CHAPTER-V

THE PHILOSOPHY OF RANGANATHANANDA

Ranganathananda opines that the insight to the realization of truth
which has been preserved for humanity in the form of literature is called
the UpaniÀads. This is the Vedic literature which contains the philosophy -
the quintessence of the Vedas, the UpaniÀads and it collectively is called
Vedanta. Vedanta is impersonal in approach and universal in spirit. The
rationality and spirituality of Vedanta made it a synthesis of science and
philosophy, religion and ethics in one. This Vedanta is the product of the
fearless quest of truth by the human mind ‘undisturbed by the thought of

there being a public to please or critics to appease’1 says Max Muller.

Vedanta philosophy is not relevant, if it is not practical. The great

Vedantic text, the B.G. reveals the practicality of Vedanta. Like
Vivekananda, who insisted on the practicality of belief, Ranganathananda
also followed the same ideals. Ranganathananda stressed that the positive
teachings of Vedanta would erase all the weaknesses in a human being and
raise him to a platform where Self-Realization can be attained.

Vision of Ranganathananda on the Concepts of Vedanta

A firm Advaitist, Ranganathananda emphasizes the acceptance of

philosophical truth. He wanted the great Vedantic texts to be read and
 138
 

practised by each and all in society. His vision on certain concepts of

Vedanta is described briefly.

Brahman

According to Ranganathananda, Brahman is one. All Schools of

Vedanta accepted the universal characteristic of Brahman and they speak
of one and the same reality in its metaphysics and it is Brahman that is
‘one only without a second.’2

Brahman is also the one which is the self evoking cause. The self
existent one is the Ëtma or the real Self behind the ego. According to
Ranganathananda, by removing the veil of ignorance, man can reach the
Brahman hidden in him. It is just like the Kast£ri hidden in the deer and
the deer searching the source of its smell.

Vedanta, being not a mere logical postulate, is the fact of

experience. Logic and experience combined together to form reason and
faith. This reality is the Brahman or the Ëtman was said by
Ranganathananda. The UpaniÀads expounds that truth of the innate
freedom, dignity, purity and glory of man as the Ëtma. This has been
supported by many sages. To stress this point Ranganathananda quotes the
passages from B¤h.Up. -
 139
 

¥ÉÀ ´ÉÉ <nù¨ÉOÉ +ɺÉÒiiÉnùÉi¨ÉÉxɨÉä´ÉÉ´Éänù½Æþ ¥ÉÀɺ¨ÉÒ <ÊiÉ* iɺ¨ÉÉiiÉiºÉ´ÉǨɦɴÉiÉÂ*

iÉtÉä ªÉÉä näù´ÉÉxÉÉÆ |ÉiªÉ¤ÉÖvªÉiÉ ºÉ B´É iÉnù¦É´ÉiiÉlɹÉÔhÉÉÆ iÉlÉÉ ¨ÉxÉÖ¹ªÉÉhÉÉÆ
iÉrèùiÉi{ɶªÉzÉÞʹɴÉÉǨÉnäù´É& |ÉÊiÉ{Éänäù%½Æþ ¨ÉxÉÖ®ú¦É´ÉÆ ºÉÚªÉǶSÉäÊiÉ* 3

Brahman is the ultimate reality described in Vedanta as Sat, Cit,

and Ënanda. Ranganathananda makes it clear by these words:-

“When you see through to the very heart of things, you find nothing

but God. On the surface level, you see molecules, atoms, etc., but when
you go deep, there is nothing but pure consciousness, the ‘essence’ of

everything; that is the Ëtman, that is Brahman.”4

Ì¿vara

The concept of Ì¿vara in Advaita philosophy was accepted by

Ranganathananda. It is absolute consciousness which combines physical
and spiritual forces. The path to seek God is the same as seeking the Self.
Ranganathananda says India has a glorified lure to godliness. All its sages
and social reformers exhorted the people to know the Self and thereby
know God. Complete surrender to God or the Self could be attained, says
Ranganathananda by following the four paths of Yoga. In his book ‘The

Message of B¤had¡ra¸yakopaniÀad’ he says thus-

 140
 

“The usual understanding of God is some bearded old man in the

sky. We have no such conception. God is the eternal Self of the universe
and also the Self of man. There is no separate extra cosmic God in
Vedanta.”5

Jagat

Ranganathananda’s views Jagat as a dream. When Self Realization

is attained, a new universe is created. This universe is an illusion. Universe

is like the thread used by a spider to weave its web says Ranganathananda,
In Vedanta Jagat is Vivartta. Brahman is mistaken as the universe but the
unchangeable is not transformed into the universe. Brahman is the only
truth and the rest are imagination. In Jagat God is supposed to be seen
because we go through time, space and causation.

