Dr Radhakrishnan: Messenger of Indian philosophy

Er. Prabhat Kishore

(prabhatkishore65@gmail.com)

India has had a rich philosophical heritage for thousands of years. Although western philosophy represents a particular thought, it places itself above all. The eastern philosophy and particularly Indian philosophy have a union of several thoughts – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam & many others; which makes it more rich, acceptable and strong. Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was one of the renowned Indian philosophers who demonstrated the Indian philosophy before the world on the so-called western standard and created a bridge of understanding between eastern wisdom & western materialism.

Born on 5th September 1888, the early life of Radhakrishnan was spent in the spiritual environment of the Holy town of Tiruttani in Tamilnadu (erstwhile Madras Presidency). He got his higher education at Voorhees College, Vellore and then at Madras Christian College. In 1906, he got a master in philosophy. His topic for his thesis was "The ethics of the Vedant & its metaphysical presuppositions".

In 1909, he was appointed as a lecturer of philosophy at Madras Presidency College. Thereafter, he served as professor of Philosophy at Mysore University in 1918 and then at Kolkata University in 1921. In 1929, he was invited to take the post of principal in Harness Manchester College, during which he got the opportunity to present his views on comparative religion & philosophy to the students of Oxford University. Due to precious service in the field of education, he was knighted by King George-V in his 1931 Birthday Honours. In April 1932 he was awarded the title "Earl of Willingdon" by the Governor-General and afterwards the title "Sir" was provided to him. When Bharat got independence, he ceased the use of all titles except the academic one "Doctor". Between 1933 and 1937, he was nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature for five consecutive years but was not awarded.

Dr Radhakrishnan served as the Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University from 1931 to 1936. In 1936, he was named Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at Oxford University. In 1939, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya requested him to take charge of the Vice-Chancellor of Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya, where he rendered his service till January 1948. He represented the country at the Unesco (1946-52) and was later ambassador to the USSR from 1949 to 1952. In 1952, he was elected the first Vice-President of the Indian Republic. He was re-elected as vice-President in 1957. On 13th May 1963, he took charge as second President of India and completed his tenure of five years successfully. During his Presidentship, he appointed two Prime Ministers - Lal Bahadur Shashtri and Indira Gandhi. In 1954, he was awarded the highest Indian civilian title "Bharat Ratna".

When he entered Rashtrapati Bhawan at Raiseena Hills, some students and his well-wishers wanted to celebrate his birthday on 5th September, but he urged them to commemorate it as "Teachers' Day" in honour of teachers of the country. He stressed that it is the teacher who makes our life knowledgeable and moulds us as good citizens with human values.

In his lifetime, Dr Radhakrishnan wrote several books, mostly based on Indian Religion, culture and Philosophy. Some of his renowned literature and publications are – Essentials of Psychology (1912), The Philosophy of Ravindra Nath Tagore (1918), The Reign of Religion in contemporary Philosophy (1920), Indian Philosophy Vol.-1 (1923), Indian Philosophy Vol-2 (1927), The Hindu View of Life (1926), The Religion We Need (1928), Kalki (1929), An Idealist View of Life (1929), East & West in Religion (1933), The Heart of Hindustan (1936), Freedom & Culture (1936), Contemporary Indian Philosophy (1936), Religion in Transition (1937), Gautam The Buddha (1938), Eastern Religions & Western Thoughts (1939), Mahatma Gandhi (1939), India & China (1944), The Bhagwad Gita (1948), Great Indians (1949), The Dhamampad (1950), History of Philosophy in Eastern & Western (1952), The Principal Upnishads (1953), Recovery of Faith (1956), A Source Book in Indian Philosophy (1957), The Brahma Sutra: The Philosophy of Spiritual Life (1959), Religion in a Changing World (1967), Religion, Science and Culture (1968).

The challenge of western Christian critics impelled him to the critical study of Indian philosophy and religion and find out what is living and what is dead in it. He saw Hinduism as a scientific religion based on facts, apprehended via intuition or religious experiences. He explained that intuition is of Savatassiddha (self-certifying character, Svasamvedya (self evidencing) and Swayam Prakash (self-luminous). He was a prominent spokesman of Vedanta and reinterpreted Advaita Vedanta for a contemporary understanding. His philosophy is based upon idealism.

Radhakrishnan emphasizes that education must be based on the twin principles of Truth & Love. Education will be said to be complete, only if it includes not only training of the intellect but refinement of the heart and discipline of the spirit. The aim of education must be character building, man-making, development of spiritual values & secular attitudes, vocational development and national integration.

Dr Radhakrishnan was a true nationalist personality of Indian soil and lifelong defence of Hinduism and Indian culture & civilization against uninformed western critics. Due to his dedication towards Hindu religion, culture & philosophy, the so-called secular forces and western-minded thoughts have been critical to him. But ignoring all critics, he continued his nationalist writings throughout his life and kept burning the light of Indian Philosophy on the world map. He took his last breath on 17th April 1975, but his lamp of understanding of intuition and interpretation of experiences will light our path from age to age.