Hindu View of Life

Sister Nivedita in her foreword to the Complete works of Swami Vivekananda wrote in the year 1906, "What Hinduism needed, amidst the general disintegration of the modern era, was a rock where she could lie at anchor, an authoritative utterance in which she might recognize herself. And this was given to her, in these words and writings of the Swami Vivekananda" (page ix - Introduction - The Complete works of Swami Vivekananda Vol I).

More or less in the same words could be described the message that Shri Guruji gave to his countrymen during the three decades of his Sarsanghachalakship of the RSS. Like Swami Vivekananda, Shri Guriji's ideas have come down to us mostly through the lectures he delivered and the letters he wrote on innumerable occasions. He neither had the time nor the inclination to sit down and write any book as such, though his skill, ability, scholarship and mastery over language for the task were unquestionable.

To the question why in spite of his thorough knowledge of history, he did not write down a book on history, Shri Guruji's reply was typical. "We are here to make history. It is for others to write." In his endless travels, and meetings with people from all strata of society – rich and poor, intellectuals and illiterate – and in his almost daily lectures and discourses, Shri Guruji dealt with every aspect of life, both in their practical and philosophical dimensions. He was eminently qualified for such a daunting job.  These viewpoints have a unique significance. They are not mere philosophical treatises. Shri Guruji was not just an academic philosopher. No doubt, he had mastered the crux and complexities of the Hindu philosophy. But, as a down-to-earth, practical leader of men, guide and philosopher of a multi-faceted countrywide movement, he had tested his philosophical wisdom by experience and experiment in his every day life and contact. He never lost touch with concrete situations and burning problems. As such, his viewpoint, while remaining deeply rooted in the Hindu spiritual tradition, had intense practical relevance.  But, Shri Guruji never got stuck up in the problems and travails of the immediate present. Though he never failed to give practical guidelines for the immediate problems of the organizations and the Hindu society, he had always kept a long-term perspective and never swerved from the national and the spiritual angle. Even while guiding politicians who approached him for advice, Shri Guruji never counseled expediency or unprincipled compromise. He belonged to the tradition of the Rishis who were the safe custodians of unerring wisdom. All this was possible because he lived and worked during what could be termed a Yuga Sandhi. He belonged as much to the glorious traditions of the past as to the future with its immense possibilities.

..... Mananeeya P Parameswaranji writes of Sri Guruji.... contd