J¢va

Ranganathananda describes J¢va on the basis of Advaita

philosophy. Here Param¡tma which rules M¡ya is J¢v¡tma. J¢v¡tma is
born out of M¡ya. Like the birth of a baby, the universe comes to existence
when the Self is attained and man becomes Ì¿vara, and he is surrounded
by a halo, that halo is J¢v¡tma but it is M¡ya. M¡ya and J¢va are
inseparable. Vedantin’s accept two sects of bodies for the Ëtman. One is
 141
 

the gross matter and other is a subtle matter. J¢va is not a combination of
anything and so it is not destructible. J¢va, though, retaining its spiritual
nature is one with Brahman- Sat, Cit, Ënanda.

M¡ya

M¡ya, a fundamental concept of Vedanta is not a theory, but a

statement of facts, which is the basis of life or J¢va. Good and bad exist in
society, so also death and birth. This shade of dark and light is M¡ya. The
whole human knowledge is the generalization of M¡ya. Each and every
object has name and form and contributing to the idea of the mind is but
M¡ya. Time, space and causation are also within M¡ya. M¡ya is a
mysterious wonder which makes a thing appear in many forms. M¡ya can
be destroyed by the realization of Brahman, says Ranganathananda.

MokÀa

Ranganathananda says that attaining MokÀa is like the leaves of the

lotus in water. Even though being in water, the leaves are not wet so also is
the man who has attained Brahmajμ¡na. He is in the world but the virtue
and vices of the man do not affect him. As Vedanta says soul is in bondage
and when the bondage is broken, man is free. The conflict of life man
faces will come to an end when he reaches Brahman. When a being is in a
 142
 

nutshell, it is not suffocative but as it begins to grow and reach maturity,

the egg shell becomes bondage. It breaks that bondage and comes to life,
so also man without realizing the Self is in bondage, but after realization,
the chains are broken. Ranganathananda says that when man is unchained
he becomes one with the universe.

Universality of Vedanta

Vedanta is both philosophy and religion. ‘It is that which speech

and thought fail to express, but through which speech and thought
themselves express words and ideas.’6 Vedanta is not a logical postulate. It

is the experience of thought but lies beyond the grasp of both. It is the
witness of the universe. It is the unity of reason and faith, the real Self of
man, the Absolute, all in one. The teaching of non duality and ultimate
reality is hidden in it. The Îgveda expresses this great idea in its famous
line-

“BEÆò ºÉiÉ ʴÉ|ÉÉ& ¤É½ÖþvÉÉ ´ÉnùÎxiÉ”7(The truth is one; sages call it by

various names)

Vedanta gives a vision of the divinity of man. Vedanta helps man to

overcome the bondage of life through spiritual realization. The divinity of
man is wrapped by the veil of ignorance, so also the purity in him.
 143
 

Vedanta as a perfect teacher helps him to remove that. The removal of the
veil is done with the help of religion. The text of religion is Anubh£ti.
Spirituality is the core of religion. Ranganathananda says-

“If God were outside of us and far away, we could content

ourselves with just a belief in His being and conduct our life as best as we
may in its light.”8

So Ranganathananda says that religion helps one to find out and

experience the truth which Vedanta proclaims- Self-Realization.

Universality of religion

Religion is a path which is adopted to attain Self-Realization. God

realization is realizing the Self by accepting universal love and cleaning
and deserting the mind filled with ego. Each religion has a soul of its own.
In Hinduism, the soul is spirituality. The spirit must be divine,
understandable, unified and the realization of God. Once all this is
attained, the vices and evil in a human being are cleansed and that human
being becomes God like. Then heaven would be there around that man.
Christianity says to purify the mind and pray for the kingdom of heaven.
Christianity promoted renunciation as well as repentance. Both of this is
very specific in the Vedanta. Quran on the other hand proclaims the truth
 144
 

of the universe. This also gives a spiritual message to man to follow the
spiritual realization which helps man to reach the ultimate goal of Self-
Realization. All these religions promote tolerance. Universal religion
cannot be established. The great Mugal emperor Akbar had made an
attempt but it was not fruitful. “There are various grades and types of

mind”9 says Vivekananda. This is true. The concept of universalism has

diverse concepts from man to man as a matter of fact, commonsense

rationalism. The belief of a man cannot be attained by force. India is a
country which is united in spite of its diversity, hence the universal
religion which India can adopt, according to Ranganathananda, is
tolerance and national integration.

