Yuva Bharati / March 2018 / 13details of the argument (in the Editorial)
will tantamount to reproducing the whole
piece which will be improper here. But I
am tempted to quote at least the concluding
para of the said Editorial:
“It may be asked why a stray and casual
statement by the Vice-President be taken
so very seriously. There are two main
reasons. One was already stated, namely,
that even a casual statement from a person
occupying such an esteemed position
will be considered as an authoritative
pronouncement with all the logical
consequences. Secondly, it undermines
our national self-respect, self-confidence
and also national honour. For centuries
together we have been proudly cherishing
the idea that Shri Shankaracharya is the
greatest philosopher India has produced
and that he is the Jagat Guru. It is his
contribution towards national integration
through his wonderful life-mission that has
enabled our country to weather the stormy
days of Muslim domination. And now
suddenly when we are told that the same
Shankara, whom the entire nation holds in
esteem almost like an avatara, was a product
of Islamic influence, our self-confidence
as a nation receives a rude shock.” The
message in the Editorial is clear.
Another point which readily appeals to
one in Shri Parameswaranji’s writings and
talks is that he is a great thinker with a keen
sense of history. His insightful Editorials
encompass a wide range of topics of great
importance. The whole of
Volume I of the compilation is a collection
of his Editorials published in Yuva
Bharati, and they comprise a sizable
part of Volume II also. In all, there are
seventyeight Editorials compiled from
Yuva Bharati, and the topics covered
include India, Bharat and National Youth
Day, The Gita and the Cow, Shankara
and Ramanuja, Tilak, Sri Aurobindo and
India’s Independence, Partition, Hindus
and Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Human
Destiny and India’s Role, Swadharma, The
Story of Two Celebrations, Evangelisation
2000 or Politics of Subversion, Resurgent
Hinduism, Hindutva and Other Ideologies,
Ecology and the Indian Approach, The
Pope and the Sannyasin, Marx, Vivekananda
and Religion, and Science, Spirituality and
the New World Order, to mention a few
topics at random. This does not mean that
topics not listed here are less important or
less absorbing. Every Editorial is a class in
itself, so to say.
Special mention is to be made of the various
topics covered in the light of Bhagavad
Gita. Topics such as Bhagavad Gita –
the Scripture of the New Millennium,
the Gita and Modern Problems, Gita for
Better Education, etc. provide a rich fare,
unfolding the Gita legacy in its multi-
dimensional applicability.
The role of Swami Vivekananda in
rousing the nationalistic spirit cannot be
underestimated. No wonder, Swamiji is
being hailed as the Patriot Monk of India.
He has inspired many great and powerful
leaders with patriotism. In the words of
Mahatma Gandhi: “I have gone through
his (Vivekananda’s) works very thoroughly,
and after having gone through them, the