| Awaken Bharata |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| THE HINDU RENAISSANCE AT A TURNING POINT | |
| Limitations
of the Hindu Renaissance
What in the Hindu renaissance was incomplete and prevented it, first of all, from seizing the minds of India? This is an important question that must be considered. Certainly its early leaders like Vivekananda and Aurobindo charted out the proper course to follow, but their vision was not properly put into action and later teachers moved away from any revival of the ancient Dharma to positions that were more politically correct and acceptable in the modern world with its anti-Hindu sentiments. The Hindu renaissance, after a good beginning, did not remain self-confidently Vedic, Hindu or even Bharatiya (Indian). It less and less aimed at projecting Vedic Dharma for the benefit of the world and gradually developed a more religiously neutral presentation. There were notable exceptions to this trend, we might add, but these did not determine what transpired, particularly on a national level in India. The Hindu renaissance, after a strong beginning, became vaguely and often apologetically universal. It was Hindu more in background than in expression, and outwardly became willing to mix with itself whatever appeared mystical in any religion. Hindu teachers, particularly after the independence of the country, less and less explained that they were propounding the principles of Vedic or Sanatana Dharma, or gave much emphasis to the fact that they were Hindus. They did little directly to encourage respect for Vedic traditions or to counter prevalent distortions about Hinduism. |
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