The Mind is filled with impurities of the ego, bondage to worldly

pleasures and attachments. Ranganathananda says that self realization is
possible only if these impurities are removed, this is the ultimate aim of
religion. According to Ranganathananda, religion expounded as a verified
and verifiable Science has a message for all humanity. He says –

“Physical Science, through its technology, may build for man a first

class house, and equip it with radio, television, and other gadgets; social
security measures of a modern welfare state may provide him with
everything necessary for a happy fulfilled life in this world, and even,
 145
 

through the state church, in the world beyond; the man himself may give
his house such, arresting names as á¡´tiku´j (peace Retreat) or Sukha
vil¡s (Happy Home). Yet none of these can ensure by themselves, that he
will live in that house in peace or happiness. For that depends, to a large
extent, on another source of strength and nourishment, another type of
knowledge and discipline, the knowledge and discipline proceeding from
the Science and technique of religion. If man can have the help of the
positive Sciences to create a healthy external environment and the help of
the science of spirituality to create a healthy internal environment he can
hope to achieve total life-fulfillment, not otherwise. This is the testament
of the UpaniÀads.” 10

Ranganathananda opines that the Self-Realization needs to be

supported and sustained by a moral life. This can be carried forward with
man’s psycho physical energy along with a tough mind and reason. To

make the mind tough, pure and steady, we must control the sense organs
which is called Yoga. This was what, according to Ranganathananda,
K¤À¸a taught Arjuna in the B.G. This phenomenon was first stressed and
made practical by Vivekananda, who was the role model of
Ranganathananda.
 146
 

Vision on Yoga

Indian philosophy mentions the main path of realization of

Brahman is through action, devotion, meditation and Knowledge. To attain
this path one has to control ones sense organs through Yoga. The word
Yoga means to join. Ranganathananda quotes Vivekananda’s words on

Yoga and also quotes a stanza from the Ka.Up. to stress the words of
Vivekananda.

“The Greeks applied their concentration to the

external worlds and the result was perfection in art, literature

etc. The Hindu concentrated on the internal world, upon the
unseen realms in the self and developed the science of Yoga.
Yoga is controlling the senses, will and mind. The benefit of
its study is that we learn to control instead of being
controlled. Mind seems to be a layer on layer. Our real goal
is to cross all these intervening strata of our being and find
God. The end and aim of Yoga is to realize God.”11

ªÉSUäôuùÉRÂó¨ÉxɺÉÒ |ÉÉYɺiÉtVUôäVYÉÉxÉ +Éi¨ÉÊxÉ

YÉÉxɨÉÉi¨ÉÊxÉ ¨É½ÊþiÉ ÊxɪÉSUäôkÉtSUôäSUôÉxiÉ +Éi¨ÉÊxÉ**12

 147
 

Yoga is divided into four-Jμ¡nayoga , Karmayoga , R¡jayoga and

Bhaktiyoga .

a. Jμ¡nayoga:- The thinker wishes to go beyond the visible. The

reality cannot be found in the external world, however much it is
sought. The Jμ¡nayogi goes beyond all forms of meditation and
knowledge to realize the reality. Ranganathananda quotes verses
from Mu¸.Up. to stress the idea of Jμ¡nayoga .

uùɺÉÖ{ÉhÉÉÇ ºÉªÉÖVÉÉ ºÉJÉɪÉÉ

ºÉ¨ÉÉxÉÆ ´ÉÞIÉÆ {ÉÊ®ú¹É¹´ÉVÉÉiÉä

iɪÉÉä®úxªÉ& Ê{É{{ɱÉÆ º´ÉÉuùiªÉxɶxÉ-

zÉxªÉÉä +ʦÉSÉÉEò¶ÉÒÊiÉ**13

This shows that from experience and practice we can realize the
Self.

b. Karmayoga:- When we speak of Karmayoga, we simply mean

work. But this is beyond work. Karmayoga helps man to conserve
his energy and gives it a spiritual dimension. The ‘work’ here is to

know the truth and also to be far from attachment. The idea of duty
which was presented in the B.G. was to do one’s duty without
 148
 

desiring the result. This was stressed by Ranganathananda. He

wanted all those around him, to be active always and not to be idle.
Whatever one does should be from his heart and for the sake of
others.

c. R¡jayoga:- R¡jayoga emphasizes controlling the mind. The main

aim of this Yoga is to teach man the concentration of mind which in
turn helps to gain knowledge and mastery of anything. The mind
tends to concentrate only on external things. R¡jayogi has to
regulate his mind from the external objects to the internal objects
that is the mind. The R¡jayogi considers the external world as the
gross form of the internal. Then the external world is the effect and
the internal world is the object. R¡jayogi has to avoid luxury and
austerity, fasting and torturing his flesh. Ranganathananda quotes
from the B.G. –

xÉÉiªÉ¶xÉiɺiÉÖ ªÉÉäMÉÉä%κiÉ xÉ SÉèEòÉxiɨÉxɶxÉiÉ&

xÉ SÉÉÊiÉ º´É{xɶÉұɺªÉ VÉÉOÉiÉÉä xÉè´É SÉÉVÉÖÇxÉ**14

d. Bhaktiyoga: - This is a predominantly emotional nature in man.

