The Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda and the ideology of the Indian State . Vikramjit Banerjee

The Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda and the ideology of the Indian State .
​​​​​​Vikramjit Banerjee
​​​​​​​Advocate , Supreme Court of India

The Importance of Swami Vivekananda as a founding idelogue of the present Indian state and society.

On the same issue and their views are almost the same , with the crucial difference that Vivekananda wanted to make the change from within and Ambedkar wanted to make the changes by rejecting the system entirely . Interestingly Gandhi raised the question of Vivekanand and his spiritual guru “Ram Krishna Paramhans” as a breaker of caste in his correspondence with Ambedkar and Ambedkar agreeing to the same and recognizing the fact was of the view that Ram Krishna had not been able to have a deep impact on Hindu society . Interestingly Ambedkar who had extensive knowledge of both
The perceptions of Swami Vivekananda about the social ,economic and political state of India .

Vivekananda is a radical traditionalist. His version and interpretation of high religious philosophy was also marked with a very specific political / economic outlook which arose from his concern about the people of his country , or his co-religionists . His vision is still relevant and broadly and startlingly still applicable in India today . However he through out because of his curious predicament remained scrupulously “apolitical” in that he always never took strong “political” stands against the Government at that time , being the British , since he realized that his intention to spread mass awareness would not be possible if the British became a hindrance to the same , yet his actual views and his sympathy for the goals of the Indian National Congress was barely hidden , as may be apparent from an interview which he gave to various of his disciples and followers. His trenchant views on Colonialism is apparent in his essay titled “East and West”.

The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda; Vol; 5 Advaitia Ashram; Kolkata: 2006 page 365-



Interestingly his exploration of Hinduism and the condition of the people of India leads him to two broad presumptions , one that religion cannot be given on an empty stomache and two , the poor of India or as he would like to term the “sudra” should be awakened . This has lead to attempts by socialists and communists to appropriate the legacy of Swami Vivekananda . However Vivekananda was clearly and completely against formal rigid equality though he did claim to be a socialist in a very colloquial sense . Vivekananda recognized clearly that for a society to work in the long run , man had to be given the opportunity to excel and make money … and he has memorably and famously equalized the Grihasta ( householder ) making money with an anchorite ( sadhu) praying in his cell .

Vivekananda believed that the conception of caste was present in every society of the world , however in India it was the responsibility of those at the top of the pyramid in India , namely the Brahmin to raise those who are lower than him.. He believed the caste system to be one of the greatest social systems possible but in his own words “that through unavoidable defects , foreign persecutions , and , above all , the monumental ignorance and pride of many Brahmins who do not deserve the name , have thwarted in many ways , the legitimate fructification of this most glorious Indian institution”. Infact Vivekananda was of the view that the institution of caste was the most effective resistance which allowed India to defend it against invaders and the objective should be to raise the lower classes to higher class to Brahminhood.

Vivekananda had a very striking analysis of time and societies , he believed that societies have preponderance of qualities where sometimes either the Brahmin , Kshatriya , Vaisya or Sudra values predominate , all such societies have their advantages and their disadvantages . He also strongly believed that all societies moved in cycles of one age followed by the other.

He antedates Gandhi’s thinking on non violence his view being non violence and passive resistance is an action by the very brave and should not be an excuse by the weak , almost to the very specifics echoed by Mahatma Gandhi to justify passive resistance as a means of political action . He talks about democracy and self rule and the need to be rational in the application of our history and culture but he was skeptical of the rule of the majority . He vehemently opposes the Aryan invasion theory ( both on the grounds that it is not sound and on the ground that India is a composite entity ) and promotes the cause of the Shudra and the untouchable .
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Vivekananda was extremely perceptive of the problems of the “untouchable community “in India and his criticism was trenchant on Brahminism in that regard .He is the originator of the word “Dalit”, a word to be used for the pariahs , since it is a direct translation from the word “suppressed” to describe the situation of the “pariahs” of his time.Interestingly he realized as well that the only way to destroy the caste system in India was through “free market”.

Vivekananda is unique in that he is neither in thrall of the past , nor is he willing to discard everything from it . He says clearly that India needs to learn from the west but he is worried that westernization should not sweep everything that is worthy and good in India .Gandhi himself realized that though Vivekananda looked to the past for inspiration he did not want to replicate the past .In that way he is the “middle path” between Gandhi and Ambedkar ,and therefore reflective of the true Indian mean in society .

