Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Book Summary
Presented by Devatanu Banerjee
Overview
Chapter 1: Introduction
The chapter talks of the influence of the four yogas as well as the ancient
Greeko Roman essence of philosophy on Swami Vivekananda’s and goes on to
trace a brief biography of Swamiji.
Under the tutelage of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda not only conveyed
something unique, but went on to propound the synthesis of Indian and Western
excellence, calling it ‘Human Excellence’. Swami Vivekananda is projected is
equated to the Buddha and Sankaracharya in that at the very young age he was able
to make a lasting impact on the minds of both the East and the West.
The chapter also introduces the importance of education on not only knowledge
but also character development. Vivekananda is also referred to as the harmony
of all human energy because he identified that neither western nor eastern
culture were perfect and that both had a lot to offer. Therefore he chose to
assimilate both their ‘excellences’.
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Chapter 3: The Upanishads on Efficiency
1 2 3
Vidya Shradha Upanishad
Knowledge Faith / Conviction Deep thinking
Viryavataram
Supreme Excellence
By combining knowledge (Vidya) with the other two virtues, one can build character.
Quoting from the lecture, “The educated citizen is the source from which a modern
democratic society receives nourishment”. He believed that knowledge seeking in
educational institutions and social interactions, leads to character building,
which he terms – Manliness.
Political Aggressive
Achievements Political view of man wars
Educated citizen (who has)
Economic Promethean spirit (but is) Colonial
Achievements Ethically limited mentality
Sense bound (and is)
Social Communal Social
Achievements exploitation
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Chapter 4: Greek Specialization in Human Excellence: Its
Limitations
In spite of this, the crucial drawback of Greek philosophy is that it does not
address the finality of death. This is where the Indian thought process has been
able to develop an inward spiritual dimension of man that addresses the concept
of death.
Thus, he urges Indians to wake up from the sleep of centuries and to act with
courage and achieve total human development. He encourages us to be filled with
an intense spirit of activity (Rajas), and adopting the Bhagiratha spirit (India’s
equivalent of the Promethean spirit).
The author talks about the relationship between Narendra (Vivekananda) and Sri
Ramakrishna, and how Vivekanada is urged to seek the higher in not just
samadhi but in every day life.
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this as a duality, Sri Ramakrishna coins a new term – Vijnana for the
comprehensive philosophical and view of Advaita (the philosophy of duality existing
as one).
The author goes on to reveal how Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda created a
philosophic symphony and evolved a message that would have a great impact on the
east as well as the west.
The meeting of these two seemingly opposite individuals and creation of such
a unity is also used as a symbolic justification of the unity that they
propounded.
While western thought sought control over the environment, Indian though placed
emphasis on the organism. So while the west set out to conquer the
environment, India set out to strengthen the inner to endure the environment.
Vivekanada talks about the virtues of both and how they are both needed for
completed human development.
2
Intrinsic Value of Man
Complete excellence model
Higher value of
1 spiritual freedom
Lower positional and equality
value for society (Indian concept)
(Western concept)
Vivekananda also mentions that the goal of life is to manifest the divine within by
controlling nature (using science, technology, politics) and internally (ethics / arts /
spiritualism/ inward thought).
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He goes on to suggest that true freedom emanating from the manifestation of
the divine can be done using one, many or all of the following –
1. Work
2. Worship
3. Physic control
When he says “Today the ancient Greek is meeting the ancient Hindu on the soil of
India”, Vivekanada places the utmost importance on both positivistic thought and
spiritual development shaping character. He believes that India has strayed away
by years of neglecting the external development and hence sinking into
poverty, injustice, sham religiosity, illiteracy and other ills.
Here Vivekanada stresses that there are two aspects of human excellence –
1. Harmony and peace - Being able to tolerate other regions and views
2. Strength and fearlessness – One who is feared (respected by others)
While we have come to except that these two aspects are exclusive, Vivekananda
believes that we should strive to combine strength and gentleness to achieve
human excellence.
Vivekananda also urges the world to follow India’s example and separate religious
dogma and intolerance from faith and tolerance. He uses the example of India being
alone (with the exception of the British and Mughal rule) in not having an
aggressive / expansionist past. It is also stated this India is the only country where
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all religions are tolerated. (This can be debated however does not form part of the
scope of this paper).
Swami Ranganathananandji also quotes many examples from Jewish and Greco
Roman history to drive home the point that there are many forms in which God is
worshiped; however there is only one God.
Vivekananda believed that human excellence was the harmony of all human energy.
He personified this himself. Focusing on “learning to do” (Greek / Western ideal of
character excellence) as well “learning to be” (Indian ideal of excellence) is what
his synthesis is about.
Thank you.
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