Here the supreme power is personalized. Constructing beautiful
buildings, rituals and rites are the practices followed in this Yoga.
 149
 

Bhaktiyoga teaches them to love without any other motives. Love

helps man to conquer all the hindrances in the path of his self
realization.

Vedanta says that the classification is based on the pre

dominance of particular temperament and inclination. In the B.G.
and the Vedanta only two Yoga’s are mentioned viz.:- Jμ¡nayoga

and Bhaktiyoga. Karmayoga and R¡jayoga were added later.

Ranganathananda says that Yoga is not doing any physical or
psychic tricks but it is purely a subject concerned with the mind. He
also opines that when the mind is controlled, happiness and the
welfare of mankind can be achieved.

ºÉ B´ÉɪÉÆ ¨ÉɪÉiÉä tä

ªÉÉäMÉ& |ÉÉäHò& {ÉÖ®úxiÉ®ú&

¦ÉÉäHòÉä漃 ¨Éä ºÉJÉÉ SÉäÊiÉ

®ú½þºªÉÆ ½äþiÉnÖùkɨɨÉÂ**15

He also adds that Vedanta mentions three types of Bala’s B¡hubala,

Manobala and Yogabala. The combinations of these three will help man to
attain his aim. Yoga is neglected in this age and it is necessary to cultivate
 150
 

it. The motto of the Indian administrative service is taken from the second
chapter of the B.G. –

‘ªÉÉäMÉ& Eò¨ÉǺÉÖ EòÉè¶É±É¨ÉÂ’16

This motto Ranganathananda says should be adopted in every

branch of administration and by each and every individual irrespective of
caste, creed or status. He again and again stresses that Yoga is not a road
side mimic but a pure science based on justice, peace, both mentally and
physically.

Ranganathananda says “This Yoga tells to all to become a Yogi, it

tells Rashtrapati or President: be a Yogi; it tells our Prime minister; be a

Yogi; it tells our administrator and industrial executive; be a Yogi, it tells
our clerical staff; be a Yogi, it tells the members of various professions; be
a Yogi, it tells every member of or farmers, artisans and industrial
workers; be a Yogi it tells every member of our defense services and
police services personnel; be a Yogi; to teach every one of our students
and teachers; be a Yogi and tells every one of our house wives; be a
Yogi.”17
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Vision on Dharma

Indian philosophy rests on Dharma. From ancient times to the

present this concept has not wavered a bit. Ranganathananda called to the
youth of India, the importance of Dharma as taught by K¤À¸a to Arjuna.
All the philosophical systems of India deal with the concept of Dharma in
their own way. The Sanskrit word Dharma does not have an exact word in
any languages. It can mean ordinance, duty, right, justice, virtue, religion
and code of conduct and so on. The legal, moral and social meanings can
also be included as the meaning of Dharma. Ranganathananda quotes the
Mahabharata –

‘vÉÉ®hÉÉiÉ vɨÉÇ <iªÉɽÖþ&’18

áa´kar¡c¡rya defines Dharma as the Abhyudaya and Ni¿reyasa-

Abhyudaya means the prosperities of the world and Ni¿reyasa means
MokÀa. Dharma favours duties and obligations of our Var¸as and four
Ë¿ramas are, known as Var¸¡¿ramadharmas. Dharma is divided again by
áa´kara as Prav¤tti Dharma and Niv¤tti Dharma. Prav¤tti Dharma leads to
the purification of the mind to enter the path of Niv¤tti. Niv¤thi Dharma
means MokÀa. Ranganathananda says about Dharma thus:-
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“Dharma as the principle of integration between man

and man in society does not mean religion in the sense of

creed, doctrine, or ritual, nor any scheme of another worldly
salvation. A mere accumulation of bricks does not constitute
a building; it needs cement to unite brick to brick to make for
its integrated structure. Similarly, a mere aggregation of
individuals does not constitute a society; there is an
integrating principle that makes for the evolution of a
dynamic and expansive ‘personality’ out of a static

‘individuality,’ and that helps to hold its members together;

and that principle is Dharma.”19

To establish a harmonious social order, the values of Dharma

should be injected into the society. Then each individual would become
self restrained. Dharma is the totality of law and justice. When law and
justice are properly balanced, then society is said to be in the path of
Dharma. When Dharma is the by-law of the society, then man becomes
interdependent. Mutuality and interdependence make the society a perfect
one.

Man cannot go on the path of spiritual growth without a disciplined

urge. His inner life should be disciplined and thereby discipline his
 153
 

external life. This discipline is Dharma. Thus it can be said that Dharma
controls the powers of the world. It is the divine manifestation in society.
The expression of Dharma changes according to the change in society.
Before India became a democratic secular country, Dharma was in the
hands of the upper class. They had tortured the lower class then and during
that period that was Dharma. But now each individual has his own view on
Dharma. The study of the UpaniÀads and Vedantic philosophy will surely
lead a man to the path of Dharma. If the Yoga’s are practised sincerely a

man is said to be on the path of Dharma.

