Golwalkar’s stay at Sargachhi was short, his personality and ideology were deeply influenced by this experience. Here he recognised how Vivekananda had brought a paradigm shift in the quietistic Bhakti tradition of Ramakrishna towards the making of a public Hinduism focussed on identity construction and organised philanthropy. Golwalkar, following the new paradigm, abandoned his quest for moksha and returned to Nagpur to work on Hindu identity and service. Golwalkar translated Vivekananda’s Chicago speeches into Marathi and wrote his famous text We or Our Nationhood Defined, which became the “Bible” of the RSS. After being anointed as the chief of the RSS, he infused some of the ideals of the Ramakrishna Math into the RSS system. Hedgewar’s “man-making” mission got a facelift with the institutionalisation of the pracharak system, which relied on renunciation and sacrifice. The RSS also adopted service as one of its key objectives and came forward to help victims during the crises of Partition, floods, cyclones and earthquakes.
Moreover, the RSS projected Vivekananda as a great icon of resurgent Hindu nationalism, a champion of Hindu superiority and a great defender of Hinduism vis-a-vis Islam and Christianity… The RSS has authorised the Vivekananda Kendra to act as the nodal affiliate for the grand celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Vivekananda from January 12, 2013, to January 12, 2014… Moreover, Vivekananda’s approach to philanthropy and accommodation of the marginalised has also been found handy for Hindutva leaders to construct an inclusive pan-Indian Hindu identity by expanding Hindu ecumeny. Hence, Hindutva’s claim on Vivekananda’s legacy may not be completely misplaced! Pralay Kanungo is Professor and Chairperson, Centre for Political Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. 

The Mahyavanshi: The Success Story of a Scheduled Caste - Page 83 - Y. A. Parmar - 1987 - Preview - More editions Narmadashankar Lalshankar Dave was another great social reformist who actively supported widow-remarriage and female education. To bring about social reform in society he published a weekly known as 'Dandyo', on 1st September, 1864 ...
The Rediscovery of India - Page 98 - Meghnad Desai - 2009 - Preview - More editions There was, however, a vigorous reform movement in which the Gujarati essayist and poet, Narmadashankar Dave took an active part. His newspaper, Dandio, published in Surat, was loudly reformist. Along with Karsandas Mulji (his fellow ...
Colonialism, Tradition, and Reform: An Analysis of Gandhi's ... - Page 57 - Bhikhu C. Parekh - 1999 - Preview - More editions Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo, the later Narmada Shankar, Tilak, Motilal Nehru and the early Gandhi, thought that British rule was both a consequence of India's degenerate state and an opportunity to turn the corner. Like their rulers, they too conceptualised the colonial encounter in pedagogical terms… In his Anandamath, the sannyasis did not follow up their successful rebellion under the divine advice that continued foreign rule was necessary for India's 'growth'. The later Narmada Shankar asked India to 'rejoice' that it was being prepared for political adulthood by Britain. Page 346 For example, Gujarati autobiographies by Narmada Shankar and Hemachandra. The former finds it difficult to decide what to say about himself and ends up writing a series of notes. Vishwanath Bhatt remarks that Narmada's autobiography ... 3:23 pm 
History of the sect of Maharajas, or Vallabhacharyas, in western India - Page 171 - Mulji] [Karsandas - 1865 - Full view - More editions A friend of the editor, named Narmada Shankar Lalshankar, a Nagar Brahman, and, who was not a follower of the Maharajas, invited the Muharaj to hold a public discussion upon the subject of the re-marriage of Hindu widows, to which the ...
Women's Higher Education in the 19th Century - Page 35 - Gouri Srivastava - 2000 - Preview - More editions The poet, Narmada Shankar, a great champion of women's education regarded the first duty of a woman as obedience to her husband. "A wife should act according to the wishes of her husband. The parents should marry their daughters ...
Visibilising Women: Facets of History Through a Gender Lens - Page 106 - Kirit K. ShahRadhika Seshan - 2005 - Preview Durgram Mehtaji, Dalpatram, Narmadashankar, Mahipatram Rupram, Bholanath Sarabhai were some of the early reformers of Gujarat who were impressed by western thought and combated evils that debased women. They focussed on ...
