An Indian Perspective On Life, Man And The World

An Indian Perspective On Life, Man And The World

The modern world and the urgent need for intercivilizational understanding

The value of many perspectives

Historically, much of the conflict within societies and between societies has arisen out of differences in the outlook of peoples on their lives and the human tendency to consider ones own outlook superior and hence fit to be adopted by everyone else. Great civilizations of the past, and much of the modern world today, value the fact that true social harmony and hence collective progress can only arise out of recognition of multiple outlooks, multiple perspectives, and finding harmony on the basis of their common element. Societies develop their outlook on themselves and their world over centuries and even millennia organically, and there is much value in each of the extant worlviews. And today again, in the face of inevitable globalization of human societies, a deeper recognition of the value of many worldviews is the only way in which we can ensure our collective progress without enmeshing ourselves in unending wars.

The globalization of monoculture

Despite the recognition of the value of diversity of cultural outlooks, much of the modern discourse centres on a 'western' paradigm. This is understandable, given the fact that the western world has been at the forefront of human progress due to the tremendous sucess of the industrial revolution. On the other hand, many leading torchbearers of human civilization through history, India, China, Persia and Egypt are only recently awakening from the tremendous shock of colonialism and totalitarianism. In their phoenix-like rise however, what should not be forgotten is that, these civilizations are largely rising on of their own merit, accepting the western paradigm as interpreted by their own long-enduring worldviews, themselves products of centuries of internal churning. It is of great value to the world that these native perspectives are better understood and articulated. In this sense, is there a coherent Indian perspective? What are the Indian views on man, life, matter, spirit, the world, science, society, polity and the future?

Foundational principles of the Indian civilization

First, the delightful thing is that there is indeed a very well defined Indian perspective on perspectives - dating as far back as to the Rig Veda itself (I.164.46), it is a sentiment that holds that many perspectives can inform a single truth. The rest of these questions can be addressed by drawing from the brilliant summaries of the Indian thought presented by personalities of the Indian renaissance at the turn of the last century - Vivekananda, Tagore, Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo's 'Foundations of Indian Culture' is fascinating in this respect - in this collection of essays the great seer sets out the value of the Indian civilization in its arriving at a harmony of the almost disparate collection of body, mind, spirit that man is, on the basis of spirit, the essence. Civilization, in Sri Aurobindio's view, is how this harmony is established in cultures- some establish by accepting the body as basis, while many, with mind as it is now as the basis. This is a singularly profound insight, which, in course of several essays I hope to show, can can beautifully highlight the Indian perspective on those questions above.

Malik Hyderabadi