Dharma -A Level of Spiritual Awakening

Vedanta speaks of two levels of spirituality, one is the Dharma and

other is Am¤ta. In the Dharma man is on the path of spiritual journey of
psycho-social evolution. Here his individuality becomes his personality.
He achieves ethical awareness in human relations. He develops
universality in its true nature. This means there is a void of caste, creed,
race, nationality and sex awareness. This process can be said as de-
hypnotization. áa´kara in his Vivekac£·¡ma¸i says thus:-

VÉÉÊiÉxÉÒÊiÉEÖò±ÉMÉÉäjÉnÚù®úMɨÉÂ

xÉɨɰü{ÉMÉÖhÉnùÉä¹É´ÉÌVÉiɨÉÂ*
 154
 

näù¶ÉEòɱÉʴɹɪÉÉÊiÉù´ÉÌiÉ ªÉnùÂ-

¥ÉÀ iÉk´É¨É漃 ¦ÉɴɪÉÉi¨ÉÊxÉ**20

The discipline called Dharma is the trans-social level of spiritual

awakening and realization. The consciousness is raised to the higher
spiritual level as from Preya to áreya. In this stage, the self interest
becomes a socially oriented will by enlightenment. Ranganathananda
opines in his book ‘Eternal Values for Changing Society’ that when

Dharma becomes spirituality, the consciousness is on the higher level by

disciplining the inner mind through meditation. Yogic practices raise the
Ku¸·alini energy and spiritual awakening takes place. Here Dharma rises
to the level of realization.

xÉ ºÉÆnù¶Éä Êiɹ`öÊiÉ °ü{ɨɺªÉ

xÉ SÉIÉÖ¹ÉÉ {ɶªÉÊiÉ Eò¶SÉxÉèxɨÉÂ

¾þnùÉ ¨ÉxÉÒ¶ÉÉ ¨ÉxɺÉÉʦÉC±ÉÞ{iÉÉä

SÉ BiÉiÉ ʴÉnÖù®ú¨ÉÞiÉɺiÉä ¦É´ÉÎxiÉ**21

Vedanta and Yoga which include Dharma are harmonized. This

harmonization helps in the process of the realization of pure infinite
consciousness. The attainment of this raises the human being above the
 155
 

terrestrial and the celestial. Then the society would become a heaven.
Ranganathananda says that through Dharma, all diversities and
discriminations can be erased of from the society. In his book ‘‘Eternal

Values for Changing Society’ he quotes a stanza from the B.G.

´ÉÒiÉ®úÉMɦɪÉGòÉävÉÉ

¨Éx¨ÉªÉÉ ¨ÉÉÆ ={ÉɺÉÒiÉ&

¤É½þ´ÉÉä YÉÉxÉiÉ{ɺÉÉ {ÉÚiÉÉ

¨ÉnÂù¦ÉɴɨÉÉMÉiÉÉ&** 22

G¤hastha Dharma

Ranganathananda commented that the greatest among the four

Ë¿ram¡s was the G¤hasth¡¿rama. A G¤hastha besides being a house
holder has the freedom outside home also. The mind of the G¤hastha
should also be like that. Otherwise his feelings would be constrained and
would become selfish. Ranganathananda quotes a stanza from Manusm¤ti
to stress the importance to a G¤hastha.

ªÉº¨ÉÉiÉ jɪÉÉä{ªÉɸÉʨÉhÉÉä

YÉÉxÉäxÉ +zÉäxÉ SÉÉx´É½þ¨ÉÂ

 156
 

MÉÞ½þºiÉäxÉè´ÉvÉɪÉÇxiÉä

iɺ¨ÉÉiÉ VªÉä¹]õɸɨÉÒ MÉÞ½þÒ**23

A G¤hastha supports not only his family but indirectly the entire
society, physically and fiscally. In the other Ë¿rama’s, this financial

support is the negative side. Society is made strong with the contribution
of the G¤hastha. So it adds to the progress of the country. Freedom and
responsibility of a G¤ahastha help in strengthening the moral values and
self reliance. This in turn helps to build faith and confidence and thus
make them spiritual. Ranganathananda exhorted the people to become
good G¤hasthas and to live according to the ideals and principles of
G¤hasth¡¿rama.

Vision on Faith and Reason

The Indian spiritual and philosophical tradition is based on faith and

reason. In Sanskrit faith is áradha and the equivalent for reason is Yukti,
Upapatti, or Budhi. Indians never experienced the conflict between faith
and reason because the Indian tradition gives both an equal position but
the westerners find these two as conflicting terms. Ranganathananda says
that according to the western philosophy, religion is faith and science is
 157
 

reason. A conflict between science and faith exists and besides, a conflict
between one faith and other faith also exists. This leads to terrorism.