Swami Vivekananda’s reading both on modern and ancient texts is vast and his capability of drawing apt practical lessons from them is unparalleled .

In relation to the question of religion , it is striking that what Vivekananda had to say , he was clearly pro religion and was of the view that what was behind what goes as ill effects of religion was not due to religion per se , but the politics behind religion .In a most interesting paragraph he states the dilemma of the intermixture of religion and politics and the pitfalls that arise as a result .He was of the specific view that religion “ is neither talk nor theory nor intellectual consent” .However presciently he was extremely specific and clear that in India religion is integral and possibly the key element to public life and even if you have to explain politics you have to do it through religion.

Most interestingly Vivekananda was very clear that the greatest challenge in India was to assimilate all the constituents of India , however he was also clear that attempts to use force to enforce a common culture would fail as would attempts to impose a common language however a laudable objective it may be .

His perception of monotheism as indeed of absolutism remains extremely perceptive “ Monotheism like absolute monarchy is quick in executing orders , and a great centralization of force , but it grows no farther , and it’s worst feature is it’s cruelty and persecution . All nations coming within it’s influence perish very soon after a flaring up of a few years.”.The solution he suggests is something which is still reflected in the words of the Supreme Court of India and the great cliché repeated ad hominem by the Indian state “” ( Ekam Sadvipra Bahuda Vadanti ) which he said was the keynote to everything which has succeeded ,and the keystone of the arch .

In the present tumultuous times therefore he stands as an inspiration of a very unique philosophy which is not inward looking yet very proud of being what it is . He is the person who puts the markers which comprise the clear boundaries of modern popular Hinduism as well modern Indian nationalism . He also recognizes the economics of his age and the impact on India

Vivekananda’s Ideal Indian state

The question here is what sort of an Indian state would Swami Vivekananda have envisaged? It is a difficult to answer since Swami Vivekananda deliberately kept out of politics and consciously so. Yet , we can surmise some of the broad outlines that he would have looked forward to . I no doubt realize that my guess is as good as anyone else’s as to what sort of a grundnorm would Vivekananda have wanted , but for the sake of the present article I am putting forward my thoughts .

One thing is certain he would have definitely wanted a more equal society , both in economic terms as well as in social terms , that much is clearly apparent from his writings . But as he was wont to say that he was not against inequality per se as it was the nature of things , but he was against “privilege”.It would seem however he would not have wanted a state under a planned economy , he was clearly of the view that the duty of a Grihasta was to create and distribute wealth . He perhaps would have focused the constitution on the Grihasta and the family and put on them the onus of creating and distributing wealth in the society . He would have perhaps wanted the rich to be more integrated in the development of the society . It seems he wanted a strong independent Indian state , a state which used it’s mechanism to help the poor. He always said that he would not be against modern technology if it was for the benefit of the poor , which was very unlike Mahatma Gandhi’s stand on modern technology and civilization in his famous work “ Hind Swaraj”.

It is possible that he would have preferred a country which recognized the importance of religion and the Hindu religion to the society but which would be based on the eternal truth of “Ekam Sadvipra Bahuda Vadanti” , that is there is one truth and the wise call it by many names …in other words genuine and deep tolerance for all methods of worship.

Vivekananda would have wanted a country in which caste which is attached with privilege did not exist and indeed saw the future of caste as we know it today doomed , however he would have been definitely against war in the name of caste consciousness and the annihilation of caste. He saw the solution to India’s problems not in the abolition of caste per se but in the ending of privileges and by attempting to raise everyone to Brahminhood and not by bringing any one down .


Vivekananda , was always a proponent of individual liberty and freedom , yet based on Bharatiya tradition .He was also a democrat and was clearly against the rule of kings.He was also quite skeptical of the rule of majority and in a fantastic paragraph he clearly states that the danger of parliamentary democracy is that it becomes hostage to business interests.

Swamiji would have also possibly preferred Sanskrit as the national language for all India , though he was against the imposition of any specific language policy.

However undoubtedly he would have wanted a strong resurgent India . An India which would enjoy it’s rightful place in the world .However he would have wanted a spiritual India and an India which has not forgotten it’s older culture and wisdom .