Mahipatram - Page 3 - R. L. Raval - 2002 - Preview At the English school, Nandashankar Tuljashankar (the first novelist of Gujarat) along with Mahipatram and poet Narmad (Narmadashankar Lalshankar Dave), a reformer of note, were his contemporaries. Life and activities : Bombay and ... Page 59 He may be considered as the first modern poet of Gujarat though this observation may be challenged by those who consider urbane Narmad, another prominent literary figure of this period, as the first and the foremost modern poet of Gujarat.
Literary Cultures in History: Reconstructions from South Asia - Page 599 - Sheldon I. Pollock - 2003 - Preview - More editions Narmad's larger moral philosophy was as different from Nanda4añkar's— this is hinted at here and there in his ... In fact the latter difference reveals the pathways that connect Narmad with Dayaram, the last of the premodern Gujarati poets.
History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956, struggle for freedom : ... - Page 222 - Sisir Kumar Das - 1995 - Preview - More editions It began in the nineteenth century with Narmad and Rangalal Bandyopadhyay, and almost at every phase of change poets themselves had articulated their positions either in the prefaces to new works or in critical essays defending the new ...
Modern Indian Literature: An Anthology - Volume 3 - Page 127 - K. M. George - 1992 - Preview - More editions Narmad's autobiography was made available to the general public for the first time only in 1933, at the time of his birth centenary. Another less known but well written autobiography published during this period is entitled Sirina Madams (1890) ...
Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World - Volume 1 - Page 83 - Gagā Rām Garg - 1992 - Preview - More editions From 1818 to 1857 the roots of British power in India were steadily getting deep and firm. Along with the British rule, came the powerful current of Western Civilisation. Kavi Narmada Sankara or Narmad (1833-86) as he is popularly called is ...
Indian Literature - Page 307 - Nagendra - 1988 - Preview - More editions Although Narmadashankar later hailed it as a struggle for national independence, at the time, the people wanted peace for their social and economic life, which the British authority assured. In 1857 the University
Identity and Religion: Foundations of Anti-Islamism in India - Page 72 - Amalendu Misra - 2004 - Preview - More editions Faced with this formidable obstacle and the contentious nature of that particular 35 'The tendency to blame Muslim rule is evident in most Hindu leaders, including Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Gupta, Narmada Shankar, Ishwar Chandra ...
Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo - Page 527 - Amaresh Datta - 1987 - Preview - More editions Narmad was the first to attempt it in Kavicharitra (1865), a series of biographical essays on the lives of medieval poets. In each case he takes pains to collect authentic information about the poet's life and work and tries to evaluate the same in ...
Perspectives On Sri Aurobindos Poetry Plays & Crit. - Page 104 - Amrita Paresh Patel, Jaydipsinh Dodiya - 2002 - Full view - More editions Sri Aurobindo too follows this wisdom behind the doctrine of poetic diction because he knows very well that practical ... Mahasegn refers to 'Oudh and Cowsambie, Ganges, Godavarie and Narmada', 'the moon-lit jasmines and the great sunlit ...
Gandhi's Pilgrimage Of Faith: From Darkness To Light - Page 24 - Uma Majmudar - 2005 - Preview - More editions Another radical reformer of Gujarat, Veer Narmad practiced what he preached and married a widow himself. ... Naoroji, called the "Grandshire of Indian Nationalism," Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Aurobindo Ghose, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
Handbook of Twentieth-Century Literatures of India - Page 103 - Nalini NatarajanEmmanuel Sampath Nelson - 1996 - Preview - More editions But Narmad, who had the advantage of English education, was possessed with ideas of freedom. Both shared an awareness ... But even in these matters, Dalpatram favored slow change, while Narmad was more radical. Further, they were the ...
Gandhinagar: Building National Identity in Postcolonial India - Page 22 - Ravi Kalia - 2004 - Preview But by the mid- 1860s, Narmad had become disenchanted with the West- inspired reform movement and, as a result of his ... Reinventing himself, Narmad now became a crusader for the revivalist movement started by Mansukram Suryaram ...