The western philosophy says that reason is the life blood of science
and the death knell of religion. Certain dogmas and creeds were set by
them as religion. In the western context religion had a strong foothold till
the emergence of science. When science ruled them, reason had
dominance over religion.

The eastern philosophy harmonizes faith and reason, as reason and

faith also go in search of truth. Ranganathananda quotes áa´kar¡c¡rya’s

definition of true áradha (faith) in a beautiful passage in his

Vivekac£·¡ma¸i

¶ÉɺjɺªÉ MÉÖ¯û´ÉÉCªÉºªÉ ºÉiªÉ¤ÉÖnÂùvªÉ´ÉvÉÉ®úhɨÉÂ

ºÉÉ ¸ÉrùÉ EòÊlÉiÉÉ ºÉÎnÂù¦ÉªÉǪÉÉ ´ÉºiÉÚ{ɱɦªÉiÉä**24

Any man can believe and be subjected to the text of truth, but only
the one who has real áradha can convert the belief into truth. In the science
of religion, real áradha is equivalent to áradha in physical science. Belief
can be transformed to conviction and that can also be áradha.

A scientist cannot progress with his investigation unless and until

he has prior faith in his reasoning. To prove this Ranganathananda uses the
 158
 

parable of Naciketa. Naciketa had a passion for truth and he had a deep
faith in attaining it. As a scientist, Naciketa’s mind was contemplating on

the positive attitude of mind and the truth hidden somewhere. The positive
attitude of Naciketa combined with áradha and Yukti led him to fulfil his
life passion. Here Ranganathananda says that by the higher vision of
comprehensive spirituality, Naciketa could overcome the conflict of
áradha and Yukti. The combination of the Yoga’s is the base of faith and

reason. No Indian sage has ever exhorted human beings to blindly believe
their postulates. So Indian philosophy is always on the path of progress
because of the reasoning of the faith. The famous scientist Albert Einstein
says that ‘religion without science is lame and science without religion is

blind.’ That is here religion is faith and science is reason according to

Vedanta.

Need of Value Based Education

Ranganathananda like his predecessors stressed on the importance

of education. He correlated the Vedantic concept of education with
modern education. In the UpaniÀads, Vidy¡ and Avidy¡ are the terms for
education. Here education is not bookish knowledge but the knowledge of
mind and spirit. The Vidy¡ trains the mind by gathering information. It
also liberates the human spirit from ignorance to be a sharp mind. The
 159
 

Vidy¡ in the UpaniÀad is not mere bread winning education but rather
illumination of the mind.

Avidy¡ or spiritual blindness is the lack of learning. Learning

without inner illumination, erasing of the ego and vanity is Avidy¡. This
concept Ranganathananda makes clear by quoting what Yama tells
Naciketa about Avidy¡ and its bitter fruits. Yama compares his wisdom as
the blind leading the blind and falling in to a ditch.

+Ê´ÉtɪÉɨÉxiÉ®äú ´ÉkÉǨÉÉxÉÉ&

º´ÉªÉÆ vÉÒ®É& {ÉÎhb÷iɨÉxªÉ¨ÉÉxÉ&

nùxpù¨ªÉ¨ÉÉhÉÉ& {ÉÊ®úªÉÎxiÉ ¨ÉÚføÉ

+xvÉäxÉè´É xÉҪɨÉÉxÉÉ ªÉlÉÉxvÉÉ&**

xÉ ºÉ¨{É®úɪÉ& |ÉÊiɦÉÉÊiÉ ¤ÉɱɨÉÂ

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As science spread its wings, the need for modern education became
a necessity. The aim of modern education was to fill and stuff the minds of
 160
 

students with facts and formulas. Ranganathananda says that education

should not constrain itself to the limits of facts but should fly to the higher
level of mind and increase the personality energy. He also adds that the
á¡nti p¡¶h¡ of the Ka.Up. has a high educational significance in the
modern world.

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The cause for the failure of modern education is that it does not
impart psychological maturity. Ranganathananda means that though highly
educated, most of the Indians stick on to the social evils that exist in our
society. Such people have acquired just words and letters but have not
gone deep into it to get the enlightenment. The significance of knowledge
acquired can be compared to light. As light rids of darkness, so also
knowledge rids of ignorance. The light of knowledge leads to
consciousness and the awakening of the self. This verse of Ka.Up. –

‘=Êkɹ`öiÉÉ VÉÉOÉiÉÉ’27 was often quoted by Vivekananda and his

sincere follower Ranganathananda, the second Vivekananda.
 161
 

Ranganathananda often says that modern education sticks on to the

stigma, learning to do. He recommends to impart knowledge to make a
man, by enlightening his mind. For that education must foster imagination.
He says that practical efficiency can be achieved by educating the mind
which is absent in modern education and which is stressed in the Vedantic
education. The secular education Ranganathananda says creates new
problems, violence and incapacity to communicate. The individual dignity
of man is not polished. But by including spiritual education along with
modern education the individuality of a man can be transferred into his
personality.

