12 / March 2018 / Yuva Bharati
has been made, with hope and despair
alternating, to present a few glimpses from
the compiled volumes. In an endeavour
like this, the risk of missing out something
more significant or more precious is always
there. Hence the alternating feeling of
hope and despair.
This compilation carries a fitting Foreword
by Dr. M. Lakshmi Kumari, better known as
Didi in the Kendra circles, former President
of Vivekananda Kendra, and presently
Chairperson, Vivekananda Vedic Vision
Foundation, Kodungallur, Kerala, with
whom I (this reviewer) had the privilege
of working for some years, when I was the
Asst. Editor of the Kendra’s periodicals,
namely, Yuva Bharati and Vivekananda
Kendra Patrika. Her close acquaintance
with Man. Parameswaranji, as stated in
the Foreword, and her appreciation of
his life and works set the tone for what is
contained in the three volumes.
Heartbeats of Hindu Nation is a
monumental work marking yet another
milestone in the Kendra’s publication
activity. As one who has worked under
Man. Parameswaranji also for over six years,
it was a privilege indeed for me to know his
intellectual caliber at first hand, and every
time I read his Editorials or articles, I had
the feeling that he never wrote a single
sentence without firm conviction. His
points are very persuasive and conclusions
logical, without intending to offend
anyone. His well-meaning Editorials have
the power to make one think in the proper
perspective on the subjects discussed.
Here I wish to refer to an Editorial titled‘Shri Shankara and Islam’.
At the inaugural function of the C.
H. Muhammad Koya International
Foundation at Thiruvananthapuram, in
1995, the then Vice-President of India,
Shri K. R. Narayanan, gave a talk in which
he said the following about Shri Shankara:
“Shankaracharya was deeply influenced by
the monotheistic teachings and simplicity
of Islam. Some scholars argued that his
‘monism’ and ‘Advaita’ philosophy were
influenced by the monotheistic teachings
of Islam. He was finally ex-communicated
from his own community, may be partly
due to his revolutionary ideas. The last king
of the Chera dynasty embraced Islam and
migrated to Arabia. He sent missionaries
from there to the state to teach his people
Islam. In the East coast when the last
Pandya king died in the 13th century it was
his Muslim adviser who succeeded him.
The King’s son became his minister. Even
the Bhakti movement arose out of the
impact of Islam.”
How does it read? Even a person with
the barest knowledge of Shri Shankara’s
life and achievements will feel stupefied
at such preposterous claims. A lesser
mortal, in his zeal to defend Shri Shankara,
might have allowed his feelings to run
rough shod over the distorted statements,
thereby generating more heat than light.
Man. Parameswaranji has taken up the
erroneous statements point by point,
quoting various authorities, including
Muslim and European scholars, to expose
clearly the falsity of the statements in
the Vice-President’s talk. Going into the