In the end if there could be an “ideology” of Swami Vivekananda ( though I am sure he himself would have skeptical of any ideology ) it can be said to be encapsulated by oft quoted following quote which still haunts us today :

““O India! With this mere echoing of others, with this base imitation of others, with this dependence on others this slavish weakness, this vile detestable cruelty — wouldst thou, with these provisions only, scale the highest pinnacle of civilisation and greatness? Wouldst thou attain, by means of thy disgraceful cowardice, that freedom deserved only by the brave and the heroic? O India! Forget not that the ideal of thy womanhood is Sita, Savitri, Damayanti; forget not that the God thou worshippest is the great Ascetic of ascetics, the all-renouncing Shankara, the Lord of Umâ; forget not that thy marriage, thy wealth, thy life are not for sense-pleasure, are not for thy individual personal happiness; forget not that thou art born as a sacrifice to the Mother's altar; forget not that thy social order is but the reflex of the Infinite Universal Motherhood; forget not that the lower classes, the ignorant, the poor, the illiterate, the cobbler, the sweeper, are thy flesh and blood, thy brothers. Thou brave one, be bold, take courage, be proud that thou art an Indian, and proudly proclaim, "I am an Indian, every Indian is my brother." Say, "The ignorant Indian, the poor and destitute Indian, the Brahmin Indian, the Pariah Indian, is my brother." Thou, too, clad with but a rag round thy loins proudly proclaim at the top of thy voice: "The Indian is my brother, the Indian is my life, India's gods and goddesses are my God. India's society is the cradle of my infancy, the pleasure-garden of my youth, the sacred heaven, the Varanasi of my old age." Say, brother: "The soil of India is my highest heaven, the good of India is my good," and repeat and pray day and night, "O Thou Lord of Gauri, O Thou Mother of the Universe, vouchsafe manliness unto me! O Thou Mother of Strength, take away my weakness, take away my unmanliness, and make me a Man!"



The Continuing Legacy of Swami Vivekananda

Vivekananda has been the source of inspiration of nearly every socially conscious active political personality in modern India from Chakravarty Rajagopalachari , Rishi Aurobindo Ghose , Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose , Mahatma Gandhi , Bhupendra Nath Dutta , Indira Gandhi , M.S.Golwalkar onwards , they all have intimate connections to the philosophy and ideology of Swami Vivekananda .

He was come to signify Indian society’s attitude to the ideas of caste and untouchability .Vivekananda’s call for awakening the Sudra and establishing Sudra rule along with the duty of the so called upper castes to help uplift the Sudra is almost the logical basis on which the present reservation system is argued and predicated . Vivekananda’s call for protection and promotion of untouchables and his actually calling them “suppressed”( translated into the Hindi word Dalit) instead of the various names that they were known as before is now part of Indian lexicon His clear statement of the need to bring in the heart of Buddhism into the Brahminic religion so as to have equity in society predates and is in some ways the precursor to Ambedkar embracing Buddhism by opting out of Hinduism .His statement of “Ekam Satvipra Bahuda Vadanti” is almost the boilerplate formula of all arguments asking for religious toleration whether in the political space or in the judicial arena . Vivekananda remains the inspiration for the welfare state in India .

His ideas as to who is a Hindu , and what is a Hindu’s political and social obligations are the now accepted interpretations as to how a Hindu views himself . The Hindu today views the conception of caste , idol worship , service as a part of religious and charitable obligation , and the unity within all the various strains and interpretations of Hinduism , through the lens of Vivekananda. The oft repeated fact of the Hindu never conquering anyone by force comes inspired and straight out of the famous Chicago Speech of Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of Religions . His critique of conversion from Hinduism to other religions is now echoed everyday , as does his argument that religion cannot be given on an empty stomache and therefore it is important for Hindus to ensure that the need of the deprived be met .

The modern Hindu , the political Hindu and the religious Hindu arises out of Swami Vivekananda . He provides the arguments for both those who advocate religion as inseperable from politics and those who advocate the state to stay away from affairs of religion .

Vivekananada remains the single most important ideologue of the idea of India as we know it and as it exists today presently,. Swami Vivekananda recognizes that neither can Indians become Europeans nor should they want to become that under any circumstances and neither can they or should they want to go back home to the past unconditionally . He advocates a path combining the best of both Indian and Western , a path based on the single most important criteria that every idea must be tested , a path which does not reject Indian heritage as the Babasaheb does nor glorify it as the Mahatma does , but a path based on equity , justice , fraternity but always based on the needs and objects of the unique civilization of India.