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| The Hindu Phenomenon |
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HINDU NATIONALISM : THE FIRST PHASE |
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his return to India after making a deep impact at the Parliament of
Religions in Chicago in 1893, Vivekanand declared that the
indebtedness of the universe to India knew no bounds. While
civilizations had come and gone, the civilization of India was indestructible
and eternal. The message of this civilization had to be spread
throughout the world. "For only Vedanta could triumphantly
stand against the faith-killing, heartless rationalism of modern
science; only Vedanta could lead men to salvation."22
Vivekanand believed that each nation, like each individual, "has one theme in its life, which is its centre, the principal note around which every other note comes to form the harmony. In one nation political power is its vitality, as in England, artistic life in another and so on. In India religious life forms the centre, the keynote of the whole music of national life".23 There can be no question that Vivekanand represents a landmark in the rise of the Hindu people. At the time of Keshub Chandra Sen and ahead of Swami Vivekanand, arose in north-western India a mighty force in Swami Dayanand and the Arya Samaj, which was to play a major role in awakening among the Hindus the spirit of self-confidence. This is a vast subject on which excellent studies exist.
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| About Hindu Nationalism: The First Phase |
