Philosophical Trends in Modern Maharashtra PDF
Preview Philosophical Trends in Modern Maharashtra
Philosophical Trends in Modern Maharastra By the Same Author Khristaraandalaca Sanksipta Itihasa ( Marathi ) Philosophical Trends in Modern Maharastra Matthew Lederle POPULAR PRAKASHAN BOMBAY I>01>ULAR PRAKASHAfi P R iV A tB LIMITBlD 35c Tardoo Road, Popular Press Bldg., Bombay 400 034 '' © 1976 by M. Loderlc i First published 1976 ( 3029 ) Printed in India by Syed Ishaque at Sangam Press Ltd., 17 B Kothrud, Poona 411 029 and published by Ramdas G. Bhatkal for Popular Prakashan Pvt. Ltd., 35c Tardeo Road, Bombay 400 034 sp’ra': IN PIAM MEMORIAM PATRIS MEI ET MATRIS MEAB ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS With gratitude I acknowledge the assistance and encourage ment given to me during the preparation of this work. First and above all I thank my revered Research Guide, Professor Devidas iDattatraya Vadekar. I am indebted to many a scholar and friend who shared his knowledge of the philosophical trends in Maharastra with me. I am grateful to Father J. Toscano, S. J., and Father D. Donnelly, S. J., for going through the English manuscript of the author whose mother-tongue is Ger man. Special mention must be made of the ever helpful librar ians in Pune and Bombay, and specially of srI K. S. Hingwe and his co-operative and eilRcient staff of the Jayakar Library, University of Pune. I am grateful for the pleasant co-operation received from the management and the staff of the Popular Prakas'an, Bombay, the Publisher and of the Safigam Press, Pune, the Printer of this work. Heartful thanks to Dr. M. P. Pethe for his generous assistance in preparing the index. Finally, I am indebted to the authorities of the University of Pune for allowing this book, submitted to them as a Disserti^tion for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, to be published by Popular Prakakn. PREFACE This book aims at explaining the philosophical trends existing in modern Maharaatra. The State of Maharastra is more or loss coextensive with the area in which Marathi is spoken as the mother tongue of a great majority of the people. Modem Maharastra begins with the end of the Pes'vS rule in 1818. The period covered in this study shows the mental agony and an guish, the failure and the success which accompanied the mani> 'fold attempts at achieving a renaissance of Indian society. The keeiiest and most creative minds in India during the past one hundred , and fifty years were to a large extent engaged in the struggle for political independence and social reform. This gave rise to a literature on political and social thought. Besides works on these subjects we find another group of writings which can be classified under the heading of spirituality. Much that belongs to this group is merely hagiographical and devotional literature. But there are publications which furnish serious philo sophical ideas, presented in a religious garb. It is mainly in works on social philosophy, politics and spirituality, which often include discussions on ethical questions, that we have to search for signs of philosophical trends. Our main intention is not to investigate the history of sociah reconstruction, political thought, or religious movements in Maharastra. We rather aim at understanding the answers to the main questions that occupy the philosophic mind, by investigat ing the available political, social and spiritual literature. Such questions are ; What is man? How does he orientate himself in the context of the universe? What is his idea of the Absolute? How does his metaphysical thought shape his moral theories? What did people think and speak and write about the ultimate causes of things? Such an enquiry will reveal modern Maha- rastrian philosophy. Philosophy has been taken for this purpose in a broad sense, to cover not only the technical philosophy of the universe, but also the philosophy of individual and social life. X Philosophical Trends in Modern MahSrastra Though few books deal exclusively with methodological, meta physical and ethical problems, this does not mean that these problems were not discussed, that solutions to them were not attempted. There is an innate urge in man to search for the underlying principles of knowledge and of the reality with which he finds himself confronted. Since most of the available literature deals only in an indirect way with philosophy, a fuller treat ment of the philosophical ideas requires an introduction to the different thinkers and their activities in the social and political field. The intellectual effort of modern Maharastra will only be under stood if these answers, which are man’s great concern, are given in coheirent form, fitting into a logical whole where one state ment supports another. The synthesis of philosophical trends will naturally lead to an evaluation of them. We do not, however, evaluate them in reference to any particular system of philosophy, whether of Sankara, Bradley, or Thomas Aquinas. We rather investigate the ideas proposed by a particular thinker and see how far they are logically coherent and how far they have been verified by rational evidence. Valuable work has already been done in investigating the philosophical trends in modern MahSrastra. Prabhakar Padhye and S. R. Tikekar 'published in 1935 a work on the different intellectual movements up to that time.i The book was written for the general educated readership and had, therefore, to avoid many more intricate problems. Besides, the authors could not consider developments on books published after the year 1935. Their intimate knowledge of MaharSstrian society, persons and events gave the authors a sure touch in placing them in proper perspective. The same service has also been done by shorter studies on the philosophical scene in modern Mahanstra. Among these works, of special importance because they include the whole of the modern period and because of the competence of their authors, are a lecture by N. G. Damle® on the philosophical 1 P. Padhye, and S. R. Tikakar, Ajakdlacd Mahardffra, Vmcartka Pragatl, Bombay, 1935. 2 N. G. Damle, ‘Tattvajnanavi^ayaka VaAgmaya va tyaca Vikssa A. A. Kulkarpi, ed., PradakfinS, Gelya Se-Savaie Varfdtila Mardfhi VdAgmaydce Samikfana, 2nd ed., Pu^e, 1956. Preface xi literature in Mahfiraa^ra and its development, and a study by D. K. Bedekar® on the philosophical efforts in modem Maharastfa. : Up to now no detailed and'extensive study has been made of the philosophical trends in modern Maharastra taking philosophy 5 in the meaning described above. This work aims at a complete 5 presentation. The vastness of the subject, however, imposes a j selection, choosing what is important and representative for an } understanding of the main influence,'their interconnections and I interactions and their contribution to the development of the I philosophical climate of our own time. Influences from outside f MahSrastra, Indian or Western, have been explained in their I proper context as far as this was required. A study of the philosophical trends of our own time cannot rely on mere book knowledge. The author has, wherever it was possible, consulted the main representatives of the various move ments and discussed the result of the research with them. This study has led him to a deeper understanding and appreciation of Maharastra which has been his home for about two tapa, a tapa being a term of twelve years. By origin a German national he is now by choice an Indian citizen. What made him finally to undertake this work was the desire to understand the growth of the modern Indian mind. India is a developing country, passing through rapid social and economic changes. Its intellectual climate too is changing; this implies also the acceptance and creation of new philosophical ideas. Specially in Bengal and Maharastra the literature related to these changes is considerable. It shows the breaking-through bf new ideas, and the reaction and struggle of traditional thought in the face of the new challenge. This study relates to modern Indian philosophy, a field which is fairly unknown outside of India, especially as the main streams of modern thought are ex pressed in works written in modern Indian languages. A study of the MahSrastrian scene can contribute to a deeper understanding of the modern Indian mind and of the intellectual changes that are sweeping over the world. 3 D. K. Betjekar, ‘ Tattvamjrnamsa, Adhunika Kala O. B. Sardgi, ed., Mahard(^ra-Jivana, Vol. I, Puije, 1960, pp. 252-90.
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