Gujarat State gazetteer - Volume 2 - Page 379 - U. M. ChokshiM. R. Trivedi - 1991 - In prose also, Narmad was a pioneer in many fields. Not that there was no Gujarati prose before Narmad. There was much prose of good quality written in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Even in. the 17th century and 18th century we do ...
The influence of English on Gujarati poetry - Page 51 - Umedbhai M. Maniar - 1969 - Here, partly because of his inherent limitations and partly because of his imperfect understanding of the concept of the poetry of imagination and passion, Narmad emerges a rather poor practitioner of what he preached. It has been suggested ...
Medieval Indian Literature: An Anthology - Volume 2 - Page 134 - Ayyappappanikkar - Preview - More editions The emotions of the individual became the theme of art and literature. New literary forms and concepts came into being. To Dalpatram and Narmad goes the credit of being pioneers amongst the moderns. Both were reformers as well as writers ...
Social scientist - Volume 23 - Page 48 - Indian School of Social Sciences (New Delhi, India)Indian School of Social Sciences - 1995 - One of the changes made in the edition of 1875 concerns Narmad's writing on Dayaram, the bhakti poet who died in 1852. In a sense, it concerns Narmad's views on the past culture of Gujarat, its cultural history. It also concerns his views on...
The Written Languages of the World: A Survey of the Degree and ... - Page 123 - Heinz Kloss, Grant D. McConnell - 1978 - Preview - More editions The most outstanding writer of the early new Gujarati period was, however, Narmad Sankar (1833-1886), who was a pioneer in many activities of Gujarati life and is considered to be the father of modern Gujarati literature. In poetry as well as...
Explorations in Modern Bengal, C. 1800-1900: Essays on Religion, ... - Page 2 - 2010 - Preview - Amiya P. Sen For the English-educated Bengali, Western thought or values acted more as a heady intoxicant rather than life-giving nourishment; it touched people's lives on the outside without also producing concomitant internal social changes. Page ix I remain convinced as ever that the scope for writing intellectual history, even for academically so well-traversed a region as modern Bengal, is far from exhausted. Preface 7:12 pm 
Early Women's Writings in Orissa, 1898-1950: A Lost Tradition - Sachidanandan Mohanty - 2005 - Preview - More editions Focusing on the early literary experiences of women in the east Indian state of Orissa, this volume offers valuable insights into the conditions for these women at a time when the region witnessed the advent of Brahmo Samaj, the campaign ...
Making India: Colonialism, National Culture, and the Afterlife of ... - Makarand R. Paranjape - 2012 - Preview - More editions Merging culture, politics, language, and literature, this is a path breaking volume that adds much to our understanding of a nation that looks set to achieve much in the coming century.
Democracy and the state: welfare, secularism and development in ... - Niraja Gopal Jayal - 1999 - This book examines the relationship between state, society and democracy in India over the last decade by exploring how the Indian state has fared vis-a-vis its three major goals in independent India: welfare, secularism and development.
Habermas and Pragmatism itchell Aboulafia, Myra Bookman, and Cathy Kemp - 2012 - Preview - More editions his is the first collection dedicated to exploring the connections between his body of work and America's most significant philosophical movement, pragmatism.
The Long Trajectory: The Metaphysics of Reincarnation and Life ... - Eric M. Weiss - 2012 - Preview Do we survive bodily death? Do we live again in a new body? Without answers to these questions, we cannot know who and what we really are. In The Long Trajectory, author and philosopher Eric Weiss explores these fundamental questions.
Integral Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo - Aparna Banerjee - 2012 - This collection of scholarly essays seeks to interpret and elucidate several aspects of Sri Aurobindo’s socio-political philosophy, particularly in regard to nationalism, the ideal of human relations, the concept of a stateless society, and an achievable human unity. Other subjects include the relationship between yoga and knowledge – scientific knowledge versus the inner knowledge by identity of consciousness – and Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy of education, specifically within the context of some debates about the aim of education. The unifying thread in these studies is the integral nature of Sri Aurobindo’s thought and his emphasis on the evolution of consciousness as central to understanding man’s quest for freedom and unity. SABDA - Integral Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo by Aparna Banerjee is Associate Professor in Philosophy, University of Calcutta. 

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