| Awaken Bharata |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| THE HINDU RENAISSANCE AT A TURNING POINT | |
| After
Vivekananda arose a steady stream of swamis and yogis who went to
the West, not only from among his fellow disciples, but from various
branches of Hinduism. This movement expanded greatly in the sixties
and seventies of this century. A Western Yoga movement began that
has now become a permanent part of Western culture. India came to be
looked upon as the great land of yogis, gurus and sages, and its
spiritual light drew the admiration of the world.
Certainly this new, almost missionary expression of Hindu Dharma came as a surprise not only to members of other religious persuasions but to the people of India itself. That a Hindu monk could be honored in the West was a marvel. Hindus gained a new and restored pride in their spiritual heritage and its value for the world. On the other hand, missionary religious groups were disturbed. Just when they thought they had beaten the Hindus down into conversion, they had to deal with Hindu teachers gaining their own following in the West and having their teachings, which the missionaries had deemed as primitive and tribal, regarded as modern and universal. This Hindu renaissance produced a veritable galaxy of extraordinary teachers, sages, poets and yogis. Many great ashrams were formed and much help was given not only to the cause of India but to the spiritual awakening of humanity. A constant stream of Western pilgrims began to come to India as their new holy land. |
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