Ranganathananda always encouraged education where human

excellence was stressed. According to him man-making education was
better than bookish knowledge. The three ‘P’s Pleasure, Profit and Power

should be blotted out from a man’s life. Only then a man can become

excellent. For a man to achieve excellence, a good teacher, is a must. A

teacher should strive selflessly to make the students perfect. Only a
spiritual, selfless trainer can train excellent citizens.

Ranganathananda stressed the importance of Sanskrit education.

Sanskrit holds a unique place among the languages of the world because it
is considered to be the first language. This is so because many languages
 162
 

originated from this. Sanskrit offers an educational opportunity which is

based on mental training. Many scriptures, although ages old, is of great
relevance even today. So he wanted each and every school to include
Sanskrit in its curriculum.

Ranganathananda in most of his speeches used to stress open

education rather than a closed one and quoted Vivekananda’s saying-

“Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man.”28

In many of Ranganathananda’s speeches and writings, the stress for

life building, man-making, character-making, assimilation of ideas etc. as

a part of education. He says that such education leads to qualitative and
quantitative improvement of life. A trained mind, both bookish and
mental, cannot be defeated at all. The positive attitude of the educated will
always light up the society and thereby the country and thus make the
world prosper.

Philosophy of Work

Ranganathananda till the end of his life was a person, who was a
workaholic. According to him hard work would lead to spiritual
enlightenment. He commented that whatever work, big or small, should be
done with it most dedication. There should always be a sense of faith and
 163
 

sense of mission in the work one does; this is the contribution of the
worker to the society. Indian philosophy emphasizes social work. Social
work uplifts a man from being selfish to selflessness. The religious texts
also stress the importance of social work.

A simple house wife and the president of the country are all
workers in the society. Each work needs training and discipline in order to
increase the social and spiritual efficiency. In the modern society only
outer efficiency is lauded and the inner efficiency is ignored. A worker,
whatever work it be, should not be considered a machine. The inner life of
the worker should be nourished, only then his outer work would excel.

In the light of spirituality, no work is high or low. It is the worker

who discriminates the work thus. Ranganathananda quotes Kabir, the poet
and Gandhiji, both of them doing the most menial work. When the mind is
properly disciplined, the drudgery of work will turn to pleasure. When the
worker works with an ego, then his inner capacity is filled with tension
and he spreads a negative attitude. When the worker works without selfish
motives, then work is no work at all. When the worker is detached
spiritually from work, he is not tensed at all.

Based on Vedanta, Ranganathananda says that the Niv¤tti or

inaction of a fool becomes Prav¤tti or action. Niv¤tti means withdrawal
 164
 

and Prav¤tti means entering into action. For a fool Niv¤tti becomes Prav¤tti
and for a wise Prav¤tti becomes Niv¤tti. He says-

“Those who work, work with zest and with joy and in

work, learn calmness and the serenity of the human mind and
heart: what a wonderful joy it is to work in such a way! It is
like gliding. When we glide, we don’t find any pressure of

friction. The wind carries us this way, that way. Life becomes
a gliding as it were; or, we can also call it the hang- gliding
of today. Life moves on just like that, absolutely
spontaneous, natural; how? because of the change within
your system.

When we are untrained in mind, we work, we get

tired, we get depressed, and we get so many ups and downs
in our mental state during the whole day. But, when you have
this ‘Ëdhy¡tma Cetas, ‘spiritual orientation of mind’, you

are able to face all these difficulties better and better.” 29

 165
 

Resume

Ranganathananda stresses the importance of the UpaniÀadic

philosophy to be followed by each and every individual. The B.G. and
other UpaniÀadic texts reveal the practicality of Vedanta. He says that the
positive thinking and teachings of Vedanta will erase the vices in man and
make him strive for the path of Self-Realization or Brahman. In order to
make the common man understand Vedanta and make him accept
Vedantic philosophy in his daily life, Ranganathananda has explained and
defined the concepts of Vedanta in simple words.

Ranganathananda, to uplift society from the gutter of evils, asked

them to have faith. He also told them not to have faith without reasoning.
So he made people understand that religion has to be practised only by
faith and reason. The eastern philosophy harmonizes faith, reason and
religion. Religion is the path to realize God. All religions aim at self
purification and self realization with the help of renunciation. The main
motto of all religions is tolerance. Vivekananda had pointed out that
tolerance, self realization and self purification can be attained only through
the control of mind. Ranganathananda also agreed with this thought and
exhorted the people to follow Yoga.
 166
 

The Hindus concentrated on the internal world and developed a

science of Yoga. Yoga is the controlling of the senses, will and mind.
Yoga is divided into four-Jμ¡nayoga , R¡jayoga , Karmayoga and
Bhaktiyoga, and this leads man to the realization of the Self.
Ranganathananda says that Yoga is not physical or psychic tricks but it is
purely concerned with the mind. The controlling of man, will lead to
human welfare. Yoga in this age has turned to be a mere physical and not a
mental exercise. The motto of the Indian Administrative Service ‘ªÉÉäMÉ&

Eò¨ÉǺÉÖ EòÉè¶É±É¨ÉÂ’, Ranganathananda says, should be adopted by all sections

of people. He adds that each and everyone is a Yogi in his or her work.

Ranganathananda called upon the youth of India to follow Dharma.

The base of all Indian philosophy is Dharma. Dharma, he says, is the
integration between man and man in society. The society can be developed
only by the practice of Dharma. Dharma is the totality of law and justice,
which, properly balanced, will lead to the path of human welfare. In the
Dharma, man takes the path of spiritual journey of psycho-social
evolution. Thus man will be on the path of universality and there will be
no vices in him. Dharma, says Ranganathananda, is a trans-social level of
spiritual awakening and realization. According to him G¤hastha Dharma
 167
 

is the best as the G¤hastha takes the responsibility of the family and the
society alike.

The need for a value based education is the need of the hour. He
correlated Vedantic concepts with modern education. Ranganathananda
says that the Vidy¡ of the UpaniÀad should be inculcated in the modern
curriculum in order to produce better citizens. The Vidy¡ of the UpaniÀad
means not bookish education but the enlightening of mind. The failure of
modern education, as pointed out by Ranganathananda, is that it does not
impart psychological maturity. Knowledge is considered to be the light
which drives away darkness. This light, to glow brightly, has to be oiled
with both spiritual and worldly education. Ranganathananda stressed on
life-building and man making education. He founded his outlook on
education on the words of his master Vivekananda ‘Education is the

manifestation of the perfection already in man.’

Ranganathananda presented his life as an example of his views on

work. He worked till his last breath and never was idle even for a second.
He believed that hard work would lead to spiritual enlightenment. He
insisted that there should always be a sense of faith and a sense of mission
in the work one does. Social work should be the motto of each and every
individual and this will uplift a man from being selfish. In the light of
 168
 

spirituality, no work is high or low. With the examples of the life of Kabir
and Gandhiji, Ranganathananda brings out the dignity of labour. When a
worker does his work with his heart in it, the work is no task. There the
trace of spirituality can be seen. Ranganathananda exhorts the people to
work hard, not minding the result.
 169
 

Notes

                                                            
1
Max Muller, Three lectures on Vedanta Philosophy, p. 39. 
2
BEò¨Éä´ÉÉÊuùiÉҪɨÉÂ, Ch.Up., VI.2.1. 
3
B¤h.Up.,1.4.10. 
4
Ranganathananda, Eternal Values for Changing Society, Vol-III. p.469.  
5
Swami Ranganathananda, The Message of B¤had¡ra¸yakopaniÀad, Advaita Ë¿rama,
Calcutta, p.56. 
6
Ken.Up., I.5-6. 
7
Îgveda, 1.164.46. 
8
Ranganathananda, Eternal Values for Changing Soceity,Vol-I.p.43. 
9
Tapasyananada, The philosophical and religious lectures of Swami Viveknanda,
p31.  
10
 Ranganathananda, Eternal Values for Changing Society, Vol-I.P.216. 
11
Complete works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol-VI. P.124. 
12
Ka.Up.,I.3.13. 
13
Mu¸.Up., III.1.1. 
14
B.G., 6.16. 
15
Ibid.,7.12. 
16
B.G.,2.50. 
17
Ranganathananda, Eternal Values for Changing Soceity,Vol-III.p.34. 
18
Ranganathananda, G¤hasthadharma, p.16.  
19
Ranganathananda, Eternal Values for Changing Soceity,Vol-I.p.204. 
20
Vivekac£·¡ma¸I, 254. 
 170
 

                                                                                                                                                                  
21
Ka.Up., II.3.9. 
22
B.G., IV.10. 
23
Swami Ranganathananda, G¤hastha Dharma, p.10. 
24
Vivekac£d¡ma¸i, 25. 
25
Ka.Up., I.2.5-6. 
26
Ibid., á¡´tip¡¶h¡. 
27
Ibid.,I.3.14. 
28
Complete works of Swami Vivekananda,Vol-6,p.301. 
29
Swami Ranganathananda, My Life is My Work, p. 114.